Santa Clara Panama

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Rainald took us on a several hour drive to the Caribbean coast. We stopped at a bustling roadside bodega and got some delicious mango and peach shakes. Outside the bodega women were seated behind folding tables selling lotto tickets. The tickets were displayed on an abacus style box, folded over metal support wires. Three policemen stood around a motorcycle with their machine guns slung over their shoulders. I of course wanted to sketch, but we had a schedule to keep. The point of a vacation seems to be to go to quiet, serene places to rest and relax. I seem to have a hard time doing that these days.

When we got to the coast we parked near a short boardwalk that lead to a restaurant and bar with a palm leaf roof. Lunch was delicious. I had some large garlic covered shimp that were finger licking good. People in the bar were shouting over a soccer game on TV. Terry asked our guide about a fishing village that was listed in her Foder’s guide book. He explained that most of the fishermen had sold their ocean front properties. They would be offered large sums of money, like $100,000 dollars, and they couldn’t refuse. 0nce the money was spent, many would no longer have a livelihood. At first I didn’t want to sketch. The place seemed spindly and lonely to me. Once I started however I got lost in the process.

One fishing family remained. A young man untangled a fish net the whole time I drew. Terry relaxed under the shade of a Tiki style beach hut. She checked her e-mails on her iPhone and then read a book before taking a siesta. We walked into the surf, but a very strong undertow discouraged us from swimming to far from shore.

Panama Canal

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The French began construction of the Canal in 1882 but diseases like malaria took the lives of some 20,000 workers and construction stopped just six years later. The United States proposed to finish the job but Columbia rejected the proposal. President Theodore Roosevelt helped spearhead an independence movement along with U.S. Battleship backup. Panama declared its independence in 1903. In return the U.S. was ceded a ten mile wide strip of land in which the canal could be constructed. This area was fenced off with military support. For the next six decades this affluent enclave was separated from Panama. Workers were given housing just outside the U.S. zone and these remain slums to this day.

Protests by Panamanians became frequent in the mid 1970’s. Several students died in these demonstrations. In 1977 President Jimmy Carter and General Omar Torrijos signed a treaty that allowed for the transfer of the Panama Canal back to the Panamanian government. This transfer was completed December 31, 1999.

There is a museum that documented the building of the canal. At 3pm the giant tanker ships began moving through the locks. The ships were guided by large train engines that used rails on either side of the canal. Once the ship was in the lock, the water would be flushed out until the water was down to sea level. Then the ship could sail out into the Pacific. Later in the day smaller ships could go through. It is indeed an engineering marvel and tourists lined up to take snapshots. In the harbors there was a constant line of tankers waiting to go through. When a cruise ship goes through the locks, each tourist must pay $200 so the canal generates a sizable income for the Panamanian government.

Gamboa

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The small village of Gamboa was established by the United States in the early 2oth Century to house workers of the Panama Canal dredging division. Located 20 miles northwest of Panama City, it feels remote since it is surrounded by a tropical rainforest. In the morning Rainald took us to Pipeline Road which is supposed to be a fantastic bird watching area. Terry excitedly started a life list on her iPhone noting each new bird species she saw.We had to wait a while when we first arrived for the rain to slow to a drizzle. We then hiked up the muddy road. Terry spotted a Toucan. Luminescent giant blue moths fluttered across our path. Then Rainald stopped and said, “listen.” In the distance we could hear the crashing of leaves. Something was moving out there. The sounds grew closer and we moved up and down the trail trying to see into the dense foliage. I asked Rainald if I should be looking at the ground or treetops. He said, “look up.”

There was a sudden guttural piercing howl that made my blood run cold. It sounded like an immense mammal on the prowl. I moved my sketchbook over my soft intestines. Then I spotted movement in the treetops. A large group of Howler Monkeys climbed into the tree right next to the trail. They feasted on the leaves. A mother climbed with a baby clutching her belly. One monkey eyed me curiously then went about his browsing. Thank god they weren’t as loud as they sounded.

