Ivanhoe After Hours

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Business owners from the Ivanhoe Village Business District mixed, mingled, and networked among the enriching art of the Mennello Museum of American Art, (900 East Princeton Street). There were libations and hors d’oeuvres. I arrived right after work and started sketching before the room got really crowded.

Dave PerMar from the Social Media Consulting Group and Colleen Burns from Yelp gave talks about how social media can help businesses. I sketched them as they set up their power points. According to Dave, Google + has been gaining influence online slowly inching towards Facebook’s influence. The benefits for any business are obvious and it is important these days to keep the conversation going with costumers. People trust advice from friends online rather than large corporate ad campaigns.

The wife of Rick Singh took an interest in my sketch. Rick is running for Orange County Appraiser and he was there with a broad smile shaking hands. I was encouraged by his wife’s obvious knowledge and love of art. She told me about Gallery G4 which just opened up downtown and she suggested I get down there and meet the owner. Linda Stewart was there as well and she suggested I go to a fundraiser for her campaign for Florida House District 47.

Fragment(ed) Rehearsal

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The Empty Spaces Theatre Co. and DiDonna Productions presents “Fragment(ed)” – the sequel to their “Best Dance” winner of the 2011 Fringe “Unspoken”. Through a fusion of dance, movement, spoken word, aerial and original music Fragment(ed) explores the very adult world of love, sex and desire, guilt and rejection, violence and destruction and final fragmentation.

 The rehearsal was visceral and energetic, combining dance, spoken word, mime and music. The show delves deep into the doubts, conflicts and pure pleasure of love. Actors draw upon their own personal experiences. These anecdotes ring true because they are raw and true. One act dwelt with two male roommates. One roommate fell in love with a girl and invited her as a third roommate. The couple broke up and the girl stayed while her boyfriend left. She and the other roommate despised one another, yet during a fight the ended up kissing. Told simply through mime, the scene is hilarious. One dance number had couples bound together with bungee chords. When they ran apart in search of their freedom, they would be yanked back together with an inversely violent force. I was afraid that the cast with bandannas and torn jeans might have been over influenced by the local DRIP Dance company, but I was happy to discover a show with rich layers. Fragment(ed) is sure to viscerally touch you and perhaps allow you to recognize yourself.

Fragment(ed) will be performed ONE WEEKEND ONLY – 7 performances from Thursday July 12th – Monday July 16th at the Mandell Theater of the Lowndes Shakespeare Center located in Loch Haven Park
(corner of 1792 and Princeton). Performances will be at 7:30 each evening, with additional Twilight performances on Saturday July 14th and Sunday July 15th (two shows a day). 

WHEN: ONE WEEKEND – Seven Shows Only
Thursday July 12th – Monday July 16th
Evening shows Thurs – Monday @ 7:30pm
Additional Twilight Sat July 14th and Sun July 15th @ 4:30pm

TICKETS: $15 – $20 with some discounts available.
Reservations 407.328.9005 or online reservation/ticket purchase redchairproject.com

The Audacity of Play

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Urban ReThink is about Collaboration, Creativity and Transformation. Nothing exemplifies these principles better than the playful mural titled GoogliAnn and the Audacity of Play. now adorning a wall near the Spork Happy Food Cafe. Artist Graci

Ann Spath’s Self-Portrait explores the construction of self within the context of elementary society. Completed in September 2011, just prior to her 5th birthday, Spath offered the work as a gift to her uncle, Urban ReThink’s Founding Director, Darren McDaniel. McDaniel imagined the piece in giant format on the Urban ReThink wall and, in particular, the reaction it might trigger in his niece. Yet, upon seeing his first Photoshopped rendering, Spath quickly dismissed its authenticity. “It’s not real.”

McDaniel held fast to his vision of the giant googly-eyed girl on the
wall. In the weeks that followed, he came to see the possibility of the
piece as a perfect complement to the Urban ReThink environment—a
constant reminder of the spirit of play and possibility, bringing
together collaborators from multiple disciplines, not to mention
generations.

