Drip’s Prison Party

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Drip’s Prison Party was held in a top floor of a downtown Orlando business sky rise. The floor to ceiling windows had a magnificent view of the new Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center construction site as well as an amazing view of Lake Eola where a splash water skiing event was taking place. The idea of the prison themed fundraiser was that “prisoners” could not leave until they raised enough money so they could post bail. Of course “prisoners” were having so much fun, they wouldn’t want to leave. There were live performances through out the day along with food, drinks and massages.

Serafina Shiano, who was the actress who brought Lollybot to life in this years Dog Powered Robot show at the Fringe, performed a sensuous belly dance for the prisoners. Brandon Roberts, dressed as an 0fficer would set of a siren and announce a “Prison Break” about every hour. “Prison Breaks” were a time to stretch legs, grab a drink and enjoy a performance. The walls of the prison were covered with doodles all in a prison theme.

Each team of prisoners sat at a table and artistic thermometers gauged their fundraising progress.  The first team to raise $50 would be celebrated with confetti blasts. A young woman wandered the room in bright orange stilts.

I heard that Drip Dance has finally been granted all their city ordinances, so they will be going live on International Drive soon. The Drip bar will offer brightly colored brews as guests explore the dark and hip space. Drip is sure to become a hit among Orlando tourists who want to escape down a dark back alley to find some of this town’s most edgy, sexy and colorful dance. Watch art come alive!

Scooters for Hooters

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Scooters for Hooters was a fundraiser for Breast Cancer research in which hundreds of scooters and Vespas rode around downtown Orlando. The scooters were all lined up on Central Boulevard just south of Lake Eola. I had to sketch fast since everyone was revved up and ready to go. When someone gave the word, all the engines roared to life and all the scooters roared off. There were tents set up where the Lake Eola farmers market usually is. One tent was auctioning off artwork by local artists. I remember seeing a painting by Hurricane Maria on the auction block.

This was also the day of the International SketchCrawl and I relaxed in the park sketching and listening to the musicians who took to the stage for the Scooters for Hooters cause. It’s good to know any snacks I bought that day went towards an important cause.

City Beautiful Church

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I went downtown to the Lake Eola band shell to meet Sarah Lockhard and a Voci dancer named Brie to discuss possibly doing a live projected sketch during a dance performance. Cory Violence would be reading a Tom Waits poem called Watch Her Disappear. Apparently every day in October there will be public performances like this all around town. When I got close, I noticed musicians playing in the parking lot behind the Polish Catholic Church. Meals were being distributed to the homeless and the music suggested that they surrender to Jesus.

When I got to the band shell, I sat in the back row and waited for Sarah. A band was setting up on stage with a large screen behind them. The screen and projector system would be perfect for the performance piece Sarah was considering.  One of the tech guys walked up to me and introduced himself. He was a former student of mine who was volunteering to help out with the City Beautiful Church concert. Since Sarah was a no show, I decided to sketch the band as they did their sound check.

Cole Nesmith explained that this church would be moving into a new bricks and mortar establishment just south of Lake Eola in a couple of weeks. In the mean time they were worshiping in the park. The band was quite good, playing lively and uplifting Christian rock. I’d never heard the songs before. Some of the lyrics were, “There is an army rising up. Break every chain. I may be down but I will rise. It may be dark but God is light.” Cole gave a sermon about the Prodigal Son, who took his fathers inheritance, squandered it and then returned home begging for food and forgiveness. The point of course was that god is all forgiving and full of love. Clouds of gnats swarmed around my head. I swatted they away as I drew. I finally had to leave in the middle of a song to get away from the bugs. A couple ran after me as I walked around the lake. They wanted to see the finished sketch. Their son was at the key boards.

Full Sail GPS

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As a Studio Artist at Full Sail, there are certain classes that I am required to take. Dan Riebold told me about this class on GPS so I agreed to go. Most of the instructors hunkered down in the back row like deviant students. I sat in the second to last row with a fair view of the room full of instructors.

The GPS program was started after Full Sail students were sent to help out a local production company. Of the ten students sent to help, only two were considered hire able by the company. The students knew how to use the equipment, but they lacked motivation or that extra spark of knowing how to solve problems even before they cropped up.

When a student starts their studies at Full Sail, they are given 100 GPS points. If they are tardy they can loose 5 GPS points. If they fall asleep in a lecture they can loose points. Each teacher decides if point reductions are needed. On the flip side, points can be awarded if a student goes above and beyond by assisting other students or volunteering in the classroom or community. It was this community volunteering that perked up my ears as I imagine it might offer sketch opportunities and good human interest stories.

