Pachyderm Protest

Posted on by Thor

On January 6th I read in the Orlando Weekly that animal performers from Ringling Brothers and Barnum Baily Circus would unload at railroad tracks near 1035 W. Amelia Street, at 8:30pm then travel east on Amelia, south on North Hughey, west on West South Street, and enter the Garage behind the Amway Center. The railroad tracks were in an industrial complex in Parramore, so I decided to sketch the destination at the Amway Center. It was an unexpectedly cold night with temperatures dropping down to the 30’s. I sat next to an on ramp to I-4 and blocked in the Amway Center. I left the lower third of the sketch vacant, assuming I would put in the animals when they walked by.

A truck load of workers got out of a truck in the lot next to me. They each carried long coils of ropes over their shoulders. Maybe their job was to set up the trapeze inside the arena.  Cold winds forced we to huddle back behind an overpass pillar. A large fire ant mound behind me kept me from backing up any more. I blew into my gloves periodically to warm my hands. My denim jacket was no match for the cold. I could faintly smell hay. In the distance I heard a sound like race cars at the Indie 500. I soon realized the sound wasn’t cars, but lions roaring. It was only 7:30pm, so it couldn’t be the animals at the railroad stop yet. The railroad stop was probably a mile away. White tents were set up inside the Amway garage and I realized that the lions were inside. Periodically, Swift 18 wheelers would pull up to the garage. The sketch reached a point where I couldn’t go any further, so I decided I needed to warm up and pee. A hand blower in the public bathroom blew gloriously hot air onto my frozen hands.

I followed the parade route back to the railroad stop. Behind the huge vacant lot referred to as the “Creative Village” a bunch of RV’s were parked along with some Swift trucks. I assume this must have been the traveling circus camp. As I got closer to the railroad tracks I saw flashing police lights and a loud hissing sound. At the tracks the road was lined with protesters with signs that asked people to Boycott the Circus and to Google Ringling Cruelty. I sketched the protesters and police into my already started sketch.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus
is known for its long history of abusing animals. In 1929, John
Ringling ordered the execution of a majestic bull elephant named Black Diamond after the elephant killed a woman who had been in the crowd as
he was paraded through a Texas city. Twenty men took aim and pumped some
170 bullets into Black Diamond’s body, then chopped off his
head and mounted it for display in Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Ringling’s cruel treatment of animals continues today.

Elephants in Ringling’s possession are chained inside filthy,
poorly ventilated boxcars for an average of more than 26 straight
hours—and often 60 to 70 hours at a time—when the circus travels. Even
former Ringling employees have reported that elephants are routinely
abused and violently beaten with bullhooks (an elephant-training tool
that resembles a fireplace poker), in order to force them to perform
tricks. Since 2000, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has
cited Ringling numerous times for serious violations of the Animal
Welfare Act (AWA), such as the following:

  • Improper handling of dangerous animals
  • Failure to provide adequate veterinary care to animals,
    including an elephant with a large swelling on her leg, a camel with
    bloody wounds, and a camel injured on train tracks
  • Causing trauma, behavioral stress, physical harm, and
    unnecessary discomfort to two elephants who sustained injuries when they
    ran amok during a performance
  • Endangering tigers who were nearly baked alive in a boxcar because of poor maintenance of their enclosures
  • Failure to test elephants for tuberculosis
  • Unsanitary feeding practices 

I stood with the 30 or so protesters till 10:30pm waiting to see if the elephants would be walked to the Arena in the freezing cold. The Ringling animal railroad cars were converted passenger cars. I wondered if they were heated. Finally three elephants walked down the ramps exiting the cars. Rather than walk down Amelia, the handlers had the elephants walk away down the rail line towards the front of the train. The route was being changed, so I walked briskly to see what road the elephants were being lead down. Protesters ran past me. Julie Gross shouted out, “Run Thor!” Police blocked cars from entering the next block. A large Swift 18 wheeler truck already had the three elephants inside.  I wondered if the Swift cargo hold was heated. Swift maintains one of the largest temperature controlled fleets in the industry. Any cargo can be kept at a stable temperature from the moment it leaves your door to
the moment it is off loaded at the final destination. Perhaps the elephants were warmer than me. I had seen the elephants for at most two minutes.

