Florida Film Festival

Posted on by Thor

The  23rd Annual Florida Film Festival is now underway. The Festival runs for ten days showing 170 films. This is one of the top film festivals in the country and if you go, it is likely you will rub shoulders with producers and directors as you sip a drink at the Eden Bar. With so many films to choose from, it is a good idea to surf the Film Festival website, to see what interests you on any given day. The festival runs through April 13th.

I attended several preview screenings to wet my palette.  The Enzian Theater (1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL) is nestled among huge live oaks that tower overhead. They looked particularly naked this year before the bright spring foliage filled then in. Philip Tiedtke stopped to see how my sketch was turning out. He explained that this year they invested $11,000 to have all the Spanish Moss removed from the trees. I knew something looked different, but I hadn’t put my finger on it. He explained that all the Spanish Moss was smothering new growth and it made the branches extra heavy. There was concern that they might collapse under their own weight thanks to all the moss.

Besides all the film screenings, there are also panel discussions, industry parties with fabulous food and drink and opportunities to meet the stars. Susan Sarandon, Paul Sorvino, Giancarlo Esposito, and Shawn Christensen are all attending the Festival. So get out and see some films and do some Hollywood star gazing..

Weekend Top 6 Picks

Posted on by Thor

Saturday April 5, 2014

All Weekend through April 13 $99 Matinee Pass. 23rd Annual Florida Film Festival.  Enzian Theater, 1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL. Now in its 23rd year, the Florida Film Festival is an
Oscar(S)-qualifying festival, premiering the best in current,
independent, and international cinema. Through ten days of 170 films and
first-class events, film lovers mingle with filmmakers and celebrities
over hand-crafted cocktails and a locally-sourced menu. www.floridafilmfestival.com

9pm to 2am Free. Grass: New Works from Brandon McLean. The Falcon 819 E. Washington Street, Suite 2, Orlando, Fl. ‘Grass’ is a collection of recent work from Orlando Mixed Media artist Brandon McLean. Centered around the exploits of protagonist Otis Swain, the works reside somewhere on the edge of pop art in this type of 1970’s tropic noir setting.

10pm to 2am DJ Trashy & DJKJ’s CD Release Party. Suite B Lounge 50 E.Central Blvd ,Entrance On Magnolia Ave, Orlando FL.  I Love Florida House + Renegade Alien Records Present:

EPIC BREAKS CD Release Party! 1:30 – 2:30 ***DJ TRASHY Sanitary Soundz / Lafayette Louisiana. 12:30 – 1:30 ***DJ KJ of K5 K5 Music / Badboyz of Breakz.  11-12:30 ***Rob-E & Security – Orlando’s Dynamic Duo! Fundamental Breakz Collective.  10 -11 PM ***Christian Michaels of K5.

Sunday April 6, 2014

1pm to 3pm. Free Yoga. East end of Lake Eola Park, Orlando FL.Weekly event.

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

9pm to 11pm Free. Solo Acoustic Spoken Word. Natura Coffee & Tea, 12078 Collegiate Way, Orlando, FL. 407 482-5000

Artist in Communities Workshop

Posted on by Thor

On February 1st I went to Casselberry Art House (127 Quail Pond Circle Casselberry, FL) to learn about the Artist in Communities Grant. Mary Giraulo outlined how to apply for a grant from United Arts. Several thousand dollars could be made available for individual artists who submitted community service projects in literature, media arts (film and digital), performing arts or visual arts in Lake, Orange, Osceola or Seminole counties. I was in the process of spending over $5,000 to frame work for a retrospective show. I hoped that a grant might help with the cost of showing my work to the community. I quickly learned that this years grants would not cover such expenses.

The Artist in Communities Grant insists that artists find a community organization like Community Centers, Social service, Main Street organizations, hospitals or schools to partner with. The grant is for a maximum of $2,500 and the grant award must be matched dollar for dollar by cash income from other sources. The artist project must be open to the public and must offer a service to the community and or involve community Collaboration..

I considered the idea of using a grant to expand the LifeSketch project I had started several years ago. That project involved going to retirement homes with an author and interviewing people to learn from their life experiences. While the interview was conducted, I would sketch. I had been working with an author but she commuted suicide.  I would have to sketch and conduct an interview myself moving forward. Perhaps I should consider that option. The deadline for the grant application came and went however. I was so wrapped up in all the plans to mount the exhibition and I couldn’t find the time to fill out all the grant forms. United Arts has $25-30 thousand dollars allocated to fund 10-12 artist proposals. Perhaps I’ll apply next year.

