Tom & Jerry’s

Posted on December 31, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

Every Tuesday starting at 9pm Tom & Jerry’s Lounge (1117 N. Orlando Ave.) hosts a Free Open Mic with Blues Mama. The Lounge is easy to spot since it has a VW Bug on top of a telephone pole to catch your attention. I pulled into the side streets and parked behind the building. I noticed that quite a few off duty food trucks were parked in the area. Inside, the smoke filled bar was quiet. I walked behind the wall of people seated at the bar. I figured I’d order a beer so I looked to see what was on tap. I didn’t see a bartender so I gave up on the beer and sat at a tall round table.

Band equipment was being set up on a small corner stage. Two guitarists got the evening started with cover songs. Blues Mama followed them playing guitar and singing solo. Though the tables remained empty, the bar was crowded. When she finished her set, she walked up to me curious about the sketch. I asked her name and she shouted, “Cheryl!” over the amplified guitar music. I must say, she keeps the event humming with performers constantly lined up throughout the evening.

Terry and Mark Baratelli walked in, having come from a fundraiser at a posh European sports car dealership. They both looked sharp and a bit out of place in the grungy bar. Terry didn’t like the smoke, so they immediately left. A scuffle broke out between two guys at the bar next to me. A bar stool crashed to the floor and one guy was shouting waving his finger in the other guys face, “Don’t you ever touch me!” I don’t know what it was about. The woman seated between me and the scuffle caught my eye and she raised her eye brows as if saying, “Boys will be boys.”

A guitarist named Thomas got on stage and it was announced that this would be his last performance at the open mic since he is moving to the cold North East. My sketch was done, so I packed up and left. I had completely forgotten to have a beer.

Music at the Morse

Posted on December 30, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

Free music at the Morse Museum (445 North Park Avenue, Winter Park) has become a holiday sketching tradition for me. On select Fridays through April musicians perform, filling the Museum with music. Of course the last time I tried to sketch in the Morse I was asked to stop sketching since I was sketching on a digital tablet. So this time I didn’t bring the tablet. Last time I couldn’t use my artist stool either but I’m an eternal optimist so I brought it along. When I arrived I asked the woman at the reception desk if there was any way for me to get close to the performers. They were high up in a balcony so I hoped I might stand in a hallway up there. The receptionist remembered me from last time. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. There was “No room up there” she explained.

I would have to settle on a long shot sketch. I sat back against a wall next to the entry door and started blocking in the sketch. After several lines a guard approached. “We need this area clear for foot traffic.” he said. “I’m going to have to ask you to move forward to that part of the gallery.” I negotiated to move forward just about five feet next to a table with museum fliers. This spot turned out to be better since fewer people walked in front of me. Of course people stopped at the table for extended periods filling out membership forms. I sketched around them.

A woman approached me. “Great” I thought, “Here comes the Museum Director to ask me to leave.” It was actually Julie Koran. She is a Facebook friend and participates in a monthly event called Dinner and a Conversation. Jennifer Miller organized this event 20 years ago. It is always fun to meet a Facebook friend in person for the first time. She knew of my work and just wanted to say “Hi.” I relaxed. The sketch was going well. The museum guard took a peak and said he liked what I was doing. Shannon Caine who was one of the flutists came down and spoke with me as I was throwing down the final washes. She was gracious and told me about upcoming performances. The other flutists were Kelli, and Mary. The Music for Three Flutes Only was a custom collection by the staff arranger. As I left, the guard held the door for me and said, “Merry Christmas.” My heart warmed. We weren’t working at crossed purposes. Tonight there is the Sweet Sounds of Jazz Trio (flute, guitar and upright bass) from 4pm to 8pm and admission to the museum is free. A perfect, relaxing way to prepare for the New Year.

Grandma Party

Posted on December 29, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

This was the ninth Grandma Party held in the parking lot of Stardust Video & Coffee. As I drove past in search of side street parking I could see at a glance that the lot was filled will more tents than ever. As I approached on foot I saw that there were even tents set up in a retention ditch next to the lot. Down in the ditch I saw Patrick Greene wearing a T-shirt with a marijuana leaf boldly crossed out and circled in red. He was selling marijuana free brownies. He joked with me later that some folks were honestly upset by his marijuana free campaign. He responded to them “Chill out dude.” “You’d think they would be more laid back.” he told me.

