Taste of Jazz

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Every Monday night starting around 8PM, there is a jazz jam at Taste Restaurant (717 West Smith Street).  I arrived straight from work. The drum set was just being set up, so I sketched the pieces as they fell into place. Several performers were UCF professors. Tracy Alexander performed on the drums, Greg Zabel on upright Bass, John Krasula on guitar and Joe Young on Trumpet. As the evening wore on more musicians entered the bar and they would step in on different riffs. I ordered tater tots and a Blue Moon. The dipping sauce was on the hot side so I needed the beer to negate the heat in my mouth.

I recognized some of the regular patrons from past sketching trips to Taste. The guy seated next to me asked a question I hear quite often, “Did you do that here?” Since the sketch is of the musicians we both just saw perform, it would seem quite obvious that I didn’t do it out on the sidewalk or in my car. Anyway, the music was great. Each performer in turn launched into a long solo and when the moment was right the rest of the performers would join back in. I stepped out after the first set to rush back home.

College Park Brunch Market

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Mark Baratelli, Owner
The Daily City, has taken over College Park Farmers Market and turned it into “College Park Sunday Brunch Market.” The Market happens in the Infusion Tea parking lot (1600 Edgewater Drive, College Park FL). It happens every Sunday from 11am-3pm.I went to the inaugural opening to relax and sketch. Robert Thompson was playing guitar and singing in an outdoor tent. Mark greeted me and pointed out Orlando’s very first fashion truck called Lollipops and Pistols.

Kristin X sat in a lawn chair beside her vintage fashion store on wheels. She is a stay at home mom mom, living her dream of being an artist and creative freak. She studied commercial illustration in college, many moons ago, but it
seemed too structured for her. Her true love is designing
invitations and stationary goods. Oh and thrifting, lets not forget
thrifting. Several women got lost in the trucks vintage clothing for quite some time. Kristin’s son took an interest in my sketch and at one point, Kristen’s husband took her spot in the lawn chair. He joked that I shouldn’t put his beard on his wife.

When I finished my sketch, I went to the Local Roots tent and ordered some shrimp and grits along with a strawberry Mimosa. It was a delicious treat made from all local ingredients.  Mark had his 60’s themed plastic chairs set up around a patch of fake lawn. Some Kerouac House authors were having a heated discussion presumably about literature. Mark was busy sending out tweets on his cell phone. If you are looking for a unique place to have brunch on a Sunday then stop by the Brunch Market.

DRIP Valentines

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After returning from Mount Dora, Terry brought her out of town friends to International Drive to experience DRIP Dance. DRIP had a special Valentines show that featured a full color themed diner along with the full floor show. Tickets cost more for this Valentines show but Jessica Mariko, the company founder, pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable show. Her boyfriend David Traver was back from being on tour. He composed all the hard hitting rock and roll for the show. We all had to sign wavers when we went in acknowledging that we knew we might get paint drenched. Yellow, Jessie Sander offered each of us a white DRIP T-shirt. I opted for the DRIP logo up on my shoulder. A brightly colored oxygen bar complimented the beer and wine bar.

As the room got crowded, and the music pulsed, Miranda Snow got on the bar holding a mango.  She did a sensuous dance with the fruit. She ripped it open and devoured it as the juices ran down her cheeks and on to her tank top. I never realized there was so much juice in a mango. When she twirled, the juice splashed onto the patrons. Dinner was served in finger food portions. My favorite item was the coconut crusted skewered shrimp. Instead of a colored beer, I went with white wine. There was a table with dozens of Valentines cards along with necklaces that featured a heart shaped bottle cap. Miranda began painting herself with red paint. My shirt had gone unscathed most of the night until she danced behind me and ran her blood red hands down my back.

Blue, the male dancer, Marcus Alexander Cartier, was performing for the last time on this evening. In the show, Blue and Yellow fall in love. Together, the two dancers create green. However, another woman, Red, Brigette Frias, catches Blues attention and they have a sordid purple affair. In future shows, Blue is being performed by a female dancer named Meagan Nagy. Meagan explained that audiences welcome the idea that two women dancers fall in love. If anything, it makes the scenes hotter.

After the show, John Frank performed on guitar. I quickly worked him into my sketch and then rejoined our crew. Everyone was paint covered and hot wired. what a night! I ended up leaving my polo shirt behind. Lovers will often forget an article of clothing when the want to return for more. It was the wettest, hottest, sexiest Valentines ever.

