Sculpting a Classical Portrait

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On Saturday July 13th, Exhibiting sculptor Peter Forster presented a six-hour art demo at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens (633 Osceola Ave. Winter Park FL). The five dollar special demonstration was titled: “Sculpting a Classical Portrait“. I arrived right at 10am and Peter was packing white clay onto the armature. He is one of the exhibiting artists in the “Start to Finish” Florida Sculptor’s Guild exhibit at the museum through July 21st..

I had made this the first stop on the Orlando World Wide SketchCrawl. There was a second floor balcony looking down on the sculptor and I decided that this “God’s eye view” would work best for a sketch. Perhaps ten to fifteen people sat around the room watching Peter work. Pete’s daughter pointed out that there were pencils and paper should anyone want to take notes or sketch.

When Peter opened the floor for questions, I shouted out, “Is it possible to finish a bust in six hours?” Peter replied that if the muses were willing it would be possible. If he started thinking about needing to impress someone then the process would get bogged down. He has a friend who is a conductor, and anytime the orchestra goes off tempo, the conductor would raise his hand to his heart. This would bring everything back on tempo.

To start Peter was concerned with the large masses, not details. He stuck a wire through the mass of clay to find the placement of the ears. On a pad nearby he showed us how measurements from that central ear placement helped define the profile of the sculpture. The model was a sculptor himself named Byron Walker. Peter likes when the model’s turn their head. This creates interesting shapes in the neck do to the twisting of muscle and fat. He focused on a “keystone ridge” above and between the eyes. With that defined a likeness was already imminent. One person asked why he didn’t have the hair in place yet. He responded that the hair was only the icing on the cake. The journey is what matters not the final destination. He likened a sculpture to a sketch and said he had to wait for that, “Ah ha!” moment when the model’s true natural gesture shined through. I’ve felt this moment sketching people on location so I knew what he was relating.

Since there were other stops on the SketchCrawl, I had to leave before the sculpture was done.  When I got downtown however, I realized that I had left my artist stool in the sculptor’s studio. I had to go back. I was shocked at the progress when I returned.

Stuck in Love

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A marketing firm asked me to give away tickets to a movie screening. I could give away as many tickets as I wanted, but seating at the theater would be on a first come first served basis. I decided to go to the screening of “Stuck in Love” to see how full the theater was. Terry was going to meet me after work, so I quickly sketched the theater, Regal Winter Park Cinemas 20,(510 N Orlando Ave Winter Park, FL) before she arrived. I saw a line form outside the theater but they filed in before the schedules screening time. Small groups of people were let into the theater at a time. The guy at the front of the line told me it was to avoid chaos and a mad rush to seating.

The writer and director of the film, Josh Boone was there along with actor Logan Lerman to quickly introduce the film and take questions afterwards. The film is about the Borgens family. William Borgens is an acclaimed author who hasn’t
written a word since his ex-wife Erica left him 3 years ago for another
man. In between spying on Erica and casual romps with his married
neighbour Tricia, Bill is dealing with the complexities of raising his
teenage children Samantha and Rusty. Samantha is publishing her first
novel and is determined to avoid love at all costs – after all she’s
seen what it has done to her parents. In between hook ups, she meets
“nice guy” Lou who will stop at nothing to win her over. Rusty, is an
aspiring fantasy writer and Stephen King aficionado, who is on a quest
to gain ‘life experiences’. He falls for the beautiful, but troubled
Kate and gets his first taste of love and a broken heart. A tale of
family, love (lost and found), and how endings can make new beginnings.
There are no rewrites in life, only second chances.

