Dog Powered Robot Fundraiser

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I arrived at Blank Space (201 East Central Boulevard) early and the DPR Army was busy setting up. They all wore custom blue Dog Powered Robot T-shirts. The cardboard city took form quickly but Evan Miga made many adjustments and then started adding cardboard billboards. The advertising was blunt and to the point like “Things”, “New Stuff” and “Naked Underwear Model.” Scott Wilkins, the music selector for the night, was busy setting up sound equipment and tapping at the keyboard of his Mac computers. Before the first patrons arrived I shot a photo of the whole DPR army using Douglas LoCicero‘s camera.

I donated a print to the auction. There were some amazing silent auction items, like digital cameras, a bottle of white wine with the label, “Wine Powered Robot” and a Robot Pizza Party! The huge DPR blue foam letters stood stoically outside the Blank Space entrances. Bob Kodzis and Christie Miga manned the entryway. Two young women who were just passing had to find out what was going on. With admission they were given a wrist stamp. My wrist still has the a blue robot on it and if I wiggle my hand side to side, I can make the robot dance. I really should wash my wrist.

Alyssa Foley, the actress who now plays Lollybot, asked me if my work had been on display at the library. It turns out her boyfriend is an artist and he pointed out my work to her. Alyssa was be very funny. Once she stepped inside the Pink Robot she was a non stop dancing and flirting machine. There were lolly pops along the length of her arm. I tried valiantly to get one for myself and Terry but Lollybot was dancing so much that I couldn’t grab a pop from her waving arms. It was a bit comical as I tried again and again to get at the lolly pops. Each time I reached out she would turn or robotically walk away. Finally Lollybot walked right up to where Terry and Amanda Chadwick were sitting and Amanda quickly snatched two lolly pops. All my gallant effort was wasted, I never seem to catch the prize. I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.

Tod Kimbro performed on piano. He was later joined by Jessi Riese. They performed a fun lively set as I sketched frantically. Then came the main attraction, a recreation of the 2010 Fringe act that started it all. Darci Ricciardi stepped in and lip synced the singing of Britt Daley. As always the crowd was hollering and hooting as Dog Powered Robot Destroyed the Cardboard city. A video was then screened which had stunning special effects including lasers explosions and a burning cardboard city. Christie’s silent screen debut was hilarious. I have never seen Blank Space so crowded. Swami Worldtraveler introduced me to two young German women who were visiting Orlando. This proves that DPR is already an international phenomenon. The fundraiser was an undeniable success.

Shipyard Emporium

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Shipyard Brewery just opened up January 28th in Winter Park (200 Fairbanks Avenue). I knew about the opening night, but was unable to attend. I was told over twenty five hundreds people were there opening night. What a mob scene that must have been!

A few days after the Grand opening I was going to a free concert at Rollins College. Walking down Fairbanks, I couldn’t resist going inside the brewery to see how everything came together. The young man at the door explained the layout to me. The place is part Deli and gourmet grocery store then there is seating for the restaurant. Finally there is the bar which overlooks the micro brewery where specialty beers are made by brewmaster Ron Raike daily. I sat at the bar and looked at the description s of the wide variety of beers. I decided to try the Alligator Braggot. I was given a small sample to taste and I loved it. It turned out that Ron had just finished brewing this new brew that morning. above the bar there were many rows of blue mugs hanging from the ceiling. They belong to people who joined the mug club. Each time they return they are served their favorite brew in their own personal mug.

I decided to order a grilled Portobello sandwich with zucchini, roasted peppers, herb goat cheese all on a toasted ciabatta. Along with a second beer, the sandwich was fabulous. Seriously this was culinary heaven. Allison Stevens tapped me on the shoulder to say hello. She is responsible for all the back breaking work that helped make this brewery a realty. She offered me a hot chicken wing dip along with pita chips to scoop it up.The dip was hotter than I am used to, but it had the advantage of making me want to sip more beer.

The owner of Shipyard Brewery, Fred Forsley, had flown down from Maine and he was with a video cameraman shooting footage. By the time I left to walk the rest of the way to Rollins College, I was feeling great. Shipyard Brewery offers delicious food, great beer and a chance to talk to the master brewer himself. I know I will find many reasons to return.

