Eugine Snoden performed at the Maitland Art Center.

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On September 12th, Eugine Snoden performed at the Maitland Art Center for their monthly “Culture Pop” music series. I went to the art center right after work, so I arrived early. The arts building had just been renovated and expanded. The band arrived and started loading in their equipment. Once all the mics were in place, one of the band members plugged in an amplifier and suddenly all the lights went out. A Maitland Arts Center staff member tried flipping the fuse box switch but that didn’t work. It was dusk and getting dark fast. I couldn’t see my sketch page.

Guests who arrived informed us that the lights were out all over Maitland. I recalled that on the drive to the event, I had passed utility workers working on a power pole about a mile away. The work had caused a major bottle neck on the drive north. Being a consummate performer, Eugine decided that the show must go on. The band brought a few chairs outside and they began to perform an acoustic set.  The audience sat in the grass and on the steps.  There wag a romance in listening to the music under the huge live oak trees covered in hanging moss.

After a few songs, the lights flickered back on. I quickly returned to my seat to continue the sketch I had started. Eugine is an amazing performer. He acts as a ring master inviting other performers to join him at any time. His music is soulful and verges on being a religious experience. He invited violinist Beth Black to join in for several songs and her music blended beautifully into the mix. If you ever have a chance to see Eugine Snoden perform you must jump at the chance.

Animation has lost veteran animator and teacher Larry Lauria.

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On a quiet Sunday to escape a barrage of football games on TV, I went through my phone sites that were bookmarked to thin down the list. I clicked on Animation World Network and was surprised to see a sketch from my former co-worker, Larry Lauria. The article, dated December 3, 2014 was titled “In tribute to my good friend Larry Lauria.” I read on, pleased that Larry was getting some much deserved attention. By the second sentence a numb realization dawned on me. The author was referring to Larry in the past tense. Larry, my friend and colleague had died. How had I missed this? Am I so self absorbed in creating sketches, that I would loose sight of friends leaving this world? Of all the billions of articles online, how had I come across this one article?  I couldn’t be real. Just a few months ago, Larry had taken part in a group that did a sketch every day and shared those sketches online. Larry was always open to embracing a new creative challenge. I went to his Facebook page in disbelief and found other loving tributes.

The sketch above, shows Larry in a typical pose as he hunched over a drawing in class. He would teach students by example, often having fun animating a scene to see how far he could push the assignment. He loved showing students how to construct characters using simple shapes.  When he found out about my sketch a day work ethic, he quickly embraced cafe drawings into his daily routine. He loved to go to coffee shops where he could relax to sketch and do thumbnails for scenes he was going to work on. While teaching the traditional animation class at Full Sail, he managed to storyboard and animate an entire Salty Dog animated short. His dedication and excitement to the medium of animation was contagious.

Larry and his family traveled to Dublin Ireland where he became the Course Coordinator and an Instructor at
the European School of Animation, one of the top
three animation programs in the world.  He had students create an animated film that transcended the differences between North and south Ireland. The film was a crowning achievement. Lauria went on to become the head of animation at the Disney Institute in Orlando, FL.  As Disney began lay offs, Larry was saddened to have to let go the talented people he had hired. It was one of the most difficult things he had to do.

On the last day of each months animation class, Larry would often call up animation veterans to give the students a behind the scenes view of the productions they worked on. Larry was never shy about asking advice from animation veterans. When he moved to California he looked in a phone book to find Ward Kimball one of Disney’s revered nine old men. In the nervous moment when he introduced himself, Larry stammered, “Hi, this is Ward Kimbal.” Ward responded, “No, I’m Ward Kimball.” The blunder resulted in laughter on both ends of the line. Ward invited Larry over to his studio and Larry was able to ask any question he wanted of the animation legend.

Larry always said that all of his career moves were tempered by his family’s needs. He was blessed that his wife and family always wanted to be a part of the adventure. Larry’s son Matt has found success working as an actor in Hollywood films and stage productions. Larry loved to share the air times of any program like Parenthood, that his son was starring in. It made sense that his son would be inspired to follow in his father’s footsteps to embrace the entertainment industry. Larry was just as enthusiastic when he introduced me to his daughter at an outdoor concert in Winter Garden.

Larry founded an animation studio in Washington DC because there weren’t any studios there. When he moved to Orlando he realized there wasn’t an animation festival there. Rather than accept those limits, he felt the need to found an animated festival. When students expressed an interest in having a traditional animation club, Larry talked to school administrators about getting the club started. Larry instilled in me an excitement about getting a chance to experience large animation festivals like the one in Annecy France. He truly loved the medium of animation and he shared that love. He left a mark on every student and he has inspired me to want to be a better artist. Though I find his passing hard to accept, I’ll always miss his  humor and excitement about a medium in which anything is possible.