Lakeside Inn

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Once a year, Elaine Pasekoff, Bob Newlin and Jill Ziegler make a pilgrimage to Central Florida to attend the Renningers Antique Market in Mount Dora. The last several years Terry has joined them in their all day shopping fest. She has started collecting antique women’s compants encrusted in jewels. Last year she also came home with a huge railroad crossing sign. Bob who comes from Washington D.C. collects antique silver. Elayne comes from Miami and usually walks away with some Teddy Roosevelt memorabilia. Jill, also from D.C., has joined in the last several outings collecting fine china. I didn’t spend the day shopping, but I agreed to meet the exhausted shoppers at the Lakeside Inn where they were staying the night so they could continue shopping at the Renningers flea market the next day.

I got to the Inn a little early and decided to sketch the building. A women stopped to admire the sketch. She told me that a friend of hers was an artist. Teachers bought the girls work. In time however, the art student sold her soul to the devil and became a graphic designer. The crew parallel parked across the street from me.  They unloaded their haul for the day and made their way to the hotel’s front porch for “Show and Tell.” There were several people smoking cigars, so we all moved to a smaller porch on one of the hotel’s smaller buildings.

Elaine advised me to come up with “Best Of” categories for the best buys of the day. Last year Elaine won my vote by getting four French diorama scenes that were multilayered, adding depth to the scenes.This year Terry won the Sci-Fi Award for her purchase of an unused Star Trek board game. Elaine won the Best Teddy Award for a bust of the president. The Steal of the Day Award went to Jill. Bob’s knockers won my pick for the Best Overall Award. The mini working door knockers were on a tie clip.

We all watched the sun set over Lake Dora and then went out to dinner. We all stayed at the Inn, which is the longest standing working Inn in Florida. The next day as the troops rallied to shop again, I drove back to Orlando.

Mad Tea Party

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On February 8th, Kathryn Sullivan celebrated a very happy not-so-un-birthday at her Winter Park home with family and friends.  I was one of the first to arrive at the Alice in Wonderland  themed party. Kathryn and her boyfriend Mike Underwood know how to throw a party.  Kathryn was in a fabulous Victorian red dress with black lace and Mike was dressed as the mad hatter.A long table was set up for guests.

At the head of the table was a large flat screen TV with a digital camera above it. Mike explained that this was a  PhotoMingle that he had invented from scratch in his garage. The TV interface was just like the touch commands on an iPhone. Images on the screen could me moved, rotated and sized with the swipe of a finger. It was also possible to draw on the photos with your fingers. Mike is marketing this device for weddings, parties and all social gatherings. The uniqueness of the interface makes it an instant hit with guests. This device is pure genius and Mike is bound to make a fortune if he can increase his market before others create cheap knock offs based on his idea. As guests arrived they would pose before the TV for a fun photo session. This thing should make photo booths obsolete.

William Mabery trumped every one’s costumes when he arrived as Alice. Derick Taylor took a seat next to Alice with his Top hat and a bright red ascot. LeAnn Siefferman Busdeker wore a pillow case adorned with black spades. It was an ingenious and quick way to become a playing card. Her husband John’s costume had me stumped for a while. He hopped into the room in a sleeping bag. I later learned he was a caterpillar.

Playing cards were placed on the table to play, Kings, a drinking game. I had never played a drinking game before in my life, but since I was sipping coke, I didn’t mind playing as I sketched. One card involved everyone at the table raising three fingers. The person who drew the card had to mention something that they never did before. If you did that thing then you could fold a finger down. Once someone folded all three fingers down then the next person picked a card. I never fully understood the rules but it was a fun way to get to know people.

Speakeasy: The Crush Edition

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Tod Caviness hosts the Speakeasy every second Tuesday of the month at Will’s Pub (1042 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, Florida). The theme for February was: The Secret Crush.Tod is engaged to be married to Yow dancer, Christin Marie. When I arrived, Tod and Christin were at the bar. Christin told me a bit about Yow Dances upcoming Fringe show. Apparently this year there will be magic as well as dance. I’m curious to see what that involves.

I decided to sketch Michael Pierre as he read on the stage. He look good in a black jacket and black shirt, which separated him from the rest of the authors in jeans and T shirts. His girlfriend, Amanda Millar got on stage right after him. She reminded me before the show that I had sketched her as she was being converted into a sexy zombie nurse. She read about a crush she had on a collage professor. She outlined the intricate planning that went into her always being at the same place at the same time as the professor. All her plans paid off when the professor gave her his card.

