Science Center

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The Orlando Science Center is open late on Friday and Saturday evenings in the summer. The Cosby Observatory is open till 10PM. The first time I went to the Science Center to see the observatory, it was raining. Well, of course the dome wasn’t open, so I decided to wander and find another sketch opportunity. I was tempted by a transparent woman but then couldn’t resist the dinosaurs. The room was completely empty the whole time I sketched. Only one family entered and they seemed to know instinctively, how to stay out of the sketch.

Every once in a while I would hear a dinosaur snort and roar. It wasn’t until I was about an hour into the sketch, that I noticed the T-Rex was moving his jaw as he made noise. It took me by surprise and I waited the longest time to see if he would do it again. I started looking over my shoulder anytime I heard noises behind me.

The excavation pits were well worked with sand scattered on the floor. Many paleontologists had been busy uncovering the bones.  This really is the best time for adults to play among the science exhibits free from bus loads of school children. Giant screen films are shown as well in the CineDome of Tornado Alley and Rescue. The Friday and Saturday evening hours continue all summer through August 18th. Night time tickets are just $13 for adults and $8 for kids (age 3-11).

Cosby Observatory

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On Friday evenings this summer, the Cosby Observatory is open to the public till 10PM at the Orlando Science Center (777 East Princeton St.). Riding the elevator to the observatory, I felt like I was entering the bridge of the Enterprise as the glass elevator slipped above the circular ceiling panel.

A high school volunteer greeted me when I got off the elevator. Out on the balcony, a small telescope was set up. The sun was about to set and the scope was pointed directly at the sun. Special filters removed harmful radiation. All that remained was a dark round disk.

I then climbed the circular staircase to the much larger Telescope. The domes two large sliding panels had been pulled aside to expose the night sky. To find Saturn, the entire dome had to be rotated clockwise a few degrees. It was an impressive sight watching the dome groan and rotate on a track with the push of a button. The telescope usually tracks a planet automatically using high tech servos, but the tracking was down, and a volunteer had to re-center the planet each time a new visitor took a look. Parents held their children up to the eye piece and they had to stand on tip toe themselves. There was a movable staircase for shorter guests. A little girl became fascinated with what I was doing and she snuggled up to my drawing arm so much, I couldn’t move my elbow. Her mom finally stepped in and said, “Give the man some room.” Brian OHalloran was there with his wife and children. They claimed they had just seen me outside Downtown Theater  on the drive over to the Science Center, so they were convinced I had a clone.

Each time people climbed or descended the spiral staircase, the platform I was sitting on shook. At times the line to look through the eyepiece got quite long. I took a look after my sketch was complete. Saturn was visible with it’s rings along with Pica, a distant star. I heard over and over again that Saturn looked like a sticker. Sure enough that is the impression since it looks flat since it is so far away. Carl Darden who is the observatory caretaker pointed out that the city of Orlando had a haze over it that night, and that contributed to the light pollution which hinders crystal clear sky viewing. I could see the gradient haze as the sky grew bright towards the city lights. The first time I went to the Observatory, it had rained all day and the observation doors were closed, so be sure to stop by on a clear night.

Simple Living Institute

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The Simple Living Institute was holding it’s monthly meeting in the Camelia Room at Leu Gardens. It had been raining all day and thus it seemed appropriate that the talk was about rain barrels. Tia Meer had been gardening all day in the rain which is actually a blessing since you’re guaranteed to stay cool when it rains. She entered the room, muddy and wet and introduced the speakers. Her husband, Terry Meer, began the talk explaining that 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water. Only 2.5% of that is fresh water and only 3/10 of 1% of that is drinkable water. He demonstrated how to build and plumb a rain barrel. In Florida or anywhere for that matter, huge amounts of rain water are wasted and lost to sewers and drainage ditches.

Tommy Branch demonstrated how he paints the blue barrels so they look like old fashioned wood barrels. He used a large house brush painting the whole barrel a light brown. Then he dries out the brush and adds dry brush streaks that look like wood grain. The vertical board separation lines he added last with a ruler and a sharpie. He said, “I’m no artist, so if I can do it anyone can.” Large rain barrels were on sale for $80 and half barrel planters were available for $40. Members all brought in plants which were for sale or trade on tables along the side of the room. There were at least 50 people in attendance despite the rain.

Ivanhoe After Hours

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Business owners from the Ivanhoe Village Business District mixed, mingled, and networked among the enriching art of the Mennello Museum of American Art, (900 East Princeton Street). There were libations and hors d’oeuvres. I arrived right after work and started sketching before the room got really crowded.