Lottery tickets at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Certer.

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There are affordable tickets to the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center. Brian Feldman a performance artist who now resides in Washington DC, returned to Orlando to surprise his parents this holiday season. The family decided to see “The Book of Mormon“. At 5:30pm there is a lottery for $25 tickets to the show. The Feldman family was at the front of the line. Names were taken and placed in one of those rotating lottery ticket cages. Perhaps 30 people stood in line.

A group of teens were playing, “Name that Sondheim Show”.  The MC knew all the shows, but her friends were Steven Sondheim illiterate. I felt like I should shout out the answers but I kept to myself. She tried to explain “Sunday in the Park with George“. “Its difficult to explain, the whole show is about this large painting of people in a park.” she explained. At 6pm the first names were drawn. Everyone crowded around the announcer hoping their name would be next. When a name was called out there would be gleeful cheers and clapping. The last name called only got a few disappointed claps. The lottery losers dispersed. None of the Feldman’s won the lottery.

Brian had wandered off to find a cash machine because lottery tickets could only be paid for with cold hard cash. I never did see him that night. His Mom, Marilyn, was in the box office in a bit of a panic. She didn’t have cash and so she couldn’t purchase fer full price ticket.  A friend offered to pay for her. Since so few people know about this lottery, your chances of winning are pretty good. As I hiked back to my car, I over heard a couple who had lost the lottery but had been offered winning tickets from another group that had won to many times.

Eric Schlosser spoke about his new book Command and Control at Rollins College.

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Eric Schlosser‘s new book, Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety is about the insanity of keeping a nuclear arsenal. He began research on the book after hearing horror stories from enlisted men who are tasked with maintaining these aging nuclear weapons. Many documents have recently been declasifIed, making research possible. He told a story about a simple maintenance worker in a launch silo who was tightening a bolt and accidentally dropped his wrench. It clamored downward and just missed hitting a device which would have caused the bomb to explode.

The nuclear bombs that exploded in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were apparently very inefficient devices. Only 30% of the uranium was part of the nuclear fission used in the blast. The rest of the uranium was just dissipated by the explosions. Had these bombs been better designed, the devastation of the blast would have been much greater. I didn’t realize that an atomic bomb is designed to explode in the air just before impact. This means that none of the blasts downward percussive force was wasted.

The arms race resulted in countries hoarding as many weapons of mass destruction as possible. There is something known as the Titanic Effect. Basically every machine eventually fails which is why we need to buy new cars or build new planes. No matter how many safe guards there are, a device will fail because of aging outdated components, or human error. If you have ever driven on the roads in Florida then you know that humans can’t be trusted to use machines with safety in mind. A recent airplane crash wasn’t caused by pilot error or the engine failing, instead the crash was caused by the seat back entertainment system failing and causing a fire. An airplane was used to transport a nuclear warhead from one storage facility to another. The plane crashed in the Carolinas and thankfully the bomb didn’t explode. A huge disaster was narrowly averted. Luck only lasts so long.  The bulk of our nuclear arsenal is using outdated technology from the 60’s and 70’s.

When the first nuclear bomb was exploded as a test, the scientist weren’t sure if it might burn away the entire atmosphere leaving a dead planet. Thankfully that didn’t happen but the incessant testing through the years has littered the atmosphere with harmful radiation that will last for centuries. Our need for bigger bombs as security is slowly killing us all. The Russians have created the largest bomb to date, the Tsar Bomba, with a 100 Mega Ton yield. If that puppy were to detonate above Disney World, the air blast radius would go as far north as Mount Dora and as far west as Bithlo. At 5 psi overpressure, most residential buildings
would collapse, injuries would be universal, and fatalities widespread. Of course the radio active fallout would drift further killing many more. Oh, Happy New Year!

Weekend Top 6 Picks for January 3rd and 4th.

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Saturday January 3, 2014

9am to 3pm Free. Orlando Elks Vintage Faire. Elk Lodge 1079 12 N Primrose Drive Orlando FL. Imagine the vintage and antique items to be found.

