Winter Park Harvest Festival

Posted on by Thor

 On November 17th, the day after the ice skating rink opened, The Annual Winter Park Harvest Festival was held on the West Lawn of Central Park. The white tent in my sketch is where the ice rink is housed.The festival is the brain child of John Rife who wants to help educate people to the benefits of eating locally grown produce. A community garden demonstrated what plants did well in Florida.

Since the festival was held right before Thanksgiving, people could consider getting some locally grown, whole hearted goodness on the dinner table for the holiday After walking around and inspecting the fifty or so market tents, I was drawn to the sound of music. Several bays of hay and some speakers were piled onto the back of a truck trailer that served as the stage. A bare scrawny tree offered no shade for the performers and it was hot in the sun. I walked around the staging area several times searching for a shady spot with a good view. I finally leaned against a tree quite far from the stage. Austin Miller was performing. People sat on hay bales and families picnicked on the grass as they listened. “Hey, are you a registered voter?” I was asked. “Yes.” I said. “Well then would you like to sign a petition to help preserve our natural resources?” I had already signed that petition downtown. I heard his pitch again and again. The music was just background noise for the fervor. I didn’t care. It was a beautiful day.

Gailanne Amundsen, of Jubal’s Kin stopped to say hello. Her brother Roger Amundsen had started a locally grown business and he had a tent. Unfortunately, Jubal’s Kin wasn’t scheduled to play. There is a deep rooted Appalachian honesty to their songs that I love. I also bumped into Mark Baratelli and Julie Norris with her daughter Maya. Anna McCambridge Thomas offered me several fried crab cakes from the Big Wheel Food Truck. Boy were they good. Several people I hadn’t met before stopped to tell me they follow my work online. One artist insisted I have to get involved in the annual Winter Park Paint Out. I’ve wanted to sketch that event for the past two years but there was always a scheduling conflict. After my sketch was done, I went to the Big Wheel Food Truck and ordered a stuffed Avocado. I relaxed in the shade and soaked in the music.

Winter in the Park Ice Rink Opening

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On Friday November 16th at 3pm there was a Winter in the Park Ice Breaking Ceremony for the outdoor rink at the Central Park West Meadow.  I was running late to the opening which would involve breaking a large peacock ice sculpture in the most dramatic way. That sounded like an enticing sketch opportunity. Walking through Central Park, I saw Emma Kuch Morris and Betsy Dye chatting on a park bench. I considered stopping to congratulate Emma on her recent marriage, but I was late! I heard then laughing as I rushed on with my art supplies slapping against my leg. After all that rush, I missed the peacock crushing. I didn’t even see any shards.

People were crowding around the rink to watch performers from the RDV Sportsplex Ice Den who began a special performance of “Babes in Toyland.” The performances were a bit too Saccharine sweet for my taste. The ice was then opened up for anyone to skate and I found far more entertainment in watching deep southern beginners falling repeatedly. A mom braced her little girl who was laughing with delight. Two teenage boys held on to the edge rails the whole time, moving in fits and starts.

The Ice Rink will be open till January 8th.  This is a great way to warm up to the holiday season, even if you’re a Grinch like me who delights in the carnage.
Info: (407) 599-3203, Skating includes skate rental $10. 

Hours:

• Monday to Thursday, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Friday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Sunday, Noon to 8 p.m.

60th Annual Winter Park Christmas Parade

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 I wen t sketch the 60th Annual Winter Park Christmas Parade on December first starting at 9AM. Angela Puik, a young UCF photographer wanted to get some photos of me at work. She and her classmate Abu Ngauja are using me as a subject for their final project in their Advertising and Public Media class. They are pitching the idea of doing a video segment for a PBS Television show called, “One“. I took a look at the program and it has some compelling local human interest stories. There is no guarantee that a video segment will be produced, but I worked with them to hopefully get them excited about documenting live with art.

