Miller’s Field House has so many TV’s it is hard to know where to look.

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On July 19th, Terry and I went to Miller’s Field House (7958 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, FL) to watch the Chargers battle against the Chiefs in the playoffs. Well, Terry watched the playoffs and I sketched. Terry grew up in San Diego, so she always roots for the Chargers, even if she is the only person in the room doing so. The place was packed with fans, Many wearing the jersey of their favorite team. I ordered a burger and a beer and got to work.

The game was pretty close for a while, but by the second half, Terry was groaning far more than she was cheering. The Chargers lost which sealed their fate for the season, they would not be going to the Super Bowl. 0n my several trips to the bathroom, I realized that the bar also had seating outside, and it was just as crowded out there. People would come in shifts, watching a game and then heading out. The bar must do a brisk business since the drinks kept flowing as long as there were games and commentary.

The most authentic Oktoberfest in Orlando is at the German American Society.

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Each year I like to get to the German American Society (381 Orange Ln, Casselberry, FL) to sketch during Oktoberfest. This year, on October 24th, I was joined by a young UCF journalism student named Deanna Ferrante.I met Deanna at Artlando in Lock Haven Park and she seemed quite fascinated by what I do. She decided to use me as a subject for an article she has to research for her journalism class. So far she has interviewed my wife and several others. Since I consider my daily sketches a form of journalism, it makes sense for her to find what I do interesting.

Parking was hard to find, and for the first time I paid $5 to park at a nearby business. Getting into Oktoberfest is also $5, which gets you a wristband. Most of the action is behind the Liederkranz hall. A gazebo was set up for music and dancing in the center of the back yard. Long tables filled the yard with crowds of people drinking beer. I decided to go inside where a stage was set up in front of a huge photo of a German castle. Several accordion players and a saxophone player provided the music for traditional German dances. Tyrolean liederhosen outfits were everywhere. A small banner in front of the performers announced, “Beer is proof that God loves us.” There was a collection of different sized cow bells, but they weren’t used in the time I was sketching.

Where I sat was right next to where the teen aged dancers would congregate before they went out on the dance floor. The women wore white puffy sleeved blouses and a black bodice that cinched their wastes tight. The blue plaid dress and apron would billow out like a whirling dervish whenever they danced. The men would stomp and slap their heals as they danced. They would also help guide the women in a direction as they were spinning. One female dancer spun out of control as she exited the dance floor and she tripped on the stage. She wasn’t hurt and the adrenalin kept her spinning just as fast for the next dance.

The dancers became fascinated with my sketch and several crowded around to see what it looked like. Deanna used the opportunity to interview several of them. The main reason she stopped out was to observe first hand what a typical sketch excursion is like. She also interviewed people at my table. She didn’t ask me any questions, instead letting me work. Once in a while I would shout out a thought or two, trying to be helpful.

With the sketch finished, I decided to call it a day. The sketch opportunities were endless, but I decided to get home. I bumped into artist Leslie Silvia and her husband Jared on the way out, so I could have lingered and drank a beer, but I’m a lightweight when it comes to drinking. I get a headache the second I take a sip. Deanna said she got what she needed for the article and she headed back to UCF. I liked her approach. She gets right into the thick of the action to find the story. I’ll be curious to find out what the article turns out like.

Every Monday as the sun sets, the Audubon Community Market offers fresh local produce.

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Stardust Video and Coffee ( 1842 Winter Park Road, Orlando, FL) becomes a vibrant Community Market every Monday. When the weather is good, the parking lot fills with vendor’s tents. When it rains, the market shrinks and moves inside. On this particular Monday I sketched vendors offering fresh baked goods and holistic herbs and oils.

It turned out that the vendors son was a bit of an artist, and he sketched me as I sketched the scene. The costumer, with the green head band and purple shirt was a Disney theme park employee. I also recognized he as being a very active Fringe Festival volunteer. Shopping is only half the objective in this small intimate market. Most of the time is spent socializing and catching up with friends.

As the flow of costumers slowed at the Audubon Community Market, the Disney employee sat with the vendor and her sons behind the table. A mysterious ceremony took place where they all held hands. Perhaps there was healing involved, or a spiritual look inward. I should have asked about it when my sketch was done since I could probably use some of what was offered. Lately my body has started to revolt against my horrible diet and constant work by forcing me to slow down with splitting headaches. Doctors only offer drugs but I would rather find a more holistic approach to improving my health.