10am to 3pm Enrollment required. Urban Sketching Workshops. Elite Animation Academy, 8933

Conroy Windermere Road, Orlando, FL. On the second floor of a shopping complex above a Pizza Shop. All this week (Mon 12/29 to Friday Jan 9 with no workshop Jan 1)  I am teaching Urban Sketching Workshops for middle school and high school students, however any age and skill level is encouraged to join us. Contact Elite Animation for details. 407 459-7959

10am to 5pm Free. New Year First Friday and Saturday at FAVO. Faith Arts Village Orlando 221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, Fl. Art Show and Market.

Sunday January 4, 2014

10am to 3pm Urban sketching Workshop. (See above.)

1pm to 3pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, 195 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL. East side of the park near the red pagoda. Weekly. Bring a mat.

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.

Voci Dance presented Whisper-Roar at the Orange Studio.

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On September 5th and 6th Voci Dance presented Whisper-Roar at The Orange Studio, 1121 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Fl. V Whisper/Roar was two collaborative evenings of modern dance, music,film, costume couture and installation art. The collaborators were Voci Dance, DJ Nigel John, Tamara Marke. 

Admission: was $15 at the door.

Wine was available as well as lite bites from Happy Chow.

The most unique feature of the space was a huge sculpture that consisted of wooden slats that were all interconnected by bolts. This sculpture by artist Mario Shambon looked like it was articulated. Had any section moved, it would affect every other section. Yellow florescent lights were also suspended throughout the space. I arrived early when the dancers were just warming up. A black and white video was projected on the far wall. In the video the dancers stood in a line, erect like soldiers.

The audience became an integral part of the space as they filtered in. Dancers might coach a few people to move forward but in general there was no set stage that separated the audience from the dance. Several free standing doors were also set pieces for one of the dances. My favorite dance number involved one dancer, Leah Marke, shedding multiple layers of robes and light frilly fabric covered with words. A bold spotlight illuminated her from the side. It was as if she were shedding layers of judgement or self criticism. An aluminum staircase on wheels was rolled in slowly by a procession of dancers. The dance ended with her ascension to the top of the stairs and then the room blacked out.

While sketching I felt like I was trying to capture fleeting gestures against a stark industrial setting. The strong verticals implied in the black and white video strengthened that premise.

Shaking Santa’s hand on Christmas Eve at the Millenia Mall.

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Several months ago I got an e-mail from Greg Dobbs, a photographer who had read my post from last year as I tried to sketch Santa Claus from afar. He was one of the photographers from Theme Street Pictures, (The official photographers at The Mall at Millenia), who shoots these treasured portraits with Saint Nick.

“Dear Mr. Thorspecken, just found your letter,

the poem was brilliant, the artwork much better.

It hurt me to hear of the problem you had

when visiting Santa, and then leaving mad.

But we can’t have you artists with sketch pads in hand,

disrupting the calm over Hollyville land.

Your a rowdy, anarchists, a most dangerous bunch,

when I think of you drawing there I belch up my lunch.

It’s not that the rules here were made by a Grinch.

The malls not really like that……….. well maybe a pinch.

They get carried away every now and again,

looking out for the children, the women, the men.

But we’re not with the mall, we’re a separate group;

dear Santa, his helpers and photography troupe.

We work endless hours, for the children you see,

to make Christmas special, the way it should it be.

And then after all of our efforts we find

a person like you that was treated unkind.

It’s not the way we want you to remember,

your visit to Hollyville any given December.

So here is an invitation to you

to come spend an hour, three, four or two!

Not in the rafters, like Elf on The Shelf,

but down in the trenches, with St. Nick himself!

Please bring your sketch pad your pencils or chalk,

don’t waver, or hesitate, don’t you dare balk.

You’ll be our guest, a welcome addition

to the most crazy world of our Christmas tradition.

Join us up close you have nothing to fear,

Except maybe grandmothers, babies and tears.

Just bring this e-mail so I’ll know you on site,

You’ll recognize me, with the “bobble and light”.

Hope to meet you this season.”

  

When I got to the Millenia Mall on Christmas Eve, I found  a sign at Hollyville that announced that Santa would be leaving at 5pm. I only had one hour to sketch. Greg greeted me warmly and explained that this final hour would be a mad rush. The line of children and parents snaked all the wan around Holyville in a nautilus pattern. It was hard to believe that all these people could meet Saint Nick in one hour. The first child I drew started screaming in terror when his mom backed away. Greg’s job was to catch the child’s attention. He used a multi colored glowing orb that he lightly tapped on the baby’s tummy. Startled and amazed by the glowing orb, the child stopped crying. Greg would quickly pull back the orb towards the camera lens and the child smiled with delight as the shutter clicked.


