The Homestead

Posted on by Thor

 There was a birthday potluck for Julie Norris and Amber Melendy at the Homestead on East Pine Street August 11th. Terry and I went bearing red wine, some humus and a small present for Julie. It had poured that day so there was little chance the outdoor fire pit would light up. The living room of the homestead was warm and inviting. Toddlers played as people chatted. Slowly people moved out to the porch. For the longest time I sat in a comfortable rocking chair On the porch. Terry was resting on Julies bed inside. Several women were discussing the results of a sexuality workshop. I met Russell Kramer who does custom bookbinding and he offered to make me a custom sketchbook. I hope to sketch him at work someday.

Greywolf agreed to kick things off with a Gong Flow at sunset. A Gong Flow involves vibrational energy cleansing in which participants
experience the deep transformational opportunity provided by prolonged
exposure to these therapeutic vibrations. Supplemented by singing bowls
and sacred rattles, the core of the sound emanates from a 40” Chau
Gong. The most mesmerizing sound came from the Buddhist bowls which would sing as Greywolf circled the rim with a wooden dowel. Everyone sat on the porch in the cool evening air as the flow began. Some sat quietly and meditated and others joined in with their own instruments and voices. The warm light from inside the home spilled out onto the porch. It was an epic journey of sight and sound.

The Geek Easy

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Some of the Skill Focus Burlesque girls will be going to Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia to spread the gospel of Nerdy Burlesque. Dragon Con is the largest multimedia, popular culture
convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics,
literature, art, music, and film in the universe! This year, Dragon Con will be held Labor Day weekend (August 31 – September 3, 2012) in Atlanta, GA. Gas money is expensive though, so Ruby Darling threw a Free Dragon Con themed burlesque party at the Geek Easy to get folks drunk and sell them cupcakes! The Geek Easy is located in the back room of A Comic Shop
(114 South Semoran Blvd. Winter Park).

Cherry Bob-omb and Ruby Darling were behind the bar. Cherry had a luscious display of cupcakes in front of her. I decided to get a spoors cupcake which was awesome.Cherry’s other half, Mr. Bob-omb was next to the keg of free beer which was kept cool in an R2D2 ice bucket. There was a cardboard box for donations. The foamy Yuengling beer was quite good, and I stuffed some bills in the box. It is hard to write anything without sounding suggestive. Bob had to keep pumping the keg and done just right with plenty of wrist action and rhythm, it is hilariously suggestive.

At 11PM the Skill focus girls gave burlesque performances on two model stands that were arranged runway style. Shy LaBuff came to the event dressed as a Lord of the rings Dwarf. The fiery red bear matched her hair.  Her performance however was as Mario from the Mario Brothers Donkey Kong game. As always she was hilarious. Syber Digit added some sophistication to her routine and Ruby Darling really knew how to linger before each and every sensual reveal.

This brings me to another important reveal, The Star Wars Celebration VI is coming up August 23rd through August 26th at the Orlando Convention Center. The Skill Focus: Burlesque girls are going to celebrate Star Wars in their favorite way: Striptease!  They’ve got your light side and your dark side right here. The show titled Chan Shot First: An Intergalactic Burlesque Tribute, will be at Sleuth’s Diner Theater (8267 International Drive Orlando). Enjoy a fancy adult beverage from our Star
Wars menu of drink specials and be amazed as Skill Focus performs burlesque numbers as some of your favorite
scoundrels, princesses, and various life forms. The show is Saturday August 25th starting at 8PM.Parking is ample and free. Look for Ripley’s and the Crab House!

Tickets are $10 general public, $8 for members of the 501st

Doors and the bar open at 7:15pm

18+ only – nudity and nerdity!

Call 407-363-1985 to reserve your tickets now…seating is limited – don’t miss out!

Star Wars themed drink specials will be available all night long, plus a full bar and appetizer menu.

For reservations, call 407-363-1985. Seating is limited!

