Rogers Building Celebration.

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I was hired to document a celebration at Avalon Island Gallery for Mr. Ford Kiene, chairman of City Beverages, who just donated the historic Rogers building to the City of Orlando under
the condition it be used for the arts for the next 20 years. I worked a bit larger that I usually do in an 18 by 24 inch sketch pad. Earlier in the day I purchased a frame and cut a white mat on which people could share their thoughts and well wishes for Mr. Kiene. At the end of the evening, I framed this sketch in the mat and it was presented to him as thanks.

This celebration was well attended which made the sketch a challenge. When Mayor Buddy Dyer took to the podium, I was faced with a wall of backs. I stood on tip toe to get the sketch of him and Mr. Ford at the microphone. The mayor pointed out that it is rare for the city to receive such a donation. Built in 1886 by Englishman Gordon Rogers and investors, the iconic green tin sided building,
which sits at the corner of Magnolia and Pine, will officially be
renamed  the Rogers Kiene Building. When Mr. Kiene took to the microphone, he described the painstaking work that went into preserving the 1886 floor boards.

The building is now managed by the Downtown Arts District (DAD) but their management agreement only runs through June 30, 2018. Barbara Hartley, the DAD executive director said that the building will remain a hub for the arts. Patrick Greene, who oversees the gallery, hosts monthly cutting edge music sessions in the venue between the hanging of art shows. This, “Inbetween Series” brings experimental contemporary music to downtown. It is unclear if the venue will keep producing such edgy programs after June. I have sketched so often in this venue over the years, that I could easily compile a retrospective book that documents the arts events held here. Just sketching every day, I have seen far too many arts venues fall to the wayside. Hopefully the building will continue to further our city’s efforts to expand our arts and culture scene.

“Violectric Rocks OCSA” Benefit Concert For Osceola County School.

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Violectric, the internationally acclaimed electric rock string quintet, plus keys and drums, rocked for a cause and performed a special benefit concert put on by the Thespian Troupe #6640 of the Osceola County School for the Arts in an effort to help them raise funds to be able to attend their annual state conference held in Tampa, FL. I went to the Osceola Performing Arts Center, (3151 N. Orange Blossom Trail, Kissimmee, 34744) to sketch the benefit concert. All proceeds raised from the show went directly to the students for the student trip.

Five years ago, Violectric hosted a workshop and concert at Osceola
County School for the Arts and one of the violin students named Mohammed
took a special interest in the emotions evoked during their
performance. While at the mere age of 11-years-old, Mohammed Kahn had a
fire lit beneath him and he began diligently working towards his goal.
Now, years later, he is using all that he learned during Violectric’s
workshop and his passion for show production to host the benefit show.

Formed in 2008, the accomplished members of Violectric have been
performing in various groups, orchestras and together for over 20 years
across the globe. Led by esteemed musician, violinist,  Michelle Jones, the group is a unique fusion of the passion and beauty of classical
string instruments with the excitement of cutting-edge modern technology
and effects. They are committed
to music education offering programs throughout the United States and
Asia including master classes and performances combining their unique sounds with
student string groups, which they produce in partnership with
the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and School for the Arts as their artists in residence. 

Memorial Task Force Potluck and Annual Review

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A Task Force Potluck and Annual Review was held at Christ Church Unity Orlando (771 Holden Ave Orlando, FL 32839) in December of 2017. There were several posters at the front of the room that showed the design Dix Hite had proposed for an Interim Memorial, which helps to clean up the site and added some new landscaping. The interim memorial will provide areas to leave messages and will include seating, shade, lighting and trees. The iconic sign will be enhanced but not removed. A new fence will be placed around the perimeter of the nightclub itself, which will remain standing until a decision is made in the future regarding the permanent memorial design. The new fence has a section which allows visitors to see the damage to the building from the police breach of the wall on the evening of June 12, 2016. Much of the labor involved will be completed off-site and new elements will be installed at the site with minimal impact on the surrounding community.

