I went to the UCF Masters Finals presentations at the UCF Art Gallery (12400 Aquarius Agora Dr. Visual Arts Building, 140 Orlando, FL 32816-1342). Here Masters degree students display their work in the main gallery and get a chance to explain their process and meaning behind their work. The public is invited to sit in the gallery and hear each student describe their work in turn. Each presentation is kept short and to the point.
In the foreground of this sketch is the work of Ally Artistic. One piece resembles an opulent and exotic flaming crown. It is laser cut and then the negative spaces are filled with colorful clear resins that look like stained glass. Her work is often bright opulent and regal. A second piece of hers is a sculpted airplane. She described the physicality of carving the body of the B-29 plane which was an entirely new process for her. The masters program encourages student to work large and to experiment with new processes.
The B-29 Bomber was used primarily by the United States during World War II. B-29s dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only aircraft ever to drop nuclear weapons in combat. One of the largest aircraft of World War II, the B-29 was designed with state-of-the-art technology, which included a pressurized cabin, dual-wheeled tricycle landing gear, and an analog computer-controlled fire-control system that allowed one gunner and a fire-control officer to direct four remote machine gun turrets. The $3 billion cost of design and production far exceeding the $1.9 billion cost of the Manhattan Project, which made the atomic bomb. The B-29 program was the the most expensive of the war.
Back in World War II America set up concentration camps for Japanese American citizens. Detaining American citizens seems to be an ongoing theme of American politics as ICE detention facilities are being set up all across America.
The body of the plane was sculpted with a large flat foam piece cut to shape the profile. From that half moon shaped pieces were added to create the 3D shape. Thin cardboard strip from things like cereal boxes were added to create a mesh to fill out the form. The whole thing was covered with silica and then coated with a hard resin. What was on display at this Masters Finals was the base before final coats were added. The wings would ultimately get a wild painting of pink wavy patterns covered with what looks like wedding cake icing and mini candies. Written along one of these wavy line was the saying, “Bite the hand that drops the bomb.”. A small disk said, “Perfectly moist.” Another said, “Floss sugar.” For such a threatening military plane it looked delicious. The final piece had a bite taken out of a wing.
Stella Arbelaez wanted to go to a public space to work. Being around people while writing can spark the creative juices. We drove to Mount Dora to find a place to sit and write and Serendipity fit the bill. It is a local artesian coffee shop and craft beer bar. What made Serendipity so appealing was that they have Karaoke night. We both ordered a cup of coffee and sat to sketch and then write. The room was rather small with 2 couches and three tables against the wall. A Santa doll was at the foot of the area where the DJ would be spinning the tunes. To our right was the bar where people could also sit, although most who crowded in, just stood in this area. The definition of serendipity is, to find something good without looking for it.
For Thanksgiving my sister and her husband brought me to the Eagles Lodge for our Thanksgiving meal. The lodge has a big open room which is ideal for setting up a series of tables, The room I sketch was near the bar and the larger room had long rectangular tables. Our table had about 4 couples and myself.
This hydroponics rig had just been set up when I left for Europe. The seeds had just been planted in the tiny pots with foam insets. Water is pumped to the top of the water tower and it trickles down to keep all the pots moistened. Nutrients are added to the water.
When I left for Europe for three months, I packed up my studio and put everything in a U-Haul storage unit in September of 2025. It costs me $175 a month to store away my life while I live out of a backpack. The car was more tricky to store. I found a site called Neighbor where people allow you to park your car on their property for a monthly rate. It cost about $60 a month to park mu car in a field in Okahumpka Florida. The owner of the land has a wood workshop and at the time I left in November of 2025, he was working on decorations for a Christmas parade. At the head of his driveway which is a long dirt drive was a wooden gnome and a six-foot-tall silhouette of a big foot. Since he was running a creative workshop, I felt comfortable keeping my Prius there.
Fat Ham is a serious yet humorous one two punch based loosely on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The play is set at a barbecue in the backyard of a southern suburban home. Juicy is visited by the ghost of his dead father. This visitation reveals that Juicy’s father was murdered by The Rev who is Juicy’s uncle and now set dad. After the murder the Rev made his move to win his brother’s widow Tedra.
The final pass at the Fat Ham poster features the “to be or not to be” moment from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Granted there is no mirrored skull or crown in Fat Ham, but it allows for anyone to know that the play is an homage to Hamlet. I switched from depicting the glamorous lighting of the finale of the play and instead focused on depicting the back yard barbecue.
For the second pass at the Fat Ham theater poster for the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, I tried the classic Hamlet pose of holding a skull while debating existence. In this case I used a mirrored skull but ultimately such a scene does not happen in the play. Fat Ham is a modern take on Hamlet staged at a southern back yard barbecue.