Disenchanted: Bitches of the Kingdom

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Disenchanted: Bitches of the Kingdom is having an extended run through August at Mama Mia’s because performances kept selling out. Word of mouth travels fast and these Bitches are rising fast. This hilarious production features the songs of Dennis Giacino and is directed by Fiely Matias. I have loved this production ever since I saw it at the Orlando Fringe Festival. The incredible Michelle Knight has reprised her roll as a saucy Snow White and she shines in the spot light. She started out the show belting out a note and holding it so long, the audience started screaming, laughing and clapping endlessly.

The room had a small semi circular stage big enough to hold Dennis behind the grand piano and the princesses.  The audience filled the small room seated around small tables. The cabaret style show suited the intimate space. Jenny Lee Stern began as Belle who sang Insane! Her hair was tightly pulled back and her eyes fluttered wide and bewildered as she watched the other princesses perform. As The Little Mermaid, her hair came down and she added an unexpected hard edge to the part with a biker chick attitude and tattoos. I ended up sketching her twice by mistake. This production is still in development, but it is destined to be an off Broadway hit in 2013. The show is moving to  Missouri next. Auditions are being held Friday, August 24 for its production at Stephens College in September 2012.

Authors at the Drunken Monkey

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My plan was to sketch an album release party and concert for Everyday Ghosts. I was early so I ordered some food and an iced coffee at The Drunken Monkey (444 North Bumby Avenue  Orlando). There was a group of authors seated at the table in front of me and I couldn’t resist a sketch. Much of the conversation centered around self publishing and how that has changed the scene for authors. There was some discussion about how social media has changed how they promote their work. Each author had something unique to add based on their experiences. I really should have taken notes. I could have learned a thing or two. A woman who looked like a naval officer had dinner alone while reading her iPad. As a matter of fact all the other costomers were staring at computer screens.

When I was finished, I walked across Bumby Avenue towards the Plaza Theater. I was surprised that there wasn’t a crowd at the entrance. Something was wrong. I stood outside the locked, darkened theater and double checked my calendar on my iPhone. Unbelievable! The concert was NEXT week! I was going to be out of town so I would miss the big premiere. Thank goodness I sketched while I ate dinner.

I no longer go to Drunken Monkey since they used one of my
sketches without consulting me on their Internet welcome page. I usually
support local businesses but I can’t support theft.

RDV Ice Den

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Matt McGrath invited my wife Terry to watch him play hockey at the RDV Sportsplex Athletic Club (8701 Maitland Summit Blvd. Orlando). His team is called “The Fire Ants” and he instructed us to go to the second ice rink away from the entrance. The RDV Sportsplex is immense. Entering the building which is right across the street from EA Sports, I passed an indoor Olympic sized pool and then walked a boardwalk looking down on a sea of work out equipment. The Orlando Magic corporate headquarters are in the building as well. Basketballs with player’s hand prints were on display as well as monster sized sneakers. I wonder if they will be removing Dwight Howard‘s sneakers when he follows Shaq to Los Angeles. Once again, Orlando seems unable to hold onto talent.

There were indeed two ice rinks and I went to the one furthest away from the main entrance. There were a few people in the bleachers, all of them women. I had never seen an ice hockey game in person before. When Terry arrived, I was half finished with my sketch. She discovered that The Fire Ants were playing in the other rink. Terry went to watch the Fire Ants while I finished my sketch. I walked down to the two women seated below me. I asked them the names of the teams. The EA Hammerheads in blue were playing Orange Crush in orange. The fans told me I should root for the EA team since they were. Orange Crush had a female goalie which had me thinking that I might have stumbled onto an all women’s team. After much study however, I decided all the other players were men.

Orange Crush was leading the whole game. In the 4th quarter the EA goalie skated to the sidelines allowing an easy goal for the Orange Crush. The final score was Orange Crush 5, EA Hammerheads 3. Terry told me Matt played a pretty good defensive game. I think that the Fire Ants is a great name for a team. I get itchy just thinking about it. The RDV Sportsplex offers endless sketch opportunities. I wish it was a little closer to home.

