The Sea Urchin

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11-19-13SeaUrchinOn November 18th, Mayor Buddy Dyer dedicated Orlando’s permanent contemporary sculpture collection. See Art Orlando was responsibly for bringing eight sculptures to downtown. Most of the sculptures are around lake Eola. See Art Orlando’s mission is to enhance the aesthetic experience and
cultural image of Downtown Orlando through a major Public Sculpture
Community Project. The installation of iconic works of art throughout
the City will bring National and International attention to Orlando and
will add to the economic viability of the community. The operating funds come from partnerships with corporations, family trusts, charitable grants and individual donations.

This sculpture by Wendy Ross is in the Seaside Plaza (201 S. Orange Avenue Orlando FL) just 2 blocks from City Hall. It’s erect similarity to the Asparagus in front of City Hall is astounding. One patron approaching the site said, “It looks like a Sea Urchin.” The mayor and his entourage walked past me just as I was starting this sketch. Rick Singh, the Orange County Property Appraiser stopped to tell me that there was a collection of art work in his offices. Yulissa Arch, his outreach coordinator gave me her card. I had met Rick’s wife at a Mennello Museum event and she impressed me as someone who truly appreciates art. Obviously so does Rick.

I had walked past many of the other sculptures on my way to Seaside Plaza. Each sculpture site had live musicians and libations. It was nice that the city lifted the ordinance that usually shuts down live performances on the streets of downtown for one night. As you approached each sculpture, you would hear musicians at work. Barricades surrounded sculptures where beer was being served. One woman walked away from a sculpture of a woman partially buried in the Lake Eola landscape. A policeman stopped the woman with the beer and told her she had to drink it inside the barricades. She took the order with good humor and returned to chug her drink.

The biggest party seemed to be at the Jacob Harmeling sculpture at Central and Osceola Avenue next to where the Farmers Market sets up and where “Food Not Bombs” used to share food before the police arrests and endless law suits shut this site down. This food sharing program now happens at City Hall. Jacob is the one local artist who is part or the sculpture project. Most of the sculptures light up using color changing diodes like those used in the Asparagus. I have to admit that the polished chrome illuminated sculptures do light up downtown, but I doubt many tourists will leave International Drive or the theme parks.

Paint the Trail

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A reader suggested I contact artist Jim Sonksen who has begun an ambitious public art project. On October 23rd, I drove to his Longwood home. I parked in front of his house, I saw him at work in his garage which doubles as an artists studio. Jim’s parents have a house that is right on the Seminole County Trail which is a long trail for bikers and joggers. Jim began painting his parent’s wooden fence that faces the trail. Fence panels are covered with celebrity faces and sayings. One intriguing section had an image of the Florida panther in relief. As you walk past the panels the image changes twice depending on which angle you are viewing the piece from.

Jim knew I was coming to visit his studio and he did his research to find out my story online. I was surprised to find out he planned to do a painting of me as I sketched him. The outlines were all in place and all that was needed was color to fill. He likes to dip the brush deep into the paint well beyond the bristles so that more paint can flow down and cover a larger area. Jim uses old house paint which he sometimes picks up for free from the dump. He worked quickly as I sketched. He explained that painting has become a compulsion. Not a day goes by where he isn’t working on this project.  His mom drove his daughter home from school that day which gave him a bit more time to paint.

He drove me to his parents home to show me the trail. His parents fence is completely covered with paintings and he has expanded the project, now painting neighbor’s fences. His dream is to cover a five mile section of the trail with art. On weekends, cyclists, joggers and walkers congregate at the painted panels. This art sparks conversation and brings people together. This is a labor of love for the artist all the expenses are out of his pocket. He has started recruiting people to paint the panels for him so the fence can expand faster. This is a paint by numbers project that then becomes public art. The trouble is that not everyone completes the panels he gives out.

The Doctor Who phone booth is build out in one section of the fence and a shark lunges up dimensionally in front of the fence. Perhaps a hundred yards of fence panels are now covered with art. Unfortunately not every neighbor is keen on having their fences covered with art so there are gaps. Perhaps in time they will change their mind. Jim painted a car for a friend, making it like the trail but on wheels. The guy drove it through a car wash and those huge brushes started tearing into the thick paint. It’s art dude, hand wash if from now on.

