Weekend Top 6 Picks for January 17th and 18th.

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Saturday January 17, 2015

 9am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday Florida Manatee Festival and Endangered Species Parade. Three Sisters Springs Latitude: 2888872533 Longitude: -8258919102, Crystal River, Florida. This popular Florida Manatee Festival attracts over 10,000 visitors to the City of Crystal River, from which nearly half visit Three Sisters Springs. The refuge hosts mermaids, presentations by manatee scientists, spring experts and world class photographers/videographers, conservation agency booths and much more! Learn more.

$8 Adults

$2 Children Ages 4-10

FREEChildren 3 And Under

$10
Dogs

10am to 10pm Saturday, 10am to 6pm Sunday. January 16-19. 10th Annual Otronicon. Orlando Science Center 777 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL. A glimpse into the future and a demonstration of how interactive
technology will impact how we work, learn and play. Partake in cutting
edge video games, digital media, digital art, competitions and workshops
– not to mention military and medical simulators typically not
available to the public.  

$19.00 daily for adults 

$17.00 daily for students/seniors 

$13.00 daily for kids (ages 3 – 11) 

FREE daily for ages 2 and under

5pm to 8pm Free.  A Night of Fire at Crealdé. Crealdé School of Art, 600 St Andrews Blvd, Winter Park, Florida. The whole campus comes alive after dark for the fourth annual A Night of Fire. Tour the Crealdé studios and galleries, participate in workshops and demonstrations including a bronze pour, a gas kiln firing and raku firing. New this year is a light-painting photography display over the lake. Enjoy live music, refreshments and storytelling around the fire. Food from the grill provided by Millers Hardware. The evening also serves as the opening reception for the “Director’s Choice V” exhibition of works by Crealde’s youth faculty.

Sunday January 18, 2015

Noon to 5pm Free but get a beer or two. Sunday’s with Smiling Dan. The Falcon Bar & Gallery, 819 East Washington Street, Orlando, FL.  A DJ mix for your Sunday afternoon.

2pm to 6pm Free. Barks for Beers 2015. Orlando Brewing, 1301 Atlanta Ave, Orlando, Florida. There will be live music, silent auctions, raffle items, delicious food, local vendors and, of course, great micro-brewed beer!

6pm to 9:30pm $9 Southern Fried Music. Will’s Pub, 1042 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL. Celebrate 9 years of Southern Fried music, food & fun on Sunday, January 18 at Will’s Pub & lil indies!  Music from Riverbottom Nightmare Band, The Appleseed Collective, The Honeyslides & more!  A southern style barbq dinner is included in the $9 cover!

6:00pm – show at Will’s, 1042 N. Mills

7:00pm – dinner

9:30pm – music at lil indies, 1036 N. Mills

willspub.org

Sketch Tour Workshops offered in Orlando.

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Orlando Sketch Tours offers visitors a chance to slow down, see and sketch the true Orlando outside of theme parks. Thor from Analog Artist Digital World and Kelly Medford from Sketching Rome Tours will be your guides for this 2-day sketching tour around Orlando.

Each workshop day is $125, or $200 for both days.

Saturday February 28, 2015 Workshop 10am to 2pm.

Sunday March 1, 2015 Workshop 10am to 2pm.

For all levels, NO experience is required.
All materials provided, just bring yourself.

Your sketch kit includes:

pencil and sharpener

waterproof drawing pen

waterbrush

travel sized watercolor kit

5×7 inch watercolor artist journal

and a zippered supply bag to hold everything

Artists will meet at 10am the red pagoda at the east end of Lake Eola. The Saturday workshop will start off by introducing simple and straightforward techniques in pen, pencil and watercolor for all levels, from beginners to more practiced artists or sketchers. Both Thor and Kelly will offer several hours of tips and tricks to get you comfortable working with your materials. Kelly will offer insights into the use of watercolor and Thor will give tips on how to compose your urban sketch.

We can break for lunch at Pannera and then continue sketching together afterwards. We will finish off the day at the Red Pagoda at 2pm to share sketches and chat about the experience.

The Sunday workshop will be much like the Saturday workshop with more time for those who attended Saturday’s workshop to sketch and for newcomers to work directly in getting to know your materials and various techniques.

Register here on Eventbrite.

Registration ends February 21st.

Ashley Inguanta hosted a Marriage Equality Celebration and Readings at Lake Eola.