Josh Boone related after the screening that some of the material in the movie was autobiographical. Rusty’s first love is based on his own experiences in high school, of love found and lost. Being fiction he was able to rewrite his family history, having his father wait three years for his wife to return.  Terry felt that no man would wait that long in hopes that love would return. Logan loved working on the film because the entire cast stayed in a hotel during the shooting and they truly became a tight knit family. This is a rare film with plenty of sincere emotion. Josh had written the screenplay many years ago and the true challenge was to find the money to make it. Once he had the backing, things fell into place quickly. He has a bright future ahead of him and he is already onto the next projects, “Pretenders“, and “The Fault in Our Stars“. “Stuck in Love” is in select theaters now. Don’t miss it.

Zimmerman Not Guilty

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Saturday July 13th was the 40th World Wide SketchCrawl. I deviated from the planned itinerary and went up to Sanford Florida to see if there were people waiting outside the courthouse for the verdict in the case against George Zimmerman.  The courthouse was surprisingly quiet.  Dark storm clouds loomed heavy and grey. Just hours later, jurors would announce the verdict that George Zimmerman was not guilty. I didn’t follow the trial on TV but I was there when the first protests happened.  On the morning of the final deliberations, prisoners shouted “Justice for Trayvon” from their cells.

Zimmerman shot and killed the unarmed Trayvon Martin in a Sanford neighborhood. Zimnerman was a citizen neighborhood patrolman. He called a police dispatcher, saying that he saw a suspicious youth with a hoodie walking through his neighborhood. The dispatcher told Zimmerman to stay in his car, that police were on the way. Zimmerman got out of his car anyway, stalked Trayvon and shot him to death. The youth had skittles in his pocket.

The jury was entirely made up of women.  Though found not guilty, Zimmerman certainly isn’t innocent. It is unlikely that he will ever again walk the streets of Sanford on patrol. He is easily identifiable with his round face and small eyes. He is a pariah, and will likely disappear from public sight very much like Casey Anthony, the mom accused of killing her two year old daughter. Though found not guilty, she is still embroiled in law suits. She owes $800,000 and hasn’t worked since her case was settled. She filed for bankruptcy, but in March, a lawyer filed a motion asking for a Florida judge’s permission
to sell “the exclusive worldwide rights in perpetuity to the commercialization of Anthony’s life story.” Casey didn’t want any part of it. She had to pay $25,000 to settle the case and keep her story to herself.

George Zimmerman’s wife, Shellie, will likely be charged with perjury. She lied saying that the family had no money for lawyers fees when there was $135,000 in the bank. Money was being transferred out of George Zimmerman’s account in an effort to hide the money. This isn’t the last day in court for the Zimmermans. TV reporters kept asking people to express their anger, shock and resentment as if this is the only thing that is news worthy.

Spike Lee used Twitter to send out George Zimmerman’s home address during the trial. He got the address wrong and ruined the lives of an elderly couple,  David and Elaine McClain, who had to suffer the abuse of false public scrutiny. They have nothing to do with the Zimmerman case.  There were threats on social media and notes left on their doorstep.  They had to leave their home fearing for their safety. The woman suffered a heart attack after the stress and strain.  This false address is still being re tweeted endlessly. The Internet, rather than bringing people together is helping tear us apart.

Tree of Light

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On June 14th, the Virginia Drive Live Street Party was held all along Virginia Drive in Ivanhoe Village. Scottie Campbell, the Ivanhoe Village-Manager war running from street side tent to tent. I saw him when I first got out of my car and then several more times as I walked down Virginia Drive. Vendors and artists were busy setting up.

    Virginia Drive, between Alden Road. and Haven Drive, in Ivanhoe Village came alive with late night shopping, food trucks, street vendors and artists, entertainment, and more! A wine stroll guided people you from merchant to merchant. I stopped at the beer garden, Sponsored by TheDailyCity.com, in the lot next to The Venue. Mark Baratelli of TheDailyCity.com stopped to say hello. There had been some drama among the food truck vendors he invited to the event and he had to straighten it all out.