The Cameo vintage sign is burning bright again.

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A small black and white photo framed on the back wall of Snap! Orlando shows the historic Cameo Theater with its original signage. Building owner Jorge Boone applied to the Orlando City Counsel to have a replica of the original Cameo
sign put back on top of the building “to re-establish the identity of the
building and bring a sense of history and place to the area.” The
project is expected to cost around $29,000 and the city agreed to
Boone’s request for $14,000 through the facade program. The new
18-foot-long sign will use the same retro font as the original, and it
will be lit with more than 300 LED bulbs.

The Cameo Theater first opened opened on Christmas Day, 1940. It was a latecomer in Orlando’s movie theaters, and was located just a block west of the Vogue Theater. Open for only a few years (maybe less than five), the Cameo sat abandoned for years, save for an occasional booking by a evangelical group.

The building was remodeled and occupied for years by IBM. Since then it has had many occupants, and has often been vacant. The marquee still stands.

In October 2008, it was in use as a live performance space, but had closed by Summer of 2009. By early-2010, it had reopened and was available ‘For Rent’, and several groups had regular performances, primarily live music.

Today the Cameo Theater is home to Snap! Orlando, a hip gallery that is bringing cutting edge exhibits to Orlando. The owners, Patrick and Holly Kahn  also have expanded Snap into a gallery space in Miami and they seem to have finally created a gallery worthy of a top class city here in Orlando.  Nearly 1200 people came to
celebrate Snaps one year anniversary, and the lighting of the Cameo
sign on January 23, 2015. As Patrick said “Thank you to all of our partners, supporters, Snap! team members
and friends who joined us last night! Our deepest appreciation and love
to the exceptional Jorge Boone and Magdalena Dalsjo for reviving the
Cameo sign, and sponsoring the public art fence, created by Chris Scala. In 2015 Snap is planning a citywide event with pop-up art
exhibits, lectures with guest speakers, workshops, and other educational
and cultural events. Announcements soon.”

The Artlando main stage hosted amazing talents.

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I only sketched at the Artlando main stage in Lock Haven Park once. The Orlando Concert Band kicked off the event in the morning. There was a small group of people right in front of the stage while most of the artists were still setting up their tents or chatting. John Phillips Sousa marches and patriotic orchestrations got the day started. I was seated in a patch of shadow created by the stages canopy. As the sun rose, I had to keep scooting forward to stay in the shade. The small audience around me was doing the same.

As the day progressed, clouds rolled in and it rained. That didn’t stop performers from showcasing their talents on the stage. Phantasmagoria and Emotions Dance performed and I watched them without sketching. Sometimes it is nice to put the pen down and just let a performance sweep over you.  When the sun went down, a DJ took to the stage and the lawn became a dance party.

Taking down my tent was more of a challenge than setting it up. As I lowered the telescoping legs, it leaned against my neighbors tent a bit. They seemed quite annoyed with me but no damage was done. I rolled my stuff up and stored it curbside. I then hiked the half mile or so to my car and drove back to pick everything up. It turned out that award money was given to the artist picked by all the artists that day. G. Lemus was awarded $1000 and he also won a contest for painting a lion, which is the symbol of Orlando’s new soccer team. I made about $18 to $20 in card sales and finished 3 sketches, so the day wasn’t a total bust.

Seen up close, butterflies become monsters.

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When it began to rain during Artlando, I ran inside the Orlando Museum of Art for cover. A crowd of people had the same idea. Inside the museum, local art galleries had exhibits. Jai Gallery was set up in the lobby. I was curious about a large hyper real photograph of a butterfly. Artist and architect James Cornetet was taking microscopic photos of a butterfly. The digital camera was set up on a metal framework which allowed James to move the camera in tiny increments. To get the final high resolution image he shoots hundreds of photos horizontally, vertically and in depth. The camera has a very shallow depth of field which means the tip of an antenna might be in focus but the butterfly head might be out of focus. James had an exhibit titled “High Fidelity” of his monstrous insects at Jai Gallery. Coralie Claeysen-Gleyzon was also on hand to let people know about Jai Gallery. One of Josh Garrick‘s black and white photos of a sculpted Greek god’s head was also on display.  Josh’s photos went on exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum in Greece. He was the first American artist to ever have his work displayed there.