Eagles Concert

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On November 23rd, Terry and I went to the Eagles concert at The Amway Center (400 W Church St #200, Orlando, FL). Tickets for seating on the floor were over $100. We sat in the bleachers just a few rows up from the floor. When we got to the Amway, I realized I didn’t bring a water vile to refill my brushes. I had streamlined my art supplies so that I could get through security. I tried to get a cup for water from a vendor but they wouldn’t give me one without selling me a beer. I decided to use my brush until it ran dry. Then I went and scavenged a half full water bottle from the trash about halfway through the concert. Most of the time the Arena was pitch black with the only light coming from the stage making the sketch a challenge. A beach ball was batted around by the crowd until the performers got on stage.

Of course from this distance it was impossible to see the singers faces except or the jumbo trons. One singer chastised members of the audience who were standing the whole time saying that everyone had paid to see the performance. He would let them know when it was appropriate to stand. By the end of the concert everyone was standing and dancing. I had been to one other Eagles concert and was blown away by their energy. This was the last concert on a long tour by the Eagles and though they played tight, I felt like they might be tired and thinking about relaxing after the tour. To me, their hearts weren’t in the game.

Regardless, they performed many crowd favorites like “Desperado“, “Hotel California“, “Life in the Fast Lane“, and “Take It Easy.” The large screens behind the stage could move and they were used to project movies that tied in with each song. Even if it wasn’t their most energetic concert, I’m glad we were there.

Gibson Guitars

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Orlando seems to periodically promote the arts by asking artists to decorate fiberglass lizards, busts and or guitars. In 2009  seven foot tall Gibson guitars were put on display at . One of these guitars is still on display inside City Arts factory near the restrooms.

This year busts of the Bride of Frankenstein are being supplied for decoration. The “Its Alive” Project is a non profit charity event benefiting St Jude Children’s Research fund. The last “It’s Alive” project had featured Frankenstein Busts at City Arts Factory in 2001. 

The call for artist submissions is now open for this year’s Bride of Frankenstein. Due to increased interest and returning artists, not all applicants can be accepted. All applications are to be submitted via email to:  itsaliveproject@gmail.com Please put your name in the title of the email.  (Example: Its Alive Project – Artist: (Your Name) A concept of your piece must be submitted for approval. This concept may be used in the exhibition. You are highly encouraged to submit designs that feature structural enhancements. For our protection, once a concept is approved a signed contract must be returned before any castings are shipped out. If you have any further questions, send a direct message through Facebook (not on the timeline) or via email to: itsaliveproject@gmail.com

Community Indigo Vat Dyeing Party

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On Saturday November 23rd, I went to Misty Forest (611 N. Hyer Ave., Orlando, Florida FL) to sketch a Community Indigo Vat Dyeing Party. Clay Curiosities (Jenn Benner) hosted the event. Jenn is an art instructor for children at Misty Forest. As she explained in her invitation, “Yesterday, I got witchy with an amazing group of women to explore the magic of Indigo vat dyeing. Indigo cultivation and vat dyeing are 5,500 year old traditions that have created trade routes, developed new civilizations, and spurned nations into war. Indigo has a rich communal history throughout the world. Our Indigo vat will last another week or two until it expires. I would like to invite our friends and community to help us use the remainder of the dye by hosting an Indigo Vat Dyeing Party. You are welcome to share in this exciting process by bringing a few 100% natural plant-based fabrics (cotton, hemp, and linen only) to dye in the indigo. You may bring clothing, accessories, yarn, pillow cases, tote bags, napkins, etc. Please do not bring sheets or excessive yards of fabric. Our vat is small and I ask that you limited yourself to 3-5 items. This party is free to workshop attendees and $5 for friends and community. Please wear old clothes and closed toe shoes.”

