The Sketchbook Project Mobile Library

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The Sketchbook Project Mobile Library rolled into Orlando on July 2nd and 3rd at The Gallery at Avalon Island (39 S. Magnolia Ave.
Orlando, FL). The library was open from 5pm to 9pm. It is an interactive art exhibition on wheels, featuring a rotating selection of work from The Sketchbook Project installed in a custom-crafted library trailer filled with 4,500 sketchbooks.

The event was free to attend. Steven and Sara Peterman, co-founder of the Sketchbook Project and the director of Brooklyn Art Library were inside helping people check out sketchbooks. The sketchbooks were cataloged by theme, material, mood,  artists names, tags, city, country and more! “It’s like a taco truck but with sketchbooks.” Orlando is one of 30 cities that the Mobile Library will visit in 2013. There were three steps to participate. 1 you get a library card, 2 you check out books using a computer to pick a theme, city or artist, 3 you’re given a sketchbook to flip through.

I submitted a sketchbook to the Brooklyn Art Library in 2009. All of the sketches from that sketchbook were posted on this site. Because I visited the Sketchbook Project when it came to Full Sail and Urban ReThink in past years, I already had my library card. I just had to laser scan it and pick out some sketchbooks.

First I searched by city, looking for sketchbooks from NYC. I was given, “Into the Forest” by Lily Feng. She had precise photo real pencil renderings of women in forest settings. She had to have spent an eternity getting the wide range of values right. I was given a second, arbitrary sketchbook of sketches done in Saint Marten. This sketchbook was part collage and part sketchbook documenting an island vacation. As it grew dark more people showed up to check out sketchbooks. Part of the fun is to see what quirky sketchbook a friend is flipping through.

Patrick Greene, the new curator at Avalon Gallery interviewed TrezMark Harris as I sketched. By the time I finished my sketch, dark grey storm clouds had rolled in. The warm light inside the truck illuminated the threatening gloom. An E-Z Up pop up tent was leaned up against the truck in case it rained. I checked for a sketchbook from Orlando and was given one by Lilah Shepherd. It was full of abstract pen line drawings with light watercolor washes. A second arbitrary pick was from Kelly Zarb from Melbourne Australia. She sketched some of her favorite things like terrariums and owls. Spreads highlighted inspirational sayings like, “Don’t hide your beauty, let the world see you.” And, “See the beauty in the everyday.” I can relate to that. As I returned the sketchbooks, it began to rain. I popped up my umbrella and headed home.

Mystery Sketch Theater

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Mystery Sketch Theater is held every first Wednesday of the month at a Winter Park warehouse, (784 Cherry St, Winter Park, FL). Franki Markstone was the model in June. She wore a delicate blue ensemble with a corset that let her ample bosom pour out. She had to check with each pose to be sure nothing slipped free. The dress was covered in thousands of sequins which she had personally hot glued in place. Now this level of detail is kind of hard to catch in the 30 second and one minute drawings so I let it slide. I ignored her tattoos as well since it conflicted with her Marilyn Monroe image. A fan would have been nice to billow up her skirt. She later came out in a purple, green and black dominatrix outfit. There was a very intricate flaming tattoo on her chest. I wanted to explore it in detail, but that alone would have taken an hour to sketch.

Tonight July 3rd, at 8pm, Scarlett Lush will be returning to Mystery Sketch Theater! She specializes in making
her own costumes out of latex and vinyl. They are both awesome and
shiny. Here is a little bit more about her, in her own words: “I’m Scarlett Lush a dominant fetish model and sassy lady. My job
consists of dressing up and getting paid to play with models or spanking
men. Most of my outfits come from a local clothing company called Suzi Fox. We’ve designed some awesome pieces together and she always makes
sure I’m looking fierce. I’m excited to be a part of Mystery Sketch Theater.”

Event organizers Kristen Pauline and Adrienne Frankenfield encourage artists to feel free to bring any outside food and drink that you would like to this event. Mystery Sketch Theater is bursting at the seams so be sure to get there early, drawing tables fill up fast.The price is $5 which goes to the model and the mystery prize.