Wrapping the Maitland Art Center

Posted on by Thor

March first was Artist Colony Day at the Maitland Art Center (231 Packwood Ave W, Maitland, FL). Between 2-6pm there were Open Studios and hands on activities, then between 2-6pm The Maitland Art Center was wrapped in blue plastic. I’m sure the idea is inspired by the art of Christo. The entire month of March was filled with experimentation and collaboration referred to as Art 31.

I expected a crowd on day 1 but instead found that the only people on site were the dozen or so volunteers. A food truck was purring behind me as I started to sketch. The wrap began at the South east corner of the building. Two volunteers on the roof lowered a roll of clear blue plastic on a string. The volunteers on the ground secured the plastic with a cinder-block brick and then the roll was pulled up to the roof where it was again secured with a brick.

Courtney Jean Canova rode up in a recumbent bike to say hello. He had biked from his home about 11 miles away. I admired his exercise ethic. My bike has broken spokes and flat tires and has been neglected for years. Perhaps it is time to give that bike some love, attention and use. Cortney parked his bike and then started shooting photos of the volunteers at work. Courtney’s wife Kelly arrived by car so that Courtney didn’t have to bike all the way home. Linda Saracino was at the event for a short time. She lamented the fact that such a cool event was getting so little attention. I did what little I could with a sketch.

As I making final preparations for my retrospective show, Courtney came through in a crunch when I put out a request for an old beat up table to put my art supplies on in the exhibit. He had a battered old drafting table that fit the bill perfectly. I also picked up an old French folding table from Kathy Wilhelm Witkowski but the drafting table was picked for display. Kathy has a studio called “New Leaf Studio” which I’m now curious to sketch. The name implies fresh new foliage after a long winter or perhaps it simply implies the leaf’s in a table.

Critique and Conversation

Posted on by Thor

The March Critique and Conversation was held in the Germaine Marvel Building at the Maitland Art Center (210 W. Packwood Avenue, Maitland FL.) The lead panelist was Rebecca Sexton Larson who curates the exhibits in the Maitland Art Center. The guest for the evening was Gallerist Mindy Solomon who has just moved her gallery from Saint Petersburg to Miami. Each artist was given 15 minutes to show their work and get feedback. The critiques were ruthless and informative. The walls of the room were covered with crude mural art that will come down once renovations begin.

The first artist to show her work was Rima Jabbur who is a photo-realist painter. She used a projector to show her paintings. Mindy pointed out the sad truth that photo-realist work isn’t in demand. Abstract work with calming colors is all the rage. There was much discussion on researching galleries. Finding the right gallery is as important as finding the right mate. Rima had one big break when she painted a black man in the pose of Manet’s Olympia. A curator at the Louvre was putting together a show on how Manet’s work has influenced artists, and he found Rima’s painting on the internet. Because of that random internet search, her painting hung in the Louvre.

Jennifer Coop who is a graduate of my Alma matter, SVA, showed photos of her daughter playing hide and seek. Jennifer is a single mom and these artistic shots were essentially her baby album, documenting her daughters life. She explained that there was some angst in the work, but neither panelist saw that angst. The imagery was sinewy and playful. Mindy proclaimed the photos masturbatory and self serving. But from what I saw, they were quite lovely. Jennifer immediately left after her critique, so I never got to see the photos up close.

Martha Lent showed very large paintings of tropical landscapes and a vintage sailboat. Mindy suggested that Martha look for galleries in tourist areas where people might want to buy a painting to remember their trip. Key West was offered up as a possibility along with Charleston S.C. I found it sad that representational work seemed only worthy of being a tourist’s keepsake.

Tony Corbitt showed some of his quick oil studies done on location. Tony is known for doing speed paintings of celebrity faces at events. Tony said, “Art isn’t Art until it is sold, up until then it is an obsession and a storage problem.” Mindy seemed to feel that his studies weren’t detailed enough. A painting of cows in a barn was done primarily in sepia tones and white. She complained that all the whites seemed uniform. “There a million kinds of whites” she said. She complained about the dark frames he put the work in. “When in doubt use white or gold” she said referring to the frames. Tony works quickly from life considering the painting done when he leaves. She explained that Monet often returned to the same location at the same time of day so that he could capture the light. Every critique she threw at Tony’s work could just as well relate to what I do. It would be nice to spend more time on each piece but what I’m documenting is usually over within two hours time. “Fast shouldn’t be part of the vocabulary” she said. She gave me much food for thought.

