Let Them Grow

Posted on by Thor

Jennifer and Jason Helvenston planted a lush vegetable garden 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.

On January 8th of 2013 a new City Vegetable Garden Proposal was written. Most of the garden would have to be eliminated and now the city started regulating the back and side yards as well.

 This is a summary of the restrictions of the City’s Proposal.

1.  The government shouldn’t be telling gardeners what they can or can’t do with
the land they own as long as there are no quantifiable impacts.

2.  The Proposal is a conviction
against edible annuals while all other annuals are unrestricted.

3.  The Proposal is a clear strategy against edible gardens by pushing
them under the roof line of the building or in its shadow while at the same
time requiring year round success.

4.  The Proposal is an assault against the financially less fortunate that
cannot afford expensive fences and raised bed structures by pushing their
edible gardens even further into the shadows of the building.

5.  The Proposal is discriminating against ALL edible plants by requiring
higher standards and special definitions than any other plant in the City’s
Landscape Code.  By discriminating against the plants that we eat, they are
discriminating against gardeners.

6.  The Proposal is a discredit against sustainability.  The City’s
code will allow max. 60% environment crushing grass but only max. 25% edible
annuals with no impacts. 

The best and fare solution for the City is the
simplest.  Edible plants meet the same standards and requirements as all
other plants.  An edible ground cover gets treated the same as any other
ground cover, an edible annual gets treated the same as any other annual. 
Each yard in the City of Orlando must be “kept and maintained” to the
same levels as any other yard.  There should be no higher standards for food. 

 On February 28th there was a crucial City Counsel meeting on the proposal. I went to City Hall where there was a peaceful demonstration for the right to have a garden. Many protesters wore green as a sign of solidarity. Ryan Price was there holding a yellow pepper from his garden. He has a small garden in his front yard and luckily he has not yet been bothered. College students Jonathan, Adam and Troy were with Ryan. The college students are studying the medical benefits of plants. Jennifer Helvenston showed up with a basket full of vegetables from her garden. Protesters talked about their gardens with pride. Julie Norris was their with her daughter Maya holding a sign that said, Mommy, why can’t we grow vegetables? She has a gorgeous garden on her Thornton Park property.

A spokesman said that the City Proposal had once again been rewritten so the meeting would just consist of a reading of the new proposal with no vote. All the protesters went inside city hall to watch their city government at work. The Helveston’s small home garden has suddenly become the flash point for a national debate. Orlando leaders moved closer at the February 26th meeting to allow residents to plant
vegetables in their front yards, but gardeners remain worried that City
Hall’s benevolence will come with too many rules.

Audabon Market

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Every Monday from 6-10PM the Audubon Market sets up in the parking lot of Stardust Video and Coffee (l842 East Winter Park Road Orlando FL). Some vendors offer locally grown fruits and vegetables while others have local crafts. Flowers and plants sit beside homemade pillows. The variety changes from week to week. On top of all that there is often free music. There is a warm communal feel as friends meet hug and talk. A mom carried her child on her hip as she spoke to a vendor. A poet with a grey beard and staff wandered offering poems for a price.

When I finished my sketch I went to a food tent and ordered the least holistic item at the market, a hot dog with sauerkraut and mustard.  When I turned to go back to my table, I bumped into Mark Baratelli and his friend Tom. I was a bit embarrassed that the hot dog I just ordered looked puny compared to the size of the bun. When I was finished eating, a woman offered me some free Wild Flower Saint John’s River Honey because she liked the sketch. If you go to the market, be sure to get some local honey from the Bee Lady. On the drive home, I popped open the yellow lid and sucked on the nipple to taste the sweet nectar.

Oscars at the Enzian

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The Enzian Theater held a “Red Carpet, Bright Lights Oscar Watch Party.” Terry got dressed up in high heals that structurally resemble the Eiffel Tower. I decided to dress up with a suit and black shirt. Although the Enzian parking lot was close to full, there were only a few people at the Eden Bar. Terry had read somewhere that the theater wouldn’t open till 7:30PM so we had a half hour to kill. The bartender didn’t notice us waiting to order a drink but he did notice a 20 something pair of college girls who sauntered up to the bar after us. I wanted a beer but all the beer taps were out. The bartender was very apologetic. I settled on a white wine. Dina Peterson greeted us at the bar. She was meeting friends who were saving her a seat inside.