Parking in Winter Park that day was impossible, so by the time I got to the parade route on Park Avenue, the first police cars were  flashing their lights to start the parade. Angela texted to see if I was at the parade. I told her I was by the silver statue, and it turned out that she was on the same street corner. I felt a little self conscious as I sketched. I figure for a photographer, watching a sketch develop might be like watching grass grow. When I started adding color, several kids started looking over my shoulder. A mom pulled her son away mortified. “I’m so sorry, Bobby, give the man some space!” Angela said she had what she needed and left before the sketch was finished. I quickly blocked in a policeman on horseback.

I walked up to the corner to watch the parade up close when my sketch was done. More than 100 units participated, including bands, local police and fire departments, marching bands, scouting groups, local
dignitaries, and of course Santa Claus. Boy Scout troop 878 was walking by as I muscled my way up for a view. They handed out candy canes for the kids. Unicyclists charged up to kids on the curb seemingly off balance, only to recover at the last moment. Pre-teen cheerleaders shook their pink pom-poms. Behind me, two boys started climbing on the silver sculpture I had sketched. Their father scolded them. They then circled around the art while checking to see if their father was looking. Roses were being handed out and Cloe tried to shyly get one three different times. Her mom was shouting out directions. “To your left! Don’t wait! Run over! She only has a few more!” Cloe returned dejected. Sky Craft had a float with a flying saucer and plenty of dried ice smoke. Someone released a candy cane tied to a red helium balloon. It rose up and got tangled in the street light until a breeze knocked it free and it rose up to the clouds. I left to go to Full Sail before the parade was over in order to avoid the mad traffic rush.

Last Tango in Paris

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Our last evening in France, Terry and I returned to Paris and found a hotel near the train station so we could get to the airport early the next morning. Unfortunately it was raining. Regardless, we decided to walk to Place des Vosges which is a gorgeous manicured park surrounded on all sides by historic architecture. It is the oldest planned square in Paris dating back to 1612. The corner building in my sketch was once the home of Victor Hugo from 1832-1848.  It is now a museum devoted to his memory.

As I sketched, Terry scouted around and discovered several gallery openings. We grabbed glasses of wine at an opening of paintings of bull fighters and tango dancers. Outside music was playing on a radio and  four or five couples were dancing the tango. These were skilled sensual dancers who understood their partners every movement. This was a truly memorable Parisian moment, a perfect way to cap off the trip.

A gallery several doors down was showing bright colorful paintings done of opulent interiors done entirely with pallet knivesand thick juicy paint. I rather liked the work and we met the artist. One last time we hiked back to the hotel watching the bustle and bright lights in the city of light.

Death By Pop Community Paint

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On Tuesday October 30th I went to the Death By Pop-Up Shop, (1844 A Winter Park Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803) for a Community Paint event. These Community Paint events will happen every Tuesday from 3-11pm. It is all about giving artists an excuse to get out of the house and escape some of the distractions for a day. Artists brought canvases, easels, paint, sketchbooks, notebooks, laptops or whatever they needed to create with, and they worked along with fellow artists, musicians, poets and designers.

Death by Pop is a hip urban custom clothing store with B-Side Artists work adorning the walls. Chris Tobar was there to show me around. Artists whose work were on display included: Steve Parker, Justin Barrows, Peter Van Flores III, Peterson Guerrier, Jaime Torraco, The three Bears, Cake Marques, Jeff Pfaff, Michael McGrath, Brian Heeter, Decoy and Chris Reason.  

Swamburger was the guest artist that evening. He sold one of his pieces online while everyone was working. He found an image online of a ghetto Spongebob and he laughed as he said, “This is just wrong!” A huge jar of Cheetos puff balls sat on a table, largely ignored. Artist Tiffany Dae was seated right in front of me. She was painting an intricate sculpted wooden totem. She assembles various photos found online into cosmic, ethereal images which are painted. I always like meeting artists and learning how they work.