As the sun set, the Tree of Light illuminated the area where DJ Chris Mendez was spinning tunes. Parents relaxed, sipping beers while their children played in the grass. The Tree of light has a welded aluminum structure inside with wood boards from shipping palettes screwed to the outside. I saw the structure as it was first being built in Cole Nesmith‘s yard. An exotic computer program used to make the lights flicker in a sequence when they were turned on with pull chords. Small diode light strips in the mason’s jars looked like fire flies. The heavy Florida rains had some of the jars collecting water. The draw strings were no longer an option. All the lights were always on. The tree was going to be set up in downtown Orlando but after working all night to gel it set up, someone leaned a ladder against a branch and the branch crashed to the ground. No one was hurt, but now the sculpture was seen as a dangerous liability. Cole and his team of artists and engineers went back to the drawing board reinforcing all the inner supports.

Children couldn’t resist trying to climb the tree. A group of three or four toddlers gathered at the base and used the roots as a boost to try and get up the trunk. Thankfully, parents moved in and pulled the children off. Had the kids gotten up to the branches, the results could have been devastating. Worst would be if an adult who has had too many beers decided to climb the tree on a dare. As a teenager, I once drank so much that I decided I had to climb to the top of a telephone pole. I was alone, so I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I did it cause I was drunk and therefor indestructible. Sometimes I’m an idiot.

Marty Morell and Michiko

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On Sunday June 2nd, Marty Morell and Michiko performed a free Jazz concert at the White House (2000 South Summerlin Avenue, Orlando FL), with many special guests and a little Latin music.

The guest visual artist was Lorraine Turner. Lorraine didn’t paint live on stage because there were so many musicians. There just wasn’t enough room. Steve Rodney was shooting a documentary, so Benoit Glazer in his introduction advised us all to look enthralled. Richard Drexler was at the piano, Carlo Garcia was on the drums, Jeff Rupert on saxophone, Benoit Glazer stepped in on trumpet, and Ben Cramer was on Bass.

Marty met Michiko at a jazz festival in Japan and they have been performing together ever since. Michiko sang several of the songs. It was an up beat concert with plenty of energy. I tapped my toes and bobbed my head as I sketched. I was perched on the third floor balcony. I like getting this bird’s eye view, but it means standing for the duration as I sketch so I can see over the railings. By the end of the concert my legs were aching. I’m always afraid that I might drop my palette on someones head, so I step back a bit as I’m painting. Having to sketch in so many people and instruments means I’m working right up to the last note in the concert.

It seems like the number of concerts held at the White House keeps accelerating. It is one of my favorite places to listen to music and let the lines dance on the page.

The Vault

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On Tuesday June 11th, my wife Terry and a co-worker Psi from Merrill Lynch offered an informational seminar for prospective clients at The Wine Room (270 S Park Ave Winter Park, FL). The building had once been a bank, and the meeting, in the basement, was literally in a bank vault. The thick steel door with its multiple pistons and gears was an impressive sight. The vault now has private lockers where clients can lock away their expensive and dusty bottles of vintage wines.

I can’t discuss the power point demonstration. After it was over, the plush leather chairs were turned to face the TV so  sports fans could watch the NBA finals.  I began to sketch after the presentation was over. Staff came in to clean up the table full of cheeses and crackers. By the final quarter of the game, Terry and I were the only ones left in the vault. We had to move upstairs so the vault could be cleaned up.

AADW Weekend Top 6 Picks

Saturday July 13th 2013.

40th World Wide SketchCrawl  incorporates 4 events in an Orlando Sketch Marathon all day Saturday…

1. 10am to 1pm $5 A Special Demonstration: Sculpting a Classical Portrait. Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens (633 Osceola Ave. Winter Park FL). Exhibiting sculptor Peter Forester presents a six-hour art demo. Demo goes to 4pm if you want to stay. Sketch the sculptor at work or take notes.

2. 2pm to 7pm $5 ReThink Games. Urban ReThink (625 E. Central Blvd. Orlando FL). Play 15 hosts a variety of games, from video games to board games. Sketch folks playing games or play yourself.