Jack Kerouac Project Yard Sale

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Each year, the Jack Kerouac Project holds a yard sale to help bring new talented authors to the Kerouac House in College Park. Jack was living in this home with his mother when he found out his novel, On the Road, was being published. That novel shot him towards a fame he wasn’t prepared for. He had to borrow money for the bus ride to New York to sign the publishing deal.

Now, every few months, a new author goes to the Kerouac House for uninterrupted time to write.  I like to meet and sketch the authors when I can. They usually have a reading of the work in progress which is a great time to meet the authors. The Kerouac Project is a real grassroots group that does an amazing job supporting authors by covering room and board during each authors stay. More importantly, they offer time which is a rare commodity in this day and age.

Caitlin O’Sullivan has landed for this year’s fall selection. She is
currently working on The Kiss-Off, a historical novel about a small waitress in 1931.

Peacock Trivia

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I decided to go to the Peacock Room following a lead in the Orlando Weekly that said there was going to be a trivia night. Believe it or not this was the most sketch able event that evening. Someone suggested I call such events Thor-Able. Anyway I arrived right after work, ordered a beer and started sketching the five or so other patrons. By the time I finished my sketch, I realized there wasn’t going to be any trivia.

A Rob Leaman flower was outside on the sidewalk, a remnant of The Corridor Project. The bartender let me know that they had to take it inside several times when it rained. Some of Rob’s day glow green branches were also above the bar. Art on the walls was all by tattoo artists. Some work looked like what you would expect to see on skin, but some was highly polished black and white oil paintings that I thought were great. One showed a rabid Easter Bunny attacking screaming children.

Sunday in the Park with George

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I went to the new Mad Cow, Blackbox Theater (54 West Church Street) where Lisa (pronounced Li-za) Buck was working on a huge set painting for Sunday in the Park with George. The painting was based on the large pointillist canvas now hanging in the Chicago Institute of Art in Chicago. The painting leaves out all the figures which will have the cast stepping in to fill the roles.

Lisa used long bamboo poles to hold her paint brushes. Painting was like an act of ballet with Lisa in constant motion. She had slated two hours to paint in the water. She was using old scenic paint which was chalkier than she was used to. This meant her brush dried out quickly with each brush stroke. This kind of forced her to work in s semi-pointillist manner. Overall she takes about 22 hours to finish a piece be it this large, or small. Lisa will be doing the set design for an upcoming Mad Cow production called The Road to Mecca.

Sunday in the Park with George Rehearsal

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The Harriet Theater stage was a blank canvas waiting to be painted. George Seurat, played by Matt Horohoe, turned away from Dot, played by Hannah Laird, to return to his painting. Dot followed him angrily as he climbed the ladder to work on his immense painting, The Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. She shouted at him, “Yes, George, run to your work. Hide behind your painting. I have come to tell you I am leaving because I thought you might care to know-foolish of me, because you care about nothing.”

(George) I care about many things.

(Dot)
Things-not people.

(George)
People, too. I cannot divide my feelings up as neatly as you, and I am not hiding behind my canvas-I am living in it.

(Dot)
What you care for is yourself.

“Tell me that you’re hurt, Tell me you’re relieved, Tell me that you’re bored. Anything, but don’t assume I know. Tell me what you feel!”

My fatigued eyes watered up as I sketched the heated argument in song. I knew every word.

Having seen the original, Sunday in the Park with George on Broadway, I was excited when Mad Cow Theater announced that this musical would be the first show to open in the new Harriet Theater (54 Church Street, Orlando). The space was still raw and unused when I walked in to sketch a rehearsal. All the theater seats were still covered with bubble wrap.  Director Timothy Williams sat in the front row watching the actors perform. Everyone was still, “on book” but the performance as Seurat and Dot argued was vibrant and hit home. I was shocked at how much Hannah Laird, with her cherub-like face resembled Bernadette Peters. Robin Jensen on piano slowed down the beat in one scene so the actors could keep pace and then speed up.The actors did an amazing job keeping up with Sondheim’s fast paced lyrics. Their voices were warm and full.  Robin kept stressing that everyone needed to clearly enunciate each word.

A square cut out stood in place for a dog. George interacted with the dog as he sketched, personifying how his life might be. No one knew if the dog would face stage left or right once cut out and painted, so Tim shouted out for someone to look at the painting to find out. It turns out that George had been addressing the dogs rump. I liked that Tim suggested to Matt that he think about the old Disney animators and the way they would act out how a deer or a dog might behave.