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On the evening before the ban on same sex marriages was lifted, Ashley Inguanta hosted readings that were a celebration of love at Lake Eola. I arrived a bit early and did a sketch of a big grassy field thinking that it would soon be filled with hundreds of supporters. Tisse Mallon arrived with some equipment on a dolly. Although the invitation said to meet in the field, Tisse realized that a small staging area nearby might have an outlet where she could plug in an amplifier and a mic. Sure enough there were plugs right behind the stage. She covered a small TV tray table with a black cloth and set the speaker up in front of that. The final touch were small candles that acted as foot lamps.

Perhaps a dozen people gathered on the wooden benches. Ashley took the microphone and introduced herself. She explained that on this chilly evening, we were celebrating the arrival of same-sex marriage with a series of readings by LGBT writers. Readers on the bill included Dianne Turgeon Richardson, Tisse Mallon and Ricardo Williams. As Ashley read the first poem about love, a policeman on a bicycle stopped to shut down the performance. It is rather ironic that poems about love should be considered subversive while people shout out hatred of hell and brimstone on street corners downtown. Ashley asked if she could continue to read without the mic. He allowed that and rode off. Ashley advised everyone to huddle together in the front row, for added body warmth and to hear her over the traffic. She got off the stage and moved close to the audience.

Tisse read an intimate poem about her first love. Other poems were by Dia Davina and Adrienne Rich. Ricardo explained that he wasn’t LGBT but any injustice is an injustice to all. Dianne’s story was similar. She was recently married and hadn’t been writing much poetry while she was happy. The poems she used to write were always dark. On this cold evening there was a warmth and joy in every poem shared. Ricardo read a second poem, but I couldn’t hear him over the passing traffic.

Ashley had recently moved to NYC where she hoped to find her soul mate and get married. She reminded us all that there were only four hours left until there would be marriage equality in Florida. Now it will be possible for anyone to find a committed lasting love in the City Beautiful.

The Maker Faire had a human powered snow cone machine.

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Outside the Orlando Science Center, during the Maker Faire, there was a constant line of children and adults waiting to use the human powered wheel. Ice Age is the company that created this technological wonder. It reminds me of a sketch Leonardo Da Vinci did in the renaissance of a human powered machine gun. Human-Powered Snow Cones are the brainchild of dreamer and inventor Joe Donoughe. To use the machine you would stand inside the barrel and walk or run. The motion would power a machine that would crush the ice which would then be dumped into a cup. The cup of ice would move down a small conveyor belt. Pulling a hammer would lower a flat metal hand which would pack the crushed ice down. Then the conveyor belt would move the cup to the flavor station where a pull on a leaver would add the bright colored flavor to the ice.

I would have to bet that standing in the sun and then exercising in the human hamster wheel would burn more calories than what could be gained from the cup of ice. As I was sketching the machine, the Maker Faire was drawing to a close. The line of kids waiting to get their human powered ice never diminished.  At some point the line must have been capped so that the inventors could pack up and go home.

I walked around outside to see what other vendors had to offer. There was a giant red inflatable robot with an M on his chest which clued passers by that the Faire was happening. Paint the Trail was busy painting wooden fencing with hip pop personalities and sayings. There were wind chimes and hand fashioned flutes. I spent two solid days at the Maker Faire and honestly don’t think that I saw everything that there was to see.

The Maker Faire at the Orlando Science Center showcased innovations and inventions.

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The Orlando Maker Faire was held on September 13th and 14th at the Orlando Science Center (777 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL). I went both days to see and sketch some of the cool stuff being made and showcased. I immediately went to an upper balcony overlooking the show room floor. The first thing to catch my eye was this huge roller coaster. The coaster would slowly rise up the ramp and then scream downward at top speed. It went through two loop-de-loops before returning back to the station. There was always a crowd surrounding the coaster and kids would sit on the floor to watch with rapt attention.

On the upper right of the sketch I caught a few people who were spectators of the Nerdy Derby. A large table was set up so kids and children at heart could build their own derby car. A long ramp was set up so contestants could face off to see who had the fastest car. There were bleachers set up for the screaming fans.

As I sketched, I heard R2D2 clicking and beeping at guests. He was very popular and everyone had to have their picture taken with him. It turned out that there were close to a dozen R2D2’s at the Maker Faire. Some were only partly assembled, so it was possible to see the servos and circuitry that made him run.  Dog Powered Robot and Lollybot were on the show room floor and they were so mobbed with photo requests that I felt it was to crowded and hazardous to sketch. Fisher, the dog who powers the Dog Powered Robot was complacently panting and enjoying the attention. Evan and Christie Miga who created the Dog Powered Robot franchise were a bit overwhelmed but happy about all the attention their blue boxed robot generated.

Nerd Nite is like the Discovery chanel with beer!