I anticipated seeing a large witches cauldron full of die but instead discovered a small orange paint bucket. The die had impurities floating on top making it appear like blue lava. When fabrics are first dyed they aren’t bright blue. The gradually turn blue as the dye oxidized in the air. Inside people were busy with string and rubber bands for intricate tie dye patterns and Shibori techniques. Shibori is a Japanese term for several methods of dyeing
cloth with a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting,
compressing it, or capping. Some of these methods are known in the West as tie-dye. There is a definite thrill that comes when the dyed item is unbound and the intricate pattern is discovered. There were plenty of Ohs and Ahs as the items were shown. Leslie Silvia made pillow cases with one large circular tie die pattern right where the head would rest. The large pattern would make the person sleeping look like they had a halo. She said the pattern was inspired by dream catchers.

There were about 20 to 30 participants but only one person could use the dye vat at a time. Between dyeing sessions, the vat was capped to keep the dye from oxidizing prematurely.  Items that were dyed were soaked in water to remove excess dye, then they were unbound and hung on a clothes line. It was fun to witness people coming together to share a creative
project. Some people Jenn had instructed, later shared their knowledge
with friends who arrived later. I dipped a finger into the vat and rubbed some of the dye into a shadow area on my sketch just to see what it looked like. The raw dye was gritty and almost black on the sketch  I should have put some inside one of my water brushes. Oh well, maybe next time. Jenn said she plans to do similar workshops in the future since this one was such a success.

Stained Glass

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I love visiting and sketching artists studios. It was a rare treat to sketch an old school stained glass artist at work. Each piece of glass is carefully cut to it’s exact shape and size and then everything is held in place with leading. This studio was a warm inviting barn like structure next to the house. Someday I hope to create such a studio for myself, but for now, my studio is my artists stool set up anywhere I sketch. I learn a little from every artist I meet and sketch, but I haven’t found the time or place to make a studio where I feel at home. Perhaps it just makes sense to remain a tumbleweed going which ever way the wind blows. Yet still I envy artists who seem grounded and secure in their studio.

I often think of my own sketches like stained glass with the black line work being like the leading in a stained glass window. The thin watercolor washes let light bounce through to the white page to create vibrant color. Playing with translucent layers of color is very much like stained glass, in my case I just stain the page.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Saturday January 4, 2013

9am to Noon Free Shine On ‘Healing Garden’ Installation. Shine On Yoga (619 N Thorton Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803.) If you are interested in getting up early on a Saturday morning to help dig 24 holes (for all of the posts), help carry/move wooden structures, help level/reassemble structures (all ratcheting/bolts, no nails or screws), dig-up/move plants and share in the joy of space creating, please come on out.

10am to 1pm $10 Dessin de Figures. Maitland Art Center (Studio 6, 231 W Packwood Ave,  Maitland,, FL.) This is the return of this workshop from last year. It will be an on going figure drawing session that has been offered by Steve Pi, one of the Sculpture Instructors at the Maitland Art Center and one of our members. This is part of the Orlando Artist inspiration activities that this group was founded on.

7pm to 9pm Free Sion Dayson Pot Luck. Kerouac House (1418 Clouser Ave., Orlando, FL.)  Please join us in welcoming Sion Dayson to Orlando and the Kerouac Project! Bring a dish, a drink and a smile. 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.

Sunday January 5, 2013

5:30pm to 9pm $10 Southern Fried Sunday. Will’s Pub (1042 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32803.) Thomas Wynn & Friends, Hymn for Her, Bad Santa & The Angry Elves and The Bloody Jug Band will be entertaining you with some great music!  BBQ from The Smiling Bison!

9pm to 11pm Free “Comedy Open Mic”. Austin’s Coffee (929 W Fairbanks Ave Winter Park, FL 32789.)  Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

10pm to Midnight Free Sick Of It Presents: Rancid Karaoke Cover Set. Will’s Pub (1042 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32803.) You come up out of the crowd and sing your favorite Rancid songs with a live band…YOU’RE the singer!

