Christmas Eve at Unity

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After a relaxing afternoon shopping on Park Avenue in Winter Park and a free concert at the Morse museum, Terry and I went to a candle light service at Unity Church (4801 Clarcona Ocoee Road.) Parked in front of the church was an interesting character on a souped up bicycle with a long chopper styled front wheel assembly straight out of “Easy Rider” and a sign that said “No Trespassing.” It took amazing restraint to not start sketching right there. The church’s warm inviting interior beckoned and we went inside. Red Poinsettias were everywhere. Reverend Bob Marshal told everyone to unwrap a paper message which had been fastened to the base of each persons candle like a fortune cookie. Terry’s fortune read, “I am aglow with the spirit of God.” This theme of an inner light was repeated several times that night.

Music celebrated the joy of the occasion. A husband and wife performed a duet and there were a number of beautiful solos. I loved the performance of “O Holy Night.” Something in the singers beautiful voice when she sang, “o night divine”, struck me and lifted me up. It was nice standing beside Terry singing Christmas Carols. It reminded me of the times she used to go caroling on the streets of NYC with a Medieval Choral group. I loved sketching those freezing cold outings.

There was a large display of candles in front of the pulpet which congregation members would light one at a time. Once a candle was lit the igniting candle would be passed to another member of the congregation and they would light the next candle in line. Each candle represented a different apostle. I was fascinated that an apostle named Bartholomeus was considered the apostle of imagination. So many of the themes expressed celebrated creativity and a glowing sense of goodwill that can be realized when that inner light is ignited and shared. The final song of the evening was “Silent Night” and Reverend Bob suggested we all keep repeating the first verse. That way we didn’t have to worry about the words, and the song would almost become a sacred chant. Everyone stood arm in arm and swayed to the gentle lyrics. From a single candle, a flame was shared and slowly the room filled with light. The reverend said,”The light that shines in each of us is the gift of Christmas.” Merry Christmas and help spread the light and joy today and always.

The Nativity Story

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As I drove North on I-4 I got nervous about going to Pinocchio’s Puppet Theater since I figured the Altamonte Mall must be packed since it was the last shopping weekend before Christmas. Surprisingly it was easy to find parking and it wasn’t too crowded in the mall. When I got to Pinocchio’s I slipped in past the velvet rope. Sarah Lockhard and Heather Henson were manipulating several puppets, just finishing up a rehearsal. Along the side wall of the theater there was a trio of medieval performers with recorders, a vi0lin and mandolin. They were the Olde Noyse Trio. The recorder player glanced over at me while I sketched. He said, “Your Tom aren’t you? I played recorders with your wife Terry.”

The puppet show began with the annunciation as an angel appeared before Mary telling her she would immaculately conceive a child. The Mary puppet was manipulated by Sarah Lockhard who panted in surprise upon seeing the angel. Mary was no more than a foot high. Joseph who was much older than Mary had a difficult time believing Mary was with child. The truth was reveled in a dream. Some children squirmed, not understanding all aspects of the story.

When the Nativity Story was complete, Sean Keohane stood at the set alter an announced that they would set up the manger scene again so children could get a closer look, and parents could take pictures. A little boy shouted out, “I want to see the baby!” When I inspected the puppets up close, a pupeteer took one of the three Magi’s and she started lifting his skirt. “This is my favorite part.” she said. Neatly sewn on the Magi’s butt was a cloth label that read, Jim Henson’s Workshop.

Wheels 4 Kids Distribution

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The bicycle distribution took place in front of Howard Middle School which is on Robinson just East of North Summerlin Avenue. Coming from another appointment, I arrived late. I wasn’t in the best of moods. I was honestly annoyed and impatient. I didn’t waste a moment. I just leaned against a tree with the full sun warming me as I worked. The wind kept blowing the sketchbook closed till I finally clipped one of my pens on the flapping page to keep it in place. I couldn’t see the Mounted Police horses though I knew they must be around. Children’s names were being called over a megaphone and I heard Santa chuckling in good will. A policeman kept signaling passing cars to slow down. He had to shout at times in annoyance at SUV drivers who were in a mad rush.

Patricia Charpentier walked up to me and said, “I knew I would find you on the periphery here.” I showed her my sketch which only had a light blue sky washed in. She picked up several prints I had done for the LifeSketch project. This particular LifeSketch was going to be about how her parents met. Two young boys were yelling with joy behind me as they tested their new bikes on the school’s running track. Patricia pointed out a little girl who was riding her tiny pink bike with training wheels and a mini child seat for a doll. She was adorable as she tried to keep up with her mothers long strides. My foul mood melted. How could I remain angry when faced with so much goodwill? Firemen posed for a group photo in front of the “Wheels 4 Kids” banner. They shouted out “Merry Christmas!” and the photographer pressed the shutter button. The Mounted Police Horses clomped in front of me. Kelly one of the volunteers riding tapped her butt and asked me if I had sketched her. I was being jokingly reminded that I had let those proportions get a bit wide in a previous sketch. Last year 94 bikes were given away and this year around 64 bikes were distributed. Perhaps people can give less but they still give. I was still sketching as the truck pulled away and people scattered.