The Audacity of Play is a 10’x10′ expression of the piece
created by Orlando artist, Carolyn Schultz. The larger-than-life mural
features functional googly eyes concocted by Urban ReThink resident
creative, Kathryn Neel, and empowered by Zach from Hicks Electric. The small crayon drawing by GraciAnn is on display on a small pedestal in front of the mural. A remote control inflated fish floated through the room.

I went to the unveiling of the mural. This was to the the first time GraciAnn saw her small creation blown up larger than life.  When she arrived with her family, she didn’t notice the wall at first, but when she did, she ran to her mothers arms for support. Darren addressed the gathered crowd and got quite choked up when he said how important his nieces and family were to him.

Karen Russell Opening

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I went to the opening reception of Karen Russell‘s solo art show at Sam Flax (1800 East Colonial Drive) on July 9th. I arrived straight from my job at Full Sail. I had to buy a few brushes for my trip to Santo Domingo. I bumped into Karen and her friend George as I was shopping. Karen let me know that she had crackers and that spray on Easy Cheese. How awesome! I haven’t had Easy Cheese since I was a kid. This was turning out to be quite an auspicious  pinky raised affair. Karen had to run out to get a few more supplies for the opening.

Since I was early, I started sketching the room, leaving a few open spots for arts patrons when they arrived. I spoke with the store owner for a while and I’m very happy that he is now stocking quality sketchbooks.  Half of the Stillman & Birn sketchbooks had sold from the floor display that he had picked up from the Namta Art Supply Convention at the Orlando Convention Center about a month ago. He has started stocking the new quality sketchbooks from Canson and Strathmore as well. As he said, “This is the year of the sketchbook.”

Karen was dressed all in black, with oil paint dabbed all over her calves. She returned with a supply of Communion wafers. Gordon Spears tried one and he said it tasted a bit like an ice cream cone or Styrofoam. I tried a small white wafer as well, letting it dissolve on the roof of my mouth. Karen suggested that they taste better with Easy Cheese. I never did try that combo. Being Jewish, my wife Terry wondered if she would go to hell for tasting a wafer. Some guy told her that it wasn’t too late to save her soul. She avoided him the rest of the evening. Terry had Karen paint a nude of her. The angular painting stares at me as I try to go to sleep at night. Terry joked that we should buy all the paintings and then sell them for thousands of dollars more down at Art Basel in Miami. A store clerk talked about how locals don’t buy art. He knew of a couple from Orlando who purchased some art in a Chicago art gallery. The art was by an Orlando artist. They said that they never buy art in Orlando. “For some reason, people only appreciate art north of the Mason Dixie Line.” he said.

People sat in all the black “Darth Vader” studio chairs on display. A friend of Karen’s showed off all the abrasions and bruises she got at a “Sui-slide” party she had been at. Another woman had a broken finger. Darn, I knew about that party and didn’t go to sketch. I could kick myself. The model for one the paintings liked how she looked on the wall with a flower in her hair. Jokingly, she lamented the hunch back and saggy boobs. A couple bought the smallest painting for $65. A green dot went on the label. I love Karen’s work. The harsh knuckled fingers and angular figures remind me of Viennese Expressionistic art prior to the world wars. This show is on display through July 23rd.

Artists Party and Street Market

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Affect Art held its first Artists Party and Street Market at Taste Restaurant (717 W. Smith Street College Park). The purpose of Affect Art is simply to help artists help themselves. A few artists were set up inside the front room in Taste and everyone else was set up outside under the awning. Clouds loomed, threatening rain as the evening grew dark. Parker Sketch had some paintings on display in the gallery inside. I met Terry for dinner at Taste before I started a sketch. I liked the tatter tots but the fish tacos were too hot for my taste. I had to wash them down with plenty of beer. Parker walked some patrons through the gallery and on his way out he saw us and stopped over to say hi.

Some sort of performance was going to happen in the gallery. A petite dancer was getting ready to perform. I found out she was a silks dancer who would be performing her aerial act.  The event was a fundraiser for YAYA, a youth and young adult Network of the National Farm Worker Ministry. It cost $5 to enter, so I opted to go with a free sketch outside, besides, catching a girl spinning and flipping as she is suspended from the ceiling would be a difficult sketch.

