Andrew Spear Paints a New Mural on Colonial Drive and Thornton Avenue

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In June I noticed a bright splash of color on Colonial Drive as I was driving to work. Andrew Spear was painting a mural on the side of Little Saigon. I had to stop to get a sketch. I have always wondered why no artist in Rome ever sketched Michelangelo as he painted the Sistine Chapel. They didn’t have to be the best artist in the world, but that would be good sketch documenting an important moment.

For many years this wall on Colonial was covered with a beautiful aquatic painting, done by Jeanette Sheurr. That mural had recently been renovated but the the owners of Ace Rubber Stamp Company sold the building to Little Saigon. Andrew Sear was commissioned to repaint the wall and Red Bull was bought in as a sponsor. There was a competition in which people submitted photos for consideration and the winners were incorporated into the mural. The Red Bull logo got prominent placement on the mural and Nike swooshes can be seen on everyone’s sneakers. At what point does art cross over to become advertising?

I love Andrew’s work and it was inspiring to see him at work. The final design of the mural was still in flux on the day I stopped by for a visit. Andrew had wanted to paint a huge dragon to go with the oriental theme but the photo reference and sponsors needs took priority. While Andrew worked on the detailed crosshatching of the figurative elements, the larger swirls and patterns were painted by Gary Johnston using a big house brush and a roller. Andrew stood back in the street to consider where to cut off the ground plane. I was surprised that he asked me for advise and he decided to cut off the red and black ground plane before the doorway.

Andrew talked about an early job he took in Boston as  caricature artist. He was taught how to create in the very stylized style that is typical of street caricatures. His first costumer was a rather overweight man. Now how could be make this guy look thin? He decided to go the other way and he made him supper chunky with a giant chicken leg in his hand. The client was appalled. “Really dude, this is how you see me? The guy went to Andrew’s boss and he was fired that day. I like that Andrew didn’t sacrifice his vision that day. He told me that there is a website set up by a vandal that is called “Make Andrew Spear Cry”. This guy who works in a fast food joint decided that he would vandalize Andrews work and then post photos of the destruction online. The police found this guy, but he is still at large. It takes a herculean amount of patience for Andrew to not beat the guy to a pulp.

It started to rain. I move under a canopy and Andrew moved his paints and supplies under cover as well. I looked up the weather radar on my phone and saw that the cloud was fairly small, so he storm might pass quickly. The sketch Andrew was using as reference was sealed in acetate. He had learned from past experience that it rains rather often in Central Florida. Andrews work is popping up all over the Mills/50 District and this bright mural will be hard to miss if you are driving East down Colonial. The art we create often is erased by changing tides.

Jeanette Scheurr

Read the full article at: http://www.cflas.org/remembering-one-of-orlandos-most-iconic-aquatic-murals/ | Central Florida Aquarium SocietyJenette

Jeanette Scheurr

Read the full article at: http://www.cflas.org/remembering-one-of-orlandos-most-iconic-aquatic-murals/ | Central Florida Aquarium Society

Jeanette Scheurr

Read the full article at: http://www.cflas.org/remembering-one-of-orlandos-most-iconic-aquatic-murals/ | Central Florida Aquarium Society

Jeanette Scheurr

Read the full article at: http://www.cflas.org/remembering-one-of-orlandos-most-iconic-aquatic-murals/ | Central Florida Aquarium Society

There Will Be Words is Orlando’s Premiere Literary Reading Series

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On June 10th I went to The Gallery at Avalon Island (39 S Magnolia Avenue Orlando FL) to sketch There Will Be Words. The monthly event gives local authors a place to share their writing. The event is organized by Jessie Bradley and usually features up to five local authors. There are many poetry reading opportunities in town but this is the only regular event to feature fiction writing. On the walls were paintings that were a collaboration between Monte Olinger and Donna Dowless.