I spoke with Mila Belle Dykes just as I was leaving, having finished my sketch. I had met Mila Belle once before at City Arts Factory at Mia De los Muertos. She was painting a skull mask on a young woman’s face. I considered sketching Mila at work that day, but she said she would be done in just five minutes. I needed more time so I focused on other artists. The painting she was working on at Death by Pop was light and airy with white doves appearing and rising within abstraction. She worked her oil on canvas with thin glazes retaining the vibrancy of light bouncing through the paint and back out.

Château de Fontainebleau

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We took a train out of Paris on a day trip to Fontainebleau. Terry wanted to see a large opulent palace. The Château de Fontainebleau, once belonged to the kings of France. We took a bus from the train station into the town and then walked to the palace. We walked past this carousel on the way there. Terry wanted to take a tour of the interior. I set my stool up at the base of a large staircase and started blocking in a sketch. Within 15 minutes a guard walked up to me and told me I couldn’t sketch. I hiked back to the center of town to find the carousel.

I leaned up against the palace gates and started sketching the carousel.  Half way into the sketch a large ice cream truck parked in front of me, blocking my view. I moved my stool back in front of the truck and continued to work. The ice cream vendor invited me to lean back against the truck’s tires. The owner of the carousel came over and she discussed my sketch over with the ice cream vendor. A motor cycle was rear ended by a car right in front of me. A very vehement and animated argument broke out. The car’s bumper got caught on the motorcycle’s rear tire, but there was no actual visible damage once the vehicles were disentangled.

After the sketch was done, I hiked back to the palace. Terry and I ordered some croissants from the palace commissary, then we walked around the immense gardens. Several weddings were taking place on the grounds.

Stand Up and Shop

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Terry was invited to a fundraiser called, “An Evening of Shopping” at The Sanctuary Downtown, (100 South Eola Drive). The Sanctuary is the new building that now houses The Abbey and the Broadway Across America offices. The rest of the building is a luxury condominium. I arrived a little before Terry and took the elivator to the 5th floor. A phalanx of pretty boys were standing in the hall. To their left was an open public area with an open bar. l searched some more to find the apartment.

The apartment which is the home of Ted Maines and Jeffery Miller, was absolutely gorgeous with a fabulous collection of original modern art. There was a glass machine gun sculpture, while Warhols and ironic pieces by Ed Ruscha and Jane Hammond decorated the walls. As a collection, the work has a dark under current yet was inherantly humorous. People crowded around a large table which had expensive David Yurman watches and jewelry. The David Yurman team was lead by Jada Marzolf-Beekman. Funds raised from sales would benefit the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center’s program called, Upstanders: Stand Up to Bullying. 

The Upstanders: Stand Up to Bullying program is designed to help children understand the dynamics of bullying. The education begins with a moving presentation of a parent whose child committed suicide in response to bullying.  Parallel presentations in the evening help parents and other community members find out how they can be part of the solution. The pledge neatly sums up how we all can help. “I will stand up to bullying. I wont be a bully. I won’t let anyone bully me. I won’t let anyone bully someone else. I have a responsibility to stop bullying in my school and in my community.”

Art and Process

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On November 14th, I went to Urban ReThink to hear artists Brian Phillips, Dina Mack and Tory Tepp talk about their Art and Process. Dina Mack lead off showing her work from inception to today. She worked in the beginning by doing collages. Her work later matured and become austere in its simplicity and abstraction. She did an instillation in which she froze written documents in ice and then let them melt in the gallery. For the Corridor Project, she had a series of cloth napkins which she used to blot her lipstick. She vividly remembers her grandmothers perfume, so she scented the fabric. The lipstick stained napkins were an autobiographical look back at memories she had of her mother and grandmother.  Her grandmother used to give her a butterscotch candy if she sat still in church. The sound of the wrapper still brings back the memory, so she filled a vintage purse with butterscotch wrappers. The ephemeral installation was installed on the lawn of the Mennello Museum for only a few days. The sense of smell is only now being researched. Apparently all the Marriott hotels in the country use the same perfumed cleaning products. A scent can trigger many vivid memories. Much of Dina’s work speaks in a whisper, implied, like a scent on a breeze.