Outside, Parker was busy painting a skateboard with a Pabst Blue Ribbon logo. The board was for a show at City Arts Factory. Just about every gallery is filled with skateboards that have been painted by local artists. The show, curated by B-side artist Tr3 Harris is called Boarded up – The Art of Skateboarding. It is an impressive show hanging till July 14th.

Whitney Broadaway had an ingenious idea of letting passers by make their own prints. She had lino cuts already prepared and a young couple stopped to try their hand at print making. The woman rolled out the ink and applied it to the print plate. Only the high ridges would print. A sheet of paper was applied on top of the inked plate and then Whitney set it inside the press. The crank was turned applying massive pressure. The costumer was given the thrill of the big revel. Both Whitney and the costumer signed the print.

Although not much art was sold, it was a great opportunity for artists to mingle and talk art. One artist was talking about how the DADA movement was “the punk rock of art.” He admired Jackson Pollack who finally said, “F*ck this I’m just going to do what I want.” An artist who was dressed like a rough Harley Davidson biker lamented how he was an outsider in high school. Whitney’s table became a social hub for artists who had studied with the same teachers at UCF. A friend walked by and didn’t notice me sketching. I suppose I become a bit invisible when I sketch and I was camouflaged by large potted plants.

Yelp Orlando’s Summertime Street Soiree

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Yelp teaming up with CityArts Factory and the Downtown Arts District to
host a massive party, Yelp Orlando’s Summertime Street Soirée. Colleen Burns, aka “Blue” invited me to come sketch. Pine Street outside the City Arts Factory was blocked off with temporary fencing. Yelp is the site that connects locals to the best this city has to
offer. This event will be a great opportunity for everyone in the
community to come together to celebrate and enjoy complimentary bites
and adult beverages from local eateries and entertainment from The
Fifth, Bento, The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck, DJ A-Rock and KUSH just to name
a few. Since Yelp is all about the community, they partnered with City Arts
Factory, a community-minded non-profit, who collected donations
to keep the Downtown Arts District thriving.

I went to the event with my wife Terry and her book club friend Donna Connors. I was glad Donna could keep Terry company while I sketched. The challenge was that it was raining all morning. When we arrived and got our arm bands, I immediately rushed to find an overhang to sit under while I sketched. I decided to sketch the red flaming bar tent.

It began to pour. No, not just the drinks, I mean there was a typhoon. Winds soaked the sketch pages. The bar tenders ended up standing in curbside puddles  up to their ankles. That didn’t stop them from filling the complimentary drink orders. Most people had umbrellas or rain jackets. Others didn’t care, and they enjoyed the complimentary food and drink as they got soaked to the bone. I think the rain helped people meet and mingle as they huddled under tents and overhangs. I spotted blue once in here clear rain jacket and blue dress. She was in an animated conversation and I never got to thank her for organizing the huge event. A D.J.  stood in front of NV Lounge and he performed an amazing D.J. mix using only his voice and percussive lips. Words shuffled forwards and back and his hands animated the space in front of him like a giant mixing board. He was amazing but I didn’t sketch since rain continued to threaten. It was time to be social. I texted Terry, but she stood right behind me.

The three of us went into NV Lounge to sit at the bar and wait for the worst of the storm to pass. I ordered a Coke and the bartender said, “It’s on the house.” When the rain subsided, I ventures out to get a Woodchuck blueberry hard cider. Yum, I ordered another. There were long lines for sushi and other food stations. There was no line for Jeremiah’s Homemade Italian ice, so I got that. It was starting to rain again, so we agreed to go up to Donna’s apartment where it was dry and warm. As we drove up in my Prius, the sky opened up like a waterfall.