Wheels for Kids

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As I approached Fire Station 1 on foot, I saw that all the trucks were parked out front leaving the cavernous new garage as a Christmas workspace. The firemen were working like greased lightning busily constructing some 68 bikes for children in need this holiday season. These guys know how to use a wrench and I had to struggle to catch the fleeting gestures as the bikes were built. I set my stool up at the base of the fireman’s pole and immediately got to work. One fireman spoke to me for a few minutes. He said they love getting the chance to build these bikes each year. This is the ninth year in a row that bikes have been given away. The program began in 2002 when school bus routes were canceled from Reeves Terrace to several downtown schools due to budget cuts. Commissioner Patty Sheehan wanted to find a way to ensure children had bikes to travel safely to school.

The fireman pointed out that they have to decide each year who gets to build the bikes and who gets to give them away. Jokingly he confided that perhaps it is the “pretty boys” who give the bikes away. He took great pride in how quickly he could build a bike however. In about a week the bikes will be given away to children in Reeves Terrace community. Each bike is custom built with a specific needy child’s name on it. I sketched this outpouring of goodwill last year and I can’t wait to sketch it again this year. The Orlando Mounted Police escort a firetruck which acts as Santa’s sleigh. The huge police horses act as reindeer. Watching a little girl wobbling on her new bike then gaining balance with the help of a fireman is a heart warming image that still lingers with me.

“We take a lot of pride in the holiday spirit this event brings to kids and families who need it most. Nearly 700 bikes have been distributed through our Wheels for Kids program thanks to dedicated sponsors, civic leadership and community commitment.” said Commissioner Sheehan.

Christmas Tree Tent

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Sometimes I spend so much time researching possible subjects, I loose sight of the quirky things that pop up around me every day. Driving into the Full Sail parking lot I noticed a large Christmas Tree Tent had been erected. An inflatable Homer Simpson offered D’0H NUTS to the incessant and furious 436 traffic. I passed this tent for a solid week before finally deciding I had to sketch it. I sat in a roadside drainage ditch to get the proper vantage point.

I had been sent on an assignment to sketch a banking CEO’s home but when I got to the street, I discovered it was a gated community. I made several calls, but never got the gate code. I started to drive home when I remembered what Homer would say in such a situation, “D’OH!” I decided to make the drive over to the Christmas tent. I never realized that this tent had the best quality prices and selection! Why would people get their trees anywhere else? People must travel hundreds of miles, making the pilgrimage to this sales mecca. I had stumbled upon the Best Christmas tree sales tent in Central Florida!

The parking lot directly behind the tent was empty. I only saw one person. He came out with a gas can to fill the electric generator. The billboard was for a rape help center designed in delicate purples and pinks.

Fisherman’s Village, Punta Gorda

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While visiting my Sister, Pat Boehme, in south Florida over the Thanksgiving Holiday, we decided to hit some stores in Punta Gorda for Black Friday. Pat drove us to Fisherman’s Village which is a series of shops that line an old dock. The stores were all decked out with Christmas decorations. It was way too early for me to consider sketching Santa or Reindeer. I walked the length of the dock, looking in all the shop windows without much interest. I decided to sit outside behind the shops and enjoy the view of all the boats. Later this month there will be a nautical parade where boats are decorated to the hilt with Christmas lights. Stringing lights from masts certainly would make for simple Christmas tree shapes.

One of the boats motored out from its moorings while I sketched. A man was behind the wheel shouting out orders and a woman was on the bow coiling up some ropes. She was in a bikini. The warm beautiful day made it difficult to imagine that Christmas was right around the corner.

ICE at the Gaylord Palms

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At a fundraiser several months ago for Hospice of the Comforter, Keith Salwoski, of the Gaylord Palms introduced himself to me and asked if I would like to sketch an event his hotel puts on called ICE. I of course followed up and he invited me to come down. I arrived in the early evening an was surprised that just to park would cost $12. I walked into the waiting area of the exhibit and discovered tickets cost $21. I called Keith and unfortunately he didn’t pick up his phone. Rather that pay I decided to wander around the entry area exhibits. There was a Santa Claus seated in an area where photos could be taken. I sat down and started to sketch but immediately Santa got up and went on a break. A sign said he would be back in an hour. This just wasn’t my night. I then wandered over to look at a model railroad display with a small village. I started sketching this and just as I was about to commit to inking things in, Keith introduced himself to me. He apologized and said his cell phone had been acting up.
We walked into the exhibit through the gift shop and he got me fitted in a blue winter parka. He also gave me a pair of gloves and some hand warmer packets. He gave me a full tour of the exhibit answering my questions as we walked. ICE has huge themed rooms filled with ice sculptures. The space is insulated with Styrofoam much like a beer cooler. It is kept at a frigid 9 degrees Fahrenheit using two huge air conditioners, each of which could cool the whole hotel complex. Should one unit fail the exhibit could still run using the back up. The sculptures have to be reworked every day due to damage from being touched. He pointed out that huge blocks of colored ice were always on hand behind curtains.
After seeing all the colorful rooms I decided to return to this ice slide room with huge reindeer sculptures. There was always a crowd of people at the base of the slide and a long line of children climbing the steps to get back to the top of the slide. There was constant screaming and laughter.
Working on the sketch was a challenge. My hands immediately got cold and it became hard to bend my fingers. I decided to place the heat packs in my palms and put the gloves over them. This helped. Then when I started applying watercolors, the water began to freeze on the page. The whole sketch shimmered like an ice rink. If I re-applied color over an area the ice would flake and fall from the page. One of the workers, probably an ice sculptor, told me I should have used Vodka to do the watercolors since it does not freeze. I wanted to ask him if he happened to have some on hand but he was gone before I could gather my frozen thoughts. Keith returned and offered me a hot coco and boy did that help.
With so many amazing and colorful sculptures I really wanted to do more sketches but I could only stand the cold for this one sketch. When I exited I placed my sketch flat on a bench and let the ice melt and the colors settled onto the page. I could no longer feel my feet or hands. I stomped my feet until they started to tingle again. Ice really is an amazing experience. If you are going to sketch however, remember to bring the vodka. Ice continues to run through January 3rd.