Danielle DeGuglimo creates paintings that depict chaos, the urban blight that we endure for convenience. I had seen her painting inspired by the Gulf oil spill before. The imagery is surreal and a bit unsettling with grid planes to define the space. She works her paintings obsessively adding layer after layer of paint. She has started documenting each day’s work with photos so she can see what she gained and lost in the course of each day. Mindy wanted to see a stronger center of interest. “Push things beyond normal perception” she said.

The last artist to show her work, I had mistaken for a journalist in the audience. Cat Snapp has just finished graduate school where she did print making, and now she is on the road to find her voice. Most of her pieces were small and jewel-like using bold black and white. A much larger piece was constructed of square wood block prints which were then sewn together like a quilt. The image was double sided with the bold black prints having a primal feeling, “They will suck the life out of you” was scrawled across one side of the piece. Mindy felt that the writing and the bold imagery were at odds. Other pieces also had poetic verse but the words were obscured and at times impossible to read. Art is seldom about camouflage and subterfuge. There was beauty and meaning in the writing so there was no reason to hide it. With my work, I never feel a sketch is complete until I’ve written about the experience.

Sion Dayson

Posted on by Thor

Sion Dayson was the resident writer in the Kerouac House for the winter 2013 writer in residence.

She was working in the Kerouac House through the holidays and into the new year. Sion came to Orlando from Paris.  When I visited, she had just finished work on her first novel, When Things Were Green, and was exploring new ideas. Her friend, Frédéric Monpierre, was also on hand. He is a filmmaker and he wandered around shooting footage with his digital DSLR camera. Every time he took a shot, the camera would beep loudly. It was like R2D2 kept complaining every few minutes. Regardless there was a certain magic as three artist each explored their craft.

Before Sion settled in to write, there was a knock at the front door. Two middle aged men wanted to know if they could walk through the house. She obliged, bringing them to the back of the house where Jack Kerouac wrote the Dharma Bums.  Apparently this is a regular occurrence. When the literary tourists left, she finally settled in to work. I rather enjoyed the fact that she wore bright pink slippers while she worked.

She was working on an essay about the emotional scars that everyone carries with them. There was a long moment where she paused to gather her thoughts. She held her hands under her chin almost as if she were praying. She stayed like that for the longest time before she once again attacked the page with her pen. I was intrigued by her forceful grip on the pen making it seem like she were etching her words into granite.

Sion Dayson is an American writer living in Paris, France. Her work has appeared in Hunger Mountain, Utne Reader, The Wall Street Journal, Numero Cinq and several anthologies including Strangers in Paris and Seek It: Writers and Artists Do Sleep,
among other venues. She has been a past winner of a Barbara Deming
Memorial Fund grant for her fiction and her novel manuscript placed on
the short list for finalists in the William Faulkner Wisdom Competition.
She earned her MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. You
can find out more about her work at her website, siondayson.com.

Renninger’s

Posted on by Thor

On Friday February 14th I joined my wife Terry and her friend Elaine Pasekoff as they explored Renningers Antiques Fair. This is an Annual pilgrimage that has been going on for decades. Usually Bob Newlin would fly in from Washington DC, but he was snowed in by an intense snowstorm. We stayed in a Best Western the night before and got up at the break of dawn to hit Renningers. Elaine always makes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and she used the hotel jelly packets to complete the task at breakfast.

We parked in the grass being directed by two attendants who were arguing with each other. There was a small entry fee and our hands were stamped. I immediately started hunting for a sketch while Terry and Elaine shopped. I settled on this antique sign dealer. His name was Rick Shields and the company was called Southern Pickers. The company slogan was “we buy rust.” This lot was in the valley just as you entered. Up the hill were all the food vendors with an ice cream cone being the most obvious landmark. Elaine and Terry found me and they left their purchases next to my chair so they didn’t have to carry them around.

I was seated in front of “Rustic Stuff of the South“. Jerry Douthit was building wooden cases that could encase snugly fit coolers. The hammering attracted costumers and the rustic looking cooler stands were quite attractive and functional. The hot sellers had Gator and Seminole football logos. Since I was sitting in the direct sun, I rushed the sketch so I could find some shade. With the sketch done, I approached Rick and asked him if he had a business card. He said he had handed them all out. I then showed him the sketch and he reached into his pocked and pulled out a card. He explained that he had to ration them. He asked me for my card an I told him that I had handed them all out. Later in the day, I discovered a bunch of business cards in my wallet.