The action never stopped. Some parents insisted on shooting their own iPhone photos but that held up the line possibly meaning some people would not get a chance to meet Santa even after standing in line. Greg offered me a drink and made it impossible for me to refuse his hospitality. I asked his assistant for my usual battery acid, Mountain Dew. She couldn’t find d Dew but came back with a custom high end soda that she suspected might be similar lemon lime flavor. She hit the nail on the head because the drink was delicious, I wish I knew what it was called. Santa and his staff got through this mad rush with chocolates, chocolate chip cookies and caffeine. I essentially became part of the staff since I often had to direct parents out of the maze after they had visited Santa.


Santa stayed for some overtime in order to be sure everyone in line could meet him. When my sketch was done I waited to thank Greg for letting me experience the Christmas Eve rush. He said that Santa wanted to meet me. His beard is real and his expression was sincere. Suddenly I felt like a shy child. He gave me a warm hand shake and told me he has seen my work and loves it. With people still waiting in line I didn’t want to take time to dig out my sketchbook. I know he will get to see the sketch, he sees everything. I was so flustered, I forgot to tell him what I wanted for Christmas this year.

The Wedding Party featured retro radical tuxedos and brides maids gowns.

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The Wedding Party held in a hotel on International Drive was a chance for Orlando Wedding planners to experience a retro reception for themselves. The reception room was decorated to look like a wedding reception from the 1960s. Jaimz Dillman was at the entry in a gorgeous vintage gown and her husband was in a proper tux to greet guests. The wedding cake immediately caught my eye. It was multi layered with Greek columns for support. There were separate cakes for the groomsmen and brides maids. Staircases lead to the main cake with the groomsmen and bridesmaids perched on the steps. Below the main cake was a tiny illuminated fountain. The cakes creator proudly explained to people the incredible amount of work that went into its creation. It wasn’t cut up the entire time I sketched it which is a shame because I was hoping to catch that action. I don’t believe it was ever cut up and served.

A dating game style show was set up and couples competed to hilarious effect. The disco ball was a nice touch to the overall look. My favorite tuxedo was baby blue with plenty of frills. They should bring that style back. It turned out that this room wasn’t the main event. Everyone was whisked off to another more spacious room. I remained behind until the sketch was done. Photographer Kelly Canova and a fried returned to this room since it was the only place to have a quiet conversation. I’ve met Kelly and her husband Gene quite a few times at various arts events. Gene is an accomplished muralist and artist. When I had a solo exhibit at Snap Space, Kelly and Gene loaned me an old beat up artists table which was used to showcase my daily artist kit. I got a chance to catch up with Kelly as I finished my sketch.

When my sketch was done, I went to the bigger, wilder party going on next door. A woman hung from a chandelier where she poured drinks. I started a sketch, but her shift ended and she tried to get down. The clasps that kept her suspended got caught and she couldn’t get down. A man came over to help her. He tried to support her weight while she struggled with the hardware. Finally the clasp was set free and she dropped to the floor. The dance floor was full of women in wedding dresses dancing the night away. I tried a few appetizers and then slipped away to get back home. I had invited Terry but she didn’t come to the party since she knew I would be working.

On Veteran’s Day, Robosaurus invaded downtown Orlando.

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On August 30 and 31st Robosaurus came to downtown Orlando from Las Vegas as part of Vet Fest on Veterans Day. The monster rolled into town as a tractor trailer and then transformed into a 50-foot-tall, 30-ton electro hydro-mechanical monster, which could crush vehicles and breathe fire for spectators in attendance. lt takes only 2 minutes for the transformation to be completed. There was a $15 cover price to get close to Robosaurus but I went to sketch on faith assuming I could catch a glimpse of the monster. It was invented in 1989 by
inventor Doug Malewicki and is now operated by Action Robo, LLC.  It made an appearance at Universal Studios in 2006 for the annual Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios Florida.  I saw him breath fire back then and decided I couldn’t resist getting a sketch of him now.

The inaugural Vet Fest raised money for American military
veterans. It was held  at the new I-4 underpass Church Street
Amphitheater between Church Street and Pine Streets.  There were food trucks and live music all day long. Unfortunately in the time it took me to sketch, the car eating robot was rather passive. Anyone who walked by couldn’t resist taking a cell phone photo of the creature. A few people asked me about parking. Since I was seated in the parking lot, I must have looked like an attendant. Though I didn’t get a chance to see the devastation it was unique to see the monster ready to wreack havoc on the streets of Orlando.