The funniest reading came from “Reverend” Trevor Frasier warned Todd and Christin about the perils of getting married. “Let me outline the good points should you decide to have children…” He stood silent for the longest time until everyone in the room was laughing. He obviously couldn’t think of any good points. He warned that they never again could look at someone of the opposite sex and think, “Damn they look hot!” He also warned that marriage would be the end to any hot sex they might be having now. He had a slide show to go along with his presentation but unfortunately I couldn’t see the screen.

Curtis Meyer read a lust filled poem about a sexy pop star. He just wanted her to write songs about him. It seemed only fair since he had written a sweltering poem about her. I slipped out after my sketch was done. This evening was certainly a fine warm up for Valentines day. I had to take a shower when I got home to get the smell of second hand cigarette smoke off of my skin. The sketch itself is like a scratch and sniff reminder of the evening.

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die

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On January 19th, I went to the second installment of Trash Cinema 101 at The Venue (511 Virginia Drive, Orlando, Florida). Trash Cinema 101 is a live, interactive experience, with bad films, good friends and ZERO class! Each month, Logan Donahoo guides you through his own cinematic wasteland, and brings you out the other side with drinking games and trivia – all wrapped in a campy, lewd, irreverent shell! The January film was “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die!” In the lobby of the Venue, one woman came in with a basting pan around her neck.

The film was laugh out loud funny. That wasn’t the directors intent but with Logan pointing out all the intricate flaws, the evening became hilarious. A Doctor and his wife go for a car ride. There is a crash and the one thing the doctor recovers from the wreck is his wife’s head.  In his basement lab, he keeps his wife’s head alive in a basting pan with tubes of goo snaking all over the place. He spends the rest of his time searching for the perfect new body for his wife. Where does he go? To a burlesque show of course. There is a classic cat fight between two dancers where the camera literally zooms in on a picture of a cat and a cats meows on the sound track. The fact that there were Skill focus Burlesque dancers in the audience made the scene even more hilarious. At one point when a doctor gave up on a patient on the operating table, Ruby Darling shouted out, “That’s not how it works on House!”

The wife’s head in the basting pan kept muttering “Let me die.” Everyone had to sip their drink every time she muttered that phrase. Trust me, everyone had a good buzz thanks to that undead brain. Besides keeping his wife’s head alive, the good doctor also had a deformed Frankenstein monster in the closet. The monster was never seen, but the wife’s head insisted that together they had to stop the doctor from killing in the name of science and sex. You will have to see for yourself how it ends, but even without a body, the wife was a cunning schemer. Most women would die to get a better physique.

February’s screening was “Plan 9 From Outer Space“, the next screening is March 16th at the Venue. Tickets are $10 and there is plenty of free parking and an open bar.

Dragon Parade: Lunar New Year Festival

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On February 10th, I went to the Mills 50 District to sketch the Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival. The Lunar New Year is the most important festival celebrated in Asia.  In countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, although Chinese New Year is not an official holiday, many Asian organizations hold large celebrations and parades to share the culture. I parked on a suburban street behind Sam Flax and walked towards the sound of firecrackers exploding. A woman gardening in her front yard looked down the street to see what the ruckus was about.

In a parking lot behind a Chinese restaurant a crowd was gathered to participate in the parade. There were martial arts groups, Taiko Dojo Dancers, girls Demonstrating Chinese YoYos and a long dragon boat.  The second I sat down to start sketching, the parade started moving onto the street. I panicked sketching as fast as I could. I was still sketching long after the last parade participants had left. The dragon itself was animated by a crew of puppeteers who each held a stick that was attached to a section of the dragon. As they waved the sticks left and right, the dragon slithered in a sinuous dance down the street.

2013 is the Year of the Snake. The Snake, also called the Junior Dragon,  is the sixth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 Animal Signs.  The Snake is the enigmatic,  intuitive,

introspective, and refined.  Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means that your family will not starve.  People born in the Year of the Snake are keen and cunning, quite intelligent and wise.  They are great mediators and good at doing business.  Therefore, you should have good luck if you were born in the Year of the Snake. When I finished my sketch I went to Sam Flax to get some new brushes. I met former Disney background painter Xinlin Fan. He still lives in Orlando and he teaches painting at Guangzhou University in China part of the year. His English is rusty and broken but it was wonderful to see him.