I did a full tour of all the tents knowing I wanted to pick up a Christmas gift. Dewey Chaffee and Douglas McGeoch were selling handmade bird houses. Dewey and Douglas had left town to bring their unique edgy comedy to larger cities on the East coast so I was surprised and pleased to see them. I found a spot under a tree on a parking lot island and started to sketch. The billboards announced, “Committed” and “My Comfort & Joy” which seemed appropriate for this event which truly celebrated local artisans and talent. It is an event that honestly brings together a tight Knit community of people. Yet there was variety and diversity to the crowds who shopped.

Anna McCambridge-Thomas was shopping for necklaces made from bent spoons. Many were shaped into bells and she tested them to find the perfect ring. Maya Norris was equally enchanted by the sounds and she gazed up and batted a few to listen. Emily Rankin was watching Maya and she braced the display to be sure Maya didn’t play to hard. There was delight in Maya’s young eyes. Across from me was Leah Fairchild’s booth filled with glass Terrariums filled with moss and small woodland sprites. Next to her was Misty Forest which had some jewelry for sale. Doug Rhodehamel stopped in his tracks in front of me. He always jokes about where I should place him in my sketch. We both agreed that this was a perfect warm day for a Grandma party.

I learned about an art party that happens in Winter Park every month so that is on my sketch wish list for next year. While I sketched I got to meet so many people as they shopped. When the sketch was done, I walked up to Leah’s booth knowing I had to have a terrarium. I picked one that was in a flask shaped coffee pot. A bright blue creature was inside but I couldn’t make it out because of the condensation. With the lid on the terrarium is a closed environment. Leah explained that it rains just like the Earth environment. Life and a complete ecosystem on a small scale, the perfect gift. Of course Ourlando Calendars are a good gift too for the new year.

NADA Art Fair

Posted on December 28, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

The condominium we stayed at was in North Miami Beach and on the last day we went to the Deauville Beach Resort which was the home of the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) is a not-for-profit organization devoted to giving support and encouragement to those who work in new contemporary and emerging art; facilitating strong, and meaningful relationships between members; and enhancing the public interaction with contemporary art. NADA Art Fair was founded in 2003. Members include galleries directors, non-profit art spaces, art advisers, curators, writers, museums and other art professionals from around the world.

NADA was only a few blocks from where we were staying. After a quick stop for omelets, we walked along the beach boardwalk till we found the hotel. After three solid days of looking at art, we were all experiencing art burn out. Everything started looking the same. Dealers in one booth explained to us that dealers from Art Basel liked to migrate up north to the NADA Art Fair to see something new and unexpected. He said these dealers might stop back several times that week. As he put it, “We are all learning as we go. There is no rule book.”

After walking through the Napoleon, Richelieu and La Jardin Ballrooms, only one image was engraved into my memory. There was a video playing that showed a giant tortuous grunting as it tried to mount another tortuous. The person in the booth explained that there were only a few of this species left in the Galapagos Islands and they were all males kept together in an enclosure. These males were each over one hundred years old and the last of their species. With all the odds stacked against them these Centenarians were still trying to propagate their species. The shells scraped and clicked as claws lost grip and the dance began again in slow motion. Life finds finds a way.

In the lobby, Grant Peterson lay prostrate in a leather chair, his fedora spooned neatly over his backpack. Like everyone in our party, he was exhausted, having seen enough art to last him another year.

Red Dot

Posted on December 27, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

The Red Dot tent was right next to the Scope tent. By now I was moving quickly focusing only on the work that interested me. There was far more representational art than in the convention center. A second large tent was connected to the first, doubling the exhibit space. Several members of our party were seated at a circular table in this back exhibit space. I was glad to join them. Seated at the table across from us was Russian artist Anna Razumovskaya with flowing blonde hair and dressed in a white business suit.. She paints romantic images of women in warm impressionistic hues. Her work exudes high fashion and excess, executed with bold brush strokes, bravado and flash. A large flower arrangement burst out of a clear vase full of green apples. A dark ballgown was exhibited as well with a giant black crinoline flower. Anna was often approached by women who loved her work. They shyly approached her, delighted to have the chance to meet the artist in person. She would pose for photos with them and was so gracious. It was nice seeing an artist being treated like a rock star.

