Best Thomas Thorspecken Sketches (2012)
Thanks to the Daily City readers who voted for the best AADW sketches of 2012!
1. Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center (August 27th)
2. Weeki Wachee Mermaid Show (March 5th)
3. The Fountain Works (February 29th)
About six years ago, Carla Young got the phone call that nobody wants to get…
“The tests came back, and you have cancer.”
As Carla explained, “I was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer that had already metastasized to my bones. I was devastated to say the least. After calling my parents to break the news, the next thing I knew I had to do was go to theatre downtown. We were in the middle of rehearsals after all, and I couldn’t just not show up. Plus they were my second family. I needed their support. To me, theatre is not only a place to watch people perform but also a place to let you forget about your troubles if only for a few hours. During the next few years, I came to realize it was also a place of healing. No matter how bad I was feeling, it would magically disappear the second I walked into the theatre.”
Denna Beena of Pink Hair Productions suggested I go to Theatre Downtown, (2113 N Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida ), to sketch the fundraiser for Carla’s medical bills. The fundraiser was a musical cabaret featuring songs from shows Carla had stage managed such as “Annie”, “The Wiz”, “Chicago”, “Altar Boyz” and “Avenue Q” along with some of her favorite shows such as “Wicked”, “Seussical The Musical”, and “Rent”.
I got to Theatre Downtown about an hour late since I was working a late shift at Full Sail. Everyone was in the spacious lobby area relaxing on couches and mingling. I found Denna and she let me know that the second half of the show would be in the theatre itself. I went in and found a seat close to the piano and I started sketching the empty stage. I heard a raffle going on in the lobby and then the young actors started getting themselves seated. It turned out I was seated where the singers sat before they went up to the mic. I felt self conscious, but I couldn’t stop the sketch now. An actress leaned over and told me she appreciated my work and I relaxed. Staci Stout, who was seated right next to me, got up and sang “Don’t Rain On My Parade.” Many of the performers were teens yet they belted out the songs like pros. The entire Company rose and began singing “Seasons of Love” from Rent. They asked Carla to stand and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. The room radiated love.
Carla Young Continues to fight for her life with the support of family, friends and a loving theater community. You can follow Carla’s progress on the Fight Like a Girl page. Should you want to help, go to Carla’s fundraising site where to date, $5,606 has been raised towards the $20,000 goal. Even as her medical bills escalate, Carla dreams of paying it forward. If the goal amount is reached, she
will donate $2000 of that to Compassionate Hands and Hearts which is a local
organization designed specifically to help breast cancer patients and their
families. They helped her a while
back, and she would love to be able to help somebody else in need.
P.S. On April 13th, I heard that Carla Young passed away.
“The
world is a slightly lesser place tonight. R.I.P. Carla Young. You were
truly one of the most beautiful people I have ever met, inside and out.
The mark you made on so many lives will never be forgotten.” – Paul Castaneda
Sunday January 27th I went to Urban ReThink,(625 East Central Blvd, Orlando FL) for Sunday Afternoon Improv. I didn’t check the invite closely and I thought I was going to sketch some comedians. Patrick Greene and Jim Ivy introduced the event which will be happening quarterly. Jim explained that the theme of the show was, “Of the Earth”. Musical sounds would be created with natural objects like stone, wood, water or metal. Jim was the first to perform. He sat on stage in the retro 60’s chair and opened his laptop. The laptop generated sounds and then he began to play what looked like a Frankenstein altered clarinet that had a long PVC body. Perhaps it was a flute played with a reed mouth piece.
All of the performances were improvised and experimented with found objects. At one point a pizza pan was amplified. Dan Reaves performed second followed by Christopher Flavo and A.J. Haring. Just about everyone in the audience was a musician.
Daniel Gruda experimented with pots and pans and a tea kettle. The whole time he adjusted an electronically generated tone using a foot pedal and tons of wires. A skull decorated his microphone. With a second sketch finished, I decided I should get home. As I left, more speakers were being loaded out of a car. In all the improv went on for a good four hours.
On Valentines Day, I got to the opening of Nude Nite Orlando at about 10PM, which was a late night out for me. It had been raining all day and it was still drizzling. The event was held at an abandoned warehouse at 639 W. Church St. Orlando, FL. This is several blocks west of the Amway Center in Parramore. Gentrification has pushed its way west but several blocks still had rundown tin roof houses and abandoned properties. I decided it hadn’t been a good idea to park downtown and walk west to the warehouse.
