The Avengers

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Terry and I drove to the West Orange 5 Movie Theater (1575 Maguire Road, Ocoee). It was the opening weekend for The Avengers, so we arrived early expecting a line. We were actually the first in line. The theater had a major renovation since the last time we were there. Once we had our tickets, we had to wait outside. Terry read her magazine in line and I sat on a bench to sketch the line as it formed.

A crowd flowed out of the theater. Sung Kim, a former co-worker from my Disney Animation days saw me and said hello. He had just seen The Avengers and he loved it! “It’s about time.” he said.  Another former Disney man, Paulo Alverado and his family were waiting in line. Two men started to argue in the parking lot. One guy was pissed off that the other guys young children didn’t keep quiet during the movie. The guy holding his two year old son at his hip shouted back, red faced, “There were people with cell phones and others talking and you have a problem with my kids! Let me get your license plate!”  Since he couldn’t defend his child’s behavior, he certainly could avenge it. I’m not sure if they enjoyed the movie. No punches were thrown.

We saw The Avengers in 2D the first time and then returned a second time to see it in 3D. It was amazing both times.

Wonderland Tea Party

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Lesley Silvia teaches photography at Full Sail. I first met Lesley and her husband Jared at the Kerouac House. Jared is a writer. Leslie decided to host an Alice in Wonderland themed tea party for her birthday party. The tea party was held in a large pavilion at Secret Lake Park (200 Ivy Road, Casselberry). Terry and I used an iPhone GPS to drive to the Secret Lake. We arrived at a softball field and parking lot. There was only one other car in the parking lot. This couldn’t be it. We decided to drive off and find another road that approached the secret lake. No wonder the lake was secret. Paper bag mushrooms lined the approach to the pavilion. A white rabbit and topiary decorated the tables. It was a lavish affair.

A dozen or so of Lesley’s friends were gathered in the shade of the pavilion. It was a hot humid day. Women were given bright top hats that Lesley had made with paper and hot glue. Men were given newspaper bow ties. Vegan cupcakes were being arranged on the center table and Lesley had jars of raw tea that we could scoop up to make our own tea bags. A coffee machine supplied the hot water. Jared set up several large fans that offered a welcome breeze.  I made iced tea by soaking my tea bag in a half cup of hot water and then putting in ice cubes.

Many of the people gathered were artists and Leslie gave each one of those Russian nesting dolls that stack inside each other. Markers, colored pencils, brushes and paint were supplied so anyone who wanted to could create a masterpiece. Terry created one of her patented smiley face creations. There were some fabulous creations. One had monster’s heads that could be rotated to sit on various monster bodies. After tea, finger sandwiches and cupcakes, a few people braved the sun to play bocce ball on the lawn. Terry and I rushed off to see The Avengers movie.

First Thursdays

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Teachers and students from Full Sail had an exhibit at the Orlando Museum of Art for First Thursdays. I wasn’t aware of the call for entries since I haven’t looked at my Full Sail e-mail account for over five years. I’m pretty sure there are over 5,000 unread e-mails that I would have to catch up on. Snap an annual photography festival also had a photography exhibit in one of the back galleries. Admission to the museum for First Thursdays is $10. I had a Snap press pass so I figured I could use that to get in. I also put my Full Sail teachers lanyard in my pocket figuring I could claim I was an exhibiting artist if the Snap press pass failed. Every month I approach the museum to be turned away at the front door. I’m like a raptor always testing the gates. I recognized many of the faces of the volunteers.

This time I showed my press pass and said I was there to report on the snap exhibit. The volunteer looked for my name on the list. My name wasn’t there. She told me she would have to consult with someone. I stepped aside as others filed inside.  I assume the woman that greeted me was a public relations person for Snap. She put a wrist band on me and I went in. I sighed with relief, now I could get to work. I wandered through the Full Sail show fairly quickly. The most impressive work was a large Trope-L’oeil by Shawn Rinehart, of bottles, tools, a pulley and assorted hardware. The three foot high image was created in the computer. It was beyond photo real. A sexy female pirate Marquette also caught my eye. Tom Buzbee had a large painting of abstract spirals that was intriguing. They seemed to be a visual commentary on order and chaos. Hugo Giraud had a nice drawing with ink wash that I liked.

There was no one else in the back gallery looking at the Snap photography exhibit. They must have been crowding around the food and drink stations.  The photos were all rather large in format. A black and white shot of the streets of India stood out. There was also a series of photos of people in trailer parks. Wendy Wallenberg let me know she had a piece on display. On display in the main gallery was an exhibit called, “Reflections paintings of Florida, 1865-1965“.  There were plenty of juicy oil paintings that left me wanting to push paint around on a canvas. A painting called, Moonlight on the Ocklawaha by Charles Christian Eisele was dark and mysterious.