Accidental Fundraiser

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The Accidental Music Festival returned to Urban Rethink to present a performance of Terry Riley‘s seminal work In C, often cited as the first major minimalist work. The piece features a group of musicians (in our case a mixed ensemble of 12 players, many from UCF) performing a series of 53 musical ideas, each player moving through the sequence at their own pace. The melodies and rhythmic riffs flow in and out of sync according to the whims of the players, chance, and inspiration, so the piece can take anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours. The mood can become meditative, thrilling, and even ecstatic; it’s never the same twice.

In conjunction with the performance, there was also be a silent auction of prints and other small art pieces by local visual artists, with most items priced at $50 or less. The artists will donate a portion of the proceeds to presenting the 2nd annual Accidental Music Festival this November.

The Accidental Music Festival is a marathon festival of concerts and educational programming sponsored by the Timucua Arts Foundation. The festival is primarily dedicated to presenting modern and contemporary music of high artistic quality by living composers and engaging the community in a dialogue about the value of artistic, creative, and avant-garde music.

When I arrived, Mat Roberts was sitting alone on stage holding a potted cactus next to a microphone. He plucked the needles and the cactus sang like a harp. He used a bowl of nuts as an instrument as well. One nut thundered to the floor in an unexpected improvisation.  Yellow pencils poked into green Styrofoam balls stood topiary style in a pot beside him.

On the day of the fundraiser, Chris Belt the festival’s founder, was concerned that the performance at Urban ReThink didn’t generate the funds expected. I’m happy to see that the 2011 Kickstarter Campaign was a success. Hopefully this years fundraiser will also be a success. The Festival will take place November 8-18th at Urban ReThink and at the Timucua White House. I for one look forward to the new and unexpected. If anyone would like to bid on this sketch, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Accidental Music Festival. Consider the comment section on this post to be a silent bid sheet. Highest bid wins.

CUSS YEAH! A Wes Anderson Homage

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I walked over to Stardust Video & Coffee when I got a text from Terry saying she was there. The cardboard decorations for the Wes Anderson themed costume party were pretty amazing. There was a ten foot long Jaguar Shark and a yellow submarine that had Styrofoam container port holes. Blue fabric draped from metal ceiling rafters offered ocean waves. Pink fish schooled through the room. The entire room was an amazing homage to The Life Aquatic. An entire wall was retro fitted into a cardboard flank of a nautical research vessel. A faux campfire burned warmly on a small stage in the center of the room. I spotted Terry across the room near the bar and I walked over. Having just seen Moonrise Kingdom, I can say I am a true Wes Anderson fan. I felt absolute pleasure from the familiar Wes camera mores and grid structure staging in the film. The story was a hart warming delight. It was a solid 10! Go SEE it, and rediscover the innocence of love.

Terry wanted to have dinner, but I had eaten enough at the craft night prior to the party. She went to order food and I started sketching. I worked fast, but not fast enough. I sipped a beer and sketched while she ate and looked at her iPhone. I blended right in with my hand crafted red skull cap and blue striped uniform. I admired the amazing number of men and women who pulled off the same look, many to much better effect. Many of the women had on fox ears and tails in homage to  The Fantastic Mr. Fox. What woman wouldn’t mind being called a fox? Kathryn Sullivan and Mike Underwood in his blue Speedo underwear strolled in and caused a fair commotion with their lavish and minimalist costumes. Doug Rhodehamel was draped in a giant Royal Tenenbaums banner. Doug had done all the cardboard decorations for the evening. My favorite costume went to a young girl who dressed as a nude Natalie Portman. Her hair was cut just right and her skin tight body stocking was barely noticeable at first glance.

I finished the sketch by the time Terry was done eating. I helped her finish off a few fries. She hadn’t considered a costume, so when she finished eating, she wanted to go. She was overstimulated and didn’t know anyone, so we left.

Wes Anderson Craft Night

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Kathryn Sullivan sent out a Facebook invite for a Craft Night prior to the Wes Anderson themed costume party at Stardust Video & Coffee. I planned to sketch the Stardust party and I didn’t have a costume so the craft night made sense. The address on the invite was right in the Audubon Park neighborhood near Stardust so I parked on a side street across from stardust and walked to find the address. I arrived at a quaint suburban cinder block home with a front porch and car port. I didn’t know how many people might show up to this event, but I didn’t see any cars parked around the house. I wondered if I was at the right place and double checked the address. This was it. I rang the doorbell.