I knew I had arrived when I heard loud music and saw light shining out of cracks in the warehouse foundation. A crude sign outlined in rope was nailed to a tree, it read, “Jesus Saves.” There wasn’t a line to get in. Attendance was surprisingly light. I walked around the perimeter of the warehouse searching for my sketch subject. A nude woman in a gas mask was posing on a pedestal. I considered sketching her but she kept moving in slow motion. She would be a frustrating subject. Wendy Wallenburg and Linda Saracino greeted me. They seemed very excited about a male dancer’s performance.
I started blocking in a second sketch of a woman being body painted near a golden tree. My attention as I sketched however was drawn to a woman seated in a U shaped ottoman in the background. I erased my sketch and moved closer to her to sketch. She was regal, poised and still. Periodically she would raise her arms up to imitate the pose in the photo hung in front of her. I liked when she relaxed, looking off in the distance. The green light gave her an odd glow. When she took a break, a group of girls asked me if it was alright to sit in the ottoman. “I don’t see why not.” was my simple response. They started posing for photos imitating the picture. One girl took her sweater off to pose causing a chorus of giggles and photos.
I heard the performers on the main stage where a crowd of people had gathered. A DJ and his girlfriend introduced themselves. I had just met them at a DRIP Art Night event and I had even sketched the girl as she danced in her polka dot undies. She looked like Halle Berry. Someone else asked me if I was from the Maitland Art Center. Odd question. “I’ve been to the Art Center, but I can’t say they sent me.” I replied. He explained that in past years, there had been artists sketching a model at Nude Nite. I was the only artist he saw creating art. A woman asked if she could leave her drink next to me as she shot photos. I said, “Sure”. She commented on how small my palette was. I replied, “It’s not how big the palette is, its how you use it.” Of all the art I saw, I made a note of two sketches by artist Ray Richardson from Kissimmee. One was of a nude Cinderella and the other of a nude Snow White munching on a candied apple. Both women were overweight, looking like desperate house wives looking for attention.
I was using a new fountain pen. I discovered a major flaw in its design when I tried to twist the cap off to put the pen away. The twisting motion caused the pen to spit out a huge gush of ink onto the sketch. “Mother F*@$er” I muttered. Just then Kelly Stevens the event organizer walked up. She liked the sketch and I let my frustration and annoyance melt away. The spill was actually a blessing, because I started painting with pure thick pigment which is something I should do more often. As I was getting ready to step back out into the rain, I saw Kelly on a stage posing with patterns of light dancing on her outfit. A computer generated image was being mapped and projected onto her as she posed. Someone held up a mirror so she could see herself. She was laughing and having a great time.
You have one last chance to experience Nude Nite tonight from 6PM to midnight. There is plenty of parking near the warehouse.
Since I have been working till 9PM at Full Sail, I have been searching for late evening sketch opportunities. Monday Night Jazz at Taste (717 W. Smith Street in College Park) has become a standard Monday Night ritual. They have an early set from 7PM to 9PM and then a later set from 9:30PM to 11:30PM. My sketch is usually finished before the evening of music wraps. All sorts of musicians gather in the bar area and different musicians rotate in for each jam session.
I order a Blue Moon beer and some tater tots to munch on as I sketch. The young couple at the table in front of me were obviously on a date just getting to know each other. As always the music was lively and spontaneous. My goal at these late night sketch outings is to get a quick sketch done then get home before Terry goes to sleep.
Elite Animation Academy (The Shoppes at Windermere 8933 Conroy-Windermere Road
Orlando, Fl above Costello’s Pizza ) is
an art and animation program designed for animation students. The
Academy is instructed by former Walt Disney Studios Florida Animator
Paulo Alvarado, a graduate of the prestigious Ringling College of Art
and Design located in Sarasota, FL. At Elite Animation Academy we are “Developing Young Minds through the Art of Animation.“
Elite promises to
provide young students the education and the tools necessary to create a portfolio
to enhance animation skills and take it to the next level, should the student want to pursue a career in animation, graphic or game design. Classes are after school, with convenient afternoon hours for parents
and students. We focus on basic to intermediate levels with an emphasis
on history, theory, and sketch along with Animation exercises each week
after the topic.