Mennello Museum

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I’ve been doing sketches around the Mennello Art Museum (900 East Princeton Street Orlando FL) for possible use in a 2014 brochure about the museum’s 15th anniversary. The museum will be kicking off the New Year with new exhibitions. Reader Diane Crispin won two free tickets by answering the trivia question right on the December 23rd AADW post. The Mennello Museum is the first venue to showcase the traveling exhibition based on the memoirs of Rob Storter (1894-1987),
which were published in 2000 as the book “Crackers in the Glade.”
Storter came from a family of early settlers in the village of
Everglade. He was a self-taught artist and sketched pictures of his
rural lifestyle and environment, and annotated them with stories, often
bemoaning the wilderness that was being lost to development. This exhibit ran through January 5th.

Mark your Calendars! Saturday and Sunday, January 4 and 5
Museums on Us Weekend

Holders of Bank of America/Merrill Lynch credit cards
receive free admission with the presentation of their cards and photo
ID.

Sunday, January 12
Free Family Day on the Second Sunday: Earl Cunningham Edition

The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30
p.m., and docents are available for mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s
open house in the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

Friday, January 17
Exhibition opens,
Southwestern Allure: The Art of the Sante Fe Art Colony

Friday, January 31
Opening reception and 15th Anniversary Kick-off

6-8 p.m. $5, free to MMAA members; reservations requested
Southwestern Allure: The Art of the Sante Fe Art Colony 

Saturday and Sunday, February 9 and 10
Orlando Folk Festival, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., free

The 12th annual celebration of music and art on the shores of Lake
Formosa brings together an eclectic mix of creative talent, plus
hands-on arts and crafts activities for children. Find the list of
participating musicians and artists as well as other updates at
orlandofolkfestival.wordpress.com.

2013 Top Five Sketches

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1. Into Darkness. November 9, 2013. With 42% of the votes.

 2. Circus Protests. January 12, 2013. With 21% of the votes.

3. FAVO. January 28, 2013. (Tie) With 14% of the votes.

3. Garden Theatre. July 23, 2013. (Tie) With 14% of the votes.

3. I Believe in You Performance, Art and Dance Party. September 23, 2013. (Tie) With 14% of the votes.

3. How the Mall Stole Christmas. December 7, 2013. (Tie) With 14% of the votes.

4. Fake Landlord Scam. June 18, 2013. (Tie) With 7% of the votes.

4. Clandestine Arts, Sweeny Todd Auditions. November 7, 2013. (Tie) With 7% of the votes.

4.  My Way. November 12, 2013. (Tie) With 7% of the votes.

5. 13 in 13. January 14, 2013. With 0% of the votes.

Mozart’s Requiem

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As part of the Bach Festival there was a choral concert at Tiedeke Concert Hall. What was unique about this performance is that the entire audience was given sheet music for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem. Music stands at the front of the hall divided the audience into three singing sections. The alto’s were closest to where I stood to draw. Dr. John V. Sinclair, the Bach Festival’s Artistic Director, conducted from the stage while lead singers for each section stood around him.

The requiem is absolutely sublime  and moving with so many voices raised in unison.  This music stands the test of time. Of course having a full orchestra would have made the performance even more stunning, but there is something magical in having so many voices, trained and untrained coming together to perform this piece. The entire Requiem is close to an hour long, but I think only an excerpt was performed on this evening. 

 Mozart’s health faltered as he worked on the requiem. A famous anecdote from his wife, Constanze, is related in Niemetschek‘s early biography: On his return to Vienna, his (Mozart’s) indisposition increased visibly and made
him gloomily depressed. His wife was truly distressed over this. One
day when she was driving in the Prater
with him, to give him a little distraction and amusement, and they were
sitting by themselves, Mozart began to speak of death, and declared
that he was writing the Requiem for himself. Tears came to the eyes of
the sensitive man: ‘I feel definitely,’ he continued, ‘that I will not
last much longer; I am sure I have been poisoned. I cannot rid myself of
this idea.’

At the time of his death, Mozart had many outstanding debts, but the myth that he was buried in a pauper’s grave is false.  His wife arranged to sell his compositions and over time she became financially secure. Mozart’s musical reputation rose after his death with unprecedented enthusiasm for his music. This dark brooding music is the masterpiece of the child prodigy who died far too young at the age of 35. Imagine creating something so beautiful, that people still feel compelled to perform and share it over two hundred years after your death. A toast to art.