Packer Backers

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Terry and I went to One Eyed Jacks to watch the Super Bowl along with hundreds of rabid Packer Backers. I had sketched this group before and they are a fun, boisterous crowd. Brian O’Halloran who organizes the crowd had asked me to come and sketch. A stone brick encased in a wooden box sat on a stool. Like everyone else, we rubbed the stone brick for luck. We got to the bar about an hour before kickoff and I immediately sat on the staging area and started to sketch. The fan that caught my eye had on jersey 52 and he had a flag that he would wave whenever the Packers scored. The little statue of a Packer player would do a happy dance at the press of a button. The tiny mechanized hips would thrust provocatively. There was a little boy seated next to me who was wound way too tight. He had tiny lights that he kept shining in my eyes and he kept jumping up and down off the stage. I ignored him. A very drunk fan got on stage next to the boy and stumbled sending the boy flying off the stage.

By the halftime show I was finished with my sketch. Terry had disappeared. I fired off 6 or so text messages but she didn’t respond. In the second half the Packers started making mistakes and giving up ground. Fans got quiet and serious as the score got dangerously close. One of the people in charge had to jump up on stage often as he tried to play audio clips with a failing remote control. The audio would fire up shouting, “Go Pack Go!” Everyone shouted along in unison. He then fired up a dance number that had everyone dancing with their hands in the air. Terry and I danced along.

The Packers won and the place went wild. Think of New Years Eve times one hundred. People were dancing on the bar and tables. A woman flashed her breasts. Two women were french kissing. Everyone was dancing and giving high fives. On the walk back to my truck, Terry gave a dollar to every homeless person she met. The drive home was strangely silent.

Heat Grand Opening

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Terry and I went to the grand opening of a new club downtown called Heat (55 West Church Street) which offers signature cocktails, tapas and live entertainment. The press preview began at 6pm and the general public was invited starting at 10pm. I had come directly from the Scottish Highland games so I was in jeans and a sweatshirt. It became painfully obvious that I was under dressed as soon as I saw some women regally stepping out of a Mercedes with elegant sequined gowns. Terry was dresses better than me but even she felt under dressed. The bouncer at the velvet rope could not find my name on the list but he could not deny that I had an invitation inside the gold envelope sealed elegantly with wax.

When we stepped inside we were greeted by a phalanx of leggy young women all in tight black skirts who welcomed us and offered free champagne. The wall behind them was brightly illuminated red and I considered sketching but I felt I should look around first. I turned down the offer of champagne but Terry decided to indulge. The interior was lit Vegas style and behind the bar a jazz group assembled to perform. I was reminded of the Cantina scene in the original Star Wars. This place was elegant rather than ominous. Within a minute of starting my first sketch a woman pushed up beside me to see what I was doing. I explained that there wasn’t much to see yet at this point. Soon the bar was packed and I was being shoved by groups of people who were posing for photos. When I was getting shoved from behind by people reaching for drinks, I gave up on the sketch and found a quieter spot away from the bar. Terry was at a table so I joined her there. We were told the table was reserved so I never sat down. I leaned against a wall and tried valiantly to save my first sketch. The woman who spoke to me at the bar checked back a second time to see my progress. I was bristling, annoyed at the interruptions but I graciously showed her what I was up to.

Terry and I moved outside where space heaters kept patrons comfortable as they lounged on wicker chairs. Mark Baratelli and Terry struck up a conversation as I worked on my second sketch. Every time Terry went to the bar, someone would approach me and ask to see the sketch I was working on. One woman said we had met before and she asked if I remembered a Valentines party. I didn’t remember sketching any Valentines party and just as I said this Terry walked up. The woman disappeared. Terry seemed to think I was being hit on. That seemed impossible since I was grubby with a half grown beard and jeans on. Every other man at this place was quite honestly, handsome compared to me. They had tailored Italian suits on and perfectly gelled hair. With my hiking boots and jeans I must have looked very out of place.

Terry was having a grand time people watching. Four women sat at the table next to us deep in conversation. The redhead had an intense gaze which cut through the loud ambient noise of the club. Terry seemed convinced that these woman in the backs of their minds were wondering why men were not hitting on them. To me they just seemed to be enjoying each others company. The woman who had asked me about Valentines day stumbled into the man she was talking to. The high heels might have caught her off guard. The crowd was quite diverse with twenty somethings standing elbow to elbow with women who were noticeably older than me. I loved sketching here where I could observe people up close in a crowded setting where I remained mostly unnoticed. I was glad that Terry was having as much fun as me soaking in the setting. By 10pm there was a long line of people waiting to get past the velvet rope.