The Elite Animation Academy classroom used to be The Art Room, which has moved to a new location. Elite Academy was founded in July of 2012 with the first classes taking place in the Ascension Church (4950 South Apopka Vineland Rd., Orlando FL). The interest and demand grew so fast that they realized they had to find a permanent home.
I found out about the opening day of the Academy when I bumped into Paulo and his wife while shopping at Publix Supermarket. Dominic Carola and his wife Love were at the opening along with many other former Disney Animation Artists. It was like a small reunion. A line of computers were under constant use by the kids who were there. They were using a basic drawing program and playing video games. One game was controlled with hand gestures. The computer’s camera must have sensed the hand movements. It was odd seeing kids swatting the air with their hands. Several former Disney Artists couldn’t resist doing a digital drawing of their own. One wife seemed quite enamored watching her husband sketch on the computer.
One artist told me about an animated short he is working on called “Crackerland” it is meant as a spoof of the old Florida down home attractions before the big theme parks took root. There was punch and cookies in the hall. Dominic’s children were middle school aged which immediately made me feel old. The last time I saw them they were babies.
Saturday January 26th was the second day of the Cardboard Art Festival at the Orange Studio (1121 N Mills Ave, Orlando). This was a day for the kids to experience the exhibit and make their own cardboard creations. The carpeted area that had been the dance floor the night before now had folding tables cluttered with the detritus of creativity. Parents were helping their kids cut the cardboard and robots began to take form.
I decided to sit back under some cardboard carnivores and sketch Nathan Selikoff‘s tall cardboard man marionette. Kids, young and old alike, couldn’t resist pulling the strings. Having control of a giant’s movements can be addictive. Event sponsor, Mark Baratelli walked up to me and announced, with a Marlene Dietrich flourish, “I do it all for the kids.” He then leaned against the wall and checked his cell phone for messages about the next Food Truck Bazaar happening that night. Later, he was ready to leave holding a thick stack of Food Truck Bazaar signs. He was off to his next event.
Evan and Chritie Miga helps kids into the new Dog Powered Robot dune buggy for photo ops. An old record player nestled inside a cardboard TV was playing Polkas and The Tiki Room music. The music added a surreal, playful atmosphere to the proceedings. Like in a Disney theme park, individual robots from Dog Powered Robot came out from back stage to pose for photos with the kids. Someone shouted out for a group photo and all the kids stood in front of me with their creations.
As Terry and I left, I saw Mark get back out of his car. I thought he had left some time ago. I shouted out, “You didn’t get very far!” He shouted back, “That’s the story of my life! You didn’t need to point it out.”
DRIP ( 8747 International Dr. Suite 102, Behind Denny’s and Senor Frogs, Orlando, Fl) has hosted several very successful art nights. There was LIVE art, body painting, art sales and music. I parked a good distance away and walked to the venue. The 8PM DRIP performance was over and there was no cover to get in for the Art Night event. Bodies were being painted everywhere. Artysta Lulu was standing on the bar and doing chalk drawings on the black walls. Mila Belle was body painting and dancing up a storm. Melissa Kasper had on a pair of insanely high platform shoes. I saw another pair of platforms that were designed with metal re-bar that would make a woman a foot and a half taller.
Break dancers started spinning on the dance floor as the DJ pumped up the volume. Black lights made peoples white shirts glow blue. DRIP dancers and body painting models posed in their undies and bras. The dancing really heated up as I finished my sketch and packed up my supplies. DRIP Creative Director Jessica Mariko, joined all the women dancing Gangnam Style as if riding horses. As I left the lights flashed red and green and the entire room was laced with sexy dancers. Paint was everywhere.
Treat your loved one to a Special Valentine’s Day Experience on February 13-16, 2013.
Looking for a way to impress your date on
Valentine’s day that doesn’t include the same old dress up, buy a box of
chocolates and go to a regular restaurant for dinner?
JOIN DRIP FOR AN INTERACTIVE EVENING THAT INCLUDES:
*A four course Dinner-by-Color
*Full DRIP performance
*Dessert party
*Make-your-own Valentine station.
