A Comic Shop

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“A Comic Shop” is hidden in an innocuous strip mall on 436 just south of Aloma. It is located right next to a tattoo parlor. The shop is located right across the street from Full Sail where I work. I arrived early right from work and decided to sketch the humble strip mall architecture. After I finished my sketch I ordered some fried rice at the Chinese restaurant in the mall. The rice tasted old and I could only eat half of it. I come here once a month for “Mystery Sketch Theater” which is held in “The Geek Easy”, a lounge hidden away in the back of the shop. There was an assortment of desks and chairs scattered around the lounge.

Kristen Pauline and Adrienne Frankenfield started moving the model’s stage into place and I helped out. Adrienne had a little map that showed where to place each desk. Ten to twenty artists show up to sketch a model who is usually dressed in a comic themed outfit. This month we were sketching Arsenic Arson…

Jeans & Jewels Speakeasy

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The Jeans & Jewels Speakeasy was a fundraiser put on by the Friends of the Philharmonic at the Winter Park Garden Club. An old vintage Ford Model T was parked in front of the clubhouse entrance. Terry had gone all out wearing a gold sequin dress she had borrowed from Genevieve Bernard. With her gold turban, gold high heels and long gold necklaces and brooches she was a hit. I was not half as flashy in my black suit. I sketched the band before dinner.

After dinner I decided that dancing was more important than sketching. Terry and I mixed it up with all the other flappers on the dance floor. The room was kept mysterious thanks to a theatrical fog machine. Flappers and gangsters mingled and talked. In the men’s room bullet hole stickers punctured the stalls and doorway. There was a wide assortment of silent auction items, the most tempting one being a kitsch oil painting of a monkey dressed as royalty. Many revelers thumbed their noses at prohibition.

When the band began playing again after a break, Terry lounged on the steps in front of the group like she was part of the act. A group of people got up and started shooting photos with their cell phones. Terry blocked her face with her black gloved hands but the photographers persisted. She finally had to retreat off the steps. For the rest of the night we danced to the point of exhaustion. Rainbows End played tirelessly. I recognized the saxophone player from sketches I had done at the Monday Night Jazz sessions at the Grand Bohemian. I kept wondering when police would raid the party.

Bay Hill Invitational

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Once a year the Bay Hill Invitational golf tournament caused all sorts of traffic in my neighborhood. Our neighborhood association issued parking permits to residents so they can get into the neighborhood. Policemen directed traffic for people trying to get to the golf tournament. I decided to go for a walk to see what traffic was like at the golf course. The walk there and back was perhaps three miles. Glancing between the quiet suburban homes I could see that there were plenty of cars parked on the green grass of the golf course itself. Some homes charged people to park on their front lawns and they then shuttled fans to the entrance using golf carts.

I ended my walk in front of the Bay Hill Club House. It was late afternoon and there was a long line of Buses waiting to transfer fans back to their cars. I believe a large empty lot near Universal Studios was being used as the overflow parking lot. Since all the buses were blocking the street, event staff and police had to use walkie talkies to be sure that cars could go down the single lane without a head on collision.

Walking home I realized there were several spots where I could have walked on the golf course to do a sketch. It was hot however and I didn’t feel like watching grown men hit a ball with a stick.

McRae Art Studios Open House.

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I went to a McRae Studios open house (904 Railroad Avenue Winter Park). This hallway in the back of the building was full of the quirky art of John Whipple. Built from odd antiques each sculpture has its own unique personality. I really like the mannequin head on a tricycle following a carrot in the foreground. Another head had a megaphone for a mouth. A peacock had a barren wire tail as it waited to roll away on it’s single roller skate.

I stood in a doorway that opened out onto the railroad tracks out back. A small gaggle of girls rushed past me periodically as they played. I joined Dina Mack who was singing as Chip Weston played guitar. Lining the walls of Chip’s studio were luminous seascapes, some large and some shockingly small painted gems. Tu Tu Tango catered the event and I ordered some Tapas. I always like visiting Larry Moore’s studio. I identify with his plein air oil paintings. He had a larger painting hanging outside his studio which was more abstract and playful. It was a hot summertime image and it really caught my eye.

Don Sondag had started a series of nighttime paintings done around Winter Park. There is a quiet mystery to these nocturnes and it made me want to get out and experiment at night. Several musicians had gathered in Lynn Whipple’s studio. They jammed for a while, then talked endlessly. From the quirky and unexpected, to the more traditional art, a trip to the McRae Studios always inspires me.

Casa Feliz

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Every Sunday from noon to three there are performances by talented Orlando musicians at Casa Feliz (656 Park Avenue, Winter Park.) Angela Roark who organizes these Sunday concerts said hello and welcomed me to the Casa. I stopped in as harpist Catherine Way was tuning up her golden harp which she named Elizabeth Marie. The music ranged from “Phantom of the Opera” to “Here Comes the Sun”. Catherine is a huge fan of the Beatles and she pointed out that “Here Comes the Sun” was chosen by astronauts multiple times when they televised space missions. Elizabeth Marie had a golden peaceful tone that filled the room. There were perhaps six rows of chairs set up and quite a few people showed up to enjoy the music. If you ever find yourself exploring Park Avenue on a Sunday, I would certainly make sure to stop in at Casa Feliz for a taste of old Florida history and music.

As I finished my sketch I remembered that Terry was at home being a weekend warrior and pulling weeds in the hot Florida sunshine. Feeling a bit guilty I quickly packed up my supplies. Catherine wanted to see the sketch and then she shared it with the audience. Several people asked me for the name of the blog so then could type it into their cell phones or make a note on a scrap of paper. I never seem to have business cards when I need them. I pass them out faster than I can print them.