Orlando Folk Festival

Posted on by Thor

On Sunday February 9th, I went to the 12th Annual Orlando Folk Festival at The Mennello Museum of American Art 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, Fl. The had rained the previous day so everyone was happy for the sunshine. After talking with Tod Caviness and his wife Christin for a moment, I immediately focused on the kids painting a fence Tom Sawyer style. Of course Tom Sawyer only had white paint while these kids had their pick of the rainbow. Some kids would focus on a small area with laser beam attention to fine detail while others used the brush with bold bravado. I believe this fence is re-used every year and the paint is growing as thick as the continental crust. A volunteer would fill plastic cups with paint and put an artist’s smock on each child. Don’t mock the smock. Parents stood guard to be sure that the paint went on the wall rather than on other children.

The two stages for folk singers were behind me, so I got to relax to their gentle harmonies. People set up blankets and lawn chairs in the shade to listen. A family on a blanket near me had a bunch of kids who were getting antsy. I boy threw a stick that hit me in the back. The mom said, “Say your sorry Bobby.” He remained silent. “He really is sorry” she said. The kids started playing tag and I began to feel I was in the middle of a war zone. One little girl tripped over my art bag. They really weren’t looking where they were going. With the sketch done, I retreated to a quieter neutral zone.

I spotted Emily Empel and her friends and I sat to chat with them for the last set. Emily had been a presenter at Pecha Kucha on the same evening I had presented. It was interesting to hear her take about how the evening went. From my perspective Emily’s presentation had been flawless. But she confided that she had been very nervous that night. I think I had been to committed to what I had written and Emily felt the same. Other presenters memorized their talks while others just knew key points that they wanted to cover. Becky Lane, a speech coach at Full Sail had encouraged me to just have key points but I was already too committed to the exact words I had written. Regardless, looking back at the video, the presentation went pretty well. I’m glad I stepped outside my comfort zone. I need to do that more often.

When the band finished playing I headed home. l bumped into Carl Knickerbocker who had his “Art Car” at the festival. He used large magnetic sheets to cover a car with his bold Suburban folk images. He has a short film in this year’s Florida Film Festival titled “The Last Orange Grove in Middle Florida.” I can’t wait to see it.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

Posted on by Thor

Saturday March 29, 2014

1pm to 3pm Free. Thor Book Signing at Snap!  Inside the historic Cameo Theater, (1013 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, FL).Thomas Thorspecken, the artist and producer of Analog Artist Digital World, will sign copies of his new book, “Urban Sketching, A Complete Guide to Techniques.” There will be a guided tour of the exhibit with the stories behind many of the sketches in the exhibit. There will also be a “Digital Scavenger Hunt.” Guests will be given a list of questions when they arrive, and the answers can only be found by scanning the QR codes on the sketch labels using a smart phone. The answers can be easily found in the Analog Artist Digital World articles that the QR codes link to. The first guest to answer all the questions correctly will get a free copy of the book.

6pm to 9pm Tickets are $100 for members/$130 for general public and sponsorships still available.  For tickets and more information, click here. pARTicipation  Maitland Art Center (231 Packwood Ave W, Maitland, FL). One of Central Florida’s most intriguing and popular fundraising events,
the A&H’s Participation is an innovative sensory experience; one
where artists turn tables into art installations and guests dine with
the selected artist. Guests learn from the artist and create their own
works of art in an evening of elegant dining, performances, and art, all
in the beautiful setting of the A&H’s Maitland Art Center campus.

6pm to 9pm Free.  McRae Art Studios Spring Open House & Sale. 904 Railroad Ave. Suite 200, in Winter Park FL.During the open house, the public is invited to meet and talk to artists in their studios at McRae, the oldest and largest artist collective in Central Florida. More than 1,000 artworks will be on display including paintings, prints, photographs, mixed media, sculpture, jewelry and pottery.

Sunday March 30, 2013

10am to Noon. Super Joy Riders. Eastern entrance of the Lake Eola Farmers’ Market. You + Superhero Costume + Bike = Best Sunday Ever. We are inviting Orlando to come with us on a fun filled bike ride of awesomeness on the last Sunday of the month. Dress like a superhero, hop on a bike, and follow our scavenger hunt list of Good Deeds as we all try to save the world with small acts of kindness.