The booth next to Anna’s contained the photo realistic paintings of Ken Orton. The large paintings explored the way light dances it’s way through mason jars. I’m fascinated that an artist could commit himself patiently to a quiet still life subject like that, over and over. For me, life is always on the move and I just struggle to keep up. There are things to be discovered in the quiet moments as well.

Santa at the LYNX Bus Terminal

Posted on December 26, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

Debbe King tipped me off that Santa was going to be in the LYNX Bus Terminal. When I arrived I sat on a terminal bench straight across from Santa. Mrs. Claus was there as well but she was constantly on the move. She shouted out, “Hey! How about another announcement!” The loud speakers crackled, “Mr. and Mrs Claus are in the bus terminal. Come meet Santa.” Mothers and children must have taken buses just so they could meet him. A new mom had her two week old baby with her. She gently placed the baby in Santa’s lap. He smiled at the baby that cooed playfully. A slightly older daughter was frightened of him. The man seated next to me was also watching and he laughed.

A man with a dark straggly beard and wild dark hair was muttering and cursing to himself as he shuffled by. He must have been the anti-Santa. He continued to curse after he sat on a bench. Two OPD officers soon walked in and insisted that he had to leave or get on a bus. Santa was loitering as well but his jolly laughter and good cheer left the officers laughing as well. “Ho, Ho, Ho! Write me a ticket! Ho, Ho!” As they walked away, they were smiling. A face painter created intricate holiday masks for the children. One boy left as Spiderman and his sister had delicate butterfly wings over her eyes.

A fan was pointing at Santa constantly since he is used to much cooler weather at the North Pole. A group of teenage girls approached him. “Your never to old to sit on Santa’s lap!” He chuckled. The girls giggled. One of them sat next to him and whispered in his ear. He asked a little boy what he wanted for Christmas, and the boy said, “A car for my parents.” “You’d be amazed at how many requests I get for cars.” he replied. “I’ll see what I can do.” I was touched that the boy didn’t ask for anything for himself. Santa’s beard was real and his red nosed complexion was real as well. Perhaps families across Central Florida will experience a New Year with the freedom of the open road. If only gas was less expensive.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Posted on December 25, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

For the first time in years, Terry and I decided to buy a live Christmas tree. Neither of us had seen any tree tents in our travels around town. I did notice a fireworks tent still up on Colonial Drive. I guess they will do a brisk business for New Years Eve. Terry was raised Jewish but she loves decorating the tree even more than I do. The first order of the day was to pack the back of my truck full of old computer monitors, a fax machine and and several dead car batteries. We dropped everything off at a recycling center on McCoy Road. As I drove, Terry asked friends on Facebook where they got their trees. I think Tracy Burke is the one who directed us to go to Home Depot.

A tent was set up in the Home Depot parking lot. When we walked in, the pine needle smell was intoxicating. Terry seemed to think I would be a tree expert since I grew up with the tradition. They all looked good however. We finally settled on a seven foot Douglas Fir. It was a little mushed on one side but that imperfection gave it character. We were given a ticket and we payed inside the garden center. Terry couldn’t resist picking up some purple Begonias, her favorite flower as well. The tree was packed in a tight nylon net. I backed up the truck and opened the back, hoping the tree would fit inside. The trunk was thrust between the front seats almost touching the windshield. When I sat behind the steering wheel, I had to lean against the door. The sweet smell of pine needles filled the truck.

Getting the tree to stand straight in the stand was a chore. Terry held the tree as I tightened the bolts into the trunk. There was no way to check if it was standing up straight. When Terry let go and backed up to take a look, the tree fell over. I realized there were too many branches near the base so she got me some garden shears to cut them away. I tightened the bolts in a second time, having them puncture the trunk in a new spot. This time the tree stood its ground.

Using a ladder, I climbed up into the attic space above the garage where the Christmas lights and ornaments are stored in moving boxes. We unpacked the boxes in the kitchen, looking first for the lights. Foot long strands of green wire and tiny colorful incandescent bulbs fell out on the floor. Something was wrong. I neatly wind the Christmas lights around a red hanger but they were falling away in pieces. We discovered rats had chewed through the wires. I started throwing away the wires that had been chewed through. I tested the few strands remaining and only the last one partially lit up. I lay it out on the floor and plugged it in. Only half the strand was lit. I started replacing bulbs one at a time trying to revive the lights. Those little suckers are hard to take out. After a dozen bulb tests, I gave up, pronouncing the final strand DOA.

