Artist Critique and Conversation

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Tonight, March 26th, between 6Pm and 8PM, I will be a guest panelist at the Art and History Museums of  Maitland, Artist Critiques Evening held in the Art and History Museum’s Germaine Marvel Building. The event is free and open to the Public.  The Artist Critique and Conversation series, is a professional development series that offers artists the opportunity to have their work reviewed. Held on the 4th Tuesday of every month at 6 pm at the Maitland Art Center, the critiques are led by artist and arts writer Josh Garrick, along with guest panelists Thomas Thorspecken and Camilo Velasquez. Each evening is meant to be both entertaining and informative with audience participation encouraged.

Artists of every medium and skill level are encouraged to participate in the critiques.  Each critique will review up to 9 artists, and all artists MUST sign up in advance. Interested artists can sign up in advance for one of the nine slots.  Each artist can only sign up for one of the nine slots every three months.

This sketch was done at the January Critique. A nocturnal painting by Deloris Habencorn is on the easel.  Marion DeJong showed five paintings depicting life in Siri Lanka. She has just recently taken up painting and the pieces which had a folk art flair were quite accomplished. Lorain Del Wood showed several of her fashionable women in large hats. She has been offered a licensing agreement which she is quite excited about. The guest panelists that night were Martha Joe Mahoney and Dr. Victor Locas.

Greg Nielsen showed several small paintings of clouds. Martha liked the pieces but she encouraged him to be bold and work very large. That way he would be more physical in the creative process and perhaps bolder. She wanted him to consider the luscious quality of the paint working fat into lean, with thick juicy strokes. He took in all she said but when asked what he thought of the idea, he said, “The notion of working that large would probably scare my wife.” Everyone laughed.

Dedication of the Morgan & Morgan Hunger Relief Center

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A new 10,0000 square Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida foot distribution center, (411 Mercy Drive Orlando FL), has just opened it’s doors. I went to the dedication ceremony on March 6th. Several hundred people toured the huge facility and watched the dedication ceremony. Mayor Buddy Dyer was there and he joked that John Morgan’s home was as cavernous as the warehouse. John Morgan of Morgan and Morgan Law, addressed the crowd. He mentioned that as a teen he had worked at Disney World dressing up as Pluto. He was miffed that Pluto wasn’t to be found on the huge Disney mural behind him. He said that most people might say that donating the money to build the food bank was easy. Well it wasn’t easy and don’t be calling him for any donations soon.

A woman took the stage and spoke about her family’s struggles after her husband lost his job. Being proud, it was a long time before she could admit they needed help. When she finally did turn to the food bank, she was amazed at the healthy quality food they received. Now her husband is working again and they are back on their feet.  The needs in the past four years have grown by 75%.

Second Harvest Food
Bank of Central Florida 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. Learn more about how you can donate. If you’re interested in becoming a partner agency, click here.

Vision: A Hunger-Free Central Florida

Mission: To Fight Hunger in Central Florida

  • Providing access to food and other grocery products in order to meet the need.
  • Promoting and supporting the development of our partner agencies’ ability to fulfill their missions.
    Mobilizing leaders and communities by bringing visibility to the invisible problem of hunger and poverty.
  • Developing more holistic and county-specific solutions to hunger in Central Florida.

Volunteers Build a Children’s Playground in 1 Day!

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On a cold and blistery Saturday,  March 2 between 8AM and 3PM, volunteers helped build a Children’s Park at Fleet Peeples Park in 1Day! The Friends of Fleet Peeples Park partnered with City of Winter Park Parks and Recreation Department to build the Children’s Playground. Having won a grant by being ranked as 1 of the top Fun Cities in America by Dr. Pepper and Snapple, the materials were provided by the Kaboom Organization. The construction of the park was finished using an all volunteer force of 150 local volunteers under the supervision of trained Kaboom Park experts. Breakfast and lunch were be provided to all volunteers.

When I got there round 1:30PM, construction was close to being complete. Some lengths of fencing were being finished and a couple of workers were on the Jungle Jim tightening bolts. The biggest thing happening was that a line of volunteers were moving a mountain of sand using wheel barrels. Erin Volz was there with her 8 month old son. She had been working in the morning, but with her son on her hip it was hard to maneuver a wheel barrel. This is the type of project that really makes me believe that anything is possible in any community if people work together. A huge palm frond crashed down next to me because of the wind. It was time to get in the car to warm up. Sketching doesn’t burn as many calories as moving sand.