It turned out that the Enzian was already packed. I wanted to sit on the sides of the theater so I could sketch the audience. All those seats were reserved for members.  There were only a few seats in the far back corner of the theater where I would have only been able to sketch the backs of peoples heads. I decided to stand at the front of the theater to sketch the patrons in the pit. When the Oscars officially began, the theater went black. I fished a book light out of my bag and continued working. About the time Brave won as the best animated feature film, my sketch was done.

I joined Terry at the back of the theater. We were sharing the table with another artist named Dan Tilstra. He does watercolor certificate borders for Florida Hospital. The intricate work is a market I had never considered. His son wants to someday become a Disney Animator so he asked me to show him my sketchbook. His son seemed to think that working for Disney was an impossible dream. I assured him that anything is possible if you work hard enough.

 Kristen Stewart arrived at the Oscars on crutches. Rumor is that she stepped on a glass that cut her heal. Presenting, on stage, she looked completely wasted on pain killers and smiled with disdain. Her hair stylist did a horrible job, making her look like a hot mess. My favorite moment was when

Jennifer Lawrence won the best actress award and then tripped trying to climb the stairs in her Dior Haute Couture dress that billowed out from her hips like a parachute. Hopefully the designer will take note and realize that women do have to be able to move when wearing a gown.

The ceremonies went on agonizingly long and by the end of the evening there were more car commercials than winners. When Ben Affleck accepted his award, he said in a flurry of emotion to Jennifer Garner, his wife in the audience, that, “I want to thank you for working on our marriage for 10 Christmases,” he
said. “It is work but it is the best kind of work, and there’s no one
I’d rather work with.” You just knew he would be sleeping on the couch that night. By the time Argo won as the best picture, I couldn’t wait to escape the theater. My ass was in agony from sitting so long. Dear Academy and advertisers, Argo f*#ck yourself.

Folk Festival

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On Saturday February 9th I went to the Mennello Museum Folk Festival to do a sketch before I went to work. When I arrived bright and early, vendors were still setting up. Two large dog sculptures by Dale Rogers were standing nose to nose in the center of the lawn. Twenty 8-foot-tall, 10-foot-long dog
sculptures made of rusty steel are found all around the museum. The red collars with nametags on the
sculptures indicate those dogs that have been “adopted” to benefit local
animal charities. The Sculpture Garden is always open and dogs on
leashes are welcome. The dogs remain on exhibit through March 3, 2013

Dan Savage at the Sabal Palm Press table was busy selling the Florida environmental books on display. He had a natural knack for small talk and he made a sale as I was sketching.  Highwaymen painters had several tents set up behind me. I noticed a woman starting to do intricate lace work and wished she had been working earlier. She would have made a good sketch. Gordon Spears was walking tent to tent trying to find out which vendors vehicle was blocking traffic in the museum parking lot.

The sound stage had it’s first performers doing children’s songs. As soon as I finished my sketch I had to head off to work. Children in Indian costumes started dancing to a drum beat. They were doing a butterfly dance. The Mennello Museum sent out a heart felt “Thank You” to all the talented people that made the festival possible.

Biloxi Blues

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Walking down Plant Street in Winter Garden, I was surprised to find a Dixieland Band playing in the central gazebo. A few older couples sat in folding chairs watching. I didn’t have enough time to do a sketch, so I kept going. At the Garden Theatre, I asked Sherri Cox, the front house manager, a huge favor because I wanted to sketch the stage from the second floor lighting booth. She was wonderful and made the arrangements. I just had to wait till it was closer to curtain time before she guided me up. I watched everyone enter the theater. It was an older crowd. Some of the men might have served in WWII themselves. Upstairs, I was seated on a tall stool next to a huge black metal spot light and some device that looked like it catches sound waves. This was the first time I saw Biloxi Blues and it was a treat.

Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, Biloxi Blues is the semi-autobiographical comedy-drama by Neil Simon and the second in the trilogy which includes Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound. Biloxi Blues follows
the story of Eugene Jerome as a young army recruit going through basic
training during World War II and the harsh lessons he must face while
stationed at a boot camp in Biloxi, Mississippi. Antisemitism among the recruits was a recurring theme throughout the play which is ironic since America was at war with the Germans who were exterminating Jews.

The play is directed by award winning-playwright and acclaimed director Rob
Anderson. This is Anderson’s directorial debut with both the Garden
Theatre and Beth Marshall Presents. The role of Epstein will be played
by C.K. Anderson, the son of Rob Anderson. C.K. starred in the lead role
of the Beth Marshall Presents production of The Diviners last season at just 14 years of age. I must say that the young actor did an amazing job playing Epstein, who questioned the reasoning behind every training method used by the Drill Sargent Toomey, played by Tyler Cravens.