We went to a Walgreen’s and got 3 boxes of the old fashioned larger bulbs. These are the types of bulbs I grew up with. I was in charge of putting the lights on the tree. When I was done, I settled back and sketched while Terry put up the ornaments. Amanda Chadwick stopped over with Baxter, her adorable, but skittish Dachshund. It took Baxter quite a while to notice Zorro, our cockatoo on his perch. When he did notice him, his ears bristled and his eyes grew wide as he thought, “Toy!” We were short on ornaments and I had to crawl back up in the attic to recover a box that had been moved by workmen running cables up there. Inside was a treasure trove of old ornaments. Terry would hold each one up and announce, “Oh, look at this one! Oooh!” Amanda napped on the couch with Baxter. We had plenty of Marti Gras beads that came back with us from New Orleans and the Gay Pride Parade. Amanda twisted the beads creating wonderful little stars. She showed me how to do it and together we created dozens of stars. Matt Simantov checked in from Seattle via Skype.

I warmed up a bottle of German mulled wine which was sweet and delicious. When the tree was fully decorated, we ordered a pizza and basked in its warm glow while listening to world beat music.

2nd Annual Holiday Benefit Concert

Posted on December 24, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

The Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra performed a Holiday Concert in the Lake Eola Band Shell. The primary purpose of the FSYO is education. All programs reflect a commitment to provide young musicians with the opportunity to strengthen their musical talents and develop an appreciation of the arts through classical music.The first orchestra to perform was the Prelude Orchestra. A cow in a Santa suit got on the conductors podium as the children warmed up. The cow wasn’t a conductor at all! He was a mascot for Chick Fill-a promoting the mass murdering of chickens as apposed to cows. For the rest of the concert he remained on the sidelines, occasionally throwing cow T-shirts into the audience. Beth Marshall once told me that Chick Fill-a company policy does not recognize, and opposes same sex couples so I stopped eating there.

The first few pieces by the Symphony were embarrassingly bad yet there were enough parents in the audience to offer thunderous applause anyway. I was seated in the front row at stage right. I started sketching chairs to block in the sketch figuring I would fill them with children when they got on stage. Unfortunately the first orchestra only filled a few seats. The next orchestra was filled with slightly older children and the music started to feel more unified. A special guest was announced and Santa Conducted the orchestra. Audience members brought new gifts and donations for the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program. The concert will air Christmas morning at 6am on WMKG-TV Local 6.

Moving a Tree

Posted on December 23, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

Moving a Tree was a performance art piece staged in a courtyard in front of the SCOPE tent at Art Basel in Miami Beach. There were a few couches set up in the gavel courtyard for an audience. I sat on a comfy cushion to sketch as everyone else explored the art inside.

This is what the artist, Avery Lawrence, had to say about “Moving a Tree.”
“For the last five years, my family and I watched as dementia overcame my grandfather. The act of witnessing and attempting to slow down his decay brought us together. He died in January. In the ‘Moving a Tree’ film, installation and performance, I explore the process of creating an homage that honors his life, his passing, and the relationship he forged with my grandmother over sixty years of marriage.”

“There was a dying walnut tree on my grandparents property in Central Virginia. Through the process of moving it, I created a physical struggle that enabled me to contemplate my grandparents efforts to create a whole loving family and maintain their own compassionate relationship. The characters I portray in ‘Moving a Tree’ represent my grandmother and grandfather, and the installation recreates my idea of their home.”

I assumed the artist would be doing the performance piece non-stop. As soon as I started sketching, he stepped off and disappeared. Where was the struggle, the inner turmoil and endless contemplation? I blocked in the treadmill and all the background elements, then I went inside the tent to see some art. When I returned, he still wasn’t there but I had faith that my struggle to complete the sketch would be fulfilled. As I was applying washes, he did return and I quickly sketched him in, knowing he might disappear at a moments notice.

The SCOPE tent had some of the most inspiring art I saw that weekend. I found the work of Karim Hamid and I took my time exploring his work. Karim is an excellent draftsman whose work is part collage and part expressive oil paintings. He fragments and partly abstracts the human face and form. I saw his work last year at Art Basel and this year the colors were a bit more garish.