A walk in the dark at Petrified Forest.

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Sylvia Katherine Viles is the cast director at Petrified Forest (S.R. 436, just 1/4 mile West of 17-92 1360 E Altamonte Dr, Altamonte Springs, FL) . She invited me to come up to play with the ghouls this year which is the 8th year the attraction has been running. This is one of Central Florida’s best haunted trails. If you want to be frightened out of your wits on Halloween night then this is the place to go.

The casting call was at 5:30 pm and the trail opens at 7 :30pmish. Rush hour traffic resulted in my arriving an hour late, but thankfully I still had time to sketch some of the cast as the haunting hour arrived. Sylvia was dressed as a demonic joker with a touch of steam punk. She immediately escorted me back to the costuming trailer to find me a hick costume so I could blend in on the trail. She explained that she wanted to put me in the meat market.  In the costume shop, she searched for a simple flannel shirt to throw on me. There were none to be found. She settled on a white shirt with touches of blood. A makeup artist quickly spray painted my face with a muddy mess. I tried to keep from inhaling the aerosol fumes.

Before the gates open, the cast gets a pep talk. They were reminded to “scare forward” which means frightening guests from behind to keep them moving down the trail. The meeting ended with a lusty shout. “Who’s house!” “Our House!” “Whoo Rahh!” An actress in a ghostly white gown and jet black hair walked me back to the meat market. This was her first time haunting the trail. I was set up behind her on the dock, which meant that guests couldn’t approach me. The staging wasn’t perfect and as it grew dark I couldn’t see a thing, but I made the best of it. A black light supplied the only illumination. A pea soup watery sludge glowed green. Usually when I sketch in the dark I can’t see what I’m working on. With the tablet the problem was reversed. Even at 0% brightness it was too bright. Which meant my eyes had to adjust to the dark each time I looked up. Hopefully I looked a bit menacing as I scowled at the faint hints of people that shuffled nervous by. The actress would loudly slam shut a wooden partition and shout out that “you better get a move on. Grandma’s  been expecting you!’ Between crowds Grandma walked over and shouted to me, “Are you sketching my girl’s butt? You better pay for that privilege mister!” I laughed.

With the dark sketch done, I walked through the trail for the first hand experience. I joined a group of four victims and entered the Abyss, which is a ghost ship of lost souls, I entered the haunted ship first. This allowed me to see what was coming up with an unobstructed view. One member of our group had a glow stick. Having a glow stick guaranteed extra frights because ghouls were enticed to try and steal it away, A haunted movie theater had dismembered bodies in the seats. We exited the movie theater through the movie screen, There were under sea scenes and a ramp of mysterious green light that enveloped us as we pushed forward. It wasn’t always  clear how to proceed. I pushed open a door that scrapped against the floor. I lead my group onto a dark foot bridge surrounded by pitch black darkness. Someone said, “I think we took a wrong turn.” Sure enough a cast member shouted at us,”You are going the wrong my.” From that point forward the guy in back took the lead. I was startled more than a few times. A figure burst to life at a banquette table. Near the end, two guys with chain saws chased us and the saws nipped at our ankles.

 Tickets are $15 for one trail and $25 for both trails. There is also a $12 back stage tour. This is the best fright for your dollar in Central Florida. Sure Universal has it’s Horror Nights, but that costs a fortune and you end up standing in lines all night. The Petrified Forest delivers just as many frights, and some of the effects are just stunning.

National Dance Day does Improvisation

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National Dance Day was a full day of free dance courses. The day began at Cultural  Park (lawn in front of the Loch Haven Neighborhood Center) y and then moved into the Orlando Ballet Rehearsal halls. Participants were encouraged to participate in exercises, dance routines, and performances by Central Florida dance professionals. In the Orlando Ballet Central Campus 30 free specialized dance classes were offered throughout the day to ages 3-100,  including special needs movement classes.  Central Florida dance company directors, choreographers, and fitness instructors shared different styles of dance through body conditioning, dance technique, and choreography at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.  NDDO strove to bring educational, community-driven dance opportunities to non-dancers and dancers alike!

This sketch was done in the Improvisational Dance Class. After stretches and warm ups, participants were encouraged to move freely and abstractly. No one moved the same way. Some of the exercises simply involved moving from one side of the room to the other. It looked like z whole lot of fun since the re were no fancy moves to memorize. This was one of the last classes of the day, so people were already warmed up, limber and ready for anything.

I was hosting a sketch crawl. There were about 6 artists to start, but by the en of the day, there were just four of us left. Being able to sit in and sketch so many dance classes meant that we got limbered up and loose by sketching so many gestures all day

National Dance Day was bigger than ever.