2pm to 5pm. The entry fee is $8 with $1 off per canned food item(up to 3 cans) More than 3 cans are of course welcomed. Poca’s Hottest 3rd Annual Hot Sauce Cook Off and Can Drive. Will’s Pub & the attached Track Shack lot (1042 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL.) This years cook off/can drive is in conjunction with Mills 50 District and 1 in 4 Strike Against Hunger to raise awareness of the hunger situation in Orlando (many Orlando families are skipping 1 out of four meals due to poverty) and to collect food to provide to Ferncreek Elementary students and their families.As usual there are only 3 rules to the cook off:

1) You must use at least one of Poca’s Hottest sauces in your recipe.

2) You must provide at least 60 1oz portions (approx.1/2 aluminum chafer pan full)

3) You must be willing to share your recipe & provide a copy of it with your entry (the winning dishes will be featured in Poca’s Hottest 2014 cook book)

There is no cost to enter a dish in the cook off and all entrants will receive free entry to the cook off.

Prizes will include the full collection of Poca’s Hottest sauces (over $100 value)

One 2014 Poca’s Hottest T shirt

The coveted Poca’s Hottest trophy 😉

A featured spot in the Poca’s Hottest 2014 cook book

And best of all one full year of bragging rights 😉

7pm to 10pm. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 (cash only) at the door. SEASONS Mix & Mingle Cabaret! City Arts Factory (29 S. Orange Ave Orlando FL.)  The SEASONS Mix & Mingle Cabaret is a night of open ended entertainment. Join us for one show, or stay for all four! Either way you won’t leave disappointed and you will be able to show your support for new and original works coming out of the Orlando theatre community.Come meet the cast and hear a sneak peak performance of material from the highly anticipated Orlando Fringe Festival debut of SEASONS The Musical! Also come enjoy the beautiful galleries of the CityArts Factory in downtown Orlando along with special guest performers: Summer Aiello, Meghan Moroney, Mark Taylor, Sarah Hanchar – The Happy Pink Girl!, and the amazing comedic talents of Mark Daniels! The evening will be topped off with the unsinkable master of ceremonies: Mark Baratelli!

The evening will include a cash bar, raffles including Christian Louboutin scarf, SAK Comedy Lab tickets, Spooky Empire tickets, and more! We will have items for sale from Seasons merchandise to jewelry. All proceeds from the night will benefit Seasons.

 http://www.seasonsthemusical.com/

Maxine’s on Shine

Posted on by Thor

I went to Maxine’s on Shine (337 Shine Avenue Orlando FL) of February 8th, to listen to Roger Docking on Guitar. Maxine’s is a local gem and is booked solid on weekends so reservations are strongly suggested. Since I was on my own, I found a spot 2t the bar. Maxine was at a fundraiser for the Ballet, but her husband greeted everyone warmly. I ordered an Orange Blossom beer and started sketching. For dinner I ordered the lasagna which was quite delectable.

Roger Docking recognized me. I had sketched him in the past because he was once a member of Andy Matchett and the Minx. That band performed together one last time several months ago at the cardboard art festival.  Andy explained to me that Minx was the last name of his former wife so the bands name was a bit archaic. They also used to use tons of confetti and toilet paper in their performances. Clean up after a show would be a nightmare. At a preview of my retrospective, Suzannah Gilman was talking about her recent experience watching Sting and Paul Simon in concert at the Amway Center. She had seats in the second row only a few feet from the stage. “Sting had to be the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.” She said. She pointed out how well defined his arm muscles were and his pants showed off the muscles in his legs. She then demonstrated a subtle hip gyration Sting used in the performance. It wasn’t a thrust, but more of a gentle grind. Andy practiced the move himself and I suspect it will find it’s way into his next performance.

Another performer Joe Lamy, and his daughter came in half way into the first set. He sang harmony, following Roger’s lead. I find that there is often a theme to my sketches. I pay attention to artists who are often unrecognized and perform as background ambiance. I think I identify with the artists who create beauty even if no one is listening.

My lasagna and drinks came to $28.71 and it was well worth it. The bill was enclosed in a book with a picture of the Mona Lisa on the cover. The title of the book was, “Stress, The Good and the Bad, Guilt Free Tension Control.” Sketching is my tension control but also a constant source of stress. I should have read a chapter. Perhaps it was a sign.