ALAK Block Party

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Not every sketch is a gem. This was a rare case where I tried to do a watercolor in the rain. The ALAK Block Party invitation put the address as 715 N Thornton Ave. Bands on the play list included Attic, Surfin Serf, Permanent Nap and of course the California based headliners ALAK. When I arrived, I didn’t notice any stage but I did see a food truck pulling into a parking lot.  That had to be where the event was. I parked down the block and hiked back. A musician was unpacking a drum set from the trunk of his car. It had just started to drizzle. He carried the drum set to the back of a small deserted alley. The La Espinada Food Truck didn’t have a generator, so she backed the truck next to the alley and then she searched for a power outlet. A tenant on the second floor apartment let her run an extension chord up through his window, tapping one of his outlets for a small fee.

I sketched as quirky cat banners were hung around the alley. This small alley was dubbed “Cloud 9” by the event organizer. A young crowd slowly gathered as the rain continued to lightly fall. I tried to salvage the sketch from the constant rain with no success. It became such a wet mess that I couldn’t work on it anymore. I called Terry and we agreed to meet for dinner at Dandelion Communitea Cafe. I bumped into Julie Norris as I was about to order. She had been busy storing a whole bunch of restaurant furniture and cookware.  Ethos Vegan Kitchen had just moved into a new location in Winter Park and the new space was fully furnished so they donated their unneeded furniture and equipment to Julie. A win-win for the Orlando Vegan community. I ordered an all Garden of Eden themed dinner that tasted great.

After dinner, Terry and I walked back to the Block Party to see if it had been rained out. By now the rain had stopped and die hard hipsters were still partying. Terry wasn’t impressed, so she headed home. I considered a second sketch, but I was still wet from the first sketch so I went home as well. I’m sure things heated up as it got dark.

Thursday T&A

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I went to Graffiti Junction (900 E Washington Street, Orlando) for Thursday T&A (Trivia and Arts). I arrived a bit early right after work. T&A happens each Thursday from 7 to 9PM. I decided to sketch the ornate fountain that slows traffic through the Thornton Park District. I wonder how many drunk drivers ran into the fountain before they decided to put all those steal barricades around it. I leaned back against the new Mother Falcon Bar. Tables were being set up outside anticipating the evening crowd. Melissa Felcman who is an amazing supporter of the arts, came out and shot a photo of my sketch in progress. For once I didn’t feel like I was in the way. I heard the announcer across the street and when I finished the sketch, I went inside Graffiti Junction for a burger and Trivia.

They were just starting the second round of T&A when I arrived. Here are some of the questions. If you know the answers, you can leave them in the comment section. People were instructed to close laptops and put away cell phones to avoid cheating. The Mission Impossible theme kicked in.

What character smoked a hookah pipe in Alice in Wonderland?

What gives the Red Sea its red tint?

What is the Indian Religious concept called in which a soul returns to a new body?

What is the hormone responsible for male sex characteristics?

Word Jumble! NAIGLCABN

Snoop Dogg changed his name to what?

True of False. Wimbledon games are played on a grass surface.

What is the State capital of Washington?

What makes women more creative? Flowers, loose shoes, or chocolate chip cookies?

What comes after the turn in Texas Hold em Poker?

True or False. The Grey Wolf is also known as the Timber Wolf.

Dr. Phillips Center of the Performing Arts Construction

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I went downtown to the construction site of the Dr. Phillips Center of the Performing Arts. My plan was to sketch the children’s art that covers the fencing surrounding the site. As I walked down Magnolia however, I couldn’t resist sketching the Methodist church spire against the dark storm clouds. A building across the street from the church was being demolished to make more room for the Arts center construction.

Dark rust colored beams were beginning to rise from the construction site. The buildings were taking form. A web cam tracks the building’s progress 24/7. Part of me wants to get on the construction site to do a series of sketches  documenting the progress. Then again it is boiling hot outside with little hope of shade on the site.

I thought I would be sketching in the crowds of people rushing home at 5pm, but the streets were eerily vacant. Only the vehicular traffic left the impression that Downtown was bustling. A bus driver stopped next to me and the doors opened with a hiss. I was about to explain that I wasn’t waiting for a bus, but she said, “I just wanted to see the sketch with the color, I saw you when you started the sketch.” I held up the sketch so she could see and she gave me a thumbs up. One fellow wearing a tie stopped to see what I was doing. He said, “That’s my building!” Apparently he must be the architect. A lightening flash blinked brightly on the horizon. The rain held off long enough so I could get back to my car. Then it poured.

