Eye Rinse

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On Sunday October 21st, Terry was doing her laundry, trying to remove a stain from a white garment. She was using some bleach and she dropped the jug on the washing machine. The bleach splashed up in her face and some went in her eye. She rinsed her eye under the sink faucet and then started reading  medical internet sites to be sure she was alright. The site said that you should always go to a doctor if you get bleach in your eyes to be sure there isn’t any permanent damage to the membranes. She asked me to look at her eye to see if it was blood shot and it was.

I drove her to a Centra Care Florida Hospital Urgent Care a mile or so from her home. A sign above the receptionist desk read something like, “We continue Christ’s tradition of healing ministry.” Terry said there was a similar sign blessing her from above the toilet. Apparently chemical spills like this take top priority in triage so we went right in after filling out some paper work. Thankfully the place was fairly quiet. Terry sat on the examining table and a male nurse took her blood pressure and asked her a few questions. She was asked to put a hand over each eye and read an eye chart. I’m not sure how she did on that test.

The doctor gave her eye drops which numbed the nerves in the eye. He then put a little red dye in her eye and inspected her eye with a magnifying glass and black light to look for abrasions or damage. He then advised that she have an eye rinse. A saline bag was hung above her head as she lay on the table. A white plastic contact lens was fitted with a clear plastic tube. Terry wears contact lenses sometimes so she was brave as the doctor put the device in her eye. I don’t think I could have done that.

She had to lie there for about 20 minutes or as long as she could stand the procedure. The saline solution ran from her eye an then down her face soaking the pillow. It was a forced one eyed cry. Most people get very uncomfortable and call out to stop the procedure. Terry went for ten to fifteen minutes before she stopped. A fifteen minute rinse is what the internet site advised so she felt it was enough.

Finally, she was given an ointment which she was to squeeze out onto her lower lid. She would have to use the ointment three times a day for seven days. After this we went to see the movie Argo. I loved how Alan Arkins character would say, “Argo f*ck yourself” when he spoke about the movie. It was a very suspenseful film and really well made. We both gave it a 9 out of 10. That night, I watched The Walking Dead on AMC. Zombies died when  crowbars, machetes and re-bar were shoved into their skulls through their eye sockets. This happened again and again as zombies were slaughtered. Terry refused to watch.

Mystery Sketch Theater

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Every month at A Comic Shop on 436 near University
Boulevard, there is a sketch session called Mystery Sketch Theater. The models are usually dressed as super
heroes or Henai characters. Quite honestly I seldom know who the model is
portraying. It is a great chance to loosen up and it is a luxury to have a
model pose for 5, 10 and sometimes 20 minutes at a time.  I keep a small sketch journal for these quick
academic poses, but I can’t resist drawing the artists around me. About ten to
twenty artists gather each month. There always seems to be just enough artists
to fill the available art desks.

Towards the end of the evening the organizers ask the
artists to shout out a strange character or theme for the drawing. All the
drawings from that pose are then put on the model stand and the model picks her
favorite sketch. That artist then wins a prize which is usually a book about
comics or movies. I seldom win this fantasy sketch round since I’m usually
still working on my one overall sketch. I did win once, and I recall getting a
plastic cup with blinking lights in the base.

Grand Palais Paris

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The twelve hours of flying over the Atlantic was tough. I didn’t manage to get any sleep while Terry slept the whole way. Walking the streets of Paris for the first time made it all worth while however. It was fashion week in Paris which meant that every supermodel in the world was there to strut the runways. We were on the lookout for famous people as we walked down Avenue Des Champs Elysees away from Arc De Triomphe. The Grand Palais is where I stopped to do my first sketch. Terry explored inside the Petit Palais behind me while I worked. She said the interiors were magnificent. It was late in the day towards disk and it was uniformly cloudy.

I assumed all the trucks parked in front of the Palais were there to set up for a fashion show, but it turned out that one art exhibit was being removed while a huge Edward Hopper exhibit was being installed in the Galeries Nationales. There were police everywhere. Hopper is one of my favorite painters and unfortunately I was here a week to soon. Paris never runs short of amazing history and lavish architecture to draw from. Terry went to Les Editeurs Cafe for an amazing meal that first night. We sat outside and enjoyed the three course pris fix meal. The waitress helped me pick out a wonderful sweet white wine to compliment my meal.

Musee de Cluny

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Walking around our hotel in the Latin Quarter of Paris, Terry noticed a poster for a Medieval concert. Terry loves Medieval music having sung with a Medieval chorus when she lived in New York City. The next day we returned to go to the Musee de Cluny for the concert. The concert took place in the Notre Dame Room which was filled with sculptures from the cathedral’s various stages of construction. 21 monumental heads originated from the gallery of the Kings of Juda (circa 1220-1230). They were buried during the French Revolution and discovered by chance in 1977.