Artists Process

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Each month Urban Rethink (625 E Central Blvd • Orlando, FL), invites artists to show their work, and discuss their process. A computer was set up s that the first artist, Bob Snead, could share his work with us from New Orleans via a Google + video chat. The computer screen was projected on a screen so everyone in the room could see. The problem was that no one knew how to get the Google chat to work. Pat Greene started asking everyone who entered the event if they knew how to work the program. Finally someone did mess with the settings and Bob’s face filled the screen. Bob does representational that is autobiographical and often funny. For instance one self portrait had, “My father gave my mother syphilis.” written on it. Bob couldn’t see all of us as he showed his work and if we weren’t laughing, he couldn’t be sure we were still there.

Some of Bob’s art is performance oriented. He once staged a “Pro Wall mart” demonstration. With Clark Allen, he set up a toilet paper roll assembly line in which everything was made from cardboard. A cardboard pickup truck was displayed in a gallery. He later had to abandon the truck leaving in in a public space. A week later it was mangled beyond recognition.

 The second artist was Kevin Paul Giordano,  who is a writer, journalist, musician, photographer, and filmmaker. He began his career as a writer in New York City, publishing in the New York Times, New York Post, New York Sun, Salon.com, among others. He also worked as an editor at such magazines as Vanity Fair, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, Spin, among others. His musical-play “It Must Be Love” appeared on Off-Off Broadway in 2002. He has received grants from Glenville State College, West Virginia for research on a book on the American Rust Belt. The grant offered him a car and a camera, so he set out to document an abandoned part of US history.

He screened a half hour documentary that explained the history of Rust Belt cities like Paterson, New Jersey. My father worked in Paterson, New Jersey his whole career, so I was fascinated to learn the city’s unique history. The city was founded by Alexander Hamilton, and his Society of Useful Manufacturers, to be a manufacturing mecca. Steam locomotives were built here as the nation pushed west. Then the city turned to silk weaving using the power generated by water from the Paterson falls. An intricate system of canals moved water to all of the manufacturing plants. In the 1960’s Rayon eliminated the need for silk. Much of this countries deindustrialization happened in the 1970s. Today all those plants sit empty and abandoned. More than 25% of the people in such abandoned cities are below the poverty line. The story is much the same for each Rust Belt city Kevin photographed.

There is a beauty in the way the rusting decay is being taken over by nature. Railroad lines lead nowhere with weeds and grass disguising the rails. Pealing paint creates intricate patterns and some tools remain where they were last used decades ago. Today we live in a computer society that fosters the free exchange of ideas. This free exchange doesn’t always make people money. By looking back, Kevin helps us look forward so we all can change and adapt.

Patriot Garden

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I went to the home of Jennifer and Jason Helvenston in College Park on a small dead end road that stops at I-4. Walking through the suburban neighborhood, I saw many blue yard signs that promote “Patriot Gardens“. I was at City Hall the day before at a demonstration where people demanded the right to keep their vegetable gardens. The Helvenston’s grow dozens of vegetables organically in their front yard in Orlando. But in November, the city—which aspires to be the “Greenest City in America”, notified them that their harmless garden violates city code, and they have to tear it up and replace it with grass or face fines of $500 a day.

I looked up their home with a Google map street view and the photos showed a barren yard before the lush garden was planted. The garden is now bursting with an abundance of vegetables and herbs. Jennifer backed her car out of the driveway as I was sketching. She recognized me from the protest at City Hall and she explained that many of the citizens that went to the City Counsel Meeting got up and spoke eloquently for the right to grow food. She felt the meeting went well but the battle wasn’t yet won. City government is a slow moving beast upholding decades old landscaping codes drafted before homeowners recognized the advantages of using native plants, creating natural habitats for butterflies and birds and sustainable organic gardens that put food on the table.

Sketching, I was surprised by the deep trenches between rows of vegetables. I assumed this was extreme raised bed gardening. Jason came out and explained that the soil had developed plant parasitic nematodes, or round worms. They had dug the ditches extra deep to try and eliminate this garden pest. Next week the garden will be completely overturned and replanted, He plans to plant the rows in rainbow arcs radiating away from the home so that the rows will no longer be noticed from the street.

All the Helvenston’s want to do is use their property peacefully to grow their own food. Their front yard garden has become a battleground in a national debate.  Planting the garden changed the couples life because they now interact regularly with their neighbors. They spend most of their time in the garden stopping to talk to
all the people coming by, which they love.  Who stops to talk to someone
mowing a lawn? Having sketched the lush garden, I can say it is far more interesting than a lawn of grass. Americans spend an estimated $30 billion annually on lawn care with huge amounts of water and fertilizer wasted. If you have a sunny spot on your front lawn, consider planting your own Patriot Garden. Plant a seed, change the law.

As of September 2013, the couple has won the lawsuit and can keep their front yard garden.