Some panels are done for charities like, Save the Florida Panther, Save the Sea Turtles, or Autism. Jim said that these panels were some of the most rewarding to do. As the project progresses, it has picked up steam, essentially taking on a life of it’s own. His website takes donations to help keep the project going. Jim humbly doesn’t consider himself an artist. He projects the images and uses color coded outlines to define color breaks. He is a carpenter by trade but work is scarce. Like myself, he is sort of between vocations because of hard times and he had to reinvent himself. This project keeps him busy to say the least. He claims anyone could do what he does, . But he most certainly has an artist’s drive and sensibilities..

The Asparagus

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11-13-13TheAsparigus2 Mayor Buddy Dyer and former Mayor Bill Frederick hosted the illumination ceremony for the “Tower of Light” on Nov 12.  The sculpture by artist Ed Carpenter, was commissioned and
installed in 1992 under the leadership of then Mayor Bill Frederick. The
original halogen lighting failed in 1994. Many attempts at funding a
relighting project were discussed in the interim but the sculpture remained dark and neglected for 20 years. In fact, due to lack of funding, especially during the
economic downturn, there was little to no maintenance at all performed
to the sculpture or base. The light less Tower of Light’s 102 glass panels weathered under the
Florida sun growing dull over time. Its steel framework corroded.

Knowing that the City’s See Art Orlando
project was slated for debut in late 2013, the Orlando chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW)
pledged to raise a minimum of $50,000 to clean and light the sculpture
and rework the basin. Sitting on the Plaza in front of City Hall, the
sculpture celebrates the intersection of private and public interests in
the City of Orlando and is a symbol of the asparagus in our
community. Including donated labor, the renovation cost an estimated $152,000, none of it from taxpayers.

 The 63-foot glass-and-steel spire received a makeover including 650 watts of programmable LEDS with full color spectrum, data cabling and a wireless controller. The controller can be programmed with numerous pre-sets (length and color of display) and can be accessed via the Internet on computer, phone or tablet. Sir Terrance Hummel added mosaics to the seating at the base of the sculpture.

As the sky grew dark, a crowd of 50 or so people gathered first on the balcony of City Hall and then in the City Hall square beneath the sculpture. A news helicopter hovered above City Hall for quite some time waiting for the sculpture to light up. Terry came down from her office and went across the street to see what was happening. She came back with a small squeeze bottle of disinfectant which I guess was swag at the event. She asked around to find out if any of the sculptures that are being placed all around town as part of “See Art Orlando” were by local artists and she was told that none of them were. My research showed that one sculptor, Jacob Harmeling, is from Orlando. His sculpture can be found in Lake Eola at Central Boulevard and Osceola Avenue near Publix. I haven’t seen it yet.

Buddy, bathed in bright light gave his speech with the usual decrees.  Actually I couldn’t hear anything he said from my perch across the street as I sketched. A passenger in a car parked at the red light next to me asked what was the building with the cylinder shaped tower. I pointed out city Hall and said the other building was just full of lawyers. At the proper moment the crowd grew still and the sculpture was illuminated for the first time in two decades. It glowed green and then the color shifted to blue and purple. Great, I thought, what color should I paint? I went with the first color that blazed bright. There was applause and people slowly dispersed. Josh Garrick approached me wanting to see what color I chose to use when illuminating the sculpture in my sketch. “Ah, you chose green, which makes it look all the more like an asparagus.” said Josh. On Facebook that night everyone seemed to refer to the statue as “The Asparagus”. Now I can’t think of a better name.

Into Darkness

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On September 9th I went to the ArtsHub Art opening and a movie screening at the Chapman Leonard Studios LIVE (9460 Delegates Drive #100, Orlando, Fl). This is the latest showing of Local Artists’ Work At Chapman/Leonard Studios Coupled with A Night at the Movies: Screening of “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Plus there was a special performance from the dancers of Dakota P. Productions new television show “The Upbeat Dancer Show”  Chapman Leonard is an award winning manufacturer of camera support equipment for motion picture and television productions worldwide. The equipment manufacturer is based out of their state of the art sound stages and production facilities.

