Infusion Tea

Posted on by Thor

I often stop into Infusion Tea in College Park (1600 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, FL). I usually go to Soft Exposure to listen to poets and authors but this evening I just stopped in for a bite to eat. The food is delicious and it is always fun to try a new blend of tea. I get over whelmed when I order since there is a wall of teas behind the ordering counter. There is also a counter where you can order gelatos. Gelato is healthier than ice cream.  It uses more milk than cream, and less fat. Additionally, it usually uses fewer egg yolks, another source of fat in custard-based
ice creams. Ice cream is churned quickly introducing more than 50% of air into the mix. Gelato is churned much slower which makes it more dense. Gelato has a more direct flavor. It always reminds me of Rome.

Infusion has a 60’s retro feel with the yellow Formica tables and lime green chairs. Some people come to sit for hours, sipping tea and working on a laptop.  Outside a patio enclosure has been added that looks like it came out of a shagadelic Austin Powers movie. The Arts Co-op, a  chic gift boutique inside Infusion is also a great place to get unique local hand crafted items for the holidays. Now through the end of the year if you buy one item, you get 1/2 off on another item. Many of the items are perfect as old fashioned Christmas decorations.

History Center Holiday at Heritage Square

Posted on by Thor

On December 3rd the Orange County Regional History Center celebrated the Holidays in Heritage Square (South Magnolia Avenue and East Central Boulevard). The event was complete with live music, visits with Santa Claus, crafts, milk and cookies; plus Mayor Teresa Jacobs turned on the holiday lights.

On the walk to the History Center, I bumped into my wife Terry walking around Lake Eola and was amazed to see that she had died all her hair a deep purple. She was on the phone with my sister Carol. She handed the phone to me and Carol told me that my distant cousin Cornelia Thorspecken and her daughter Nini would be visiting Orlando in the summer. I’d have to get the guest room ready for visitors.

At the History Center, the park was quite dark but the facade of the building was lit by bright color changing spot lights. As a sketch artist I get annoyed with these color changing lights having to choose a color palette that might change on a whim. All the new sculptures in town seem to use color changing lights like none of the artists could make a decision about which color would work best.

A children’s chorus sang off tune. Though lacking talent they were adorable which is what counts. When Teresa Jacobs flipped on the lights, long strands of Christmas lights arched up to the top floor creating the illusion of a Christmas Tree. With the lights on, everyone was invited inside to meet Santa. My sketch was done, so I packed it up for the day. The last time I tried to draw Santa I had been kicked out of the mall, so I wasn’t going to push my luck.

217

Choral Concert

Posted on by Thor

On October 30th I went to a choral concert at Rollins College, Tiedtke Concert Hall. The evening featured the Women’s Choir, the Small Vocal Ensemble and the Rolling Singers. The concert hall was half full and it was easy for me to get a front row seat. Sarah Joseph was the student accompanist and George Atwell turned the sheet music when needed. The second group had additional musicians including a bass player that I included in the sketch.

The house must have been full of adoring parents and supportive College friends because when performers walked on stage the audience went wild. You’d think you were at a rock concert rather than a classical recital.

My favorite choral piece was Hallelujah Arranged by Jens Johansen and Jamey Ray William Mitchell. The last piece was a rather humerus rendition of The Barber of Seville. Choral members mimicked instruments in an orchestra using their voices. The recital was a free fast paced sketching opportunity. I had just enough time to finish the sketch when the performers took their final bow.

217

Drip 1 Year Anniversary

Posted on by Thor

On November 16th, Drip celebrated its one year anniversary of being on International Drive. Long time supporters of Drip were invited for a complimentary show. The T-shirt cutting and paint station was complimentary as was the champagne. After the 50 minute Drip show there was a desert party with the cast. Jessica Mariko the dance company’s founder was beaming as she thanked everyone. “We would not be where we are today without the help of generous people, advice from friends, cash, love and support.”

During the show, Terry and I stood near a raised platform. In one dueling dance sequence, red and Blue seduced one another in a purple strobe light glow as Yellow, Jessie Sander, tore apart her apartment in anguish and despair. Terry and I were inches away as the lovers gyrated and disrobed. Yellow as always did an incredible job of clearly showing her emotions even when not dancing.