Hand Made Holiday

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12-22-09HandMadeHoliday
Lorri Ethridge is an artist who came to my Sketch Crawl around Lake Eola back in July. At 7 AM that morning as I sketched the sun rising near the Japanese pavilion, I could see her sitting on the dock in front of the Pavilion looking out over the lake and sketching the skyline. We talked briefly at the second stop on the Crawl which was at Panera Bread.
Several months later she sent me a message asking me if I knew Karie Brown who makes hand crafted handbags. I was thrilled to be able to bring them together. Lorri organized an event in Winter Springs called Handmade Holiday. She asked if I could stop out and document the occasion. Tables were set up in Huey Magoo’s in Winter Springs Town Center. Huey Magoo’s gave a portion of all food sales to Christmas Dreams for Children, a foundation in Christmas Florida.
The event was held inside since it was one of the first cold nights in Orlando this year. I stood and leaned back to one of the restaurant booths. The table right in front of me offered hand made teddy bears, woman’s purses and small wooden Japanese dolls. A UCF sports jersey was framed on the wall as “Art”. People who came to the event lingered perhaps not wanting to go back out in the cold or just happy to spend some time to talk to neighbors.

Christmas Tree Tent

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While driving across town I stopped at Barney’s Christmas trees sales tent at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on Colonial Avenue. Trees start at $35. It was rather cold so I sat in the sun. I like the way the natural conifers blend it with the cut trees on display around and in the tent. I was almost tempted to get one but putting up a tree and then taking it right down again the next week seems like such a waste. I only saw one family buying a tree and there were plenty of trees inside so it looked tome like sales might be down. There was a large dumpster behind this tent piled high with tree branches, maybe I could do something with those? Pine needles to make a fairly good mulch. For all the Christmas themed events I have been sketching, I just haven’t been feeling in the holiday spirit. Running around town every day to do a sketch is starting to feel like work. I find the commercialization of the Holiday uninspiring.
I have heard of random acts of kindness that have bought people together. For instance some of the cast of The Singing Christmas Trees will be Caroling for Margaret, a friends mother, who is at home in Hospice care. Margaret and her daughter, Mary, used to go to The Singing Christmas Trees every year. Of course this year they were unable to go. Simple acts like this are what Christmas is all about.

Ditto

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Based on a reader tip from Patricia Charpentier, I had to go see this lighting display on the corner of Harmon and Clay Streets. Patricia said she laughed her head off when she saw this display of Christmas cheer. I drove to the location straight from work and when I arrived it was still light out. I knew immediately that this would be a fun sketch. Shortly after I started a woman arrived saying “Don’t worry, I ‘m not sneaking up on you, I just saw this house and I have to get a photo”. She took a shot with her iPhone and then asked what I was up to. I showed her the very early stages of this sketch and told her that if she wanted to see the final, she should check this blog. She got back in her car and just as she drove past me, all the Christmas lights flickered on. She threw her hands up off the steering wheel in frustration and parked a second time to get another photo. The Ditto sign however was still not lit. Patience pays.
This home comes complete with animatronic Mr. and Mrs. Claus in a window. Santa is also trying to get in the chimney while solders guard the candy cane lined entry. There is a nativity, carolers, candles, wreaths, reindeer and garland. Quiet Christmas music can be heard. The home owners came out a few times to straighten lights in the flower beds and to snap a few photos. The decorated house is owned by the O’Brien family. Mrs. O’Brien stopped over to see what I was up to and we chatted for a while.
Several times cars simply would stop in their tracks to take a look and commuters in a rush to get home, would have to honk to get them to move it along. This display has been been going up for 25 years. Terry O’Brien explained the the house with the ditto sign had once been owned by her mother. It was her mother who began building this Christmas light display over the years. Now Sara, a niece, lives in that home and she doesn’t have time for all the decorations. Mickey O’Brien set up the Ditto sign for her.