The Task Force is working towards keeping the meetings inclusive. Pam Schwartz set up Zoom (a digital video conferencing system) which allowed distant survivors and families of victims access to the meeting. Many of the faces in the room were familiar and I was pleased to be seated at a table with Terence Hickey who was involved in the comfort dog program at Orlando Regional Medial Center after the shooting.

Results from the memorial survey sent out to families and survivors were complete and the results would be discussed at the next Task Force Meeting. The survey was set up to gauge what families and survivors felt they would like to have done at the site. The task force is still in its infancy and they are working towards completing their mission and vision statements for the future memorial and museum.

Nikole discussed the events planned for 2018. Town hall meetings would be held at regular intervals to keep everyone apprised of the progress moving forward. Also on the calendar are a Family Day, a Community Rainbow Run, the Annual Remembrance Ceremony and of course PRIDE. The Orlando One Pulse Task Force will also be involved in bringing the Laramie Project to Orlando.

The Laramie Project (2000) is a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. The murder was denounced as a hate crime and brought attention to the lack of hate crime laws in various states, including Wyoming. The play draws on hundreds of interviews conducted by the theatre
company with inhabitants of the town, company members’ own journal
entries, and published news reports. It is divided into three acts, and
eight actors portray more than sixty characters in a series of short
scenes. The play will run June 1, to July 1 of 2018.

Viatnamese Tết Festival at the Orlando Fairgrounds.

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(Thor) When Pam Schwartz and I arrived at the Tết Festival, I immediately sat down to sketch the preparations for the dragon dances. As a drummer and symbol set the beat, the acrobats practiced leaps and standing on each other’s shoulders. They all put on bright green t-shirts and bright pants which matched the colors of the dragons. There was a blue, red and yellow dragon each. A red rope was hung from a bamboo tree with a red beam that had two red tassels. Long red strips were unrolled on the ground and each was tied up to the rope from the bamboo tree. At the top of everything were octagonal firecrackers. An electronic firing device was rigged up in a Tupperware and the fuses snaked to various places on the field. After rehearsing, the dragon dance performers told everyone gathered to go to the main hall to see the show on stage. Pam and Lesleyanne Drake went on a food tour as I sketched.

(Pam) While Tom sketched the fantastical dragon heads outside, Ricky Ly of Tasty Chomps offered a free food tour at the Central Florida Fairgrounds during the 2018 Vietnamese Tết Celebration. He gave a small group of foodies a bit of background on Tết before taking us inside the food court. As we browsed from stand to stand he pointed out different dishes and Vietnamese specialties. I tried to pick up and remember each of the unique names as he said them, but it was nearly impossible through the roar of the main stage to our backs. From colorful gelatin desserts and fried banana cakes to pork on stick and a variety of delicious looking noodle soups, the stands were an absolute feast for the eyes.

Lesleyanne Drake and I, both incredibly passionate about food, began making a mental list of all the things we NEEDED to try before we were too full to go on. We began with a few light bites because we knew Tom could join us for the main course. The more friends you bring to a food fair, the better. You get to try more dishes at a lower cost and don’t fill up quite a fast as you would otherwise. It’s a win-win situation for all! The first thing we ate I had no anticipation of liking, was Chuoi chien, or fried bananas. It was light and crispy on the outside but warm and gooey on the inside. It was surprising because I really hadn’t planned to like it, I like bananas…just not things made from bananas. We also tried a pork skewer (there were just pans and pans of them all over the place) and egg rolls to start.

For the larger portions of our meal we divided and conquered, myself getting Mi Quang (a pork and prawn noodle soup with delicious chewy turmeric noodles, topped with peanuts and these incredible little sesame crackers that soaked up the broth and tasted delicious), Lesleyanne got Nam Vang (a Cambodian-Chinese inspired soup with assorted types of noodles, a quail’s egg, a little heat, and all sorts of fixings), and Tom focused on two types of pork, one from the north (the favorite choice) and one from the south, as well as a Bánh Tôm (a sweet potato and shrimp fritter). We were all surprised by how “airy” the fritter was. There were many MANY more things we wanted to try, but we will have to reserve those for next year. I grabbed a Cà phê sữa đá (coffee with sweetened condensed milk) and we all got a bag of Chuoi chien to go.