David Travers, who composed all the music for the show made a rare cameo appearance playing guitar along with the band. The band performed in the bar for the after party. Guest singers were invited up to the mic.  I was surprised to see Melissa Kasper get up and sing her heart out. She has been the longest standing cast member of Drip working tirelessly hard in the background to keep each show on schedule. Now she stood front and center and the cast whooped and screamed for her performance.

The sketch was a struggle as heads bounced and bobbed blocking the scene. A paint drenched wench rubbed her boobs up along my left arm as she looked at what I was doing. She must not have seen the ring on my finger. Get a group of women wet and covered in paint and their inhibitions turn of as they get wild. Everyone danced and screamed to the pounding rock beat. When the music died down, Terry and I headed home.

224

How the Mall Stole Christmas

Posted on by Thor

Twas two days past Black Friday and all through the Mall

The shoppers came rushing, around Santa’s fake hall,

I began sketching children put on Santa’s knee,

giving plenty of time for my wife’s shopping spree.

My vantage point was the only one that cost no money,

others gathered here considering the scene quite funny.

The activity was earnest as all waited for a sight,

for this Santa had a real beard to parents delight.

Parents they waited, and fingered their phones,

ignoring their children who screamed and moaned.

From my vantage point I could see the grim scene,

as children were forced to sit, and then screamed.

A photographer’s assistant tried to distract them a moment,

using squeeze toys and baubles for the children’s enjoyment.

A hot flash blinded, then appeared, a red nose and white beard.

Kids screamed till their lungs burned from all that they feared.

A mom saw Saint Nick sip from his flask,

“I hope that it’s water” she told her kids with a gasp.

 The old man put up with photos galore.

Parents and children crowded in for ever more.

Then behind me I heard a mall guard and I swallowed..

Your sketch looks fine, but rules must be followed.

Sketching isn’t allowed in this Mall without asking.

Managers are all gone, so you must stop your sketching.

But people shoot pictures all day without stopping.

Only photos of faces should be captured while shopping.

 I texted my wife to let her know I’d been spotted,

I continued to sketch after the mall guard departed.

I left the sketch unfinished and my anger abated,

This season our money would go somewhere art isn’t hated.

If you shop in a mall this holiday season,

avoid Mall at Millenia where I’ll not shop, for good reason.

Hundreds of dollars of money unspent,

as my wife packed her wallet and back home we went.

Perhaps this year something local I’ll buy ,

supporting craftsmen whose talents I’ll try.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

Posted on by Thor

Saturday December 7, 2013

10am to 10pm   $5 admission a portion of which goes to Saving Grace in Uganda. BIG BOX OF ORLANDO two-day pop up shop. SAY IT LOUD! (1121 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803). Big Box of Orlando is is a two day pop-up shop inside a warehouse featuring a tightly curated collection of gift-giving merchandise from 18+ Orlando brands. Presented by TheDailyCity.com.

11am to 6pm. Big Bang Bazaar Bonanza! $5 Saturday and Sunday.. Lake Lilly Park (Maitland, Florida 32751).  come out and support local artists! Also this is a great chance to stock up on unique and awesome holiday presents! http://www.bigbangbazaar.net/

4pm to 6pm. WKMG Local 6 for Holiday Concert. Free. Lake Eola Band Shell (195 N Rosalind Avenue, in Downtown Orlando). The Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra will once again join forces with WMKG Local 6 and the City of Orlando to present the fourth annual WKMG Local 6 Holiday Concert. The concert will feature FSYO orchestras and a special appearance from the Central Florida Community Arts choir, and will also serve to benefit the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Network.

Sunday December 8, 2013

7:30am to 9pm. Gallery Fresh Art Markets. Free to shop. Orlando Fashion Square (3201 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida 32803). On the 2nd Sunday of every month Gallery Fresh Art Markets and Orlando Fashion Square proudly present “Show Your Art.” This indoor, non-juried art event showcases 60 to 90 local artists and fine crafts persons and is located throughout Orlando Fashion Square.