Kathryn greeted me warmly at the door. Felt swatches, glue, sewing thread and other assorted supplies were on an old travel chest being used as a coffee table in the living room. Mike Underwood was in the kitchen cooking snacks. Kathryn and Mike found this place the first day they looked for a home. The interior was completely renovated with new moldings, paint and tile. It was quite a find. A third roommate appeared briefly but she mostly kept to her room. She was making preparations for a trip to Africa. I was the only guest.

I had thought ahead enough to wear a light blue shirt so I might blend in with the cast of The Life Aquatic.  Since I didn’t have a red skull cap, I needed to fabricate a replica out of felt. I also needed to add blue stripes to my shirt. Kathryn had me cutting felt for the hat and soon I was busy trying to create a decent replica using only felt, fabric glue and some thread. The Life Aquatic was playing on their flat screen TV as we worked. Kathryn was creating an intricate yellow submarine complete with thread sewn lettering. It was an ambitious project. Mike it turns out is quite a cook and he made delicious hors devours. Mike started doing folksy paintings of  Margot Tenenbaum, played by Gwyneth Paltrow from The Royal Tenenbaums. That is when I started sketching Mike and Kathryn hard at work.

My red cap had a nipple at the top, like you would see on a condom. When I tried it on without the folded up lower edge, I looked like a demonic Pope. The Darjeeling Limited came on as the second Wes Anderson film as we worked. The scene came up where one of the brothers fell passionately in love with an Indian woman he met on the train. Man, it got hot! Kathryn and Mike had amazing costumes as poppa Steve Zissou and Kingsly from The Life Aquatic. His costume was mostly a bathrobe and tight Speedo.

Francophile: All Things French

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First Thursdays at the Orlando Museum of Art is Orlando’s original art party. From 6 – 9 pm on the first Thursday of each month, OMA showcases a new theme with works by local artists, live music, cash bars serving wine, beer and soft drinks, and café offerings from area restaurants. June’s theme was organized by Anna McCambridge-Thomas who set the stage for all things french. Artists captured what they love about the French or France itself from food, film, wine, literature, perfume, music, art and architecture, fashion, the people to the personality of the country.

When I arrived, Anna welcomed me warmly and showed me around as people were setting up. In the back gallery, Maitre Parfumeur Christian Louis was setting up. He had been flown in from France and didn’t know any English. A beautiful French woman acted as interpreter. In the theater, Emotions Dance was going to perform Four Seasons, Poet Logan Anderson was going to read and models from Le Salon Zizou strutted lavish fashion.

I settled into the front gallery where artists displayed paintings with a French Theme. Artist Bernard Martin set up a small easel. He had a pink dress with him as well and I heard he might have a gorgeous model.  The model never showed, so he had to work from a photo. He was working on a loose spontaneous watercolor. I stood behind him for sometime admiring his lush and highly used pallet. Behind him were his loose impressionistic oil paintings. One was titled Moulin Rouge, another, Cabaret and The Vase. They all featured nude or semi nude women in bold impasto against a dark background.

The sculptor was Steve Piscitelli. The two sculptures he was working on were close to being finished. This made sense since so many people stopped to talk to him which meant he didn’t hare time to concentrate. He added red slippers to the ballet dancer and the red clay acted as blood and intestines for the sculpture of a Bull, much to the delight of a young boy. In the middle of the room there was a crown mounted under Plexiglas made of pearls, a large coin and gems. It was titled, The Princess Kameryn Renee Parker.  Later I saw a young girl walking around wearing the crown. She must have been the artist’s niece or daughter.

Tonight, July 5th, First Thursdays will feature work from OMA members. Admission is free for members and $10 for non-members and includes access to the OMA’s featured exhibitions. Parking is free
at Orlando Loch Haven Park and overflow parking is available at the
Orlando Science Center’s parking garage for $5 per vehicle.