The band I decided to sketch was called, The Cornucopia Jazz Project. Matt Festa was on sax, Jeremy Birdsall was on the keys and Orlando Sanchez was playing the bongos. The music was lively and I had fun sketching to the beat. Chere Force and Rory stopped by to ask why I didn’t have a piece in the show. I really don’t have a good excuse.

2nd Annual June Bug Poetry Festival Open Mic

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On the first Monday of every month there is a poetry open mic at Tatami Tea and Sake Lounge, (223 West Fairbanks Ave.Winter Park). The event was hosted by Russ Golata. I arrived a bit late and Russ, dressed in a red Avengers T-Shirt, gave me a warm meaty handshake and pointed out the sign in sheet for me. I found a seat at one of the remaining high bar stools and started lightly penciling in a sketch of the first poet. He read a rather long piece about the gears on a bicycle. I didn’t commit to sketching him since I figured he would be done any minute. He finished and there was warm applause. Then he sat in the seat directly in front of me blocking my view. I’m such a dope, I didn’t consider that possibility. I erased all my pencil marks and moved to the Susi bar right next to the stage.

The next reader was Amy Aviles. Apparently Russ had called her while she was making dinner and he insisted she come down to read. I was captivated by the intricate tattoos on her arm. I cursed my short sightedness because I couldn’t make out the word that was inscribed in delicate swirling detail above a male portrait. She read her poems off her iPhone and the relaxed beat and cadence of her poem had the flow of spoken word. Another poet related that there had been a death in her family. She sat on stage and read a poem about living with pride in spite of illness. Her second poem about knowing a man, related the intricacies of a relationship well lived in spite of life’s demands and limitations. It was bitter sweet. A young poet named Logan Anderson read poems filled with youthful angst. His second poem had a musical backup from his iPhone. Curtis Meyer performed with eloquent speed and fervor, his spoken words sparking at lightning speed. I liked his analogy that poets were like super heroes, their observations being their power.

As I left, Russ let me know that I was welcome back anytime. Curtis announced a new poetry event later that evening down on Fairbanks and another author announced she was having a book signing on June 16th from 1PM to 3PM at Stardust Video & Coffee. The room was filled with new faces. With so much going on, it is hard to keep up doing just one sketch a day. Walking back to my car, the rhyme and flow of poets words still rang through my mind. An event like this demands and inspires creative thought. I seem to only have time for the subtle layering of facts. Who could sit at home passively watching TV when there is energy like this around town? Seize the day.

Michael Hawley Jazz Trio

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On Monday nights at Blank Space, the Michael Hawley Jazz Trio would play straight ahead Jazz standards on stand up bass, electric guitar and drums. Blank space had over 150 craft beers and great local art. Best of all, there was no Cover. I arrived after working at Full Sail around 9:30PM. The band hadn’t arrived yet, so I ordered a tangerine beer, sat back and started sketching the room. When the drum set rolled in I sketch that and finally I added the performers when they started playing.

 I had recently been spoiled by an amazing jazz performance by The Professors, but with a beer under my belt and my lines dancing on the page, I was a happy camper. I couldn’t decipher any specific theme to the art on the walls, but there did seem to be plenty of curvaceous women with bright red lips.

Wills Pub

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A concert was scheduled Will’s Pub (1042 N Mills Avenue), but at the last minute, Mark Sultan (of King of Kahn and BBQ), the leading act canceled. The $8 cover was dropped to $3 which was enough to entice me out to do a sketch. When I got to the front door I found out the cover had been dropped all together. I was issued an orange wristband. I ordered an Orange Blossom Pilsner and sat at a side table to sketch people as they lined up at the bar. It seemed like so many friends were reuniting. Dollar bills were hung with care behind the bar. Bottled beers glistened inside the coolers.

 After I was done sketching, I immediately packed up to go, because I knew Terry was waiting at home. As I walked out I noticed The Golden Pelicans, were set up and ready to perform on the main stage. This was a prime sketch opportunity, but it was time to be getting home. Tight Genes were going to perform as well later that evening.

A Taste of Jazz

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Every Monday starting around 9pm there is free jazz at Taste (717 W. Smith Street, College Park). When I arrived, the drum set was just starting to get assembled. I ordered a beer at the bar and started sketching the empty stage and the paintings on the walls. All the paintings were of celebrities. Who actually hangs a painting of Marilyn Monroe or Marilyn Manson above their couch? As more musicians arrived, the buzz began to build in the room. A tall African American man, named Zion, entered the room with a leopard skin cap and an open jacket with no shirt underneath. He was shouting and happy. He shouted, “I will be throwing money on the stage tonight!” He had been given a watch by his woman and he wanted the world to know. He showed me his watch and it was as big as a saucer covered in gold and silver.  The inner gears were exposed. He shouted out, “look how beautiful she is!” as he gestured to the woman in the doorway, and she smiled. Then, as suddenly as he appeared, he was gone.