11am to 5pm. Sparkle Artisan Market. Free to shop. Dandelion Communitea Cafe (618 N Thornton Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803). Come to the annual Sparkle market where at least 25 artists and their handmade offerings will dazzle you! There will be a variety of gifts galore. Lunch at Dandelion and get the best healthy food in town. Bring your friends and kids. Shop local!! Park at Hillcrest Elementary School south of Dandelion Communitea Cafe.

1pm to 3pm.  Film Slam. $5. Enzian Theater (1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL 32751). Experimental Films, Puppet Films, Art Films, Bartenders throwing bottles, Gangsters, a Music Video….this has to be the most amazingly eclectic line we’ve had for all of 2013.

Campus Vue

Posted on by Thor

Full Sail requires instructors to take certain courses each year.  On November 8th I attended a course on Campus Vue which is Full Sail’s main database for student records. The students “Permanent Record” as it were. The tools included in the Campus Vue system are used by diverse Full Sail departments including Admissions, Academic Success, Financial Aid, and Education. In this session, attendees were taught how to utilize Campus Vue in order to find and record pertinent student-related information. Basic navigation of the application was covered, as well as how to use the Contact Manager feature which included how to document the Course Director’s Award, Advanced Achievement Nominations and MIA policy/procedure. All the attendees had their laptops open and the program open. As a Studio Artist, I couldn’t access Campus View, so I sketched.

It was intriguing to find out that there have been instances where police have subpoenaed a students records.  It was stressed that any notes about a student should only relate facts. For instance writing that, “The student seemed drunk, and had no interest in completing assignments” would be a bad way to write up an entry. Perhaps, “the student seemed disoriented, with red eyes and he or she didn’t complete the assignment.” Dragnet style “Just the facts mam” is the way to go.

Valencia East Campus

Posted on by Thor

On November 26th, I left work at 5pm and drove over to  the Valencia East Campus (701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando FL) to see the Valencia Jazz Band Concert

Concert directed by Chris Dolske. Unfortunately the concert didn’t start till 7:30pm so I had several hours to kill. Of course I started sketching.

Two benches away from me a hooded student seemed to be sleeping while sitting up. She then lay down for a sounder sleep. Another student sat closer for a quick cell phone conversation. Students that must be theater majors came out pushing and pulling a costume rack. One girl hopped up on the rack letting herself be pulled by the other student. One costume fell and was run over. They squabbled about whose fault it was playfully and frantically. More students walked by with wigs on Styrofoam heads destined for the green room.

With the sketch almost finished, it started to rain. I put up my red umbrella and kept working. There was another hour till the concert, so I decided this was my sketch for the day and I headed home. On the drive back I listened to a 1936 Carnegie Hall Jazz concert on the radio, so I got my Jazz fix.

38th Annual Festival of the Masters

Posted on by Thor

From November 8th to November 10th, 130 artists set up tents in Downtown Disney for the 38th Annual Festival of the Masters. The parking lots in front of Downtown Disney were ripped up and fenced off due to construction. The back lot parking lot I usually park in was completely full. I had to loop around and was directed to a staff parking lot beside the cast services building. I had to drive up and down all the isles before I found what must have been the last spot in the lot.

The parking situation didn’t stop people from attending the Art Festival. The crowds were dense. I walked through the festival surveying all the art.  Behind the Circ du Soleil Circus Tent, the view opened up with a grassy knoll overlooking the lake. I relaxed on the grass and started to sketch. An artist sat in front of his tent joking with patrons and showing them prints. When another artist entered his tent, he shouted out to everyone that she was the winner of $1000. He later looked over my shoulder saying, “You’re among friends here.”

One lady had a tent full of dog paintings. Every canvas had a banner across it that said, “No photos.” I understand where she is coming from since I share my work everyday yet want people to know that the image has a copyright, which means, “don’t steal the image”. I place a 10% ghosted copyright banner across every sketch now. It is barely noticeable.  Whenever someone reproduces my work without asking, that copyright banner grows bolder. Policing image theft is difficult in the digital age. The Internet is the wild west of copyright theft. People want music, video and art for free. I love when people use my work, so long as they pay for the rights.I love it even more when people link back to this site to share my work or a particular sketch.