Wekiva Paintout

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On March 5th, I went to the the 7th Annual Wekiva Paintout at Wekiva Landing (1014 Miami Springs Blvd. Longwood, Fl). The  paintout is a week long Plein Air painting event with artists from across the country participating. I’m not really a Plein Air painter, I was just there to draw. I walked the property searching for artists at work. I was tempted by a woman painting next to some bright green canoes but to stay in the shade, I would have to sketch her from a distance.

As artists finish their paintings, they hang them in a tent next to the docks. Larry Moore, one of my favorite local artists had one painting on display. One woman did small paintings of turtles on logs. She must go out in a canoe to get such intimate scenes.  Now that I think about it, turtles must make good models since they seldom move. I however was hunting for the elusive artist which also stays quit still when painting.

At the corner of the parking area where a stream runs into the Wekiva River, Charles Dickson was painting alongside Cynthia Edmonds. They have been painting in the Wekiva Paintout since its inception. They didn’t mind my sitting down to watch them work. Charles was working on a tiny little canvas observing the tree and river. Cynthia’s canvas was a bit larger with vibrant colors. They both lamented the fact that small paintings take just as much time as large paintings.

As the sun slipped towards the horizon, no-see-ums began coming out in small clouds and nipping at my arms. Darn bugs, this is one reason I’m seldom found painting outdoors in Florida. I lost my shade and was blinded by the white sketchbook page. Cynthia saw my situation and offered me her umbrella. We attached it to a green metal hand cart that Charles had used to move his paint supplies. It worked like a charm. It was fun working besides other artists, joking and telling stories. I should look into attending the paintout next year.

Fringe Fundraiser at Hard Rock

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The 22nd Annual International Fringe Festival had a huge fundraiser at Hard Rock Live in Universal Studios. Several days prior, I had difficulty getting into the parking garage using my Florida Drivers license. Predicting a similar hassle, I scanned the parking voucher and changed the date to Monday March 4th. I could use the counterfeit voucher if needed to park. Walking from the parking garage, I saw “Dem Guys“, David Horgan, Ed Anthony, and Myron Blattner. “DEM Guys” sponsor a venue each year at Fringe and they always had a friendly competition to see who could see the most shows. Sadly, Myron died of natural causes last weekend at his home in Altamonte Springs. He was 77.

Seth Kubersky was shooting photos on his iPhone for the Orlando Weekly. The fundraiser was a night of Music, Comedy, Dance, and nonstop entertainment from some of Orlando’s top talents.

The evening was hosted by The Man of 10,000 Noises, Michael Winslow. Michael gained fame from his performances in the “Police Academy” movies and other blockbuster films such as “Spaceballs” and “Gremlins”, and has gone on to entertain audiences across the globe for the last 25 years. A master of vocal gymnastics, Michael can imitate over 1000 sound effects using his voice alone.

Featuring Fringe favorites The Mud Flappers and local all-star band The Downgetters.

With additional performances by Yow Dance, Skill Focus Burlesque, Emotions Dance, Circus Arts, ME Dance, Misa Flemenca, Tod Kimbrow and Dorothy Massey, Piranha the Musical, Laney Jones and Matt Tonner and The Downtowners. The Downtowners are a retirement home singing group and as they sang “I want to be Sedated” the song took on a whole new meaning.

The show went on for over three hours. Had I known I might have done another sketch. Towards the end all the performers were on stage singing the Beatles “Let it Be“. The song went on forever. I shouted along, “Let it Be!” meaning “Let the song end already!” The evening raised about $7000 for the Fringe which will officially start on May 15th in Loch Haven Park and Ivanhoe Village.

20th Annual Hearts of Gold

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On Friday March 1st, The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida proudly sponsored the 20th Annual Hearts of Gold concert which featured Southern Rock classic 38 Special at the Hard Rock Live in Universal Orlando.