The Musee de Cluny  is housed in two Paris monuments. The Northern Thermal Baths of Luteria, the only Gallo-Roman monument surviving in Paris, were probably built in the late 1st century and were active for about two centuries. The complex consisted of cold, tepid and hot rooms devoted to baths, physical exercise and underground rooms for administration, laundry and wood storage. The baths can be seen today from the street from behind black iron gates. They are an quiet open ruin with the hectic city life bustling around them. The one elevated room, the frididarium (cold room) was recently restored. The Hotel de Cluny was built on the site in the 15th century replacing the Parisian residence of the Cluny abbots that existed on the site since the 13th century. The museum today houses art from as early as the Roman Empire (51-58BC), the Middle Ages, Romanesque and Gothic Eras. Most of the sculptures, paintings and stained glass are religious in theme. The most stunning room is filled with the The Lady and the Unicorn tapestry set. These tapestries were lovingly restored and they cover every wall acting as huge cinematic storyboards.

The musicians spoke in French more than they played. I’m sure it was enlightening banter, but I didn’t understand a word. When they did play, the music filled the ancient room transporting the audience back in time. There was another artist sketching in the audience. I suspected he was local, so I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. I was in a city where sketching is the norm.

Sunday in the Park With George.

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I had too step out of an artist talk back with United Arts President and CEO, Floria Maria Garcia, at Urban ReThink about the state of the arts in Orlando. It was a hot topic on which I have plenty of opinions but little time to express them. I rushed over to Church Street and sat in the very back row of the brand new Harriet Theater to see the Mad Cow Theater production of Sunday in the Park With George.  The lobby is magnificent with a large plate glass window view overlooking Church Street. The new theater offers roomier seating but the low office building ceilings offer a challenge since it limits the height of the stage sets. The stage was a blank canvas. White panels were arranged accordion style across the back of the stage. Executive Director, Mitzi Maxwell, introduced the play which she called Stephen Sondheim‘s tribute to creativity. I first saw the play in 1983 in New York City, and I fell in love with it. I would often play the cassette tape soundtrack as I painted until the audio tape eventually stretched and broke. Change is inevitable as we move on.

When George Seurat, played by Matt Horohoe, started sketching, Dot, played by Hannah Laird, the white panels were removed by actors in period costume to uncover Lisa Bucks wonderful painted rendition of the Island of La Grande Jatte. The play follows George’s life and creative process as he creates a huge canvas celebrating a Sunday in the park. His relationship wit Dot becomes strained as he looses himself in his work. This stage production brought back all the joy and emotions from the show I first experienced in New York City. Now that I am older and obsessed with capturing life, I better understand George Seurat.

In my sketch, I tried to assemble the cast in a fair approximation of where they were in George’s final composition.  Since the composition was finalized for only a short moment, I didn’t catch every character. Like any urban sketch done on location, I placed figures where they best balanced out the composition I was assembling. I placed George Seurat where the monkey would be found in his painting. The second act isn’t as strong as the first, but it features my favorite song, Art isn’t Easy! I absolutely loved this show, and the cast did an astounding job of keeping up with Sondheim’s fast paced lyrics. The show continues through October 28th. Performances are selling out so get your tickets now! As I got up to leave my pencil sharpener fell out of my lap and crashed to the floor. It popped open spilling pencil shavings everywhere. Embarrassed, I picked up a few with my fingers but decided a vacuum would hopefully pick up the delicate curled shavings with little effort.

“White: a blank page or canvas. His favorite – so many possibilities.”

– George Seurat

Orange, White and Blue Gala

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Devin Dominguez invited Terry and I to Evening in the Grove, was an Orange, White and Blue Gala honoring the Orlando Magic with proceeds benefiting the Art and History Museums of Maitland. I wore a blue and white striped shit,with a blue tie and jacket. The event was at the Sheraton Orlando North Hotel in Maitland. I had sketched a wedding reception here once. As soon as guests entered the hotel. they were greeted by Ashley and Amy, two of the Orlando Magic dancers. I wandered around the lobby looking at all the silent auction items but I couldn’t find a spot to sketch. Dawn Schreiner was doing quick portraits for anyone who wanted to sit for a bit. There were several Orlando Magic players, Bo Outlaw and Nick Anderson, sitting by themselves but they
looked bored and so I decided that the chipper dancers were my best bet for a decent sketch during the cocktail hour. They posed with people and waited patiently between photo shoots. They didn’t quite know shat to make of me and they peeked at the sketch in its early stages.