3. 8pm to 10pm $10 ME Dance, Deja vu. Garden Theater Winter Garden (160 Plant Street Winter Garden FL). Sketch this dance company’s final performance of the season.

4. 11pm to 1am Free Black and White at Redlight. Redlight Red Light (2810 Corrine Drive, Orlando, FL). An Art Show. A full scale, monochromatic, celebration of value, void of color, except red of course.Artwork will display a use of black and/or white, maybe some greys, and possibly red, literally or figuratively.

Sunday July 14th 2013.

5. 4:30pm to 7:30pm Free Orlando Brew jam. Orlando Brewing (1301 Atlanta Ave., Orlando, Florida 32806). Traditional instrument jam playing old time, bluegrass, celtic, swing, or anything else that comes to mind.

6. 7:30pm to 9:30pm Free Concert! Leo Linares and Urbe Prima. The White House (2000 South Summerlin Orlando FL). This young musician plays music that is close to people. Folk tinged with classical and punk, expect a surprise.

Artist: Reina Castellanos

Nerd Nite Orlando #3

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 Nerd Nite is an informal gathering at
which nerds get together for fun-yet-informative presentations across
all disciplines, while the audience drinks along. Nerds and non-nerds
alike gather to meet, drink and learn something new. Three speakers will present for 20-25 minutes each on a fascinating
subject of their choice, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. It’s like the Discovery Channel…with beer!

Josh, with his thick dark beard and stiff collared dress shirt, referred to himself as the “Orlando Nerd Boss.” He and Nathan Selikoff were busy setting up computer and projector equipment as people arrived at Stardust Video and Coffee. I had arrived early and ordered a “Rob Reiner” which was a meatloaf sandwich. Growing up, my mom used to make meat loaf once a week so it is comfort food. As I started to sketch, the place became packed.

The first talk was by Clayton Louis Ferrara and he spoke about the Secret Life of Nitrogen.  He outlined it’s history and how it was used in chemical warfare in WWI. After the war a chemist found that Nitrogen could be used in fertilizer and it became a multi billion dollar business. In America there is a suburban culture that takes pride in lush green lawns. An incredible amount of money is spent to fertilize, water and then cut lawns. Clayton is by a biologist. He gave us the sad news that over 200 otherwise healthy Manatees had died last year. He had photos. These giants hadn’t been hit by motor boat propellers, they died by choking on Algae. Run off from lawns has gone into the rivers causing intense red tide algae blooms. Once clear water became a green sludge killing the manatee’s native food sources. Clayton encouraged us all to plant native plants in our yards. These native plants would need no watering or fertilizer. These zeros-capes can also be incredibly beautiful with tall native grass and lush ground covers.

The second talk by Ricardo Williams was about “Absurd Movie Genres.” His talk basically outlined films that he liked and how they crossed established genres. A good story doesn’t always need to be pigeon holed.

The last talk, “Technological Telekinesis“, was by artist Nathan Selikoff.  It began with the Star Wars theme music and a look at planet Earth on the screen. Using a Leap Motion Controller on his laptop, Nathan held his hands over the computer and manipulated the Earth, zooming in as if we were approaching the death star. The Google Earth program allowed him to fly right over Orlando and fly down its streets until he reached Lake Eola. This entire flight was navigated by a new interface that before was just in Science Fiction movies. This new interface can allow artists to sculpt and draw in three dimensions. Most of the software is open sourced and the hardware has become affordable. An infrared light tracks the motion of your hands keeping track of its orientation in 3D space. Nathan wrote his own program called “Beautiful Chaos” that uses math equations to create forms in space.