Retirement Home for Horses

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Bob Heisler told me about the Mill Creek Farm, Retirement Home for Horses was established in 1984 as an equine sanctuary by Mary and Peter Gregory in Alachua Florida. Over one hundred horses stay in these rolling meadows where they are never ridden or worked again. Terry and I visited the farm on June 1st, and were greeted by Peter, age 83, at the entrance when we arrived. He gave us a tour of the property in one of the go carts that he and volunteers use to get around the huge property’s acres.

Some of the formerly abused horses came from circuses, the military and police forces. One horse has a medal of commendation signed by the president. Some horses from a New York City riding academy had lived in stalls in a basement, and had never seen sunlight. They now roam free in pastures. On the weekends, volunteers come to give the horses a grooming. Horses are taken from their pastures where they get plenty of attention. Voltan stood with regal pride as he was groomed.  One of the first pastures had horses that were blind. A sign explained that if you tapped a carrot against the fence then the horses would come to be fed. One horse literally had no eyes, just empty sealed over sockets. Terry gave them some carrots. Visitors come to the retirement home each weekend to feed and pet the horses.

All the horses that had been formerly abused, abandoned or destined for slaughter, are provided a lifetime of care. Peter drove us through “The Field of Dreams” this is where horses are buried when they die. He explained that about one horse dies each month. The retirement home went for four months earlier this year with out any horses passing away, but last month four died. Each time a horse dies, a tree is planted to mark it’s grave. The Field of Dreams is slowly becoming a forest.

The property is open every weekend to the public from 11am to 3pm. Admission is two carrots.  If you love horses, consider sponsoring one at the farm under the Adopt-a-horse Program. This requires a monthly stipend to help provide care for a noble animal in his or her twilight years. Call or write for details.

Retirement Home for Horses

P.O. Box 2100

Alachua, FL 32616-2100

(386) 462-1001

rhh@millcreekfarm.org

Symphony in HD

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I went to an Orlando Philharmonic rehearsal for “Symphony in HD” at Full Sail University. This is the second time the symphony has joined forces with Full Sail to stage a high tech concert. The orchestra, conducted by Music Director Christopher Wilkins, will be accompanied by animation, film, lighting effects and other visual elements created by students and faculty of Full Sail University. Jay Noble, the Event producer said, “Through this dynamic collaboration, our students and staff are challenged with creating a unique and larger than life visual environment that will become an extension of selections performed by the Philharmonic.”

The concert began with a twilight set by Vilaldi‘s “Spring” from The Four Seasons. There was a bit of a challenge getting the cues straight to be sure the Orchestra and the effects were in sync. “The Flight of the Bumble Bee” by Rimsky-Korsakov had a film that tracked a bumble bee’s flight. Singer Davis Gaines came out much later in the program to sing “Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera. Davis had performed as the phantom in the Broadway production by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Davis walked around the room as he sang, interacting with people who had come to the rehearsal. He glanced at my sketch and gave me a thumbs up. I felt bad because I had squeezed him in as an after thought and it didn’t look much like him.

The actual Gala concert was on Friday May 31st. Guests had drinks and hors d’oeuvres along with a silent auction on Full Sail’s Hollywood style film set on the back lot facility. They then had a three course meal in Full Sail live where the concert was held. The William Tell Overture had a guest conductor, Bryce West, who had won the opportunity in an auction. He did a bang up job. Christopher Wilkins will be stepping down as the Orlando Philharmonic conductor. His contract is not being renewed in 2014.

2D Animation

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There is a certain nostalgia seeing a new group of students each month in the 2DA Full Sail classroom. By the end of the first day it is possible to sense which students have the drive to excel. Most of my time is spend helping students navigate how to use the computer software to shoot the drawings they produce at their animation desks. For some students there is a legitimate glee that comes from seeing their drawings move for the first time.

Larry Lauria does a good job of sharing his enthusiasm for the medium. Each lunch break he shows academy award winning animated shorts, to give the students an idea of what can be achieved with a pencil, plenty of paper and imagination. On the first day, students realize the amount of work needed to create just one second of animation. They create a one second animated morph, having one object transform into another.

The students are issued plastic portfolio cases that come packed with the basic supplies needed to create hand drawn animation. They get red, blue and black Prismacolor pencils, an eraser, sharpener, a peg strip and a flip book.  The 150 page flip book is the most creative assignment the students get. They can create any type of animated scene that they like. Some students plan a whole story while others simply play with shapes and forms.