Tory Tepp is now a resident artist at the Atlantic Center of the Arts in Daytona Beach. He began his career as an artist doing traditional paintings. He hit a wall where he felt painting didn’t have any meaningful place in today’s society. He stagnated, not knowing where to go as an artist. Then he started planting seeds and growing a garden outside his Los Angeles studio. This garden helped him feel more connected to the people in his neighborhood. He started using abandoned shopping carts as planters. This evolved into Urban art with a taste of nature. An installation at a college consisted of a series of grass covered dirt mounds that acted as a natural place to meet, lie back relax and mingle. He is now working on a similar installation as part of his Atlantic Center of the Arts residency. With any luck, I’ll get out there to sketch the work in progress.

Brian Phillips showed his illustrative work. He has a whole series of paintings of house fires illuminating the night sky. He has some of his paintings hanging at Urban ReThink now. One piece in particular caught my eye. It was a painting of a stone arrowhead with a bold flat backdrop. This simple image implies much about the violence of survival. That image lingers. Brian didn’t claim any deep rooted underlying themes to his work. For the people intent on finding hidden meanings, he did a painting of a house fire and diagrammatically circled some embers. The diagram pointed to a bird, leaf and phone. It was pure nonsense. He paints because he loves the process.

I’ll be giving a talk on my art and process this Wednesday December 12th from 7PM to 9PM at Urban Rethink, (625 E Central Blvd  Orlando, FL, 32801). Rick Jones will be presenting, discussing and displaying his works on the ReThink wall, along with photographer Hannah Glogower. Stop by and say hi.

Space to Grow

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October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Zahide Love, along with her friends, Gigi, Jerri, Jillian, Michelle, Nadine, Aswadah, organized a domestic violence fundraiser at Bravo Cucina Italiano,
(7924 Via Dellagio Way
Orlando, FL). The ladies of Space to Grow helped combat the devastating effects of
domestic violence by coming together to network and build new
relationships while raising money for a good cause. The $20 donation entry included an appetizer and a raffle entry for a
resort stay.

100% of the contributions were donated directly to the Women’s Residential Counseling Center, (WRCC) to benefit the women and children
survivors of domestic violence. Founded in 1921 the WRCC has evolved over the years ot become an important safe haven for women and their children who are victims of domestic violence.

In 2010, 113,378 crimes of domestic violence were reported to Florida
law enforcement agencies resulting in 67,810 arrests. During fiscal year
2010-2011, Florida’s certified domestic violence centers provided
477,489 nights of emergency shelter to 15,789 survivors of domestic
violence and their children. Many more survivors of domestic violence are not reporting their abusers
to the police or accessing services at domestic violence services due
to reasons such as shame, fear, or being prevented from doing so by
their abusers. For this reason, we may never know the true extent of
abuse in our country and in our state.

Bravo’s happy hour menu was extended for the fundraiser.  Terry joined me to network as I sketched. Darkness quickly set in, but the restaurants outdoor lights kept things cheery. There were a few speakers, but unfortunately the loud Sand Lake Road traffic noise made hearing difficult. I did hear Zahida speak, and she announced to those gathered that she had been the victim of domestic abuse. This was the first time she had admitted that in public. She is certainly brave, vibrant and active with a charitable heart today. There was a ground swell of applause.

A Space to Grow pamphlet announced, “It is sad when someone thinks they have no one to talk to about abuse. It is a horror if you don’t ask. Talk about it.” The statistics are staggering. There is a chance someone you know is affected. Reach out and respond.

 E-mail at info@spacetogrow.org. WRCC crisis hot line 407 425-1076.