Nerd Nite is every 2nd Thursday of the month.  These type of events are cropping up all over Orlando. There is Pechakuche, Cafe Scientifique, Tedx Orlando,  and the Mini Maker Faire. Get your Nerd On and help change the world. The July Nerd Nite #5 will  be  tonight at 7pm at Stardust Video & Coffee (1842 E Winter Park Rd  Orlando, FL)

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Ripley’s Bizarre Buying Bazaar

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For several days in June a tent was set up in the parking lot at Ripley’s Believe it or Not (8201 International Drive, Orlando FL.) Bright banners announced that it was the Ripley’s Bizarre Buying Bazaar. Seated at the table were Edward Meyer, the VP of Exhibits and archives for Ripley Entertainment Inc and Angela Johnson the assistant of archives. Well, you can’t see Angela in the sketch, a co-worker obscured her from my view as he was checking his cell phone. We all laughed about how she missed he 15 minutes of sketchbook fame afterwards. A call had been put out for people to bring their odd and bizarre items where they would be appraised, and if strange enough, purchased for the collection right on the spot. I sat in a parking spot and started to sketch.

A large metal sculpture of the Bumble Bee Transformer stood at the corner of the tent. This item was created by, “Art from Steel” from Bangkok, Thailand. It stood three feet four inches tall and was made entirely from car parts. Edward explained that this was actually one of the smaller sculptures. It was too heavy for any one person to lift, but it could be disassembled into smaller parts for transport.  I wonder how much fun it would have been to get that luggage through airport security.

Items on display that had been bought already included: Bats mounted on a board with presidents faces painted on their bellies. A painting of John Lennon or Harry Potter was made entirely with CD disks.  A painting of Marilyn Monroe was done entirely with nail polish and Obama towered above Mount Rushmore in another. Another portrait of Bob Marley was created with all the tape from a single cassette tape. The Terminator’s arm was made of used batteries and mounted in a futuristic cylinder. On the table there was an actual shrunken head and a plate of Doughnuts that turned out to be a sculpture.

A news anchor and cameraman showed up to interview Edward. This is the first time Ripley’s held a Bazaar inviting anyone and everyone to bring in their oddities. Edward held up a rusty knife to show the cameraman. It had been lodged in a man’s skull for years. Oddly the man didn’t know the blade was there, but he suffered from splitting headaches. Several doctors prescribed drugs and shots but one finally took x-rays which clearly showed the knife in man’s skull. When the rusty blade was surgically removed, the man’s headaches diminished.

A man pulled up in his family van and pulled out a four foot high image of a heart made entirely with postage stamps. Edward wasn’t impressed, but after some negotiating, it joined the items in the parking lot collection.

Autobiography

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June’s Third Thursday at the Orlando Museum of Art was organized by Anna McCambridge-Thomas. The theme for all the art that evening was “Collaboration.” When I arrived, I quickly took a look at all the art on display but Genevieve Bernard of Voci Dance had informed me of her unique collaboration. The dance piece her dance company, Voci Dance, was going to perform involved a collaboration with Asatta Wilson of Vixen Fitness. Asatta is a rather talented and fit pole dancer. During previous rehearsals, Genevieve explained to Asatta what dance moves she wanted. Though the dance terminology was different the art forms and moves were similar. As Asatta explained, she does the same moves just with some sensual flair to please the costumers.

I sat in and sketched the rehearsal for the dance titled, “Autobiography“, before patrons got to the museum. A Platinum Stages pole stood at stage right. Dancers approached the pole and interacted with it as a symbolic obstacle. Sarah Lockhard delivered a monologue in which she kept falling into a hole repeatedly. It wasn’t her fault even as she kept to the path and fell again. After repeated tries she finally realized she should walk another route.

Towards the end of the dance performance Asatta took to the pole doing a gymnastic and graceful routine that defied gravity. I got a second chance to work on the sketch as the theater filled with patrons. Having seen the rehearsal, I knew what dancers I wanted to complete the composition. From slow motion walks to graceful twirls, one gesture flowed through the dance company. The pole was no longer an obstacle but something to be conquered.