(Thor) As I tried dishes with Pam and Lesleyanne the dragons took to the main stage but their performance was brief. They were followed by groups of female dancers and then the Vietnamese national anthem and the United States national anthem. Everyone in the audience remained standing for a long ceremony for the ancestors. When we went outside there was a large crowd gathered where I had sketched before. It was time for the main dragon dance ceremony. The crowd surrounded the field. It was too crowded to see from my previous vantage point, so we went to the far side where the crowd was thinner.

The dragons came alive, with one acrobat in the head and one in the rump. A fourth dragon was animated by a group of acrobats with poles. It is the year of the dog, so an actor in a dog costume rudely sniffed and bumped the rumps of the dragons.

The fuses were lit and the entire field erupted with the rapid blaze of firecrackers. All of the red streamers were long lines of firecrackers wrapped in red paper. A huge plume of smoke engulfed us, and I could feel the hot shrapnel hitting me. We had misjudged the wind direction. We turned away from the smoke and many ran back for cover. Pam and I stood our ground squinting into the smoke. The rapid fire explosions seemed to last forever. Then they all lifted upwards towards the top of the bamboo tree. The silence afterwords was deafening. Then the dragons danced among the ruins looking down at the red carnage. They then broke free into the crowd and made their way back to the main stage. Our small group decided that we had seen enough for one day.

Weekend Top 6 Pick for February 3rd and 4th.

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Saturday February 3, 2018

6 AM to 1 PM. Free. Parramore Farmers Market. The east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View. The Parramore Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 8
a.m. to 1 p.m., on the east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across
from City View. Purchase quality, fresh and healthy food grown in your
own neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet Farming, Growing
Orlando, and other community growers.

10 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday – $6.00 adults and $4.00 children. The Battle of Townsend’s Plantation Civil War Festival.  Renninger’s Antique Center. 20651 U.S. 441, Mt. Dora, Fl. 32757.  Live Civil War Re-enactments, living history exhibits, folk
music, weaponry demonstrations, authentic camps and Sutlers, full scale
artillery, cavalry and soldiers in time-period uniforms and weaponry,
Civil War era Dress Ball, and more. Please see attached flyer for
times. CONTACT: Clay Townsend (407) 418-2075 or (407) 719-9866 ctownsend@forthepeople.com

To view forms and the photo gallery on-line, visit www.townsendfirm.com.

Battle of Townsend’s Plantation, Mount Dora, Florida

100 beautiful acres. All impressions, Great Cavalry Site!!! Dress
Ball with the 7 Pounds of Bacon Band, Ladies Tea, Sunday Church Service,
bounty for artillery.

This event is intended to be educational for children and adults
in the area of Civil War history and American’s heritage arts. Special
accommodations can be made for groups of students interested in
lectures and demonstrations. This is an outstanding opportunity for
photography and live film. Special arrangements will be made for set up
and hospitality.

 8 PM to 10 PM – Free. Shuffleboard. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL.

1st Saturday of each month. Free fun! https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoShuffle?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

Sunday February 4, 2018 

10 Am to Noon – Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources. 


4 PM to 6 PM – Free. Maitland Stage Band Concert. Rotary Plaza Outdoor stage. Art and History Museum 231 West Packwood Maitland FL. 


10 PM to Midnight – Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out and laugh, or give it a try yourself.

49 Pulses Trailer Screening

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Charlie Minn came to Orlando shortly after the Pulse Nightclub shootings and filmed 20 interviews with survivors and first responders. His documentary film, “49 Pulses” is opening this week in Orlando. Much of the film gives voice to the survivors who recount what happened that night. The Orlando Public Library had a screening of the short trailer which had actors recreating scenes from inside the club that night. Minn is familiar with the community backlash here in Orlando when Miami based Telemundo released a film that reenacted what happened in the club. Survivors and families of victims were re-traumatized by the tasteless film. Minn justified his similar footage by saying the actors did an amazing job, and by pointing out that the gunman’s name is never mentioned in the film. Orlando Torres and officer Omar Delgado said that they decided to add their voices to the project for that reason.