There are several animation projects in each of the ten classes each month. Some students finish with ease while others struggle to keep up. I’m always trying to encourage students to make passable animation
better or more entertaining. This is the hardest thing to pass on, the
fire in the belly, an undeniable need to create. Some sleep walk through
life trying to just get by. Some discover this drive early while others
will find it later in life. Jobs might come and go, but a life fueled with creative ambition will always be full filling.

La Mia Danza

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After sketching a rehearsal at The Venue, I decided to stay and sketch La Mia Danza. This improvisational dance performance featured Michelina Wingerter along with live music by Tacatantán Record’s Abdias Ernesto Garcia. Various lamps were set up on stage. Michelina wished she had a lounge chair so the set would feel like the comfy intimate room she improve dances in at home. Helen, the tech said there was a lounge chair up in the tech booth. The trouble was the only way up there was via a wooden ladder. Several techs and dancers gathered around the ladder. The chair was huge. As several people lowered it from above, the people below reached up. I got up and went over just in case it toppled and more hands were needed.

With the chair onstage, Michelina immediately did a headstand on it. She walked on it’s arms and found creative ways to slither out of it. She loved the chair because it was so stable. She could do anything on it and it wouldn’t topple over. There was a full house for the performance. Abdias began playing his mix of music. Michelina’s performance began as she sat still in the chair. Her movement gained momentum as she danced on stage. She turned lights on or off as needed.

At times she jumped off the stage moving into the audience. She even sat in the front row for a moment to catch her breath. She moved with wild abandon. Movements became more angular and angry. She began to shout as she danced. She looked at me and shouted, “You want to draw me? Why?!”  She eventually removed her top with a flourish and black pasties covered her nipples. It was hard not to watch those twin black holes as they moved on the universe of the stage. She later put on a loose flannel shirt that flowed around her petite frame as she danced. She danced on the razor’s edge shouting in anger and rage. The loud brash performance expressed existential doubts while hinting that the Phoenix could still rise from the ashes.

At the end, Michelina sat center stage completely spent and in tears. The whole audience stood and the applause was thunderous. Michelina bowed with tears still falling. Abdias joined her on stage and they both raised their hands to the tech’s upstairs. Blue Star addressed the audience, inviting them to get their party on after that one of a kind performance.

DMV

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My licence was more than 15 years old. The plastic laminate had curled up at the corners giving it a frayed look. In the photo I still had a full head of hair. Each year the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), sent me a sticker to put on the back of the card. That thick layer of stickers had slid like a tectonic plate in the Florida humidity. At airports the Homeland Security guards would have to call over a subordinate, they had never seen anything like it. A parking guard at Universal literally refused to let me park. Even a bouncer at a bar would raise an eyebrow. Well, I needed a new card which meant I would have to make the dreaded trip to no man’s land, the DMV.

The letter said I’d need a birth certificate or passport. I rummaged for my passport and bought it with me. I went to the downtown office. The first thing you do is pick a number from a dispenser. I was number F91. What does the F stand for? I’m f*cked. Several hours later, I was finishing up my sketch and they had called 90. I packed away my sketchbook and got our my passport and old license.

Finally, my number was called. The woman behind the counter let out a gasp when I handed over my old license. She had never seen anything like it. She asked for proof that I had been born and I gave her the passport. Then she said she needed a proof of residence, a 1099, WD40, no wait that is a household oil… Well whatever it was, I didn’t have it. I would have to come back. Noooooo!!!!

Later that week I found the needed forms. I considered bringing the whole filing cabinet just in case. Two good old boys in the back of the waiting area were talking about pick up trucks and fathers who were in jail. God there are a lot of custom license plates. After my second eternity of waiting I finally did get a new license. Since then not a single person has asked to see the darn thing. I’m considering pushing the pedal to the floor through some speed traps so I can hand it over to an officer. Hell must be a DMV waiting area.

Weekend Top Six Picks

Saturday June 28th 2013

Noon – 3pm FREE  The Imprint show at The Gallery at Avalon Island Artist talks. The Gallery at Avalon Island (39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32801). This is the second series of talks by the artists for the Imprint show. Starting at noon we have five of the nine artists discussing their art, Emilie Finney, Martha Lent, Trish Bambace (aka Patricia Lois Nuss), Britty Metty (aka Brittany Metz) and Lesley Silvia will be talking about their process.