Central Florida Theater Community Potluck

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There is an undeniable irony that the semi-quarterly July Theater Potluck dinner was held at Starving Artist Studios, (801 Orienta Ave, Suite 1000, Altamonte Springs, FL). The potluck was held Sunday, June 24th from 7pm – 10pm. There was a torrential rain storm on my drive up I-4. I figured the rain might thin the crowd, but when I entered, the place was packed.

Starving Artist Studios, run by Tim Evanicki is a brand new facility that teaches dance, acting and music. Each room is themed after an area of NYC.  The room where I settled in to sketch had pictures of Union Square on the walls. A large mirror lined one wall, so this room was set up for dance. All the walls were freshly painted and several rooms had pianos and drum sets.

Everyone brought a plate of great food, drink or dessert. There was plenty to choose from. Conversations bristled as people shared good times and good conversation with friends from our theatre community. This wasn’t about performing, this wasn’t even about networking. It was a chance for people to be themselves and take a moment to breathe with all the people making our Central Florida Performing Arts Community VITAL! I kept bumping into people I know in the food line. John DiDonna joked with me about sketching. “Can’t you put the pencil down just once and have a drink and relax?” “I’ll relax as soon as I finish this one sketch, I promise.”

In the next room, Terry Olson started a theater trivia game. He said, “Name a theater production that features rain!” “Singing in the rain!” someone shouted back. “A Steady Rain!” “Rain on Broadway!” “The Diviners!” “Twelfth Night!” The answers kept coming. These theater folk know their stuff.

Tonight is Third Thursday.  “Granted“, at the City Arts Factory (9 South Orange Avenue), is a showcase for artists who had grants from United Arts.  I received a grant last year to help  with the expense of art supplies for this blog. Three of my sketches will be on display and for sale. The work will be on display through September 14th.

Lets Make a Movie!

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I  stumbled across a meet up group online that was meeting at Perkins Restaurant and Bakery (6425 University Boulevard, Winter Park) . A guest speaker, Todd Thompson of Stars North Productions, a locally based independent film company, was lined up.  He outlined a long list of credentials. He made his first three movies by the age of 11 using his Grandfather’s Super 8 movie camera, using action figures and stop motion animation. He worked on the Tom Hanks mini series, From the Earth to the Moon in 1998. He worked on The Green Mile in 1999. He was told that producing independent shorts was the best way to break into the industry. So he did just that, and won awards along the way for films like Time & Again, and Once Not Far From Home. Chance meetings at film festivals lead to other contacts and productions. It seems film making is all about persistence, drive and chance encounters.

His current project, The Highwaymen, sounded like it could be a fantastic film. The film centers around a talented African American painter named Alfred Hair, who is unable to show his work in galleries because of his race. He meets a white landscape painter, A.E. Backus who taught him everything he knew about painting. He took this information and taught 26 other African American men how to paint. They produced over 100,000 paintings which they would sell on the road side for like $20 a painting. A.E. Backus would produce maybe one painting a month whereas these guys were producing at least a painting a day.  Some of the Highwaymen could produce up to 30 paintings a day, working in series. The paintings were quickly executed Florida landscapes. An art critic “discovered” the work and after he wrote an article, the price of the work skyrocketed. Highwaymen paintings are probably still scattered in peoples attics with the owners having no idea as to the value of the work. I love the premise of this film, the mentor ship, and overcoming the racial divide. The original artists have been interviewed and a huge wall was set up that follows their intertwined lives. I’d love to sketch and document the shooting and post production of this film.

People began introducing themselves and discussing their interest in film production. The introductions weren’t in any order and perhaps half way through, order broke down and lively discussions erupted. A short script for a SPCA public service announcement was on the table and I believe a number of people in the room were going to be involved in shooting the project in an animal shelter. When I realized I didn’t have to introduce myself, I slipped away.