Orlando Torres survived that night by hiding in a bathroom stall perched on top of a toilet so the gunman could not see his feet. At one point someone who had been shot crawled under the bathroom stall and knocked Orlando to the floor in the struggle to survive. Orlando decided to stay still as if he were dead. Orlando heard the gunman pledge allegiance to ISIS and heard his cat and mouse game with police on the phone. The gunman insisted that everyone turn off their phones, but he wasn’t aware of Orlando’s presence in the next stall. Orlando kept his phone on, to record audio of what was happening. Someone concerned for his safety called and he was terrified that he might die because of their concern and the noise of the call. The gunman at one point touched his back pocket, but then lost interest and used the sink.

Omar Delgado, from Eatonville,  was one of the first officers on the scene. When he arrived there were just two other officers. His radio couldn’t be tuned in to the same channel, so he was cut off from the dispatcher. As the evening progressed, more officers came to the scene and it became more and more of a war zone. Delgado entered the club and saved Angel Colon who had been shot several times. After June 12, 2016, Delgado said he returned to patrol duty for a few months after the
massacre that left 49 dead and at least 68 injured, but he had to stop.
He still doesn’t like going to restaurants and bars. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and was dismissed from Eatonville’s Police Department in December of 2016. Had the officer cut himself at the shooting scene he would have been given medial coverage, but since he suffers from mental trauma, he has no coverage.

Film maker Charlie Minn seemed particularly annoyed about the fact that Chief John Mina refused to grant him an interview for the film. It seems like the film’s primary focus is pointing out that it took police 3 hours to end the stand-off with the gunman. His anger flared for a moment during the saccharine sweet interview on the Orlando Library stage. He was quick to point blame without spending the time to hear all the stories. He splits his time between El Paso Texas and New York City. He entered Orlando shortly after the tragedy intent on profiting from the Pulse shooting. Like the media, he was on to the next horrific story after only a brief look at how that night affected our community with little understanding of all the details.

Composers Salon Concert – Celebrating Central Florida Composers.

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The Central Florida Composer’s Salon Concert was held at the Timucua White House (2000 S Summerlin Ave Orlando, FL 32806.) The annual composer’s salon concert celebrated new music written by local composers in the Central Florida area.

There was food and wine before and after the concert in the entry foyer. I decided to sketch from the upper balcony. An entire orchestra filled the stage to start and I was quickly blocking in the performers. However when they were finished performing their one piece, they all exited the stage. My digital eraser got a good work out.

Marla E. Artist had a Plexiglass canvas set up so that the audience could watch as she worked on the transparent surface lit up by white Christmas lights. She painted a saxophone to the beat of the music. It is always a pleasure to watch other artists at work.

The Central Florida Composers Forum is an organization of composers
dedicated to engaging the creative and larger community of Central
Florida through the promotion of original and innovative music
programming.They strive to be part of a larger cultural conversation where the musical,
visual and other performing arts connect with audiences, foster vital
collaborations, and produce multidisciplinary performances. They are cultivating
an audience for new music through education, workshops and outreach
programs that create memorable artistic experiences for youth and
community members are also central to their mission.

Open Rehearsal Rossini’s Stab at Mater.

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I went to an open rehearsal at Knowles Memorial Chapel, Rollins College (1000 Holt Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789). Dr. John V. Sinclair was conducting the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra. It was composed late in his career after retiring from the composition
of opera. Gioachino Rossini began the work in 1831 but did not complete it until 1841. Rossini used his own librettos and compositions for a portion of the work.  Giovanni Tadolini, who composed the remainder with six additional movements. Rossini presented the entirety of the completed work as his own.

I decided to climb a large spiral staircase to get to the upper balconies of the church. From up there I had a god’s eye view of the chorus and orchestra below. Another artist joined me and did an abstract sketch inspired by the music The next concert at the Knowles Chapel is, Insights and Sounds by Paul Moravec. Stephen Tharpe, will be the guest organist.  The concert will be February 17th from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Tickets are $20 – $45.