9:45pm – 11:45pm FREE Gene Snowden and The JC Jumpers with Special Guests!! The Peacock Room (1321 North Mills Avenue, Orlando, Florida). Its time to put on your jookin shoes! Come out and dance like its 1949.. A time when 4 out of 5 doctors preferred Marlboros and Booze was a food group. When the folks rocked and huckle bucked to Blues that was shakin, jumpin, wailin, shuckin, jivin, swingin,gruntin and all the other “ins” we can muster. Your presence is wanted for another throw back throw down , in this, the second edition of the Jumpers Boom diddy Boom at The Peacock room! your dollars and time are precious so with a few guests in the mix maybe we can get it right this time baby. So make sure you put on your best drinking outfit and drop by for one and a we’ll provide the rug… Feel free to cut it the hell up! woooo!

7pm – Midnight If you choose art and dance: $40 in advance $50 Day of Event  “Hammers & Lambs” From The Minds Of Patrick Fatica and Blue Star.With
ticket in hand, the night will begin at Lake Ivanhoe’s newest
establishment The Hammered Lamb. Buffet style dinner and drinks will be
served while previewing Fatica’s newest creations. Fatica took the bar’s
name and used it as the influence for this newest series. He said, “The
name ‘Hammers and Lambs’ created an instant mythology. This is the
closest thing I’ve come to a concept album.”
After dinner, be
whisked away by O-Cart to Lake Ivanhoe’s newest performing arts space –
The Venue. Blue has used Fatica’s work and created her newest Award
Winning VarieTEASE show around it. The After Party and art show follows
with both Blue and Fatica in attendance.

After party 10pm -midnight FREE at Hammered Lamb (1235 N. Orange Ave. Orlando FL).

Sunday June 29th 2013 

3pm – 7pm $5 Red Bull BC One Returns to Find Best Individual B-Boy on the Planet. Full Sail Live (141 University Park DR, Winter Park, FL).  WHAT:Top Florida b-boys will compete in the Red Bull BC One Cypher Orlando hosted by MC Supernatural at Full Sail Live, the university’s state-of-the-art performance venue located on the campus of Full Sail University.

Since its inception in 2004, Red Bull BC One has become the leading competition in the world of b-boying, consistently attracting the best individual breakers in the world. Originally designed as an invitation-only event, the series has now opened to give any b-boy the chance to compete through a multi layered global qualification phase.

The Red Bull BC One Cypher Orlando is one of 50 local qualification events that are being hosted in the U.S. and around the globe in countries such as Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia and Taiwan.  The winner of the Orlando cypher will move on to compete against the best b-boys in the U.S. during the Red Bull BC One National Qualifier held Aug. 17 in Houston, Texas. The dancer who earns the national championship title in Houston will step onto the world stage to compete against the best of the best at the Red Bull BC One World Finals, hosted in South Korea.

Follow their journey and learn more at www.redbullbcone.com
WHO:   Sixteen b-boys from Florida

6pm – 8pm FREE SHUT YOUR FACE! Poetry Slam by Curtis Meyer! La Casa De La Paellas (10414 E Colonial Dr Orl FL 32817). 
The only current ongoing slam in Orlando officially certified by Poetry Slam Incorporated, IE. Send a team to Nats as well as poets to The Individual World Poetry Slam & Women of The World Poetry Slam! $50 to the winner! If you’ve never seen or been in a slam before, it’s definitely worth checking out!
INFO: curtisxmeyer@hotmail.com
www.casadelaspaellas.com

9pm – 11pm FREE: “Comedy Open Mic” Austin’s Coffee (929 W Fairbanks Ave Winter Park, FL 32789). Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Wine Women & Shoes

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Wine Women and Shoes held at Sea World‘s Ports of Call on May 18th, raised money to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida which is a private, nonprofit organization that collects and distributes donated food to more than 500 nonprofit partner agencies in six Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia.