Toasting Competition at Will's Pub

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Todd Caviness hosted a Toasting Competition at Will’s Pub this holiday season. Seated up front were the judges for the evening, Seth Kubersky, Mark Baratelli and Jordana Meade. There was a gallon of spiked egg nog on the judges table and everyone had a beer in hand. I arrived a little late and the competition was in full swing. I muscled my way back to the bar and got myself a beer from the tap. The event was packed so I was forced to stand in the back of the room to sketch.

Competitors were given a prompt and had to come up with a witty toast on the spot. Hannah Miller went head to head against her boyfriend Jack Fields. When given a prompt to toast Orlando, Hannah turned the competition o. It’s head by not taking the opportunity to lambaste her home town. She actually praised Orlando even in her inebriated state. After each toast the competitors would raise their glass and everyone in the bar would toast and drink. Judges commentary was often just as funny as the competitors themselves. I am glad I wasn’t dragged on the stage because there must be an amazing amount of pressure to say something funny. One competitor stood in the spotlight and after agonizing minute, had to admit he had nothing. This in itself was funny, so I guess no one ever really lost.

After the competition there was an open mic. A poet gave an amazing surreal account of his father’s attempt to sell his old car. Truths were stretched to the point of snapping and the entire account was laugh out loud funny. Mark Baratelli had to follow this amazing performance and I am sure he was pulling my leg when he asked me what he should do when he got on stage. Of course when he got up there, he lit up and the audience was laughing along with him the whole time.

I am writing this blog post entirely on my iPhone so I apologize for the Fat fingered flubs I must be making.

James Bond New Year’s Dress to Kill

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At home I helped Terry apply the last of her golden makeup. Her entire face, neck and hands were covered in golden theatrical paint and she wore a golden one piece dress and carried a golden hand bag. I simply wore a warm golden suit and tie. When we arrived at the Enzian Theater, I picked up our tickets and we went up to the bar to order our complimentary drinks. The drinks consisted of Bond themed names from, 007 Classic, a Vodka Dry Vermouth with olives to the more exotic drinks like, Diamonds are Forever. I ordered a Miss Moneypenny which was a champagne topped with apple pie liqueur. Very tasty. Terry without a doubt was the best dressed, Bond Themed woman at the party. I had to draw her, although it is hard to capture all the glittering gold in a sketch. Matters were complicated by the fact that people kept walking up to Terry and asking to have their picture taken with her. Apparently Myth Busters had debunked the idea that a woman could die from being painted head to toe in gold paint. Every woman was indeed dressed to kill with high heels and plenty of leg.

When it got really crowded outside we went inside to look around. There was a DJ mixing the music and on the movie screen strippers were pole dancing and crawling on all fours. We thought we might get a beer inside but the bar was packed and so we went back outside. A photographer asked to take Terry’s photo on one of the red velvet couches. I started my second sketch out in the Eden Bar. The bartenders were in constant twirling motion. They performed an amazing ballet of mixing, shaking and pouring. The bartender I sketched was wearing a Russian spy’s Siberian winter wardrobe with a fur hat and a tightly cinched waste. I waited for some time trying to get a bartenders attention with no luck. Terry took my place and within a minute she was served drinks. It is hard to miss a golden woman ordering drinks.

With 15 minutes remaining till midnight we made our way to the dance floor. The big screen flashed brightly with various pornographic images. Breasts, hands, gyrating hips, tongues and nipples. At first the images were live action closeups and then fast paced animation took it’s place. When the animation repeated, I managed to tear my eyes from the screen to focus on the dance floor. There was plenty of smooching and dancing, a wild Bacchanal. Balloons were batted around above peoples heads the shadow playing on the movie screen. When the countdown began at around 30 seconds, the screen switched over to a live feed of Times Square. Above the dance floor a huge net held hundreds of balloons waiting to drop on the packed dance floor. Ten, nine, eight… Everyone shouted along and then the ball dropped and everyone shouted and cheered dancing with our arms raised. Couples embraced and kissed. I kissed Terry carefully but ended up with golden lips and a golden nose. The balloons above us never fell. Terry found a red feather boa on the dance floor and wrapped it around her neck.

When we got off the dance floor Terry told me she was starving. We drove down 17-92 till we found a Taco Bell where we ordered some tacos to ring in the New Year. Only the drive through window was open so we ordered and then parked in the parking lot eating in my truck. A humble ending to an amazing night.

The Two Man Gentlemen Band.