On this evening I focused on Stephanie R. Johnson. Her story was about the ghost of Truman Capote. He haunted a young woman’s apartment causing not fear, but a mild annoyance with his pretentious airs. Stephanie would shift into Truman’s personality on a dime. Truman’s flamboyant affectations eventually became unbearably and the living and dead needed to have a talk. Truman was quite used to always having his way  and spending money as he pleased but the two needed to reach an agreement. The story had me laughing the whole time. Stephanie’s performance added to the delight. This is why the arts will always thrive. There is magic in the moment when people gather to share stories. Watching an author read her own words is far more intimate than sitting passively in front of a tube. Discovering Orlando’s hidden arts scene can be fabulous darling!

There Will Be Words was named Orlando’s Best Literary Reading Series by the readers of the
Orlando Weekly in 2013, it showcases the best writers
Florida has to offer, on the second Tuesday of every month at Gallery at Avalon Island, 39 S. Magnolia in Downtown Orlando. Mark Your Calendar! This months event will be tomorrow night, September 9th. The show starts promptly at 7pm and runs until 8pm and is event is free.

Anyone Can Learn to Airbrush at Blast Studios

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On June 6th, I went to a Danny Rock, Stencils workshop at Blast Studios, ( 922 state rd 436, Casselberry, Florida). Blast Studios boasts, “Color and Creativity Collide with Canvas and Wine”. Danny has used stencils to decorate several Utility Boxes around Orlando. He have a brief history of the use of stencils in graffiti and art. When the British graffiti artist Banksy spray painted his work around NYC, industrious inner city youths covered the art and would only let people see if they payed a viewing price. People always find a way to profit from someone else s creation.

Scott Pantke and his wife Nicole owns Blast Studios and they kept me company at the wine bar as Danny taught the class. Scott was commissioned to do a mural in a hair salon, and rather than do all the painting himself, he taught others how to use the airbrush. He enjoyed teaching others and seeing how excited they became. That is how Blast Studios began. One entire wall of the studio is covered with a partly abstract and partly figurative mural. People are invited to make their own contributions, and then Scott goes over certain areas picking out the shapes of characters inside the chaos. It is much like seeing sheep in the clouds.

Three students showed up for the Stencil Workshop. Danny demonstrated the filters to use in Photoshop or any cheap image editing program to create the bold black and white image needed to create the stencil. A very sharp exacto blade was then used to cut away the negative shapes that would eventually be spray painted. Each student created their own stencil and got to transfer it to canvas. In honor of Andy Warhol they all worked on Marilyn Monroe. Each person painted a bold pattern on their canvas before applying the stencil. This is where each artist’s individuality shown through. Spraying the stencil itself was a rather quick and painless process. The trick is to keep the stencil pressed tight up against the canvas if you want a hard edge. If the stencil is loose, the edges would be soft, which also could be a good effect.

Danny Rock is teaching classes at Blast about every other week. Check the Blast calendar to see if there is a class for you or a friend. This place is also great for a date night.

Beth Marshall Opens Her Next Theatrical Season

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This sketch of Beth Marshall was done in 2010 while she presented a “Yapinar” which basically educated Directors and Producers on how to promote their shows for the Orlando Fringe Festival. At that time Beth and her husband were recovering from a car accident. Thankfully they both made a full recovery. This year Beth has begun a healthy lifestyle and she is sharing her progress on Facebook. I’m fascinated by her progress and updates.

On August 20th, she got
all her measurements from her costume designer and trainer. The Total
inches on my body lost equaled 48″ in 20 weeks. Biggest body area loss is a tie
for 7″ each on her waist and chest. She was pleased with these results so far. She has
have more energy, and feels physically stronger. She is now working out
3-6 times a week. She didn’t even think she would work out at all
until I was under 300 lbs. This summer, she had relatively moderate to light work load which
allowed her time to put extra focus on her health and hang around juice
bars, farmers markets, whole foods and gyms. This week the new theater season starts
and this means that a full work load and chaos will be in full force. Still her health
goals remain her top priority. She has the entire month of Sept. scheduled
with  personal trainings and boot camp. She hopes to maintain her
hardcore training as the work load triples. Sharing her health goals and achievements is inspiring me to try and improve my own health.