Dave PerMar from the Social Media Consulting Group and Colleen Burns from Yelp gave talks about how social media can help businesses. I sketched them as they set up their power points. According to Dave, Google + has been gaining influence online slowly inching towards Facebook’s influence. The benefits for any business are obvious and it is important these days to keep the conversation going with costumers. People trust advice from friends online rather than large corporate ad campaigns.

The wife of Rick Singh took an interest in my sketch. Rick is running for Orange County Appraiser and he was there with a broad smile shaking hands. I was encouraged by his wife’s obvious knowledge and love of art. She told me about Gallery G4 which just opened up downtown and she suggested I get down there and meet the owner. Linda Stewart was there as well and she suggested I go to a fundraiser for her campaign for Florida House District 47.

The Audacity of Play

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Urban ReThink is about Collaboration, Creativity and Transformation. Nothing exemplifies these principles better than the playful mural titled GoogliAnn and the Audacity of Play. now adorning a wall near the Spork Happy Food Cafe. Artist Graci

Ann Spath’s Self-Portrait explores the construction of self within the context of elementary society. Completed in September 2011, just prior to her 5th birthday, Spath offered the work as a gift to her uncle, Urban ReThink’s Founding Director, Darren McDaniel. McDaniel imagined the piece in giant format on the Urban ReThink wall and, in particular, the reaction it might trigger in his niece. Yet, upon seeing his first Photoshopped rendering, Spath quickly dismissed its authenticity. “It’s not real.”

McDaniel held fast to his vision of the giant googly-eyed girl on the
wall. In the weeks that followed, he came to see the possibility of the
piece as a perfect complement to the Urban ReThink environment—a
constant reminder of the spirit of play and possibility, bringing
together collaborators from multiple disciplines, not to mention
generations.

The Audacity of Play is a 10’x10′ expression of the piece
created by Orlando artist, Carolyn Schultz. The larger-than-life mural
features functional googly eyes concocted by Urban ReThink resident
creative, Kathryn Neel, and empowered by Zach from Hicks Electric. The small crayon drawing by GraciAnn is on display on a small pedestal in front of the mural. A remote control inflated fish floated through the room.

I went to the unveiling of the mural. This was to the the first time GraciAnn saw her small creation blown up larger than life.  When she arrived with her family, she didn’t notice the wall at first, but when she did, she ran to her mothers arms for support. Darren addressed the gathered crowd and got quite choked up when he said how important his nieces and family were to him.

Fragment(ed) Rehearsal

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The Empty Spaces Theatre Co. and DiDonna Productions presents “Fragment(ed)” – the sequel to their “Best Dance” winner of the 2011 Fringe “Unspoken”. Through a fusion of dance, movement, spoken word, aerial and original music Fragment(ed) explores the very adult world of love, sex and desire, guilt and rejection, violence and destruction and final fragmentation.

 The rehearsal was visceral and energetic, combining dance, spoken word, mime and music. The show delves deep into the doubts, conflicts and pure pleasure of love. Actors draw upon their own personal experiences. These anecdotes ring true because they are raw and true. One act dwelt with two male roommates. One roommate fell in love with a girl and invited her as a third roommate. The couple broke up and the girl stayed while her boyfriend left. She and the other roommate despised one another, yet during a fight the ended up kissing. Told simply through mime, the scene is hilarious. One dance number had couples bound together with bungee chords. When they ran apart in search of their freedom, they would be yanked back together with an inversely violent force. I was afraid that the cast with bandannas and torn jeans might have been over influenced by the local DRIP Dance company, but I was happy to discover a show with rich layers. Fragment(ed) is sure to viscerally touch you and perhaps allow you to recognize yourself.

Fragment(ed) will be performed ONE WEEKEND ONLY – 7 performances from Thursday July 12th – Monday July 16th at the Mandell Theater of the Lowndes Shakespeare Center located in Loch Haven Park
(corner of 1792 and Princeton). Performances will be at 7:30 each evening, with additional Twilight performances on Saturday July 14th and Sunday July 15th (two shows a day). 