Towards the end of the second act, I heard torrential rain pounding on theatre’s roof. Maybe I noticed it more than the audience below since my ears were so close to the ceiling. It distracted me from the romance blossoming between Eugene, Carl Krickmire, and Daisy, Julie Snyder, on stage and I wondered how I would get back to my car without the sketch getting soaked. The rain stopped long enough for me to get to my car and then it poured on the drive home.

 Biloxi Blues by Neil Simon has one last performance today, Sunday February 24th, at 2PM in the Winter Garden Theater (160 West Plant Street).

RAW:Artists Orlando Presented DISCOVERY

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RAW events are multi-faceted artistic showcases. Each event features a film screening, musical performance, fashion show, art gallery, performance art and a featured hairstylist and makeup artist. These artists are all local, hand-picked talent who have been chosen to feature at RAW. RAW’s mission is to provide up-and-coming artists of all creative realms with the tools, resources and exposure needed to inspire and cultivate creativity so that they might be seen, heard and loved. RAW educates, connects and exposes emerging artists in 64 artistic communities nationwide (and counting!) through monthly showcase events.

I was working to 9PM on February 7th and I wet straight to The Abbey, (100 South Eola Drive, Orlando, Florida), from work. When I arrived, the place was packed. This was definitely the most crowded RAW event I had been to. I scouted around to find a spot to sketch from. There was an unoccupied couch and I made a mental note to return to it if I didn’t find a better sketch location. There was a motorcycle behind the sound guy but I didn’t get a great look at it with the crowd pressing in. With so many artists exhibiting their work, there were only narrow isles to move around in.

I returned to the couch only to discover it was art for sale. It was splattered with paint and glitter. I decided to stand next to the “Art Couch” to draw. Parker Sketch was working on several paintings of cocktail glasses. He works in series applying paint thickly. Of course any time someone expressed interest in his work, he would be drawn away to take on the role of salesman. He had a tip jar out full of bills. It’s exciting to see so much interest in art from the night club crowd. Artist Matthew Sutton stopped to talk to me. He said I should set up a booth. Matthew’s work was traditional pencil renderings, pen and ink and marker work of comic book super heroes. He probably does well at Comic Con. Ashley Rolfe one of the RAW promoters noticed me working and said hello. It was the first time I met her in person. I usually check up with her every time a RAW event is coming to  Orlando. As I was packing up to leave, there was a fashion show taking place on the main stage. It was getting late, time to get home.

Parking Lot Blues

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On February 5th after getting off work at 9pm, I decided to go downtown to One Eyed Jacks to sketch Korndog’s Rock Band Karaoke. The Orlando Weekly listed the event as free so I figure it was a fine spot for a late night sketch and a drink. As I walked to the bar, I noticed these two musicians jamming at the entrance to a parking lot. “Darn”, I thought, “Those guys would make a great sketch”. I decided to keep on task and kept walking to One Eyed Jacks.

At the entrance to the bar I was carded even though my salt and pepper hair is a dead give away that I’m over 21. My ancient beat up license, which was probably issued before the bouncer was born, caused him to do a double take.  He called over another bouncer to take a look. I was finally given clearance and as I was walking in he said, “That will be two dollars.” I turned and said, “Your kidding, right?” Well, the Weekly was wrong. I wasn’t about to pay a cover for bad Karaoke, so I left.

I made a bee line back to the parking lot which is right behind the Greek Orthodox Church near Lake Eola (150 East Washington Street). Cole was teaching Kenny new riffs on the guitar. I leaned against a light pole and sketched them. Cole told me that he had been an artist once. He went to Hawaii with a portfolio and left it in a hotel room by mistake. He turned to his second love which is music. Kenny sang a solo at one point and he had a great voice. It in amazing where talent crops up in Orlando. Kenny helps organize the homeless feedings behind the church where there is often music.

Some lady was walking her toy sized dog and it took a crap on the wood chips while Cole and Kenny and myself watched. When she realized she was being watched the women said, “You wouldn’t happen to have a plastic bag would you?” She and her dog slipped away to her luxury condo. Cole and Kenny laughed at her expression afterward. “She never planned to clean up after her dog.” Was their conclusion.

Whitney Broadway

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I decided to learn what I could about the Maitland Art Center‘s Artist’s in Action program. The program reflects the spirit of founder André Smith’s Research Studio and the current mission of the institution. This program provides non-residential studio space to  established or emerging artists for the professional practice and research of fine art. This program is an exciting opportunity to interact with Center’s community of artists and art enthusiasts while working in this uniquely rich and historic environment.