All ticket sales and silent auction items benefited the Coalition for the Homeless. The elite All-Access VIP Reception in Hard
Rock Live’s Lennon Room included
an exclusive meet n’ greet with the band members of 38 Special, complimentary
beverages and hors d’oeuvres. When I got to the White Lennon Room, the band members hadn’t arrived yet so I sketched out on the balcony. As I was working, one of the volunteers for the event told me that she had bought a record album for the band members to sign. A security guard had confiscated the album from her saying that there were to be no autographs. She met the band members and one of them said he would have gladly signed her album. When I was waiting for the elevator downstairs, the volunteer was desperately trying to get her album back. I don’t know if she ever retrieved it.

The CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless was on stage before the concert thanking the many corporate sponsors who helped make the event possible.  Top sponsors included, Bright House, Disney, Hilton Grand Vacations, Starwood Vacation Ownership, and Dellecker Wilson King McKenna Ruffier & SOS, now that is a mouth full.

The 38 Special concert was great with plenty of hard hitting rock and roll. I didn’t recognize every song from the group, but obviously many hits had been on the radio. An older couple seated next to me were having a great time. The man was bobbing his head and rocking out. This obviously had been one of his favorite bands as a teen. A woman seated 5 seats away won the raffle. They kept calling her number but since she was in the rafters, they didn’t notice her from the stage. Finally when the house light went up they saw her screaming and shouting with her section shouting as well to help her out.

Universal Parking Nazi

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On March 1st, the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida hosted a fundraising concert at Hard Rock Live. Hard Rock is located at Universal Studios City Walk complex. After 6PM, the parking garage becomes free for Florida Residents. I left home later than usual to make sure I got to Universal after 6PM.

There was a long line of cars waiting to get past the parking admission booths. When I got up to the booth, the collections agent asked me for my Florida drivers license which I was happy to show him. Now my license isn’t the prettiest thing in the world. It is dog eared at the corners and the renewal stickers that Department of Motor Vehicles keeps sending tended to slip a bit from being in my hot wallet too long. Anyway, I’m holding my license out the window and he barks at me that he needs a FLORIDA License. “It is a Florida license.” I respond. He frowned and took the card from me, then handed it back. “I can’t use that”. He said. After some arguing, he did admit it was a Florida license, but he said “I can’t scan that.” “What? You didn’t even try!” was my response. “It is valid till May of 2013, read the back.” I got five bucks out of my wallet since there seemed to be no way to reason with this Parking Nazi. I held my bill out the window but he took so long with the car on the opposite side of the booth, that I changed my mind. “I’m leaving.” I told him. He slapped a ticket on my windshield under the wiper and pointed me towards the exit. I turned on my wipers to send the ticket flying as I drove away.

After leaving Universal and cooling down, I decided to return to the parking garage but this time I would look for a female parking attendant. I figured a female attendant would be more reasonable than the Parking Nazi. It was quite a drive on side roads and a very crowded International Drive. When I drove up to the female attendant, she gasped when she saw the card, but she did let me into the garage. I probably wasted an hour of drawing time by arguing and driving in circles, but I was in. I stayed off the moving walkways and used the steps rather than the escalators, for the exercise and to warm up. Besides walking is often faster than the moving walkways.

There was a metal detector to get into Hard Rock Live. The security guard said, “You can’t bring that chair inside.” “Your kidding.” I replied, “What am I supposed to do with it?” “You’ll have to bring it back to your car.” If you’ve been to Universal, then you know that the parking garage is a loooong walk. If I had to walk all the way back, I’d probably leave in a huff. This was the last straw. As I was debating what to do, a second guard said, “Let him in.” I set off the metal detector then emptied all the art supplies in my pockets onto a table. Finally I was in.

Betsy Dye who had recently started working for the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida greeted me in the lobby. Her warmth and cheer melted away my frustrations. I went up to the White Lennon Room where people were able to meet the band members of 38 Special. The band members hadn’t arrived yet, so I went out on the balcony and sketched there. It was a cold night, so I drew fast.

Saint Patrick’s Day

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Terry and I went to Ollie’s Public House, on the corner of Edgewater and Par, on Saint Patrick’s day. Terry had two free tickets for some reason. The parking lot was packed when we arrived. There were green shirts everywhere. Terry brought a beach chair and I had my artist’s stool. We sat fairly close to the outdoor stage. We both ordered a Shepard’s pie which was good and quite filling. Neither of us drank any beer, but there was plenty of Guinness all around.