 

In announcing the release of a new CD, the Bach Festival Society will present more music by the Pulitzer
Prize–winning composer Paul Moravec. Works will include his poignant Songs of Love and War, based on letters from American wars, and his newest creation, Mass in D.
This concert is part of Insights and Sounds, a new series that will focus on individual composers or
genres and provide audiences with concise concerts in which great music
is performed and discussed. These concerts are perfect for classical
music connoisseurs who wish to expand their knowledge and classical
music novices who would like to explore classical music’s significance.

21st Annual Car Show at the Art Deco Weekend.

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On day two of the Miami and Orlando Urban Sketchers crawl at South Beach in Miami, most artists were set up a block away sketching an Art Deco building on Collins Avenue. I wasn’t thrilled about just sketching a building, so I walked towards the crowds and commotion on Ocean Drive. I decide to sketch a long line of cars on display. Two Mini Coopers were at the front of the line. Pam Schwartz joined me and also sketched one of the cars in front of the Sury Hotel. The owner of the second Mini Cooper in line looked over my shoulder and was pleased to see his car in the sketch.

Pam was still busy when I had finished and I decided to rest in the shade of a palm tree and watch her work. I was amazed at how many people stopped to look over her shoulder. That must happen while I am working as well and I seldom notice. One young girl in ballet tights stopped to watch and she stood right in front of Pam blocking her view.  I have had people do that as a joke as if posing might get them in the sketch, but I think this girl was oblivious to the fact that she was blocking the scene Pam was sketching.

We stopped at the cafe in the hotel in front of us and ordered a huge iced margarita to split. A parade of giant puppets began to dance its way down the street. They were about 15 feet high. There was a merman whose arms dangled listlessly at his sides but he danced and leaned over to look at the crowds. Charlie Chaplin walked arm in arm with Marilyn Monroe.

Other artists started to explore the festival, and we watched them sketch as we sipped our drink. All the artists gathered in about an hour to share their work in front of a courthouse about two blocks away. The Miami Urban Sketchers had a rubber stamp that could be used to place the Miami Urban Sketch logo on each sketch. We then took a huge group photo and walked across the street to a vintage silver streamlined diner. Sitting near the couple from Puerto Rico, I got to learn about their struggles after hurricane Maria.

Art Deco Weekend at Miami South Beach.

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Art Deco Weekend at Miami South Beach.

The second sketch opportunity of our sketch crawl moved several blocks north. I became fascinated by two trees that were blown over at an angle. The two trunks spiraled around each other like a DNA helix giving the trees the appearance of being one. Most of the sketchers sketched more art deco hotels on Ocean Boulevard. From my vantage point sketching the tree, I could see several sketchers in the distance as they worked. We only had about an hour to sketch so I wanted to pay attention so I could finish about the same time as everyone else. Knowing me, I might get lost in the process and just keep working as everyone else packed up to leave.

I noticed the artists starting to gather and put their sketchbooks on the ground so everyone could see what had been sketched. There was some amazing talent in this group of  artists from Orlando Urban Sketchers and Miami Urban Sketchers. We walked towards a light in the ocean side park so photos could be taken of us as a group. We all held up one sketch along with the Orlando and Miami Urban Sketcher’s logos.

More than a dozen of us went to, Naked Taco, a local Mexican restaurant to chat and share stories about the experience. The server started up all off with free shots. Pam Schwartz and I split a queso dinero which feature crispy grilled chihuahua and manchengo cheese. This wasn’t what I expected being crispy chunks of cheese instead of creamy melted queso. I ordered a naked maarguarita. The margaritas were expensive and the servings small. My dish has hot peppers on top which made me spit out my first bite. Once I dissected the Dish and removed the offending peppers, the dish was fine. In Miami beach, a 20% tip is written in to the bill.

Artists were gathered from around the world. The couple next to me was from Puerto Rico, other artists were from were from Columbia, Argentina, Guiana, Vietnam, China, Israel and a gentleman from Virginia happened to be in Miami so he joined us as well. He had to  be the most enthusiastic artist I  have ever met, It is always fun to meet new artists exploring someplace new.