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National Dance Day fell on the same day as the World Wide Sketch Crawl.  I contacted Dance Day organizer Holly Harris and she was gracious enough to let host the Orlando Sketch Crawl, conjunction with National Dance Day. About 5 or 6 artists joined me and we documented the all day event with our sketches. This sketch was done in one of the Orlando Ballet dance studios. This free dance class was all about Latin Dance moves and the drummer set the heated beat. I’m certain the many of the people taking the class had never moved like the before. The instructor would demonstrate a move and then each dancer would had to follow his moves in turn. It was a hot and passionate class.

A few dancers relaxed while leaning against the mirrored wall but most dancers lined the room and were constantly on the move. I had filled a sketchpad already and so this sketch wheat on the back of a sketch page. This was a great day of catch in dance gestures, but I also insisted on completing finished compositions. It was fun to see how different artists captured the non stop action.

Waiting to get blood taken.

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I see two different doctors about trying to alienate chronic neck pain. Anytime I see on or the other, they order blood work.  It seems like I’m always driving to Quest Diagnostics to give blood. j don’t mind the process, I’m getting used to the small prick as the needle goes in. I just can’t look as the pipettes fill with an blood. Far worse is to wait before getting in. Like an emergency wait in room there always seems to be a crowd. Once you get past the first waiting room there is a second waiting room. Both have insipid TV programs blaring, so I’m glad I escape into a sketch.

The present cocktail of pain killers and muscle relaxants seem to keep me functioning, Anytime the prescriptions run out, and they always do, I am reminded that I very much need them. I need to follow up with chiropractors and physical therapists, all of which didn’t work in the past, but maybe I just saw an incompetent practitioner. Meanwhile the drug dealers keep me functioning until I find more holistic solution.

The Wedding of Rachel and Bruce McMillen.

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Rachel Leona Kapitan and Bruce Bowers McMillan were married on October 3rd of 2015 at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Orlando. Rachel’s son, Jackson Elliot Donald lead Terry down the isle and we were seated about four rows back. I considered moving closer to sketch but then decided to focus my attention on the wide expanse of the chapel. Weddings seem so rushed when you are trying to sketch them. the program asked guests to be truly present at the ceremony.  Everyone was respectfully requested that all cameras and phones remain unused during the ceremony. There was no mention of sketchbooks, either traditional, or digital, so I went to work documenting the fleeting moment. I’m only truly present when I’m sketching. I was still sketching as the photographer lined people up for the family group shots. Terry wanted to get to the reception, so I cut the sketch short. We bummed a ride with Karen Price and Naomi Butteffield to the reception.

The reception was at the Courtyard at Lake Lucerne which used to be part of Dr. Phillip House, a few blocks from the Center for the Performing Arts which bears his name. There was macaroni so I carbo loaded and got some soda. Bruce’s kids, Ryan and Katherine McMullin offered a toast and welcomed Rachel to the family with  warmth and humor. After a sumptuous fish dinner all the women hit the dance floor. Like me, Ryan wasn’t in the mood for dancing. Kim Buchheit introduced us and I learned that Ryan was an artist. He decided to learn sign language and that has become a full time job. Later in the evening, his sister Katherine came over and asked him to dance. He refused, so she turned to me and asked, “stranger will you dance with me?” Since I hadn’t danced with my wife all night, I didn’t think that would be a good idea. Instead I pressured Ryan to dance just once with his sister. The evening was almost over. He gave in to pier pressure and they danced. I clapped my approval, always the voyeur.

The Mellow Mushroom always delights.

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If I find myself on the East side of Orlando, with time to kill before sketching an event, I will often go to the Mellow Mushroom, 2015 Aloma Ave, Winter Park, FL. Kathy Blackmore, used to take the 2DAnimatio Full Sail crew to Mellow Mushroom to show her thanks and ask about suggestions for the coming year. We would usually order the Pesto Pizza Pie which had an exotic name like “Cosmic Karma.” Anytime I return, I or do the same pie. As of this December it will be a year since I left Full Sail. My new teaching gig at Elite Animation Academy is more challenging, but I’ m learning as I teach the kids. I’m teaching a course in using Photoshop to design characters and because of that, I’m using a tablet to sketch more often. The first time I used the Cintiq Companion 2, the battery died before the sketch was done. Since then I have discovered some battery saving techniques, and the battery has held on for each sketch session since. My butt usually reminds me when I’ve been sitting and sketching for too long. The battery now outlasts my butt.

Anything Goes Hit Orlando.

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Terry scored some tickets to Anything Goes at the Dr. Phillips Center of the Performing Arts in May. Written by Cole
Porter Anything Goes, won
three 2011 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and
Choreography! It is touted as one of the greatest musicals in theater history, It was based on
Roundabout Theatre Company’s production, The New York Times hails it a “musical-comedy joy” and USA Today calls it “glorious and exuberant!”