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Nerd Nite Orlando at Stardust Video and Coffee, (1842 E. Winter Park Rd. Winter Park, FL) s an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking talks across many disciplines, all while the audience drinks along in a casual bar atmosphere. Speakers present for up to 20 minutes each on a fascinating subject of their choice, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following the presentations is a brief question and answer with the audience.

Quench your curiosity! Come meet up, drink, and learn something new!

The September 11th Nerd Nite featured “Nerd Nite Trivia!” with Ricardo Williams. Teams of up to 4 people competed against other smarty pants from across the city. Here are a few of the challenging questions. I’ll put the answers in the comment section of this post.

1. 90s Animated Series. What 90-93 animated TV series featured the voice talent of Whoopee Goldberg?

2. Wars that the United States fought.  What was the United States major cold war engagement prior to the Vietnam war?

3. People named Michael. Who is the baddest man on the planet?

4. Animals that have sex. If a Puma mates with a Leopard what animal is produced?

5.  Potent potables. What Welsh privateer of the Caribbean was also known as Sir Henry Moore?

The second presentation was, “Steampunk: Creating the Future out of the Past!” by Richard Young. I sketched Richard as he agonized over the Power Point slides. Steampunk is a combination of Victorian Aesthetics with Science Fiction Technology. Speaker He took a look at this Sub-Genre of Science Fiction. Including it’s history, it’s effects on modern culture, and his own experiences exploring this strange and beautiful world. Richard Young has been a member of the Central Florida Steampunk Association for over two years. He spends most of the time at work staring at computer screens, and a lot of time outside of work looking for things to do that do not involve staring at computer screens. An ex-Disney animator is working on a steampunk styled hand drawn animated film. I’m excited to see artists returning to traditional animation. Perhaps we all have been staring at computer screens to long.

“Bird Nerd: Plumage, Sex, and Social Selection!” by Angela Tringali. The plumage of birds isn’t just beautiful, it serves a function. To determine if the plumage of Florida scrub-jay juveniles had a function she changed it, and their social behavior changed too. She spoke about bird color, and a bird found only in Florida. This nerd nite was a bird nerd nite. Her passion for the subject was contagious. She is a conservation biologist and behavioral ecologist. She earned her PhD in 2013. When Angela isn’t chasing birds she is thinking about it. Some people say she has a one-track mind.

Steampunk was featured at the Orlando Maker Faire.

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The Central Florida Steampunk Association was strongly represented at the Orlando Maker Faire held in the Orlando Science Center on September 13th and 14th. Their display was in the Dino Digs area of the museum. A large T-Rex stood menacingly in the background. Intricate costuming and devices were all hand crafted. Leather was being stamped and patterned with detail. There is an infinite amount of detail in every Steampunk costume. The details even have details. A jet pack in front of one of the display tables was constructed using two large soda bottles as the main canisters.

Gadgets and gizmo’s were all for sale. The fashion for women featured corsets and fur. I rather like the look. Gusts could stop at the leather working station and pound in some of their own patterns using a metal template and a hammer. In a room behind me, an announcer would let everyone know that the potato gun was about to be fired.  It blasted off about every half hour. In the stairway, Orit Reuben was doing a pastel portrait of Jenny Coyle as she read her book. I’m happy that art was represented at the Maker Faire. There was a back room for robotic battles, but unfortunately the two times I went it the robots were on a break. Robots don’t need cigarette breaks.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for January 10th and 11th.

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Saturday January 10, 2015

9am to 3pm Free. Sanford Farmers Market. A small farmers market on the corner of First and magnolia in Sanford. Right near the old historic clock.

1pm to 3pm Free. Art at the Casa. Casa Feliz 656 N. Park Avenue Winter Park FL. There’s No Place Like Home: Art Inspired by Winter Park’s Historic Architecture. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum will host a juried art exhibit open to artists of all mediums. The goal of the exhibit is to celebrate Winter Park’s historic architecture – past and present – and to elevate the discussion on the importance of historic preservation. Ena Heller, the Bruce A. Beal Director of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum, will be the judge and will award the top three cash prizes.  There will also be a ‘People’s Choice’ award determined by the votes of viewers.

A Special Community Celebration will be held on Saturday, January 10 from 1-3pm with lots of fun free kids’ activities, including crafts, story-telling and music, a ‘scavenger hunt’ quiz to encourage interaction with art, snacks and more!

9:30pm to 11:30pm. Get a drink or dinner. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL. Weekly Flamenco performances.