Much later I felt two other people standing behind me. My first thought was that they must be Disney Security intent on stopping me from sketching. It turns out they were former students of mine. This married couple had taken the 2D Animation class together and they were both stellar students. Having graduated, the couple is enjoying the tourist attractions in Orlando. Russ is planning to do an internship at Full Sail. As the sun set, the shadows grew longer. Getting off Disney property was as much of a challenge as getting on.

Memorial for Mary Hill

Posted on by Thor

On November 11th, I got a cryptic call from Elizabeth Cohen, a friend of Mary Hill‘s. Elizabeth asked if I could call her back. She said, “I don’t know if you’ve heard news of Mary lately.” The message left me uneasy and it took a while to call back. When I did call, Elizabeth let me know that Mary had decided to follow Berto Ortega by taking her own life. I went numb. For the rest of the day I searched the Internet for an obituary or any news of Mary. This couldn’t be true.

A memorial was held for Mary on November 16th at Metro Life Church (910 Winter Park Drive Casselberry FL).  Mary often spoke of Pastor Steve Horrell so it was appropriate that he officiated. The lobby of the church was crowded with the bright colors and activity of an arts and crafts fair.  This was the type of small community event that Mary would have liked. Life went on.

At the front of the service hall, paintings of Mary done by Berto were on display. Elizabeth had arranged a board in the back of the hall with many of my sketches. I had sketched Mary and her mom 13 different times. Pastor Steve related stories of Mary’s amazing ability to open herself to people and help them heal. He recited lyrics from “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” It is true that Mary was often a clown and always behind schedule. She also changed everyone she met and no one was ever a stranger to her. That is what made her decision so confounding. The only memories of Mary’s life came from those that met her.

More people showed up than expected, and church staff rushed to get more service brochures xeroxed and folding chairs set in place. One of Mary’s brothers was stuck in traffic twenty minutes late. People from all aspects of Mary’s life got up to speak. One man with throat cancer related that he loved Mary like a daughter. It turned out that Mary did leave a suicide note. She said that no one should feel guilty for what she did. It was a decision between her and god. Those kind words however do not ease my guilt. I didn’t speak to Mary after seeing her in Berto’s studio. Crazy deadlines distracted me. I wasn’t much of a friend or comfort when she needed it.  Her friend Elizabeth did take Mary in, letting her stay in her house for two weeks after Berto’s funeral.  Mary’s mood spiraled down. Elizabeth gave Mary a comforting massage on the last day of her stay and then Mary went back to her Winter Park home alone. Labels were pealed off of prescription bottles. She slipped gently away to find her god’s eternal love. The next day friends went to Mary’s house but she wouldn’t answer the door. Police found Mary’s body and investigated the scene.  Her dog, was adopted by Pastor Steve.

Mary had  survived the wreckage of a violent childhood and had just begun her own business. She had so much faith, so her decision to end her life makes no sense. Anger and confusion muffled the services prayers and commendations. The monotone group recitation of written prayers wasn’t comforting. Not once during the service was suicide mentioned. I approached Mary’s neighbor and she simply said “Not now.” Her eyed were red and streaming. Afterwards people mingled and shared more stories.  I stared at photos of Mary smiling on more time, finally realizing I would never see her again. Terry and I slipped quietly away.

A Place to Meet

 by Mary J. Hill 

2005

Meet me…in the stillness of my touch

Allow me to feel your pain, it won’t hurt quite as much.

Meet me…in the safety of my soul

Tell me your stories, the ones you’ve dared, but never told.

Meet me…in the solitude of my heart

Lay down your sorrow, welcome healing’s start.

Meet me…in the center of the earth

Surrender to its wisdom, awaken to your rebirth

Meet me…far beyond the ageless universe

Bask in love’s perfection; nothing’s better, nothing’s worse.

Meet me when you’re willing, meet me when you can

It’s there I’ll give my best to you – my mind, my heart, my hands.