When all the actors assembled on stage to recreate the finished painting my heart swelled with the music. It is easy to see why this show won a Pulitzer prize. As I left, Tim noticed I was carrying an artists stool and he pointed at me saying to the prop man, “Look! That is the kind of seat we need for George!”  The ladder will later be “pimped out” with a shelf where George keeps his palette, paints and beer. The music and Lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim and the play is based on a book by James Lapine. The opening Night performance in Orlando will be October 6, 2012 and  the show runs through October 28th. The gala,
which will take place on October 6, features a pre-show dinner at  the
Rusty Spoon, followed by the Opening Night performance of Sunday in the Park with George, and a post show cast party at Kres Chophouse (17 West Church Street, Orlando). Gala tickets are $125. Regular show ticket prices are $25-$32.

“A blank page or canvas, his favorite. So many possibilities.”

Pisa Pizza

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I had intended to do a sketch of a film maker’s panel discussion as part of the Global Peace Film Festival at the Cornell Fine Art Museum on Rollins College. When I entered the museum however, the receptionist didn’t know anything about a panel discussion. She said that a film would be shown and she directed me towards a table behind me. On the table was an admission price of $8 which I didn’t know about. The receptionist then shouted at me, “I don’t think you are allowed in with that artists stool!” She started to call security and I just turned to her and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not going in.” I didn’t feel like fighting to get the sketch.

On the drive home, I decided to stop at Pisa Pizza (7058 West Colonial Drive, Orlando). For me this hole in the wall establishment is where I go when I’m craving the comfort of a steaming hot slice of cheese pizza. There was only two other people in the joint, seated over by the Push Bus Plush Toy Claw Machine.  Periodically the claw would drop and the machine would let out a loud mechanical wheeze. Talking heads on the TV discussed politics. A circular mirror distorted the room.

Half way into the sketch, The Lion King started up on the TV behind me. My heart still swells with pride during the opening sequence. When Simba tucked his head under his dead fathers paw, I wanted to shout out, “I worked on that scene.” The guy that was flipping pizza dough when I walked in, was now lounging in the seat behind me, chuckling as he watched the film. My sketch formed as I listened to a very dear and familiar story. Someday I’ll find my way on the path unwinding.

Occupy Orlando 2.0

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September 17th marked the one year anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. An open forum was held at the Administration Building (201 South Rosalind Avenue) in downtown Orlando. Last year the Occupy Orlando demonstrators camped out in Senator Beth Johnson Park on Lake Ivanhoe for about two months. Some demonstrators were arrested for  petty actions like writing on the sidewalk with chalk or sleeping on the grass. Personal items were confiscated by police. The group was ejected in December and they then moved down to City Hall. The demonstrations then slowly lost ground.

About 25 people at most gathered for this one year anniversary. One news van was parked nearby. I was surprised to find the Occupy leader in a stiff pressed, collared dress shirt with a black tie. One speaker felt that the anarchist principles of some members of the group undermined the cause. Another speaker felt the movement wasn’t dead but was now regrouping and working within the system to bring about change. The Occupy movement has been used by advertising and the “We are the 99%” slogan is now a part of popular culture.  More than once, the importance of getting people registered to vote was pointed out. Many of the young demonstrators were new to the disappointments that came with little or no change. Change never happens fast however. Lives were lost in the battle to bring equal rights to all men and it took decades for women to gain the right to vote.

I sketched Jim Howe of the Communication Workers of America as he spoke. Hundreds of thousands of petition signatures were gathered to get a sick time initiative on the November ballot. County Commissioners seem to be doing all they can to stall the initiative which would require employees to offer sick time to employees. If approved by voters, the sick-time initiative would require employers
with 15 or more workers to provide paid time off to employees who are
sick or caring for a sick family member. Both full- and part-time
employees would earn one hour of sick time for every 37 hours they work,
to a maximum of 56 hours per year. In a service industry town, I can imagine many businesses wouldn’t feel they profit from a sick time initiative.

One speaker who is running for public office, said elections should not be about raising the largest amount of campaign money. He felt elections should be about reaching the most voters online. A young demonstrator said that since the movement broke up, he has been occupying a MacDonald’s where he talks to people about change. The important thing is that he remains out in the community sharing his thoughts and opening a discussion. A speaker shouted out, “Mic check!” everyone shouted back, “Mic check!”. “It’s good to hear your still out there” he said. After the last speaker was finished, the grey sky opened up and it began to pour. Everyone scattered for cover. I wrapped my sketchbooks in plastic and walked back to my car huddled under my umbrella in the deluge.