After lunch at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, Rainald drove us to the home he first bought when he moved to Panama. It is typical of most of the houses in the village with the first floor being wide open on silts. He has been renovating the home slowly over the years. Now the structure is wide open with the windows removed as he is reworking all the interior walls. Terry was insisting he find me a place to sketch and I just sat on a curb to get this sketch done.

He then drove us to the central town square. Terry wanted to rest so she lay down on a picnic table under a gazebo This fire station with it’s gleaming engine proudly jutting from the garage caught my eye. Rainald disappeared while I sketched. I glanced back and noticed a local man decided to take a siesta on a bench near Terry. As I was finishing my sketch Rainald walked up and introduced me to a local artist and her boyfriend who did research on butterflies. I gave her a sketchbook to flip through and we had an animated conversation about art. She was a portrait painter and she had a show going up on May 6th. She realized immediately that I would probably like to sketch the butterfly research facility. She explained how artists stay connected in Panama via Facebook. For me this chat was a real highlight of the trip, making me realize the unlimited potential in exploring a new culture. It was great to meet an artist in such a remote place. Unfortunately we were on the move and there wasn’t enough time to follow these new leads.

Casco Viejo

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Casco Viejo is the historic quarter of Panama City. It is located on a small peninsula just south of all the modern highrise construction. It is surrounded by slums and we were instructed to never walk into these districts. The old quarters streets are narrow one lane passages. The historic buildings are run down and life is lived in the open. People sit on stoops and lounge on balconies. Windows are all thrown open in the hopes of catching a sea breeze. On the way to a restaurant I caught a glimpse of a woman using her kitchen as a hair salon. A toddler stumbled unattended on a second floor balcony. Men shot craps in a narrow alley. Life bustled everywhere waiting to be drawn.

Alison brought Terry and I to a small outdoor cafe in the Plaza Bolivar. While we sipped drinks and had lunch, I sketched the monument to Venezuelan General Simon Bolivar the “Liberator of Latin America.” An Andean condor was perched on top of the monument. In 1926 Bolivar organized a meeting of independance with the leaders from all over Latin America in the plaza.
At the base of the monument there were wreaths of live flowers. Alison wished the Embassy had given her an apartment in one of the 19th century buildings surrounding the plaza. She imagined lowering a basket from her balcony so the cafe could send her up a siesta snack.

Armed with machine guns and motorcycles, there was a constant military presence on the streets. This was unnerving at first. There were only a few tacky tourist shops. The quarter instead had a sincere lived in history. I could have spent the entire week there and never run out of things to draw.I rushed the sketch so we could drink in more of the sights.

Kress Building Projection

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Snap! Had a fantastic kick off event at the Kress building downtown yesterday. I drove to the site straight from work and thus arrived rather early. The techs from Paintscaping.com were busy setting up the projector, computers and miles of cables. I decided to take the escalator at the Plaza Movie Theater to a second floor balcony which had a view over the assembling crowd. As I sketched the sun popped out from behind a skyscraper and beat down on me for two solid hours. Just as I was getting ready to add color washes, it set. I painted everything but the facade of the building, waiting for the projection to begin.

A young couple going to a movie asked me why there was such a crowd. I explained a little about how Snap is a week long celebration of photography. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from the building projection. There were video camera crews all around me and photographer’s flashes fired off periodically, illuminating the gathering dusk. I of course smugly held the belief that a sketch still holds it’s weight in gold.

The main event was spectacular. Phillipe Bergeron was the artist in charge of coordinating all the computer graphics in the projection. Be sure to watch the video! Of course after several hours of sketching, the projection took just five minutes. I chose to just paint in some flames quickly to set the warm colors against the increasingly cool night. Hundreds of cell phones lit up shooting video of the building, illuminating the crowd below me like stars. The video doesn’t have quite as strong an impact as watching the event live. I was deeply impressed. Snap is turning out to be a world class arts event. Be sure to head out to the Snap “Homegrown” opening tonight at the Orlando Museum of Art curated by Stephanie Latscu and Heather Comparetto. It coincides with 1st Thursdays and is bound to be an equally spectacular event. Happening from 6-9pm admission for non-members is $10. Show your support for all the visual arts. Become a creative activist.

Snap!

