Premise Entertainment

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I started working freelance at Premise Entertainment studio in Orlando. The studio is located in a nondescript office complex. I signed a non-disclosure agreement and picked up my first scene for a feature animated film. Since the walls in almost every room were covered with backgrounds and character studies, I decided not to draw inside on my first day picking up work. I was lucky that they were screening some dailies and I got to see the work they had done the previous week. It was exciting to rejoin the 15 or so artists from the old Florida Disney Feature Animation studio days who are working in the facility full time.

I was told that to find the building, I should look for the Utility truck parked out front. I could not pass up the opportunity to sketch the utility crew after I picked up the scene. I spoke with the crew since they became curious about what I was up to. They were doing routine maintenance on the electric lines underground. They discovered that one connector had blown out and was lying on the ground. They showed me the part that had blown. It was a heavy metal cylinder that had a chunk missing like it had exploded. Apparently they usually check the connectors by just touching them by hand to see how warm they are. Today for an unknown reason the worker decided not to do that. He is glad he did since that blown connector could have given him a 7200 volt jolt had he touched it.

Cheesecake Factory

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Our guests decided they wanted to once again go shopping, so we went to the Millenia Mall first for lunch and then shopping. We decided to go to the Cheesecake Factory but the place was packed. The wait would be 45 minutes, so I took the buzzer and we all split up to go shopping with the idea that I would call everyone when the buzzer when off. Terry took me to the Gap and I got 2 pairs of long pants, which I must admit I need since my jeans have developed a hole in the right knee. The buzzer went off and we all met at Cheesecake Factory. We were offered a table outside. Terry asked if there was smoking outside and was told we would be in the back so we would be away from any smoke.
As we went over our menus, an older man at the table next to us, took out a cigar and lit up. Terry and Elayne noticed immediately. Elayne caught a waitresses attention by shouting out “Yoo Hoo Waitress!” What followed were fruitless arguments with waiters, waitresses and a manager about moving our group to another table or asking the man to put out the cigar. There is no law in Florida against smoking in a restaurant outdoor cafe area. We were told that we would go back on the waiting list, which we knew would mean another 45 minute wait. Terry let the manager know that in today’s economy it would not pay to treat costumers like cattle. We argued among ourselves when the staff left. Should we just walk or put up with the inconvenience. We decided to stick it out and started reading the menus. Since the waiter was taking his time coming back, I decided to start a sketch of the guy with the cigar. I got 3 lines down when Terry stood up and said lets go. I was furious, because I never stop a sketch once it is started. You can see the guys nose and glasses hidden among all the detail of this sketch, which I did after we had eaten at Brio Tuscan Grill across the way. Our waiter at Brio Tuscan was funny and charming. We were glad we had made the move.

Mount Dora

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Bob, Elayne and Terry are relaxing on the porch of the Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora after a full day of shopping at the Renningers antique show and flea market. After sipping drinks they each had a turn to show and tell all about the great bargains they had found. Elayne’s daughter Haley and her boyfriend, Ryan were also on hand but they decided to walk hand in hand down to the lakefront to watch the sunset. Elayne is checking her iPhone and is about to call her boyfriend Derick. She found a Mr. Oreo flexible figurine for about a dollar and a Wise Owl glass jar. Terry bought some collectible 1950s dishware and a stunning bejeweled evening bag. Bob always returns to Washington DC with collectible silverware he gets from the same dealer he has been going to for years. They all agread that this year offered unheard of bargans.

Outlet Mall

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This weekend two friends of Terrys, Elayne and Bob, are staying over so they can go to an antique show – flea market called Renningers in Mount Dora, Florida. Bob and Elayne have been going to this event since, well since before they can remember. Bob flew in from Washington DC and Elayne drove up from Miami. Renningers is a huge event with hundreds of vendors and more stuff than you can shake a stick at. I am a bit disappointed that I can’t go this year since I have to work at Full Sail this afternoon. I had dreams of finding an antique fountain pen with a soft nib that would change the way I drew forever. Oh well, maybe next year.
Once everyone arrived we went out for a quick bite of lunch and then drove straight to the Outlet Mall at the headwaters of International Drive. I avoid the malls like the plague, but decided to go this once to shop for a sketching location. Terry gave me an escape route by letting me drive her car home when I finished the sketch.