The first band on stage was “Off Kilter“. They performed Irish traditional songs like, Danny Boy and then went into rock and roll cover songs. We bumped into Kathryne Sullivan, Mike Underwood and their friends Joe Busdecker and his wife Leann Siefferman Busdecker. I spoke with Katheryn a bit but it was impossible to hear over the bagpipes. Women started dancing in front of the stage.

After Off Kilter, the Orlando Fire Department Bag Pipes and Drums Band gathered in front of the stage. There were maybe a dozen bag pipe players and just as many drum players. The crowd gathered around them. The loud shrill sound was quintessentially Irish. The crowd clapped to the beat as the firemen picked up the pace. They played “Amazing Grace” and then doubled the beat. The book light I was using to see my sketch died, so I decided the sketch was done.

It was a fun night. Some people staggered and fell while dancing. One woman had to be helped into the passenger seat of her car by a security guard. T-Shirts read, Kiss Me, Pinch me and I’ll punch you. There was a long break after the Firemen so Terry and I headed home. Just as we drove off, the bag pipes started up again.

Soft Exposure

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On February 27th, I went to Soft Exposure at Infusion Tea (1600 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, Florida).

Naomi Butterfield and Frankie Messina  hosted this monthly event that features the writing of local and visiting authors. Soft Exposure happens every 4th Wednesday. I ordered a delicious vanilla tea and a humus wrap and found a spot with a decent view of the podium. Terry arrives just before things got started, but she wasn’t feeling well so she relaxed on a sofa at the back of the room. Author Karen Price joined me at my table.

Janna Benge was the featured author. She and her husband Geoff run a monthly Silver Fern Writing Workshop out of their winter Park home. The couple hails from New Zealand. They became accidental authors and accidental immigrants to the United States. Janna has ghost written about 100 books; she and Geoff co-wrote two historical biography series which has 61 title, and three million copies in about 15 languages. She is now working on a fictionalized memoir of a Victorian murderess. She read an excerpt from that book. Written in the first person, the woman agonized over her need to confess what she had done. The murderess was based on true events that Janna researched and then fictionalized.

After Janna read, the mic was open for any author to share their work. There is something very rewarding going out and hearing fiction and poetry from local authors. Soft Exposure is Orlando’s kinder, gentler spoken word night. Much of that comes from Naomi’s quiet inspiring words and Frankie’s bear hug of artistic inclusiveness.

Emotions Dance Audition

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On February 26th, Larissa Humiston, the Artistic Director of Emotions Dance, held an open audition for dancers at Turning Pointe Dance Studio (470 E Lake Brantley Dr. Longwood, FL).

Emotions Dance was seeking professional level dancers (age 18 and over) to audition for their 2013 season. the dance company requires strong technical dancers willing to take artistic risks.

The audition began with all the dancers at the ballet barre.  Emotions Dance cast participated in all the exercises along with the ten or so dancers who were auditioning. Several male dancers were auditioning as well. Larissa stood at the front of the room demonstrating the exercises she wanted everyone to do. The ballet barres were moved aside and then small groups of dancers did progressions across the floor with turns and jumps, a contemporary dance combination, and improvisational movement inspired by “Apologies” by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. One of the male dancers asked what the song was about. Larissa explained that the female singer was apologizing for a messy break up. The dancer wanted to know if he should be expressing the emotions of the female singer or the guy she was breaking up with. The hurt and fear is universal.

Dancers came prepared with a professional resume and head shot. There was a $10 audition fee to cover insurance and processing fees. One dancer had not renewed her contract which meant another dancer had to learn her routine in a mad rush before a performance a week away. Emotions Dance had three spots open for females, three spots open for males, and one apprentice (between ages 12-18) spot available. I was still working on my sketch as the cast and Larissa discussed the performances by the dancers that auditioned. The bar is set high and not every dancer has that expressive spark that is hard to define but is instantly recognized when the magic is there.

Upcoming Emotions Dance performances include…

April 6, 2013 – HATCH Series in NYC

May 7, 2013 – Relay for Life Event

May 15-28, 2013 – Orlando Fringe

June 1 & 8, 2013 – Element Earth