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Cris Phillips-George, the marketing director for Snap, invited me to a media roll out for this year’s Snap events. Jeremy Seghers introduced me to Cris as soon as I arrived at Urban ReThink. Cris introduced us all to the five day event called Snap! Snap is a celebration showcasing the work of local, national and international photographers. Starting today, there will be over a dozen exhibits, artist appearances, workshops, lectures and parties. The theme this year is “Perception & Reality.” Tonight Snap’s kick off event is a larger than life projection of photos and 3-D animation onto the Kress building (130 S. Orange Ave.) There will be four hourly shows between 8 and 11pm. Admission is free. Cris showed a sample animation to the group and the effect is stunning. The first screening will be hosted by Mayor Buddy Dyer.

On May 5th a “Homegrown” photography exhibit will open at The Orlando Museum of Art (2416 N. Mills) from 6-9pm coinciding with 1st Thursdays. The theme is “Perception & Reality.”

May 6th is the official Snap Opening Night gala and Exhibition honoring the 2011 international artists. This huge 25,000 square foot exhibition space is in the GAI Building (618 South Street) at 7pm. Tickets are needed.

May 7th is Fashion Night with two art inspired fashion shows. There will be guest speakers and lectures at UCF and CEM (500 West Livingston Street) from noon to 5pm. Tickets are needed.

May 8th is Mothers Day with a youth art reception at the GIA Building from noon to 5pm. (Ticket) There are also photography workshops at Orange Studio (121 North Mills Avenue from 10am to 6pm. (Ticket)

Cris showed us samples of some of the photographers work being exhibited. One photographer, Dan Eldon, was known for creating journals of his work. He traveled to Somalia photographing the famine and human rights violations happening there. The idea hits home to my love of the sketchbook journals I use for the blog. I can’t wait to see his work. He used his art as an activist to spearhead change in the world and unfortunately he was killed at a very young age in Somalia.

There is an online Instant Snapification competition that invites anyone from around the globe to submit digital images taken with their cell phone. Approved images are posted online almost instantly. So whip out those cells and start snapping! Snap is a huge celebration of creativity. It promises something for everyone. I will sketch as much as possible, but get out and experience it for yourself. Feed your eyes and fan the flames of your creativity!

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
– Gandi

Panama

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Terry’s niece, Alison Brown, has just begun working as a cultural attache at the American Embassy in Panama. Terry and I decided to fly down for a visit. As the plane approached Panama City I was surprised by all the new sky-rises that sparkled like the Emerald City. Alison picked us up at the airport in her sporty little yellow jeep. Getting into and out of Panama City by car is apparently a challenge. Allison couldn’t find the highway back to the city so we wandered the back roads back to the city. Coca Cola signs and Kentucky Fried Chicken joints were everywhere. Housing for many consisted of hastily constucted tenements with tiny balconies where laundry was hung to dry. The cement structures were covered in a dark wet mold that dripped down the facades.

Alison’s apartment was in a brand new sky-rise tower that looked like it belonged on the Las Vegas strip. Her thirteenth floor balcony had a great view of all the new construction so I grabbed a dining room chair and sat outside to sketch. Walking up to the low glass railing gave me vertigo but once I was busy sketching, I forgot the height. Alison’s neighborhood sprouted up in the last year. She lives across from a brand new hospital and a block away from a sparkling mall. Land has been cleared for two new sky-rises behind her building. Little had been done in these empty lots in the months that she has been working at the Embassy.

At night the skyline is mysteriously dark. Most of these new buildings are deserted. Few lights flicker against the starry night sky. There are rumors that Colombian drug money is laundered into the new construction. It is hotter in Panama than Orlando. My shirt was sweat stained before I completed the sketch. Alison took us to the mall for some delicious tapas. The mall looked like any mall in America with its chrome furnishings and giant screen ads.

Fringe Preview

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The Preview for the 20th Annual Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival was held at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Fringe is twelve days of art, music, dance and theatrical madness. Fringe begins May 18th through May 30th. I decided to sit in the mezzanine which was at the very back row right in front of the sound and lighting booth. I figured the green light issuing from the booth would give me enough light to sketch in and that theory worked out. There were 30 acts listed in the program so there is no way I can give you a taste from all of them. Each act had a thumbs up, a thumbs down and an F you hand gesture to rate the acts. Things got off to a great start when the “Downtowners” hobbled on to the stage. This singing and dancing group were all aged 70 to 95 and their rendition of “Stayin’ Alive” took on a whole new meaning. The audience loved them.