Lousy T-shirt

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The theme for an art exhibit at Orlando Museum of Art’s 1st Thursdays event was “Fashionista.” In the beginning of 2010 Brian Feldman had met with 10 Orlando artists to discuss collaborations in his “Swan Boat Talks.” This project with Johannah O’Donnell was the first project to be realized from those talks. Johannah and Brian had created 20 T-Shirts that read, Lousy T-shirt using a simple silk screen press. This was the first time that either of them had done silk screen printing so the printing was a bit spotty in places.

People could get a Lousy T-Shirt if they traded in the shirt they were wearing. I went into the men’s room, changed into one of my paint rag T-shirts and traded that for the fashionable black Lousy T-Shirt. I didn’t step behind gallery wall to do the exchange. As I removed my shirt Brian said, “Hey everybody, this is your opportunity to see Thor half naked!” Once I had on my brand spanking new T-shirt, I found a spot to sit and started sketching. Brian and Johannah were constantly posing for pictures. By the end of the evening, every Lousy T-Shirt had been given away and the rack was full of a wide variety of shirts and tops.

Ellie Watts-Russell

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I went to visit the Kerouac House writer in residence, Ellie Watts-Russell, on a warm sunny afternoon. When she writes she cuts herself off from all distractions. The cell phone is turned off the night before and the computer is off to avoid the distraction of Facebook. She was getting close to the end of the novel she was working on, entitled “The Lodge”, and and she didn’t want to rush to the finish line. Usually when she writes she shares her work with another writer to get his opinion while she reads his work. Since she was working alone at the Kerouac House she spends more time proof reading her work. This is what she was doing when I joined her on the porch to sketch.
Born in 1979, Ellie is a graduate of Andrew Motion’s Creative Writing course at Royal Holloway. In 2006 she was appointed Writer-In-Residence at HMP Ashwell, an all male prison in Rutland. She speaks with a charming British accent. A petite hummingbird necklace adorned her neck. We sat quietly for more than an hour as she worked. Her Oxford dictionary and thesaurus were on hand and she occasionally consulted with them. Her Moleskin notebook seemed to bulge at the seems. Her keys, attached to a mountain climbers clasp were partially tucked into her notebook. The glass of ice water sweated as she worked. I can’t wait till “The Lodge” hits book stores.

Denna Beena’s Wedding dress

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Denna Beena is engaged to Travis Fillmen. The wedding is being planned for fall of 2012. Amanda Chadwick arranged for Deena to try on wedding dresses. Now Deena isn’t someone who I would consider to have conservative tastes. Her hair is bright pink with purple and yellow highlights. I am more used to Deena wearing bright colors and black leather boots.

I got lost trying to find the Bridal shop. I thought it was in the Millenia Mall but Amanda texted me to let me know it was in a strip mall near a Super Target. Deena had already tried on a dress as I scrambled to find the place.

The Bridal shop was a flurry of activity. Tony Bennet crooned. I walked past row after row of white dresses toward the back of the store, then Amanda flagged me down. Deena was inside the dressing room. When she came out she was wearing this simple elegant dress with a brown sash around the waist. She liked it but wasn’t sure it was “the one.” The shop only allowed the future brides four dresses to try on. The dressing rooms had to be booked in advance. After four tries Deena had not found the perfect dress. This was a major step forward towards making the dream wedding a reality. Amanda offered some advice but was mostly there for moral support.

At lunch afterwards we had a long discussion about whether I should post this sketch. After all Travis shouldn’t see his blushing bride in the dress until the wedding day. It was decided that since this wasn’t “the” dress, it would be alright to post it.

Signing CDs

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Terry got tickets to hear world class violinist, Joshua Bell, play with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at the Bob Carr Theater. We were seated far back away from the stage so I didn’t attempt a sketch. Terry pointed out that my name was in the program twice, probably because I had donated a sketch for a fundraiser. The house lights dimmed and I snuggled back into my seat. The music was soothing so I closed my eyes and drifted away. Periodically my head would bob forward and I would shake myself awake before drifting off again. The violinist performed after the intermission. He played admirably with bravado and flair. He stood the whole time shifting his weight often, swaying with the flow of the music.

For an encore he performed “Yankee Doodle” which he spiced up with so much intricate showmanship that it was always a surprise when the simple tune became recognizable. Christopher Wilkins the conductor let everyone know that the violinist would be signing CDs in the lobby after the performance. He joked that if you had your own sharpie, you might be allowed to sign the violin. Apparently the Stradivarius violin has a long colorful history.

I have been searching for lines to draw and there was a huge line of people waiting to get their CDs signed. As soon as I started sketching the line started to move. A handler hurried people along making sure they didn’t speak to the musician for long. “Please keep it moving” he kept saying. As I sketched one of the ushers approached me and said I would have to leave the floor. There were hundreds of people in the lobby and I didn’t understand why I was being asked to move, but I complied. I continued to work on the sketch from a vantage point on the stairwell to the lobby. When I saw the usher was gone, I returned to my original spot and continued to work. By this time I was in a foul mood. I wondered if the violinist’s handler had considered me some sort of threat. Was my sketching causing a disruption? Honestly few people noticed what I was doing. This incident made me feel like sketching events at the Bob Carr is more of a hassle than it is worth.

Crealde

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On Sunday mornings from 10am to 12:30pm there is a figure drawing class at Crealde. I go periodically to play with new materials and to experiment. The drawings I have been doing for the Mennello Museum mural are being done on larger sheets of bond paper with pencils, prismacolor and watercolor. There is a good chance that sketches done for future blog posts will be done in this larger format. The bond paper I have started using accepts watercolor washes with ease. I love being able to throw down loose gestural washes and then putting line work on top of it. The pens I usually use tend to clog up if I sketch over a wash. What I need now is an 11 by 17 inch hardbound bond sketchbook.