For the first time ever, thirteen local artists will display work at the Chapman Leonard Studios. The local artists’ work may be viewed during normal business hours by appointment with an Arts Hub Representative.

“Chapman Leonard is proud to bring local artists into their studio facilities” commented Brad Biggs of The Arts Hub FL, curator for this art show. Marketing director of Chapman Leonard, Christine Huenergardt, added, “ we are a worldwide partner to movie makers, and their philosophy includes a commitment to the local arts scene. We are pleased to present this first group of artists ever displayed in our East Coast Studios.”

Artists included Ken Austin, Patricia Byron, Janae Corrado, Mark “TR3” Harris, Catherine Hempel, Saulius Jankauskas, Jason Lee, Kimberly Mathis, Richard Reep, and Parker Sketch. In addition, as a special treat, Chapman Leonard has also installed outdoor sculptures by local artists, Linda Brant and Marsha DeBroske.The show ran though October 8th. Exhibiting artists were paid a small stipend to allow their work to be exhibited.

I arrived a bit late, just as the dancers were finishing their routine. I decided to lean against the tire of a huge mobile lift. This caused an employee to question why I was there. I told him I was the media and he let it go. I stayed for the whole movie, sketching the entire time. It is fun to watch how many more times captain Kirk could get beat up in fist fights. The movie is almost identical to the first film right down to having individuals hurling through space. The story recreated the story line of “The Wrath of Khan” right down to a sacrifice at the ships core system. This time Kirk sacrificed himself instead of Spock. 9/11 was recreated as the Enterprise crashed into San Francisco. A disappointing film but plenty of special effects.

NV Bar and Lounge

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On Third Thursday, September 19th, I went to NV  to see the art opening for G. Lemus. Tr3 Mark Harris curates the shows at NV along with Brad Michael Biggs. The bar is gritty with a fantastic exposed wooden slat wall. G. Lemus came from Honduras and making art helped him adapt to a new culture where he didn’t know the language. In the military his comic sketches of the Drill Sargent were confiscated but he became the official platoon artist. He founded the B-side artists in Orlando with Swamburger. This group of artist were the first to bring art to the clubs and bars in Orlando.

G. Lemus was inspired by the expressive work of Jean-Michel Basquait.  The work in this show featured thick rich paint. Many of the pieces were primarily black and white featuring images of aircraft and flight. In one painting titled “On the Trail of Greatness”, Luke Skywalker seemed to be flying a modern day jet instead of an X wing fighter. Another painting of a nautilus shaped craft was titled “Victory over Love is Flight”. The artist wore goggles as he moved around the opening talking to patrons. He was offered a mural assignment in which he would supervise middle school and high school kids to do the painting.

The artist hired beautiful women to pose as flight  attendants. The whole idea of the show was based around flight. Take you dreams and let them sore. The artist was the pilot and the girls were the flight attendants passing out a menu (his art) with peanuts attached to it. The DJ brought her own equipment and set up at her station at the top of the staircase.

Tr3 and I were discussing a showing of my sketches at NV. Rumors circulated that evening about the possible show and it was quickly established through a quick series of texts, that the planned dates of the NV show were too close to the dates of a solo show still in the early planning stages at The Gallery at Avalon Island. Other than showing my work in a U-Haul (Mobile Art Show), this was my first experience in planning to show my work downtown.  There seem to be unwritten codes of conduct that I overlooked. I’m hoping to have my work on some walls when my book on Urban Sketching comes out in early 2014.

Mark your Calendar, The G. Lemus show at NV (27 E Pine St  Orlando, FL) can be seen anytime before  Sunday October 13th at 2am. Grab a drink and see some art.

The Artist’s Survival Guide

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The Artist Survival Guide, organized by Brendan O’Connor, is an Urban ReThink Signature Series event recurring monthly. It aims to provide artists and the artistically curious with the building blocks needed for professional creative careers in Central Florida, and will culminate in a printed Artist’s Survival Guidebook after 12 months of programming. Artists art enthusiasts, and the artistically curious gathered to find out about the building blocks needed to be successful in Orlando and Central Florida.