When Terry and I arrived at Ports of Call, we first had our photo taken. The photographer remembered that I had sketched Wine Women and Shoes last year and she later took several shots of me at work. Maria Diestro lead Terry and I inside a bit early so I could get a jump on my sketch. I immediately focused my attention on these couches bathed in magenta light. No one was seated yet but I figured women wearing high heels would definitely want to sit and rest.

Terry sampled the food and wine while I sketched. She sat on the couch and I caught her fingerirg her iPhone. The only other men in the room were waiters holding silver platters with high heel shoes on them. There were vendors everywhere and a percentage of any sales went to Second Harvest. For $50 you could buy a key to a closet door. Inside that closed was merchandise valued at over $6,000.

Wendy Wallenberg and Coralie Claeysen-Gleyson, the director at Jai Gallery, joked around with Terry for a while.  This was my first time meeting Coralie and I was so pleased that she knew about my sketch-a-Day project. Wendy was wearing an industrial pair of high heels that seemed to catch every woman’s eye. There was a competition for the woman wearing the most fabulous shoes and I heard Wendy won. Terry lamented that she didn’t wear her Eiffel tower themed high heels. With my sketch done, I had time to nibble one pastry before the food was carted away.

Chris Belt

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Christopher Belt, the creator of the Accidental Music Festival, performed on classical guitar, with Nathan Selikoff showing his artwork on April 21st at the Timucua White House (2000 South Summerlin Avenue, Orlando FL). It was a very crowded concert, but I managed to find a front row seat. Prior to Christopher taking the stage, Benoit Glazer’s daughter performed on violin along with a first chair violinist whose name I didn’t catch. They performed one piece, so I knew that my time was limited to sketch them.

A large flat screen TV was set up behind the stage. As Chris performed, Nathan Selikoff sat with his hands suspended over a laptop. Nathan interacted with and manipulated an abstract pulsating form on the screen with the movement of his hands using a new motion capture device that was reminiscent of user interfaces as used in Science Fiction films like the Minority Report or Iron Man.

On piece Chris performed was by composer J.S. Adams who was in the audience. The piece was written for guitar and tape. Much of the music had a new age flair. Much of the music was so quiet and intimate that I could hear people breathing beside me. It was a pleasant way to sketch away a Sunday afternoon.

Plein Air Paint Day with Josette Urso

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The Maitland Art and History Center‘s new Artist-In-Residence Josette Urso, from Brooklyn New York, began her
residency on April 28. Her residency continued through June 2. The
program honors the legacy of founder J. André Smith, and the 75th
anniversary of the Research Studio’s (now the Art and History
Museums of Maitland) first Bok Fellow. This is the first formal,
nationally competitive Residency program at the Art and History Center since
Smith’s fellowship program, which was funded by Mary Curtis Bok from
1938 through 1957. During her tenure, Urso will work
in her studio and paint plein air, affording visitors an opportunity to
see her create throughout campus.

On Saturday, May 11th, from 10 AM to 1 PM, Josette Urso held an official Plein Air Paint Day at the Maitland Art Center (231 W Packwood Ave, Maitland, FL). Painters from around Central Florida were encouraged to come and create alongside Urso. She showed us the tools and techniques she uses to create her widely-collected paintings. This program was FREE and the public was encouraged to attend.

Josette showed us a color wheel and explained how a limited palette could unify a painting. She had some empty slide casings which she said could help a beginner to see a composition. She said in a workshop she taught in Taiwan, several students taped the slide casings to the brim of their baseball caps.  She explained the importance of thumbnail drawings and she demonstrated a thumbnail sketch using as few lines as possible. We then went off to do our own thumbnails. I excitedly sketched the fifteen or so students around me as they sketched architectural details or foliage. I knew artist Chere Force and Lynn Whipple. I checked out other artists progress and then returned to my own work.

The next step took me outside my comfort zone. We had to pick a thumbnail sketch, and work it  up as a larger painting without using line. My primary issue seemed to be that my brush was to small to put down satisfying bold blocks of color. I found that my two color studies were done before the class was over so I couldn’t resist putting in a few sensual lines afterwards. It was a fun workshop and I’m thinking I might work faster with my daily sketches by focusing on large washes first. The issue I’ve had is that the pens I use die the second they touch water. If I can find a good fountain pen, that might solve that problem. An even bolder decision would be to give up the pen all together. Time and daily experimentation will tell.