I heard the drummer say that all The Jazz Professors from UCF were going to perform. Jeff Rupert, the program director was on tenor sax, Bobby Koelble was on the guitar, Per Danielsson on the keys, Richard Drexler played bass, and Marty Morell, the band leader, was on drums. Flying Horse Records put out a live recording from the UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival of this group, The Jazz Professors remained on the Jazz Week charts for 17 weeks, peaking at 19. The music began and my lines danced as I tapped my foot and swayed to the beat. These guys were great! I had stumbled upon an amazing performance. People were shouting and clapping in appreciation. Everyone was lost in the free flowing adventure of smooth improvisation. The air was electric. With my beer and sketch finished, I decided to leave after the first set. On the drive home, I realized I was hungry for another taste.

The Year of the Sketchbook

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I spent three days at the Namta Art Materials World International Conference and Trade Show at the Orange County Convention Center. The floor was never really packed, but there was a constant flurry of activity at the Stillman & Birn booth. The line of quality sketchbooks were introduced at last year’s conference and they must have made an impression. The sketchbooks cost a bit more, but people are realizing that artists are willing to pay more for the quality. Paper matters, feel the difference. When Michael Kalman showed a colleague one of the early sketchbook, he was told, “You hit a home run with the paper.”

A person stopping by the Stillman & Birn booth said, “This is the year of the sketchbook, I half expect the easel manufacturers to introduce a new line of sketchbooks.”  This year, Strathmore and Canson both introduced new lines of quality hardbound sketchbooks. These new line of sketchbooks are scheduled to hit stores in July. I went to the Strathmore booth and thumbed through the prototype sketchbooks. A sales manager explained the different lines, paper weights and page surfaces. What really mattered to me wasn’t the numbers or convoluted naming conventions, I wanted to see how the paper held up to lines and washes. I already know that the Stillman & Birn books make my work sing so I’ve developed product loyalty.

Jason Das, an Urban Sketcher from Brooklyn NY was flown to the Convention by Stillman & Birn so he could work the floor looking for sponsors for the Urban Sketching Symposium in July. Jason stopped by the booth and I got a chance to flip through his most recent sketchbook. I get a visceral thrill from seeing artists sketchbooks. There is no pretense of existential artistic concepts, just raw sincere observation. Another artist named Donald Owen Colley was working at the Faber Castell booth. He uses Faber Castell Pitt brush pens to do his drawings in old ledgers. The book he was drawing in was from the 1860s. The pens are good for putting down warm and cool gray tones. I picked up a few Pitt pens and immediately started playing with them. The bold blacks in this sketch were put down with a black Pitt pen. Owen was hit by a car as he was walking in the International Drive area. Florida almost killed him. There were artists painting and sketching in many of the booths. I felt like a kid in a toy store.

Namta

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Namta, the Art Materials World International Conference and Trade Show was held right here in Orlando at the Convention Center. I was invited by Michael Kalman to use their line of premium sketchbooks and explain to prospective distributors how I liked using them.  Stillman & Birn, based in New Jersey, produces
premium quality sketchbooks. Their sturdy binding and wide range of
paper weights make them ideal for urban sketching with dry and wet
media. Michael is the nephew of Philip Birn (1911 – 2004), a highly admired
Viennese bookbinder who brought his Old World craftsmanship to New York
City in the 1950s. From his plant at 270 Lafayette Street, Birn
pioneered the concept of the black hardbound sketchbook, which he
marketed throughout North America, Europe and Australia. Michael and business partner Oscar Hernandez relaunched the
Stillman & Birn brand in December of 2010.

I’ve been having a blast test driving these sketchbooks. The paper is thick and rich and accepts watercolor washes on both sides of the pages. Michael explained that a sizing is applied inside the paper as it is made and also on the surface of the sheet. This lets the transparent watercolor washes glow like I’ve never seen before. The books come in five varieties, Alpha, Beta, Gama, Delta and Epsilon. The sketchbook that I take everywhere with me now is the Alpha hardbound sketchbook. It measures 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches and I suspect it will always be in my bag from now on. The paper is 100 lbs or 150 GSM and it has a subtle texture that I like.