Sunday January 11, 2015

Noon to 3pm Free. Music at the Casa. Casa Feliz 656 N. Park Avenue Winter Park FL. Shannon Caine & Beautiful Music. Established in 1989.  Offering from solo musicians to ensembles with custom instrumentation. Genres include classical, jazz and dance music.

1pm to 3pm Free. Script Reading Workshop. Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show, 8267 International Drive, Orlando, FL. Read and workshop plays.

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.

We finally have marriage equality in Orlando.

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On January 6th, at midnight, the ban on same sex marriages ended in Florida. At an event called Vowed and Proud, Mayor Buddy Dyer performed a mass wedding for over 40 same sex couples on the steps of city hall. Commissioner Patty Sheehan stepped up to the mic and proudly announced that she was the first openly gay commissioner in the City Beautiful. The crowd cheered. She pointed out that it was a long hard battle to get to this day. This was a day to celebrate love. Some of the couple had been together longer than many heterosexual couples.

I found a view where I could see the mayor and the row of couples waiting to be married. One of Buddy’s security guards however considered me a menace with my sketchbook and he told me to move. Sigh, he’s just doing his job. I moved much further back to sketch the huge crowd gathered. Originally the ceremony was going to be held in the City Hall rotunda, but the event was too big to be contained inside.  The Mayor Told all the couples to face each other and they recited after him, “With this ring, I thee wed.” There was a huge cheer from the crowd when the ceremony was complete. The Orlando Gay Chorus then sang, Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

There were two sad and sullen protesters, but their hateful shouts were downed out by the celebration of love. On a radio program on my drive downtown, the protesters were given a microphone to air their views. I turned the radio off. I don’t need to hear their hate. They shouted, “Jesus is coming!” “Good” I thought, “Jesus would appreciate this celebration of love.” The tides are changing. The brightness of joy outweighed the protests of a few. Florida Family Action filed a lawsuit against Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer
in an effort to stop the ceremony, as well as others across the state, reported WKMG in Orlando. The group fought for a gay marriage ban in Florida, which was approved by voters in 2008. That ban was found to be unconstitutional. They clearly did not succeed. Wedding planners, hotels and resorts feel that Orlando could become a wedding destination for same sex couples in the deep south. January 6th was a truly historic moment in Orlando and I’m happy I was there to sketch it.

The Treat House Cafe and frozen yogurt shoppe is a cozy retreat for children and adults.

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Over the winter break, I have been teaching Urban Sketching workshops at Elite Animation Academy (8933 Conroy Windermere Road Orlando, FL). The classroom is located in a strip mall on the corner of Conroy Windermere Road and Apopka Vineland Road above a pizza shop. I have four students to start and my main objective is to get them out of the studio to sketch on location every day. Trish Eakin the owner of Treat House Cafe and frozen yogurt shoppe (8935 Conroy Windermere Road Orlando FL.) gave us a warm welcome and invited us to sketch in her shoppe which was right downstairs. She has a table set up in front where children can work on crafts projects. Trish explained, “My
dream when I built Treat House was that it would be a warm comfortable
place for students and artists to relax, study and create.”

The shoppe opened on Valentines Day in 2014, so it is a little less than a year old. Trish used to operate three locations of TCBY as a franchise.  One of those yogurt shops was right in Universal Studios. She had a staff of up to 13 people at the time to keep the shops operating. Unfortunately the shops couldn’t stay open since they couldn’t sell enough yogurt. She decided to create her own yogurt shop using her creativity and experience to come up with something new. She decorated the shoppe herself making it feel like a seaside rustic retreat. She put in the weathered woodwork and picked out furniture from antiques shops. Every choice reflects her personal rustic aesthetic. 


Trish’s Treat House is right across the street from the Chain of Lakes Middle School. When the school has it’s big pride day, she had the schools band perform on the back patio of her shoppe and 15% of all yogurt sales went to school programs. Her cozy shop allows her to feel much closer to her local community. I hope to return to sketch the next Pride Celebration.

When my class arrived, there was a family at the table and scissors and cut paper on the table made it clear that snow flakes had been created recently. Dozens of snowflakes were suspended from the ceiling. My student Ali took to sketching the shoppe with gusto. Steve, an Elite instructor sketched the vintage Coke machine giving it a forced perspective to make it look immense and ominous. On the first day we only focused on the line sketch and then on the second day, we used color on the same sketch. Trish worked behind the counter, likely crunching end of the year numbers. She later had to work on one of the yogurt machines, taking it apart and replacing what looked like the mixing blades. Since she is the only person in the shoppe, she has to be a Jack of all trades. Support local entrepreneurs, operating a small local shop is a challenge when huge chains undercut prices.

When our sketches were done, Trish took pictures of us all holding our work.