They wandered off and I debated about abandoning the sketch. I figured they were creeped out by the loony with the sketchbook. I decided to focus on features of the room and before long, the dancers were back. Amy peeked again and said, “Moving on the ink, this is getting serious.” This time I nailed down the dancers slender proportions. Raffle tickets were being sold by the arm length. Bidding on the silent auction items involved downloading a program on the smart phone where bids stacked up digitally, and you were even warned if someone outbid you. I tried to limit my palette to blue, white and orange. When I finished the sketch, I found my way to the dining area. The salads had just been served, so my timing was perfect. Speed painter, Tony Corbitt was on stage doing a painting of Paul McCartney of the Beetles. Tony usually takes his shirt off when he paints but event organizers insisted he keep his shirt on. I’m always impressed with the speed in which he nails a celebrity face using just white paint on a black board.

The live auction was lively with one of Tony’s paintings bringing in over $300. Henry Maldonado,  president of thee Enzian Theater, acted as the Emcee. Speakers pointed out that the Orlando Magic Youth Fund had distributed over $17 million dollars through the Orlando Magic Youth Fund. Programs like, Journey to the Arts, help bring culture to at risk youth who might never get that experience otherwise. A young woman named  Mercedes Beaudoin got behind the mic to talk about her experience as an intern working for the Maitland Art and History Museums. She spoke of how much she learned and how grateful she was. The arts offered a long lasting meaningful purpose. Then she choked up as she said, “especially since my mother died recently.” The room grew quiet as she regained her composure and spoke about how important the arts are in our lives. Everyone stood and clapped as she left the stage. The evening brought in a net total of $48,200. All monies raised will support art and history programming at the Art and History Museums of Maitlnd.

Flash Spooktacular Spoken Word #2

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I went to Urban ReThink, (625 E Central Blvd, Orlando), on October 9th, for readings by local authors.This edition of There Will Be Words featured eight writers reading horror stories or ghost stories that are 500 words or less. The event is held on the second Thursday of every month starting at 7PM.  Jesse Bradley was the moderator so I sketched him since he stepped up to the mic between readings. 500 words fly by mighty fast when you are sketching. Authors included, Karen Best,
Teege Braune,
Arnie Ellis,
Brendan Earl,
Whitney Hamrick,
Sam Lamura,
Rafael Lancelotta, and
Michael Pierre. John Hurst, a former Disney Feature Animation colleague, entered the event wearing a knitted beard and mustache. Walked up to a redheaded man with a beard and cap. They looked like twins. Everyone laughed as they posed for pictures together.

A small iPhone was on a tripod recording the authors. Some stories were funny while others were downright gory. One author imagined what it was like to be eaten alive. In this agonizing moment, he hoped they wouldn’t ruin his looks making it hard for him to pick up zombie chicks. One of the more horrifically truthful stories was written a half hour before the event. The author went back into his family history to talk about an uncle who was murdered by a male lover. There was little consequence for the crime. Handmade, limited edition chapbooks featuring prose from each
night’s readings are sold on site for $5 to support the event and its
authors. Burrow Press will soon be selling 5 box sets of the There Will Be
Words’ first year of chapbooks, all copies signed by the authors, as a
fundraiser for future book projects.  After the event, John invited me out with his red headed buddy for some Mexican food. My sketch was done, and I felt I should get home, so I thanked him for inviting me, and then slipped away into the night.

Dia de los Muertos

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I went to the City Arts Factory for the opening of Dia de los Muertos, the day of the dead themed art show and block party. Pine Street was blocked off around the City Arts Factory with a large stage set up, art vendors, and a food truck. Large skeletal figures surrounded the entry way. Inside it was already packed and all the art in the hall and left gallery had highly ornate day of the dead skulls. I saw a flash of pink. It was Denna Beena ducking behind some black curtains. I followed and we entered a hectic backstage dressing room and makeup area. I recognized many of the Yow dancers and Denna graciously introduced me. Carolina Suarez Garcia came in and did her own makeup. She is the public relations manager for Tacatantán Records, one of the events producers along with The Orlando Downtown Arts District and Pink Hair Productions.I tried to find order in the chaos and clutter.

There was a mad rush to get the makeup done for all the performers before the 8PM Yow Dance, Thriller Flash Mob.  I thought I was sketching Yow dancers, but it turned out that these performers helped with Dali Live’s painting performance on stage. Dali was dressed like the joker with a shock of green hair. He quickly painted a large portrait of the joker while dancing to loud techno music. Poison Ivy and the other characters danced as he painted. They were all characters from Batman movies and eventually Batman did a cameo walk on stage. The crowd loved it. There was a costume contest and day of the dead parade.