The sketch above was done in a new line of sketchbooks that was introduced at the trade show. It is a hardbound Delta series with 180 lb, 270 GSM paper. I’ve never seen a hardbound sketchbook with such a heavy weight, cold press paper. The book is 8 1/4 by 11 3/4 inches, which opens up as a huge spread. This thick paper doesn’t buckle at all with heavy water color washes. The sketchbook is a prototype and the actual sketchbooks will be in stores later this year. At this conference I got to sketch and talk about art with fellow artists and distributors, which made it a pretty sweet gig. It felt good knowing that the sketchbooks that were stuffed full of my sketches, helped sell the product.

Best of Orlando 2012

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Press here to Vote! 

The Orlando Weekly “Best of Orlando” poll is active through June 27th. I of course hope you will vote for Analog Artist Digital World as the Best Local Blog. They ask for a name and address, but that wasn’t a big deal. You have to vote in at least 15 categories, and you can’t use the same answer in more than 5 categories. The list is dauntingly large, so I am writing down my votes in this blog post to help you get a jump start. Most of my votes go to places I have sketched. The sketch above was done in Tanquerey’s, which got my vote as the best local dive bar. If I left out any notable local establishments,  then please leave me a comment. You can vote from anywhere in the world, and encourage your friends to vote. The following list is not all inclusive, it is just intended as a jump start. Of course your tastes might vary.

Food and Drink

Best French……………Chez Vincent

Best Greek…………….Mediterranean Deli

Best Tai…………………Viet Garden

Best Vietnamese…….Viet Garden

Best Barbecue……….4 Rivers Smokehouse

Best Cupcake…………Rhapsodic Bakery

Best Tea house……….Dandelion Communitea Cafe

Best Pub Grub………..Fiddler’s Green

Best Vegan……………..Loving Hut

Best Food Truck……..Big Wheel Food Truck

Best restaurant when someone else is paying…Chez Vincent

Arts and Culture

Best Art Night (recurring)…Mystery Sketch Theater

Best Art Gallery………………Gallery at Avalon Island

Best Arts Advocate…………Parker Sketch 

Best Dance Company………Drip

Best Arts Event/Festival…..Fringe

Best Local Playwright……..Aradhana Tiwari

Best Local Artist……………..Dawn Schreiner

Best Movie Theater………….Enzian

Best Mural………………………Who’s Line is it Anyway?

Best Museum…………………..Mennello Museum

Best Poet/Spoken Word Artist… Tod Caviness

Best Theater Company……….Orlando Shakes

Best Theater Space…………….Jamie Mykins Theater

Music Nightlife

Best Club DJ……………………..DJ Nigel

Best Folk Act…………………….Jubal’s Kin

Best Jazz Act…………………….Monday Night Jazz at the Grand Bohemian

Best Music Club………………..Back Booth

Best Music Festival……………Southern Fried Sundays

Best Mainstream Rock Act…Andy Matchett and the Minx

Best Open Mic………………….Tom and Jerry’s

Best Pop Act……………………..Britt Daley

Best Bar (smoking)…………….Will’s Pub

Best Craft Beer Bar…………….Redlight Redlight

Best Dive Bar…………………….Tanqueray’s

Best Gay Bar………………………Parliament House

Best Pub/Taproom……………….Will’s Pub

Best Sports Bar……………………Sportstown

Local Color

Best Kept Secret………………….The Timucua White House

Best Local Charitable Group…Second Harvest Food Bank

Best Local Cheerleader…………Jeffrey Pfaff

Best Local Website………………The Daily City

Best Local Blog………………….Analog Artist Digital World

Best Local Publication…………..The Orlando Weekly

Best Local Radio Personality….Julie Norris

Best place to take visitors from out of town…Stardust Video & Coffee

Best reason to live in Orlando…Sunny days in Winter

Best reason to leave Orlando…..Sunny days in Summer

Best use of public money………..Fixing Lake Eola Fountain

Best waste of public money…….Speakers around Lake Eola

Goods and Services

Best Adult Entertainment Store…Fairvilla

Best CD Store…………………………Park Avenue Cd’s

Best Comic Book Store……………A Comic Shop

Best Farmers Market……………….Audubon Community Market

Best Garden Center…………………Palmer Feed Store

Best Spa…………………………………Barefoot Spa

Best T-Shirts……………………………Mother Falcon

Best Tattoo/Piercing Parlor……….Black Chapel Tattoo

Best Vinyl Records Store………….Park Avenue Cd’s

Sports and Recreation

Best Billiards Hall……………………Sportstown

Best City Park………………………….Lake Eola

Best Day Trip…………………………..Cocoa Beach

Best Sports Team……………………..Psycho City Derby Girls

Best Place to Bike…………………….West Orange Trail

Best Place to Canoe/Kayak………..Wekiva Springs

Best Sports Complex………………..Amway Arena

Best Yoga Studio………………………Yoga Matrix

Best Zipline……………………………..Zoom Air Adventures