*A white DRIP t-shirt
Limited to an intimate crowd of only
100 people per night. Reserve your tickets before Feb 13th and we’ll
include a $10 gift card from Fairvilla’s Sexy Things per person!
Ticket prices:
Wednesday, February 13: $65 per person
Thursday, February 14: $90 per person
Friday, February 15: $80 per person – *Special All Female Cast
Saturday, February 16: $80 per person
In the Orlando Arts Magazine, I learned that there is a resident artist program at the Maitland Arts Center. The work of Dawn Rosendahl was on the cover, so I contacted her to see if I could stop by to learn about her work and do a sketch. Artist and architect J. Andre Smith established the research studio in 1937. The studio acted as a haven for artists of national prominence in the winter months, The tradition continues today with the Artist in Action program.
Dawn’s studio door was slightly ajar, so I knocked lightly and went inside. The room was perhaps ten foot square and one wall had large barn doors which would be helpful if you worked large. Robin pointed out that there was a mural painted on the opposite side of the doors, so they were never used. A skylight offered extra illumination. Dawn was working at a folding table where she was surgically altering a book. She used an xacto knife to carve into the book at times unearthing illustrations and creating stair stepped forms like rice paddies in China. A series of circular cut pages folded back resembled a clam shell. A large pile of fresh books and encyclopedias sat in the corner of the room next to her. She had a one foot diameter cardboard tube that was about four feet high in the opposite corner. She plans to create book totem poles.
Dawn studies art at the American Academy of Art and the Art Institute in Chicago. She worked as a sculptor at Disney World, doing the scale sculpted studies of the swan and dolphin for those respective hotels. She told me a story about a creative who couldn’t get approval on a project because an executive kept insisting the color used didn’t match a pan tone color swatch. To get the approval, the guy decided to paint over the pan tone swatch. The project was approved.
Artist Robin Pedrero stopped in since she was dropping off a painting. She and Dawn had a discussion about pricing art work. Robin felt that if a prospective buyer was willing to spend $75 on a painting, then they could just as well afford to pay $200. I am of the opinion that art work in Orlando is all to often under priced and under valued. It was nice hanging out in an artists studio and having another artist visit. It made me feel that there is an artist community in Orlando.
Parker Sketch organizes a monthly Art Critique Group and I always find the lively conversations enlightening. The January critique was held at the The Barefoot Spa (801 Virginia Dr., Orlando). This is a group of artists talking as peers.The discussions have included pricing, finding materials, technique, framing, exhibition opportunities, and, yes, traditional critique. We are trying to mix different artists and get them talking about art! We will be looking at every one’s art individually, and talk about it for about 10 minutes. I know it is short, but the idea is not only to get other people to talk about your art, but to spend the evening talking about every one’s art!
Jean Claude was the first artist to show his work. Using spray paint and an xacto, he works on Plexiglass. Several pieces would change color if illuminated from behind. He works outside a gallery down in Kissimmee. His work was bold and flat. Vanessa Lisa showed some delicate pencil renderings. Mark Larsen, a photographer, had returned to his craft in the last three years. His photos featured clouds and abstract watery imagery. Artista Lulu had traveled all the way from Tampa to come to the art critique. She showed a cartoonish image of a ballet dancer standing on a tiny world. Tiffany Dae showed some of her gorgeous surreal work. She is moving to Miami where she is bound to find the arts scene to be incredibly vibrant.
The artist I chose to sketch, was Phillis Taylor Harris. She had just finished filling one of the Sketchbook Project sketchbooks. The Sketchbook Project sells artists tiny sketchbooks which the artists can fill and return to go into the sketchbook library in Brooklyn NY. Phillis’s sketchbook was filled with angry abstractions that were done as she went through a divorce. It turned out that her husband was abusive and a sexual predator. He worked as a psychologist, so women seeking his help would get unexpected treatment. The family home was isolated which allowed him to trap his victims. Phillis’s sketchbook is intended to help victims of abuse to recover and heal. Several people in the room pointed out that Phillis should look into publishing the book with part of the royalties going to an abuse victim recovery center or shelter. I advised her to not submit the sketchbook to the Brooklyn library because they would then claim ownership to the copyright. I agree that her book could be helpful for a person recovering from abuse. I hope she can find a publisher.