Yow dance lead the assembled crowd in the Thriller line dance. A few people joined in, but it was hot and most Central Floridians are rather reserved.  Children joined in. Terry arrived and I searched for her in the crowd. I texted each location I went to thinking it might help. I was up against the stage watching Dali Live when Terry bumped me in the shoulder. We walked away from the stage to the back of the crowd and sat on some steps behind two girls with large snakes. A guy was coaching them saying they shouldn’t let people touch the snakes heads or grab at them. Terry wanted to take a picture, but the girls wanted money.  Terry was tired, having just come from another corporate party, so I walked her back to her car and called it a night. The Dia de los Muertos exhibit at City Arts Factory is up through the end of October.

Interactive Puppetry

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At the opening of the Handmade Puppet Dreams exhibit at City Arts Factory, Heather Henson, the founder of Ibex Puppet Company, had just opened a present from a friend.
She held a sleek sculpture of a deer or ram or maybe it was an ibex. All the colorful tissue paper was on the floor, and a light breeze from someone passing by caused a sheet to move, begging me to play. I was reminded of a an interactive art performance by actress and puppeteer, Rebekah Lane, on October 16th as part of the Creative City Project. She staged her performances four times at different locations around Lake Eola. When I arrived she was stuffing colorful tissue paper into brightly colored shopping bags. She explained to me that the idea for the performance came about after she attended a recent puppetry workshop. She learned about the work of Albrecht Roser. She explained that there are two ways to approach a story. First you can write a story and then find the materials with which to tell the story. The other approach is to let the materials influence and mold the story.

I was excited at the prospect of a performance in public catching people by surprise. A small foot ladder held a wicker rattle, an iHome stereo player and some thin green wire strands.  The puppet show banner hung from a flaccid length of PVC. She eventually found an existing sign near her staging area to support the banner. She turned on the stereo, playing some Felliniesque music and she approached passers by to try and drum up an audience. First three then five people gathered. Her performance was in mime. She offered the five people the shopping bags with delight in her eyes. They riffled inside the bags looking for what she was offering. All the colorful tissue paper was in the way. Then she extracted a bright blue tissue from a bag. Playfully, she crumpled the tissue into a long worm-like shape. She crouched down and had the tissue crawl about in the grass and then look around quizzically. Others played along. Soon there was a procession of caterpillars in the grass.

They moved to the ladder where a tissue paper cocoon was built and suspended with the silky wire strands. The caterpillars went inside and later emerged. Rebekah took the newly emerged tissue and she lifted it up into the breeze. It floated and danced in the wind. Every one’s tissues flew up in the air like graduation caps hesitant to return to any head. People ran after their creatures before they could be blown into the lake. Rebekah then folded her tissue, creating wings and her hand acted as the body and legs of a butterfly. A little girl was delighted when the butterfly landed on her head. There was an innocent Gelsomina joy in this performance that playfully asked people to imagine life in the colorful, and inanimate, while offering them the luxury of play. Sometimes we all need a little reminder that life isn’t all about meetings and schedules.

Handmade Pupppet Dreams Halloween

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Halloween is coming and Handmade Puppet Dreams is ready to show Orlando, FL its darker side. In addition to a 15-foot display of puppets in City Arts Factory, this ghastly gallery exhibit will feature a 2-hour loop of Handmade Puppet Dreams creepiest, crawliest, Halloween-iest films for the public to enjoy any time during open gallery hours (11:00AM till 6:00PM) through the end of October!

 The 3rd year of the Annual Dia de los Muertos and Monster Factory. Co-produced by The Downtown Arts District, Tacatantán Records, and Pink Hair Productions, this exhibit features the work of international, national, and local artists and, this year, will feature a gallery installation by IBEX Puppetry spotlighting Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams!

The Handmade Puppet Dreams segment of the gallery will feature puppets from the films of Ron Binion (AlienCow Puppet Show Redux), David Michael Friend (Moonfishing), Sam Koji Hale (Yamasong), Lyon Hill (Junk Palace and Incubus), Kevin McTurk (The Narrative of Victor Karloch), and Scotty Shoemaker, Tony Giordano, and Jason Murphy(Harker). Screenings will include The Narrative of Victor Karloch, Suck-A-Thumb, AlienCow Puppet Show Redux, Calalilly, Harker, Incubus, In the House of the Sin Eater, Junk Palace, Yamasong, Moonfishing, and Graveyard Jamboree.

Hannah Miller was busy getting the puppets ready for display on the day before the opening.  Midway through the install she turned on the flat screen TV to show the films. Each of the puppets I sketched were in the films. It was like having movie actors pose who are eternally patient. My favorite short film was Moonfishing which had gorgeous silhouetted settings with curvacious Art Nouveau organic curls, and a magical heart warming story. When pizza arrived at 1PM, all the other people who were hanging art disappeared never to be seen again. Hannah called Jack Fields to help as she finished the installation. I admired their teamwork when hanging the posters high on the wall. Hanging a show is hard work.