A fixture at the institution for many years, the acclaimed Artist-in-Action program takes place at the historic Maitland Art Center (originally André Smith’s Research Studio). In Smith’s day, famous artists were invited to live and work at the Research Studio in the winter months, including luminaries Milton Avery and Ralston Crawford.

Whitney Broadaway grew up in Sebring, Florida and received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts
with a focus in Printmaking from the University of Central Florida in
2010. During her degree, Broadaway studied printmaking, ceramics, and
the book arts extensively. She has interned with the Museum of Florida
Art and Culture as well as Flying Horse Press. Whitney is currently
the Book Conservator for the Special Collections & University
Archives department of the UCF Libraries. There she is in charge of
conserving and repairing material, as well as coordinating and judging
the annual Book Arts Competition.

Whitney‘s studio at the Arts Center was bright and light filled. Whitney’s recent prints integrate elaborate floral patters similar to work done at the turn of the century. One plate had delicate line work where she had to carve away the areas around the lines which takes amazing patience. As she worked on carving lino plates, she sang along with the tunes on her laptop. I began singing along as well. Pink Floyd began playing and Whitney told me about a video that had the Dark Side of the Moon dubbed over The Wizard of Oz and the music synced perfectly. A huge steel print press stood in the corner of the studio. It once belonged to André Smith so it is a historical relic. It has sat unused for years and Whitney is trying to let the Arts Center committee realize that the press needs to be used so all the working parts are active and lubricated. I felt like a bit of a dinosaur working next to this young artist, so I can identify with the idea that no matter how old you might be you should stay active every day.  I hope the press wheel once again turns to create a new generation of prints.

African American Art Opening

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On February 1st, I went to the opening of African American Art at the Mennello Museum of American Art, (900 East Princeton Street Orlando, Fl). The exhibit, on loan from the Smithsonian Institute is titled, “African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era and Beyond“. The exhibit
presents one hundred
works dating from the 1920s through the 1990s by forty-three
black artists who participated in dialogues about art,
identity, and the rights of the individual that engaged American society
throughout the twentieth century.

As I sketched, I heard a brief explanation about the installation in the middle of the room.  The chair and cabinet were supposed to belong to a world traveler. Objects in the cabinet come from exotic places around the world. A map shows three isolated islands where the traveler stayed. Everything was fictitious. It was a way for the artist to escape everyday life and imagine a life of travel and leisure.

New York City artist Joseph Delaney had a 1941 painting of Penn Station at war time. The painting was bisected horizontally down the middle with the upper half showing the architecture and the bottom half depicting the crowds in motion. Joe Biggers had a large painting called, “Shotgun Third Ward” painted in 1965. A church stood burnt as people gathered in the street. The sun was setting behind the charred rafters. The painting was mostly monochrome except for hints of violent red throughout. It is the most haunting image I have ever seen of the burning of African American Churches during the civil rights era. This happened within my lifetime, so the dark souls capable of that act could very well still be alive.

The show is on exhibit now through April 28th. The museum is open,  Tuesday-Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m and Sunday Noon to 4:30 p.m. If you go to the Museum website, there is a coupon you can print for free admission to the exhibit.

Florida Film Festival Kick Off Party

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On January 30th, the Enzian Theater, (1300 South Orlando Avenue  Maitland, FL), hosted a Kick Off Party for the Florida Film Festival. Press was on hand as CEO, Henry Maldonado, welcomed everyone to the Kick Off for the 22nd annual Florida Film Festival. The Festival is a fabulous celebration of films and filmmakers, indulgent experiences in food and wine, and a wonderful mix of parties and special events. This years Festival begins April 5th and continues for ten glorious days.

A large gust of wind caused the inflatable movie screen he was standing in front of to warp and topple backwards. He didn’t notice at first but the reaction of the audience caused him to turn and look. “That thing can’t fall on me can it?”  Staff rushed to secure more guy wires. Henry checked with Elizabeth Tiedtke to be sure he covered everything. There was a short preview film but none of the films that will be in this years Florida Film Festival were unveiled.

After the press preview, the lawn outside the Enzian filled with more people to watch “Cannibal The Musical”  on the inflatable screen. I hadn’t seen this film which was made by Nick Parks one of the South Park writers. I did see a Fringe play last year based on the film so I knew to expect a very odd and funny movie. I was seated leaning back against a handrail to the back steps to the theater. Half way into the film one of the chefs almost tripped over me as he went out for a smoke.