The Races Simulcast

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Inside the Jai-Alai building on the third floor is a 340 seat Las Vegas style race book to accommodate the fronton’s loyal simulcast players. The simulcast facility feature 30 state of the art 65 inch big screen televisions and 340 individual workstations with 9 inch televisions. The racing schedule features simulcasts from the South Florida circuit of Gulfstream Park and Calder Race Course, the New York circuit plus race cards from Kentucky, Maryland and Southern California. Personally I was overwhelmed by all the information being broadcast all at once. I didn’t know what screen to look at let alone what horse to bet on. But for zero money down, I got to sketch a room full of very excited people.
When a race starts the excitement in the room becomes palpable. The guy standing next to me started screaming “Come on baby, you can do it. Go! Go! That’s it, yes! Go! Oh! No! No! Aw S%*t! I never get a break.” I only asked one person if they were ahead, he said “Do you know any gambler that is ahead.” He then started to lecture me that I shouldn’t waste my time sketching in the fronton. He also said “You need to follow the money, the money is in children’s books, no one wants to see people betting on the races.”

Jai-Alai Fronton

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A friend of mine of mine named Louis has just gotten back home after spending 17 days in the hospital. He has been diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo chemo treatments. Apparently this form of cancer is very treatable so he has a good chance to beat it. My wife asked me to do a sketch for him. I know he loves to bet on the horse races so I decided to go to Jai-Alai Fronton a state of the art horse race enthusiasts dream. The Fronton wasn’t as crowded as it was the last time I was there with Louis, which was for the Kentucky Derby. There was a core group of die hard race fans however who looked like they live in the place. Admission is usually $1 but today it was free, thank god for the failing economy. I thought it important that the sign up front was flashing “Military Personnel Always Free”.

The Ashley Gang

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I started this sketch knowing I only had 20 minutes to work before this final act finished. I sketched with the hope that they might do an en chore but I had no such luck. The fellow in the wheel chair right in front of us was very enthusiastic. After each song he would shout out “You guys are great!” When The Ashley Gang lead singer told the audience that CD’s were available afterwords, the guy in the wheel chair shouted out “I want 5!”. The performer behind the mic then told the audience “You all can learn something from this fellow up front. He is our answer to a folk musicians bailout package”.

Folk Festival

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This presidents day weekend the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art hosted the 7th annual Orlando Folk Festival. Admission was free. There was a stage with live music and a collection of tents with folk art and local crafts artists. The tent just right of center in this sketch was set up for the Kerouac Project. When Terry and I walked up to say hello to Kim and Summer, who were manning the booth, a woman named Helen, was looking at a photo of a Jack Kerouac residence in Orlando on Yates Street. She thought she recognized the house and called her brother in law who she thought might live there. The brother in law confirmed the address over the phone. Jack Kerouacs mysterious influence seems to be working to this day bringing people together.
While doing this sketch an artist approached me because he was curious about the Niji water brush I was using. I explained where he could get one without ever stopping work on the sketch. When he was leaving and saying goodbye, we glanced at each other for the first time. It turns out he is Brian who was my first supervisor when I started working at Disney over a dozen years ago. Brian works for Disney Merchandising to this day. He had many story’s to tell me of how the Animation Building had been taken over by management after the executives closed the Florida studio. Apparently every square inch of space is now cut up into cubicles and the only hint that for over 10 years the building was at the forefront of a golden age of animation is an animators jacket which has been encased in glass and hung near the bathrooms.

Michael Hawley Reading

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I returned to the Kerouac house with my wife for a farewell reading by resident artist Michael Hawley. Upon walking in, we were warmly welcomed by a lighthearted woman named Summer. She introduced us to Kim, the VP of the Kerouac Project and then Mike the artist in residence. The warm inviting atmosphere made me feel right at home. Walking from room to room the house caused me to remember my childhood home in Dumont, NJ. For instance the lime green and white linoleum tiles in the back room are identical to the tiles I remember from the basement in my childhood home. The large double porcelain sink in the kitchen caused similar flashbacks probably recalled from old photos of my my mother giving me my first baths in a similar sink.
The reading itself was highly entertaining. Mike set a somewhat quirky dysfunctional family against the wonderful expanse of the Florida wilds. His descriptions of the sounds and assorted fauna were vivid and engaging. You could hear a pin drop in the room as the 20 to 30 people listened intently. Everyone laughed often and gasped in shock when the story took a violent and unexpected turn. I do not want to give away any of Michaels plot, suffice it to say if you spot Michael Hawleys work on your local bookstore shelf, you should pick it up, you will not regret it.
The evening left me feeling joy at having discovered an exciting intimate enclave of culture in the heart of Orlando. Everyone I talked to had an artistic spirit, Summer is herself a poet, Bob Kealing a local news anchor, has written a book on Kerouacs time in Florida and is working on other projects which unearth Central Floridas cultural history.