The first installment was an introduction to the Arts in Central Florida. Panelists included:

Jessica Bryce Young the Arts and Culture Editor at the Orlando Weekly, Devin Dominguez the Director of Development at the Art and History Museums of Moorland, Flora Maria Garcia, President and CEO of United Arts of Central Florida, Donna Dowless, Official Ambassador of Love for the City of Orlando an accomplished local artist and art supporter, and Terry Olson, Director at Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs, at the Maitland.

Flora noted that the arts in Orlando, tend to be overshadowed by the theme park industry. Private funding isn’t as high as it is in similarly sized cities. The problem is that people in Orlando come from other states so when they invest in the arts they first consider their home state or city. People come and go from Orlando in a constant stream. Donna insisted artists need a stiff spine. If a creative idea is shot down, the artist should realize that “No” is just the first step. Keep asking and pitching ideas until “Yes” is the answer. Jessica noted that since Orlando is a smaller city, it is much easier for an individual artist to make a difference. Terry briefly spoke about a program that Cole NeSmith started that brought the arts to the streets of Orlando every day for a week. Devin restated something Andrew Spears had told her, that an artist needs to be creative daily. Donna pointed out that one thing most artists need, and some never find, is a “voice” that permeates all of their work.

The gallery scene in Orlando still is a mystery to me. Most paintings I see are on the walls of bars and restaurants. I’ve read of instances where patrons have censored and stolen art on restaurant walls. It amazes me that artists pay to exhibit their work at City Arts Factory. Donna said that the cost to exhibit art work used to be much higher.

FAVO

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On the first Friday of each month, artists gather at a former motel to display and sell their work. Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO) is at 221 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, Florida).

    FAVO is a free Event open to the public. There were 21 studios of amazing artists. The FAVO Market outside had even more artists and vendors. This is a Family Friendly Event with Activities for Children,  plus Food Trucks and  live music.

  

Will Benton organizes the event and I visited his corner studio. He had a large abstract on the wall that he had done. He suggested I show my sketchbooks in the market and I’m considering the idea.

  

Julio Sanchez Julsan had bright folk art on display. A brightly painted chair was both charming and disturbing. It resembled an electric chair. Rodney McPherson told me he was working on a mural on the ceiling of Twist Hair Studio. It makes sense to have something to look at as you lie back to get your hair washed in those custom sinks. Todd Fox had intricately decorated cigar boxes that resembled primative alters with shells and other found objects. Brian Barnett from Deltona was showing quirky abstract line art that reminded me of paintings by Miro. Richard Perez Messina (Jano) showed me his splashy abstracts. Hidden within were images of faces and a dragon. He paints with his hands, smearing the paint with abandon. I defiantly liked his bold approach.

None of the air conditioners seemed to be working very well. As it is now, artist set up for the evening and then break everything down the same night. Only one or two artists actually work in the motel rooms. The buildings are undergoing renovations to bring them up to city codes.  The dream is that this will one day become a thriving artist’s community. As I sketched, I noticed a large diptych of a heart was sold as well as some potted plants. There was a guitar player playing a rhythmic beat over and over. Someone began talking to him and the rhythm continued. I kind of envied the woman getting a massage. I was tense and sweating.

Mark your Calendar! The next FAVO Art Exhibition and market is Friday September 6th from 5pm to 9pm.

Differing Views

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On June 22nd, I went to the opening reception for “Differing Views” at the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida (946 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803). This was a  group art show featuring:
Parker Sketch, Jon Glassman Gardner,
Patty Sheehan  and
Karen Cate.

When I arrived, a little early, John Glassman Gardner was still hanging pieces. He had these wonderful one inch square  pieces of glass with vibrant patterns that looked like aerial views of river valley topography. He told me that the pattern had been discovered by accident when 2 pieces of glass had been pushed together with a small drop of paint between them. Like a microscope slide, the paint spread. When pealed apart, this organic pattern would appear. John then glues magnets on the back. He was placing dozens of them on a metal support column. He gave me one of these pieces and it is proudly displayed in my home. It isn’t signed unfortunately so someday I hope to catch him to sign it.