Mark Your Calendars! The 7th Beth Marshall Presents season is about to kick off with Play in a Day which will be staged September 6th at Lake Howell High School (4200 Dike Road, Winter Park Florida).  6:30pm will be a silent Auction and the shows followed by a talk back. Play in a Day has 100 artists write and produce 9 plays with the same theme within a 24 hour time frame. This year a musical is in the works and I hope to sketch the production from inception to birth.

On November 7th Beth will be presenting Beatnik Squared. This is a unique, audience interactive speak-easy 60’s theme One-Night ONLY
event. Whether attending for the first time or returning for seconds,
all audience members will get into the groove of enjoying a flashback of
the 60’s. Many of our usual beats, poets, freaks, geeks and artisans of
every kind will be returning along with some new acts and surprises.
This event is once again in partnership with Blue Star and VarieTEASE taking place at The Venue (511 Virginia Dr., Orlando, Fl).

I am intrigued by THE TRAYVON MARTIN PROJECT because I did a number of sketches of demonstrators at the time.  Part 1, A Tribute will be staged (Oct. 3rd-5th 2014).

This year long socio-political theatrical collaboration and exploration in partnership with Penguin Point Productions, and Valencia College East begins with the World Premiere
of 6 short plays and a poem inspired by the tragic loss of
Trayvon Martin. The works carefully explore race relations and equality
issues within our culture and specifically within the Central Florida
community. Playwrights include: Dennis Neal, Rob Winn Anderson, Janine Klein, James Brendlinger, Paris Crayton lll, Steve Schneider, and poet Rob Gee. Directed by Beth Marshall, Paul Castaneda, and John DiDonna. Each performance will hold a post-show talk back with the audience. Performances will take place at Valencia College Black Box Theatre (701 North Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando, Fl). Partial proceeds from this event benefit The Travyon Martin Foundation. This production will be presented at Valencia College East Campus
as part of their build up to the world premiere of their own original
devised play centering around the inciting incidents of Trayvon Martin
and Jordan Davis, the 17 year old killed in a Jacksonville gas station
parking lot.  Researched and created by a class led by John DiDonna, this event will premier in Valencia College Theater’s February 2015 slot. Part 2 will be staged in February and Part 3 is yet to be determined.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for September 6th and 7th

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Saturday September 6, 2014

7:30pm to 9:30pm $15 at the door. Whisper/Roar. The Orange Studio 1121 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida. Two collaborative evenings of modern dance, music,film, costume couture and installation art.

Collaborators: Voci Dance, DJ Nigel John, Tamara Marke, and Mario Schambon.

When: Friday, Sept. 5th and Saturday, Sept 6th; Doors open at 7:30, Performances at 8:00

Where: The Orange Studio, 1121 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803

Wine available as well as lite bites from Happy Chow.

More info: vocidance.wordpress.com

8pm to 11pm Free. Official Observatory Open House. Embry-Riddle Observatories 600 S Clyde Morris Blvd, Daytona Beach, Florida. Please join us for the Astronomy Observatory Open House nights at ERAU’s Daytona Beach campus! These free events allow the campus community and members of the general public of all ages to view the night sky through the Observatory’s telescopes, ask questions, and learn about our universe.

This year we are introducing a new Public Lecture to the Astronomy Open House that will begin at 7pm. Observations will follow from 8pm – 11pm.

View the sky through many of the Observatory’s telescopes and binoculars. We have step stools so kids can reach the eyepiece!

In addition to viewing the night sky through our telescopes, explore our astronomy posters and take a walking tour of the solar system. There is no fixed program for observations and no reservations are necessary. Just drop by to see the stars!

9:30pm to 11:30pm Free but at least get a drink. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 West Church Street, Orlando, FL. Hot blooded Flamenco dancers every week.