The music was memorable, and there were plenty of big production numbers that includes tap dancing and singing. The score, features some of musical theatre’s most memorable standards, including “I Get A
Kick Out Of You,” “You’re the Top,” and of course, “Anything Goes.” The story however didn’t really grab me. Two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love, with many obstacles in the way while proving that
sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, an
exotic disguise and some good old-fashioned blackmail.

Sketching in a crowded audience is a task I seldom table. Although there was plenty of glitz light and glamour on stage, the house lights were pitch black. The only time I saw the sketch was during intermission and I rushed to finish it before the lights went black again. For the second half of the show I relaxed and simply watched. My attention wandered and I followed one actor, Reno Sweeney,  in the crowd. She seemed to carry the tunes with true gusto. Because everyone had on head mics, my suspension of disbelief was lost however. I just felt that everyone was just going through the motions. My sketch seems equally non-committed.

The Hourglass Brewery features Halloween Art through November

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I went to the Hourglass Brewery, 480 S Ronald Reagan Blvd, Longwood, FL, for the first time about a month ago to sketch the Bloody Jug Band. The place has a nice sized stage and lively atmosphere. The brewery specializes in Artisan ales that are brewed in small batches. The featured beers this month are aStraub Van Graham which is a Strawberry Vanilla Wheat Ale, Pendulum, a coconut Porter, Barista’s Blessing, a nitro vanilla coffee brown ale and Zandloper, a Belgian Blonde.

There was a call for artists on Facebook, so I decided to submit one of my zombie march sketches. On a drive downtown, I heard on the radio that someone had been shot at a zombie convention. I always try and sketch zombie marches when they are in town, but now I’m left to wonder if the guns in in zombie hunter’s belts are real or fake. Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley made an appearance on the Daily Show last night and his primary platform was gun control. He was governor in Maryland and that state outlawed the sales of assault weapons, and background checks along with fingerprints are required when a gun is purchased. He made the point that one terrorist got onto a flight with a bomb in his shoe, and now we all have to take off our shoes and wait in long lines in airports. Yet there are over ten thousand deaths annually because of fire arms. The United States is a joke to developed countries around the world. A taxi driver in Turkey asked why Americans are gunning each other down.

Anyway, if you want to see a zombie apocalypse sketch, head over to Hourglass Brewery and sample one of their home brewed ales. Leave the guns at home.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for October 24th and 25th.

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Saturday October 24,205 

10am to 6pm Free. CF Veg Fest. Orlando Festival Park, East Robinson Street, Orlando, FL.

8 pm to Midnight. Necromancy, A Dark Art Event. Gods and Monsters 5250 International Drive; Suite E8, Orlando, Florida. Necromancy… A dark art event featuring appearances and new original works by artists, Clive Barker, Menton3, Ben Templesmith, David Stoupakis, Chet Zar, Colin Christian, Vaughn Belak, Damien Echols and Stan Darkart. Performances by Defenz Mechanizm

Extensive craft soda and craft & import beer, cider, mead and wine selection in our Offworld L.O.U.N.G.E.18+ after 10pm (After 9pm, please use our exterior side entrance to the right of Shepler’s.)

All day. Free. Sketch Crawl. World Wide event. I will be sketching in NYC. See the Sketch Crawl site for more in formation. http://www.sketchcrawl.com/


Sunday October 25, 2015

Noon to 2pm. Free, but order some food.  Florida Gospel Jam. Fish on Fire 7937 Daetwyler Drive Belle Isle FL. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday.

1pm to 3pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, 195 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL. Weekly.

9pm to 11pm Free. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Ciara Shuttleworth’s Farewell Reading

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On May 23rd, Ciara Shuttleworth gave a farewell reading at the Kerouac House 1418 Clouser Ave, Orlando, Florida. Ciara had been a writer in residence, and after her stay in Orlando she went on an extended road trip back out west to her hometown in Washington State. She traveled with a cardboard cut out photo of Jack Kerouac and she took plenty of pictures of him “On the Road.” She was one of the more social and inclusive writers to take up residency at the historic home. She invited several of her writing friends to also read on her final evening in Orlando.

Ciara read a poem about people who are in love with the idea of be in in love. They crave the rush they get when they first become enamored with someone new. In this social media age, I suspect this phenomenon is more common.

As with most readings, there was plenty of wine, and I’m sure that writers gathered on the front porch to discuss literature late into the evening. At an earlier reading I stayed late, and Ciara had suggested that there be an impromptu Karaoke session. I think that I held my own as we followed the lyrics on a cell phone. The music was new to me but I liked it. On the evening of the farewell reading however, I didn’t linger. There had been drama enough during the reading for one evening. The living room was packed full of people. In the back of the room, several people were startled when a large cabinet case rocked with no one touching it. Some felt it might be the ghost of Jack Kerouac making sure no one was complacent.

“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to
live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same
time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn,
burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders
across the stars.”
– Jack Kerouac “On the Road“