WHEN: ONE WEEKEND – Seven Shows Only
Thursday July 12th – Monday July 16th
Evening shows Thurs – Monday @ 7:30pm
Additional Twilight Sat July 14th and Sun July 15th @ 4:30pm

TICKETS: $15 – $20 with some discounts available.
Reservations 407.328.9005 or online reservation/ticket purchase redchairproject.com

Karen Russell Opening

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I went to the opening reception of Karen Russell‘s solo art show at Sam Flax (1800 East Colonial Drive) on July 9th. I arrived straight from my job at Full Sail. I had to buy a few brushes for my trip to Santo Domingo. I bumped into Karen and her friend George as I was shopping. Karen let me know that she had crackers and that spray on Easy Cheese. How awesome! I haven’t had Easy Cheese since I was a kid. This was turning out to be quite an auspicious  pinky raised affair. Karen had to run out to get a few more supplies for the opening.

Since I was early, I started sketching the room, leaving a few open spots for arts patrons when they arrived. I spoke with the store owner for a while and I’m very happy that he is now stocking quality sketchbooks.  Half of the Stillman & Birn sketchbooks had sold from the floor display that he had picked up from the Namta Art Supply Convention at the Orlando Convention Center about a month ago. He has started stocking the new quality sketchbooks from Canson and Strathmore as well. As he said, “This is the year of the sketchbook.”

Karen was dressed all in black, with oil paint dabbed all over her calves. She returned with a supply of Communion wafers. Gordon Spears tried one and he said it tasted a bit like an ice cream cone or Styrofoam. I tried a small white wafer as well, letting it dissolve on the roof of my mouth. Karen suggested that they taste better with Easy Cheese. I never did try that combo. Being Jewish, my wife Terry wondered if she would go to hell for tasting a wafer. Some guy told her that it wasn’t too late to save her soul. She avoided him the rest of the evening. Terry had Karen paint a nude of her. The angular painting stares at me as I try to go to sleep at night. Terry joked that we should buy all the paintings and then sell them for thousands of dollars more down at Art Basel in Miami. A store clerk talked about how locals don’t buy art. He knew of a couple from Orlando who purchased some art in a Chicago art gallery. The art was by an Orlando artist. They said that they never buy art in Orlando. “For some reason, people only appreciate art north of the Mason Dixie Line.” he said.

People sat in all the black “Darth Vader” studio chairs on display. A friend of Karen’s showed off all the abrasions and bruises she got at a “Sui-slide” party she had been at. Another woman had a broken finger. Darn, I knew about that party and didn’t go to sketch. I could kick myself. The model for one the paintings liked how she looked on the wall with a flower in her hair. Jokingly, she lamented the hunch back and saggy boobs. A couple bought the smallest painting for $65. A green dot went on the label. I love Karen’s work. The harsh knuckled fingers and angular figures remind me of Viennese Expressionistic art prior to the world wars. This show is on display through July 23rd.

Artists Party and Street Market

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Affect Art held its first Artists Party and Street Market at Taste Restaurant (717 W. Smith Street College Park). The purpose of Affect Art is simply to help artists help themselves. A few artists were set up inside the front room in Taste and everyone else was set up outside under the awning. Clouds loomed, threatening rain as the evening grew dark. Parker Sketch had some paintings on display in the gallery inside. I met Terry for dinner at Taste before I started a sketch. I liked the tatter tots but the fish tacos were too hot for my taste. I had to wash them down with plenty of beer. Parker walked some patrons through the gallery and on his way out he saw us and stopped over to say hi.

Some sort of performance was going to happen in the gallery. A petite dancer was getting ready to perform. I found out she was a silks dancer who would be performing her aerial act.  The event was a fundraiser for YAYA, a youth and young adult Network of the National Farm Worker Ministry. It cost $5 to enter, so I opted to go with a free sketch outside, besides, catching a girl spinning and flipping as she is suspended from the ceiling would be a difficult sketch.

Outside, Parker was busy painting a skateboard with a Pabst Blue Ribbon logo. The board was for a show at City Arts Factory. Just about every gallery is filled with skateboards that have been painted by local artists. The show, curated by B-side artist Tr3 Harris is called Boarded up – The Art of Skateboarding. It is an impressive show hanging till July 14th.

Whitney Broadaway had an ingenious idea of letting passers by make their own prints. She had lino cuts already prepared and a young couple stopped to try their hand at print making. The woman rolled out the ink and applied it to the print plate. Only the high ridges would print. A sheet of paper was applied on top of the inked plate and then Whitney set it inside the press. The crank was turned applying massive pressure. The costumer was given the thrill of the big revel. Both Whitney and the costumer signed the print.

Although not much art was sold, it was a great opportunity for artists to mingle and talk art. One artist was talking about how the DADA movement was “the punk rock of art.” He admired Jackson Pollack who finally said, “F*ck this I’m just going to do what I want.” An artist who was dressed like a rough Harley Davidson biker lamented how he was an outsider in high school. Whitney’s table became a social hub for artists who had studied with the same teachers at UCF. A friend walked by and didn’t notice me sketching. I suppose I become a bit invisible when I sketch and I was camouflaged by large potted plants.