Snap! Orlando teamed up with The Falcon and The Gallery at Avalon Island for a special installation at Artlando. The exhibit featured the art of Szymon Brodziak Photography, Aurora Crowley and an interactive digital installation ‘Beautiful Chaos’ by Nathan Selikoff. The exhibit was in the rotunda of OMA, as well as the galleries located to the left of the museum’s entrance. Once I was done with my sketch, I ran outside to my tent to make sure none of the cards on display had gotten wet. Everything was dry, but I was shocked to see that the tip jar which was half full of dollar bills earlier in the day, was now empty. I was furious. Who would stoop so low to steal money from a tip jar? Later that day I found out that my wife Terry had removed the money, “for safe keening.” The tip jar earned me enough money to pay for the food truck feast I enjoyed later that day.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for January 31 and February 1.

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Saturday January 31, 2015

6pm to 8pm Free. Brewery Tour. Orlando Brewing, 1301 Atlanta Ave, Orlando, FL. See how they make their vintage brews at Orlando Brewing.

8:30pm to 11:30pm $8. The Crack Rock Opera, Room Full of Strangers, The Welzeins, Twigs. Will’s Pub, 1042 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida. What is The Crack Rock Opera and who the devil is Danny Feedback? Danny Feedback is a rock n roll freak infamously known for lewd, lascivious stage antics and performance art rife with destruction of such objects as 800lb pianos while frequently in the nude. His music and lyrics are a blend of experimental garage and psych-pop, bristling with dissonance and fuzz; catchy yet jarring and always irreverent. As for The Crack Rock Opera it is Danny Feedback’s foray into theater, which is more like if an early John Waters had he formed a band. The media has described The Crack Rock Opera as “Rocky Horror, but With Better Music”.And despite being reviled by theater critics Feedback and his troupe The Crack Rock Opera have graced the front page of The Orlando Weekly, performed a full run at The Orlando International Fringe and performed well attended shows at various theaters in Central Florida…Now, Saturday January 31st The Crack Rock Opera celebrates the release of their self titled LP which they will perform at length.This album harkens back to the trippy story albums similar to The Firesign Theater that made their debut in the tumultuous late 60s. However, the CRO is much more potty mouthed, anti-PC, and irreverent in a ham fisted back hand sort of way and no social, ethnic or religious class is spared. Januray 31st The Crack Rock Opera brings it back to the gritty dives from whence they came, namely Will’s. All attendees will receive a limited copy of The Crack Rock Opera w/ carton character inserts.

Musical guests…

ROOM FULL of STRANGERS – Acid Gospel, punk, whatever…

THE WELZEINS Garage punk.

TWIGS New Orlando band from Whatsit Records, hear em live for the first time.

9:30pm to 11:30pm Free but get a drink or some tapas. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL. Hot passionate flamenco dancers perform live.

Sunday February 1, 2015

Noon to 5pm Free but get a drink or two. Sunday’s with Smiling Dan. The Falcon Bar & Gallery, 819 East Washington Street, Orlando, FL. DJ spins music through the afternoon.

1pm to 3pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, 195 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL. On the East lawn near the children’s playground. 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.

The Inaugural Artlando was held in Lock Haven Park.

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ALL DAY. ALL ART. I was offered a vendors tent at the inaugural Artlando event held September 27 in Lock Haven Park. My plan was to only sell $2 cards in a card rack and leave a tip jar so people could pay on the honor system. That left me free to roam the event and the day became a sketch marathon. All vendors had to arrive early in the morning to set up. You had to unload at a spot next to the Repertory Theater’s parking lot and then immediately drive off site to park. Each artist was assigned a specific area of Lock Haven’s lawn which was marked by a number. Soon there was a tent city. Clouds loomed ominous and gray all day.

A giant inflatable bird was in front of the Orlando Museum of Art. It was based on a painting by Lamar Peterson whose work was on exhibit inside. The brown statues, which were part of an installation titled “Horizons”,  by noted Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir (pronounced Stay-nun Thorens daughter), were often used by people who imitated the poses for photo opportunities. That installation is on exhibit through 2015. 