Commissioner Patty Sheehan had a show the previous week at the Peacock Room. She had sold 75% of all the pieces there. She therefor had to do more than a dozen paintings in a weeks time to have something for this show. All her paintings were of black cats with wide eyes and a Cheshire grin. She called them “Bad Kittys” and they sell like hot cakes. She gave me a button with one of these kitty’s on it and a pink equal sign. Of course this was “Equality Kitty”.

Parker’s Sketch’s work is ubiquitous to the Orlando art scene. His pieces use pop commercial imagery portrayed with bold brush work and a liberal display of spattering. The boldest piece was of a faded American flag. He was voted the Best Arts Advocate in this years Orlando Weekly. Karen Cate only had a few pieces in the show.  I had never seen her work before.

Hope

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In June, Brendan O’Connor, sent me a Facebook message, “Thomas I’ll be headed out to the Hope Community Center in Apopka (1016 N Park Ave Apopka, FL) on Thursday around 11:30 to work on the mosaic-mural for the afternoon. You’re more than welcome to join!”

Brendan is a project manager for Art Reach Orlando whose mission is to support art projects that foster creativity and hope, develop
self-esteem, and offer children a platform to reflect, re-vision, and
rejoice. By fostering creativity they are encouraging and empowering
children to imagine the positive changes they wish to see in
their own lives, their communities, and the world.

The Hope Community Center is a service and learning community dedicated to the
empowerment of the Central Florida’s immigrant and working poor
communities through Education, Advocacy and Spiritual Growth. Janis Neunez is the artist who designed the mosaic mural that will surround the back entryway to the center. The
story of the area’s migrant workers will be told through through the
placement of tiles and objects donated by migrant worker families and through interactive computer chips
placed in the mosaic. By activating the chips with your smart phone, you can see
images and hear the stories of the men, women, and children who made the
Tree of Life mosaic at the center and make up the real life mosaic of
our Central Florida community.

Brendan had to work from the top of the ladder using acid to clean an area. I was nervous that someone might open the door fast and send him tumbling. A dear friend Melissa Kasper recently fell off a ladder breaking her nose, so the possibility was fresh on my mind.  I’m glad to report that no artists were hurt during the creation of this sketch.

RAW Elevations

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0n July 11th, I went to RAW “Elevations” at The Abbey (100 S Eola Dr #100  Orlando, FL). Once a month, RAW showcases local Art, Fashion, Film, Performing Art, Photography, and Accessories. There is a dress code, so I put on my best cocktail attire. The Abbey was already packed when I arrived. I pushed my way through the crowd to look at all the art and decide what I should sketch.

I liked Tyler Ackom‘s art which was right near the entrance. I found a leather seat right next to the fake fireplace and I got to work. The crowd was so thick that I seldom got a complete glimpse of the work, but I pieced it together by always shifting my gaze. Tyler’s work is a representation of Art and Music combined into one. He uses everything he can find from computer parts to wood, bamboo, plastics metals, ceramics and anything that would make the piece look cool. I imagine he must have quite the cluttered studio.

A young woman asked if she could sit in my artists stool which I had sitting next to my leather chair. She had high heels on and and her feet were killing her. There really wasn’t anywhere else to sit in the place. The bar was full and everywhere else was dominated by art.  Tyler’s aunt took an interest in my sketch and she photographed it in progress several times. Leggy models walked through the crowd presumably from a fashion show on the stage. For some reason Batman was there as well posing for pictures. By the time the sketch was done, I was exhausted from trying to look through the crowd. Leaving, I bumped into Parker Sketch, Shannon Holt and William IwasReallynothing seated outside which was really the only place where you could carry on a conversation. I showed them my sketch and expressed my frustrations in trying to get it done. They seemed to like the colors, and looking back, it isn’t half bad.

Mark your Calendar, the next RAW Event at The Abbey is called “Translations” and it will be Thursday September 5th at 8PM. Tickets are $10.