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The Two Man Gentleman Band performed at Redlight Redlight. Dina Peterson suggested I sketch these two, and I am glad she did. The bar and tables were packed. I searched for a seat to sketch from, but I couldn’t find a good view. I decided to sit on the floor right in front of the stage leaning against a metal pole. Being right at the performers feet gave me a forced perspective view of the performers.These two had a fun vaudeville type act. The music was fast paced and energetic harkening back to simpler times. An odd painting hung on the wall be hind the gentlemen of a person trying to swallow a whole pig.

When their set was over I found Dina who was ready to go. This was my second sketch of the evening, so I decided to walk out with her. It is rare for me to sketch at Redlight Redlight without trying at least one new beer. I usually pick a beer to taste based on how much I like the design of the label. I should take notes so that over time I can define and delicately refine my tastes. I don’t recommend that Rasputin beer however. It will sneak up on you with a wallop.

Comedy Open Mic

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On the morning after Thanksgiving, Terry is breaking jokes but I don’t laugh because I am so caught up in trying to steel a wireless connection from my sister Pat’s neighbors. After an hour of trying I finally found a spot. I opened the front window and rested the computer on the window sill to get a signal. I would go outside but it is raining. This sketch is of a comedy open mic I went to at “The Other Bar” (18 Wall Street) downtown. Two or three of the comics were really funny that night others were painful to watch. The old man on stage, named Uncle Ralph, was really fun and the person at the bar turned out to be a comic as well. He studied the notes the whole time until he was called up to the stage. Actually most of the people in the bar were comics.

Katie Windish was with me this evening. A friend of hers named Kingsley Everett Bennett , is a comic and he introduced her to this event. He came to our table to let us know he might not get on stage. He was called up after all and he was very funny. He returned to our table after his set and gave me a hard time for not sketching him. I couldn’t resist sketching Uncle Ralph however. As the audience drank more, the hecklers grew louder. It was fun to see how abusive some comics had to be as they lost audience support. It takes some serious guts to be a stand up comic, especially if you aren’t funny. This was a fun evening that I would gladly sketch again.

Kaleigh Baker

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Dina Peterson suggested I come out to Tanqueray’s, (100 South Orange Avenue), late one evening to see Kaleigh Rose Baker perform along with the Absinthe Trio. I had seen her sing once before as Janis Joplin and she was amazing. The bar was smokey, tight, dark and the drinks flowed. Kaleigh has delivery that resonates deeply and then sours free. After each song she would take a drink from her cup resting in a stand beside her. She would toast the crowd. She had an edgy quality, always seeming a bit out of control as she sang with her eyes half open. Nathan Anderson performed on the sax beside her and his instrument wailed in lazy indifference. Halfway into the sketch my eyes began to water from the smoke. I closed them for the longest time swaying to the music and waiting for the stinging to pass. It didn’t help that every song expressed pain and longing.

I was introduced to a singer named “Cat, Cat, Cat” who was an actress from NYC planned to sing later in the evening. She had on a stylish fedora and she swayed to the music along with everyone else. After the first set I got to meet Kaleigh and the members of the band. I passed around my sketchbook to let them see what I was up to.

As the second set started up, it was time to go home.

An Evening of Eligance

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Lago is a beautiful restaurant on the shore of Lake Baldwin (4979 New Broad Street Baldwin Park). The Evening of Elegance promised a complimentary cup of wine and piano entertainment featuring songs of Frank Sinatra. How could I resist? Funds raised at this event benefited Fertile Dreams, an organization that embraced hope for couples seeking paths to parenthood. When I arrived the bar was nearly empty except for a business man eating dinner. Slowly as I sketched people arrived and I let them populate the empty chairs in my sketch. One woman showed up with a young girl perhaps five years old. I overheard that this child was born thanks to In Vitro fertalization. The little girl was often the center of attention, often being told how cute and beautiful she was.

The organizer of the evening announced that the piano player and singer both had a cold and would not be able to perform. I was thankful since I was perched on a tall stool next to the piano which was probably there for the singer. I stopped rushing and relaxed into the sketch. This is the first sketch in a new sketchbook. I received the book from the “Sketchbook Project“. Thousands of artists around the country are filling these sketchbooks and then mailing them back to the Brooklyn Museum of art where they will form a permanent sketchbook library. The collection will also travel the country allowing people to check out sketchbooks to view. As I was finishing up my sketch, the little girl waved at me and said, “Good bye.” I smiled and repeated, “Good bye” in a sing song voice. That was the longest conversation I had that night.