Sunday September 7, 2014

1pm to 3pm Free. Yoga.  East side of  Lake Eola Park, Orlando, FL.

2pm to 4pm Free. Join poet Peggy Miller as She Reads. Winter Park Library 460 E. New England Ave. Winter Park, FL. Comstock Review Editor Peggy Miller reads at the at Winter Park Library. As a previous research assistant working in biochemistry for the USDA, Peggy Miller’s poems are often inspired by the sciences. Join poet Peggy Miller as she reads and discusses her latest works at 2 p.m. on September 7th at the Winter Park Library.

9pm to 11pm Free but grab a Yak! 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.

Hip Hop Night at Austin’s Rocks the House

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Mondays are usually pretty slow event wise in Orlando. On June 2nd I discovered Hip Hop Night at Austin’s Coffee (929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL). The event runs every Monday and starts at 10pm. I got there early and ordered diner and a Yak iced coffee. The staging area was still set up for hipsters consuming food and information off the Internet. Eventually the stage was cleared so the DJ could set up his beats and a lone microphone was set up for performers.

This is an open mic night meaning anyone could perform. I met a comedian from SAK Comedy Lab who brings aspiring comics to the open mic to test their improv chops. A young woman stepped up to the mic and her first line of rap confessed that this was her first time. As the lines and rhymes fell into place the crowd cheered. With no script, this really was a tight rope walk with no net. Some performers were incredibly polished but the sound system and the rapid fire stream of lyrics made it difficult to keep up with the performances.

Mark Your Calendars! Hip Hop Night is every Monday night from 10pm to 2am at Austin’s Coffee. Be a voyeur like me or step up to the mic and see what happens. Regardless it is a fast paced inspired night.

One Chic Fete Livened up Firestone Live with Art, Fashion and Burlesque

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Ashlie Rolfe invited me to sketch “One Chic Fete” on May 30, 2014 from 8:30pm -1:30am at Firestone Live, (578 N. Orange Ave
Orlando, FL). The event was an incredible fusion of all things creative, including fashion, music, burlesque, visual art, photography and more! It was a night of creativity, cocktails, and a collaboration of over 40+ designers, artists, musicians, etc.

When I arrived, I quickly decided to sketch from the second floor overlooking all the festivities. A retro motorcycle and the band on stage became my centers of interest. Chain link fences were set up around the whole venue as a place to hang art. The last time I exhibited work on a chain link fence was at Grant Elementary school in Dumont New Jersey. At the time I was quite obsessed with the space program and I hung a sketch I did of the Mercury space capsule. I was sure that one day I would be an astronaut. The trouble is that I couldn’t stop sketching.

Upstairs at Firestone I bumped into Ruby Darling who founded Skill Focus Burlesque. They performed that evening in costumes based on video game characters. As Ruby explained, “We dress up as all the things, or characters you are hoping to see! And then we strip down to pasties.” There was also a costume contest and my favorite was The Alien and it walked down the runway with a puppy on a leash. It was the perfect blend of Harrow and cuteness. I started to sketch the Alien, but it went offstage long before I could catch its proportions, so I had to erase it. As always, I was surprised with how many people were looking at their cell phones the whole time. When I was done sketching, I did a walk about to see which artists were showcasing their work.

Tiny Houses are Big Draw in Orlando

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Emily Lindahl and Dorian hosted a Tiny Houses open house at College Park Village RV/Tiny House Community in Orlando. Dorian lives in a custom-built single-level tiny house with an open floorplan (The Dorian, built by Maximus Extreme), while Emily lives in a tinier house, built by Elaine Walker of the Tiny House-Community,  based on the Tumbleweed Lusby plans (now the Elm 18 Equator). Built in 2009  the house has traveled nearly 7,000 miles from New Hampshire to
California to Washington DC to where it resides now in Florida. Emily met Elaine at a meetup in November and she told Elaine that she planned to sell her large house to start living small. About a month later, Elaine moved out of her tiny house to care for a family member in Florida and offered to let Emily move in. Emily accepted, but someday she hopes to save up enough to build a tiny house of her own.