Yelp Orlando’s Summertime Street Soiree

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Yelp teaming up with CityArts Factory and the Downtown Arts District to
host a massive party, Yelp Orlando’s Summertime Street Soirée. Colleen Burns, aka “Blue” invited me to come sketch. Pine Street outside the City Arts Factory was blocked off with temporary fencing. Yelp is the site that connects locals to the best this city has to
offer. This event will be a great opportunity for everyone in the
community to come together to celebrate and enjoy complimentary bites
and adult beverages from local eateries and entertainment from The
Fifth, Bento, The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck, DJ A-Rock and KUSH just to name
a few. Since Yelp is all about the community, they partnered with City Arts
Factory, a community-minded non-profit, who collected donations
to keep the Downtown Arts District thriving.

I went to the event with my wife Terry and her book club friend Donna Connors. I was glad Donna could keep Terry company while I sketched. The challenge was that it was raining all morning. When we arrived and got our arm bands, I immediately rushed to find an overhang to sit under while I sketched. I decided to sketch the red flaming bar tent.

It began to pour. No, not just the drinks, I mean there was a typhoon. Winds soaked the sketch pages. The bar tenders ended up standing in curbside puddles  up to their ankles. That didn’t stop them from filling the complimentary drink orders. Most people had umbrellas or rain jackets. Others didn’t care, and they enjoyed the complimentary food and drink as they got soaked to the bone. I think the rain helped people meet and mingle as they huddled under tents and overhangs. I spotted blue once in here clear rain jacket and blue dress. She was in an animated conversation and I never got to thank her for organizing the huge event. A D.J.  stood in front of NV Lounge and he performed an amazing D.J. mix using only his voice and percussive lips. Words shuffled forwards and back and his hands animated the space in front of him like a giant mixing board. He was amazing but I didn’t sketch since rain continued to threaten. It was time to be social. I texted Terry, but she stood right behind me.

The three of us went into NV Lounge to sit at the bar and wait for the worst of the storm to pass. I ordered a Coke and the bartender said, “It’s on the house.” When the rain subsided, I ventures out to get a Woodchuck blueberry hard cider. Yum, I ordered another. There were long lines for sushi and other food stations. There was no line for Jeremiah’s Homemade Italian ice, so I got that. It was starting to rain again, so we agreed to go up to Donna’s apartment where it was dry and warm. As we drove up in my Prius, the sky opened up like a waterfall.

Accidental Fundraiser

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The Accidental Music Festival returned to Urban Rethink to present a performance of Terry Riley‘s seminal work In C, often cited as the first major minimalist work. The piece features a group of musicians (in our case a mixed ensemble of 12 players, many from UCF) performing a series of 53 musical ideas, each player moving through the sequence at their own pace. The melodies and rhythmic riffs flow in and out of sync according to the whims of the players, chance, and inspiration, so the piece can take anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours. The mood can become meditative, thrilling, and even ecstatic; it’s never the same twice.

In conjunction with the performance, there was also be a silent auction of prints and other small art pieces by local visual artists, with most items priced at $50 or less. The artists will donate a portion of the proceeds to presenting the 2nd annual Accidental Music Festival this November.

The Accidental Music Festival is a marathon festival of concerts and educational programming sponsored by the Timucua Arts Foundation. The festival is primarily dedicated to presenting modern and contemporary music of high artistic quality by living composers and engaging the community in a dialogue about the value of artistic, creative, and avant-garde music.

When I arrived, Mat Roberts was sitting alone on stage holding a potted cactus next to a microphone. He plucked the needles and the cactus sang like a harp. He used a bowl of nuts as an instrument as well. One nut thundered to the floor in an unexpected improvisation.  Yellow pencils poked into green Styrofoam balls stood topiary style in a pot beside him.

On the day of the fundraiser, Chris Belt the festival’s founder, was concerned that the performance at Urban ReThink didn’t generate the funds expected. I’m happy to see that the 2011 Kickstarter Campaign was a success. Hopefully this years fundraiser will also be a success. The Festival will take place November 8-18th at Urban ReThink and at the Timucua White House. I for one look forward to the new and unexpected. If anyone would like to bid on this sketch, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Accidental Music Festival. Consider the comment section on this post to be a silent bid sheet. Highest bid wins.