The festivities were hosted by Beth Marshall and Michael Wanzie. The smallest and Fringiest venue last year took place in a closet and Jeff Ferree will once again feature puppets in this cramped walk-in theater. In the preview if any act ran over three minutes, they would be interrupted by the Fringe Cheerleaders who would shout out Gimme an “F”, gimme an “R” until the audience spelled out and shouted Fringe! This kept the show moving at a fast clip. Kevin Thornton’s film where he tried to explain and justify his show “I love you (we’re f@#ked)” was hilarious.

I was disappointed when it was announced that “Dog Powered Robot” could not perform at the preview. Instead a show titled “Squatters” took to the stage. They set up a small cardboard shanty town and started an insipid act about hunting for Easter Eggs. They were then rudely interrupted by Dog Powered Robot sending Easter eggs flying and cardboard boxes tumbling. The audience didn’t know what hit them. It was a fun evening where anything could happen, and usually did. Fringe is fast approaching like a freight train with no breaks. Order tickets for your favorite shows now or you might be left in the irreverent dust.

Here Come the Mummies!

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Carl Gauze had an extra ticket to see “Here Come the Mummies” at the Plaza Theater. I met him there and we waited with the crowd to get in. We grabbed some beers and sat in the lobby. Carl wrote and is producing a Fringe show titled “Big Swinging Dicks topless bar Presents the Naked Drag Queen Farting.” Without a doubt this had to be the longest and most controversial title of the year. He presented me with a matchbook with all the show dates and a sexy pinup girl on the cover. I had seen a read through of the play and we talked about it for a while. Then the house lights flashed and it was time to go inside.

I was surprised to see that most of the theater seats had been removed leaving standing room for everyone. Barricades separated the standing crowd from the stage. I squeezed my way through the crowd to get close to the stage. When Here Come the Mummies ran out the crowd went wild. They stomped and danced in place. The lead mummy came out in a red carnival barkers jacket with tails. He thrust his hips towards the audience as he sang, “Carnal Carnival.” The rowdy rock & roll music has a flavor of New Orleans jazz, and is pure sinful fun. Libido Knieval had the whole audience dancing in place and singing the refrain.

The high energy performance never let up. Here Come the Mummies were constantly on the move as they belted out tune after tune. I loved it! I wondered how it was that they didn’t sweat to death given their non-stop aerobics. They must have been wrapped in the lightest of gauze. At one point the lead singer came out with a cowbell attached to a leather codpiece. The mallet was suggestively attached by a hinge below it. He played the instrument by thrusting his hips at every woman in the audience. Now that must be a fun instrument to play.

Aaron Fechter at work

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The last time I saw Aaron Fechter he was working in the basement of Creative Engineering painting some latex and fiberglass on the inside of Fats Geronimo’s mask. A Japanese company was considering buying one of the last “Rick-afire Explosion” animatronic bands. Aaron was reinforcing the rubber. The oppressive heat tended to weaken and in some cases even melt the rubber masks. Stacked on the wooden shelves there were large plaster molds for the characters heads and hands. The area where Aaron was working was once the painting station. Large canisters lined the wall filled with different colored paints. So work continues to keep the Rock-afire Explosion dream alive. He has also started selling animatronic kits to help people who aspire to one day build their own characters.

Aaron is still dreaming big. Perhaps he will someday invent a way to produce an alternative fuel source by harnessing the sun’s energy. This factory was built from the ground up and was a huge financial success story in the early 80’s. I keep thinking that this factory space is just waiting to spring alive again. All that is needed is the right application. For me the company’s story mimicked the Orlando Florida Disney Feature Animation story. I was there in the idealistic days when a new studio was built and the films were all hugely successful. But with every rise came a fall and the studio was shut down. The trick is to find the next wave and ride it out. For Creative Engineering that wave may be just on the horizon.