When I arrived at the Tiny House Open House, Emily gave me a quick tour of her place. A huge vine has grown up the back wall of the home and is climbing onto tree limbs. Emily reached up on tip toe to show me a large gourd that will be a loofa sponge when she harvests it and dries it out. The first landscaping feature Emily added was a winding garden path. She definitely has a green thumb because the garden around her tiny house is flourishing. Her tiny house looks out across a gorgeous lake. Though she is living small, she has a million dollar view. Two hundred or so people showed up to the open house. It was a bit surreal to see a long line of giants waiting to tour the tiny house.

Emily Lindahl has been interested in tiny houses since she was in college. She first saw a Jay Shafer YouTube video on tiny houses in 2006. She grew up in a huge house but was always a bit of a minimalist. She attended a tumbleweed Tiny House building workshop in January 2013 and she and a classmate started a Tiny Houses Facebook group shortly after. The group page started with just 20 people but has grown to over 1600 members. The Tiny Houses Community is getting more organized by pooling resources and getting a website and forum. Emily is the Director of Communications for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra so she knows how to bring people together using social media. She hopes to one day see Tiny House communities throughout Florida. A tiny housed video series will be released on YouTube soon. Emily wrote the theme song for it. She uses the hashtag #emilystinyadventure online to share her experiences. You can also follow the adventure on Instagram at @emilystinyadventure plus she is sharing her tiny adventure on her blog.

East End Market Offers All Things Local

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My exhibition of several dozen original Orlando Urban Sketches has been hanging at East End Market (3201 Corrine Dr.
Orlando, FL) for the past several months. The show is slated to come down sometime in the beginning of September. Emily Rankin of Local Roots Distribution Company asked me to keep some cards in her farm store in the front of the market. I left her with a dozen or so cards that were left over from the Emotions Dance performance, Art Evolution. I did a sketch based on each choreographed performance and worked the dancers into iconic works of art. Over time I will be adding cards that have urban sketches of venues around Orlando.

After setting up the exhibit in the community room on the second floor of East End, I decided to stay and sketch the market, which is always bustling with activity. People stay at the juice bar for hours working on their computers making them perfect models. The thin pink haired girl was the reason for starting this sketch. When she wasn’t on  her computer, she was talking to the staff behind the bar. Mason jars are used as light bulbs above the bar. Behind me, the custom coffee bar was always serving up orders.

I’m so happy my work has been exhibited at East End. People keep approaching me to let me know that they liked getting a chance to see my sketches up close and in person. I always say that my sketches are about documenting people and places that make Orlando a stronger community. East End Market is a new venue where those people come together to share similar ideals. It has been the perfect place to share what I do with people that make a difference in this town.

Places Less Traveled at the Peacock Room

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On May 6th, I went to the opening reception for “Places Less Traveled” at the Peacock Room (1321 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL). This show featured Selected Graffiti Photographs taken by Grazyna Kleinman in Miami between 2011-2014. Grazyna travels to Art Basel in Miami each year and she documents the ever changing urban graffiti scene. The Wynwood Arts District in Miami has entire buildings covered in Graffiti and every year groups of artists travel there to expand and change the scene. She takes multiple photographs at each location and stitches them together to create her high resolution images. Some of the images are printed on metal giving them an interesting sheen. She had several self published books on display and I thumbed through to see more of her work. 3D glasses sat on the table along with the books. When you look at the photos with the glasses on, the graffiti tends to float above the walls.

Grazyna’s husband and son were at the opening. Her son is planning to become a stock broker and he bragged about how easy it is to make money in the stock market. I thought it would have been good for him to meet Terry to get a more realistic view of what the market has been like for the past twenty years. Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it.

In the main bar area there was a  Group Art Show by local Artists which was curated by Mendi Cowles.