Carolyn Moor, with her daughter Mackensey and a friend from out of town stopped to say hello. Carl Gauze jumped in on the conversation and he pointed out that the inflatable bird had a bullet hole in its chest.  I inspected the inflated art up close and sure enough there was a puncture wound.  I imagined a pickup truck squealing around the parking lot at night with a drunk local using his rifle to take shots at any art he could find. Then again the hole might just be there to control the flow of air. Caroline waited in front of the museum for Mackenzie to return from the main stage. On the main stage there were live performance by Orlando Ballet, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando Shakes, Central Florida Community Arts, Orlando Fringe, Phantasmagoria and many more.

As I was finishing this sketch, it began to rain. I ran inside the museum for cover.

Drip opens its doors to local artists.

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Drip Local Art Night invites artists and musicians
to represent Orlando art to local, national and international travelers! On the evening I went there was a packed house in the bar and the dance performance then drew the crowd into the main performance area giving artists the opportunity to set up in the bar area. Future local art nights will no longer be on the same night as a performance.  This should allow more artists a chance to set up and share their art.

This event will be held on the 4th Thursday of every month. The Drip organizers will keep a running list for this monthly event.

On the night I went, I set up framed sketchbooks in a spot next to the bar. The bar area is now illuminated wit black lights which makes all the Drip shirts glow an eerie blue color. I discovered that the paper in my early sketchbooks doesn’t glow under black lights, so they were hard to see.  I want to go back and do a digital sketch since that is probably the best way to catch those colors. This sketch was sort of done blind because I couldn’t see the page in the low light plus the page glowed blue making colors a guess in the dark. I should have had a book light. Ashlyn Bapst used this end of the bar to create intricate woven Drip shirts. Her nimble fingers worked quickly to create these sexy, much sought after collectors items.

If you haven’t been to Drip yet, what are you waiting for? It is an explosion of color, light and dance set in a grunge back alley bar on International Drive. The story revolves around a love triangle. Dancers get covered in primary colors of paint and when they hug they change colors. It becomes a story of redemption and empowerment all set to the beat of a live rock band. Don’t wear your Sunday best. It is wiser to dress down for Drip. While Sea World has front row seats in a splash zone, the entire venue is a splash zone at Drip. You will get wet.

Drip Local Art Night

Who: Open to everyone 21+ (Artists can be 18+)

What: Local Art Night @ DRIP

When: 4th Thursday of every month
Set Up 6:30 PM; Doors open to public from 8-10 PM.

Where: DRIP 8747 International Dr #102, Orlando, FL 32819

How to apply: Send a link to your portfolio/samples to kristen@ILoveDRIP.com

Mark your calendar! The next Drip Local Art Night is February 26th 6:30pm to 11pm.

The Orlando Public Library offers programs for all tastes.

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George Markward from the Pastrami Project Food Truck offered a course on cooking holiday foods at the main branch of the Orlando Public Library (101 East Central Boulevard Orlando, FL). You should sign up for these courses in advance, but I dropped in unannounced and was welcomed. The library classroom is set up to offer any kind of cuisine course. The sink and oven were in another room adjacent to the classroom. About a dozen foodies sat in attendance.

George prepared three holiday dishes. He prepared a noodle kugel, potato pancakes and caviar on Blinis.  Preparations involved a mad dash of proceeding, stirring, boiling and frying. The great thing is that we all got to taste the finished products and bring the recipes home. I liked the noodle kugel so much that I made it at home the next week. Terry was shocked that I baked something, and it was a hit. Perhaps there is hope that I’ll become a foodie someday. It seemed ironic that the Greek Orthodox Church was feeding the homeless a block away while I was sampling free caviar, sour cream, lox and chives on Blinis. God they were good.

Here is the Noodle Kugel Recipe courtesy of Dave Lieberman.

Total time: 50 minutes.

Preparation time: 5 minutes.

Cooking time: 45 minutes.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Ingredients.

12 oz wide egg noodles

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 pound cottage cheese

16oz sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

6 eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins

Directions.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Boil the noodles in salted water for about 4 minutes. Strain noodles from the water. In a large mixing bowl, combine noodles with the remaining ingredients and pour into a greased, approximately 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Bake until the custard is set and the top is golden brown, about 30-45 minutes.