WPRK Local Heros

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Daniel Pacchioni, the host of 91.5 WPRK Radio’s “Local Heroes“, suggested that I sketch the newly renovated radio studios, “Hey, by the way if you ever want to come and sketch at WPRK again let me know. We added a new studio, studio B in the CD library and also my show does all the live performances there. Just let me know, you are welcome to come any Wednesday at 5pm.”The station is located in the basement of a building in Rollins College in Winter Park. Julie Norris of “Front Porch Radio” was just getting off the air. Carolina Suarez-Garcia was in the studio with Julie probably offering plenty of information about the exciting Dia de los Muertos and Monster Factory Exhibit and Block Party coming up October 17th starting 6pm at the City Arts Factory (29 S Orange Ave  Orlando, FL). I rushed in to say hello to Julie as she was leaving.

An it turned out,  the Wednesday I went to the radio station was the one day that there wasn’t a band playing live in the new studio. Instead, I crowded into the old studio to sketch Daniel conducting interviews. Nick Palmer and Shea O’Rourke from Real Feel Recording got behind the mics. The recording studio, located at 182 Oxford Rd. Casselberry, FL is one of the finest most affordable recording studios in Central Florida. They were having an open house to show off their studios to the public.

I was called up to the mic for a quick interview as well.  never hurts to introduce a new audience to the site. Daniel threw me for a second by asking what my favorite sketch subject has been. With well over a thousand events sketched and documented it is close to impossible to pick any one, but I recovered and simply talked about my mission and passions. I have a book being published called Urban Sketching in several months, why on earth didn’t I think to promote that? I suppose it doesn’t help to second guess the interview. It was what it was.

Next up behind the Mics were Alex Lenhoff and Andi Perez from The Orlandoan, which is a local events blog. They came up with a great T-shirt that simply says “Orlando Doesn’t Suck.” Their blog offers plenty of ideas about what to do in Orlando under a $20 budget. They spoke briefly about Page 15, which is committed to providing supplemental reading and writing education
for all students living and attending public schools in Orlando,
Florida. Their FREE after-school tutoring and creative writing workshops
are dedicated to enhancing communication skills, encouraging personal
creativity, and inspiring a lifelong passion for the language arts. Phil Zoshak has started a new program that inspires kids to be creative using his passion, video games.

Dia de los Muertos

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I went to the City Arts Factory for the opening of Dia de los Muertos, the day of the dead themed art show and block party. Pine Street was blocked off around the City Arts Factory with a large stage set up, art vendors, and a food truck. Large skeletal figures surrounded the entry way. Inside it was already packed and all the art in the hall and left gallery had highly ornate day of the dead skulls. I saw a flash of pink. It was Denna Beena ducking behind some black curtains. I followed and we entered a hectic backstage dressing room and makeup area. I recognized many of the Yow dancers and Denna graciously introduced me. Carolina Suarez Garcia came in and did her own makeup. She is the public relations manager for Tacatantán Records, one of the events producers along with The Orlando Downtown Arts District and Pink Hair Productions.I tried to find order in the chaos and clutter.

There was a mad rush to get the makeup done for all the performers before the 8PM Yow Dance, Thriller Flash Mob.  I thought I was sketching Yow dancers, but it turned out that these performers helped with Dali Live’s painting performance on stage. Dali was dressed like the joker with a shock of green hair. He quickly painted a large portrait of the joker while dancing to loud techno music. Poison Ivy and the other characters danced as he painted. They were all characters from Batman movies and eventually Batman did a cameo walk on stage. The crowd loved it. There was a costume contest and day of the dead parade.

Yow dance lead the assembled crowd in the Thriller line dance. A few people joined in, but it was hot and most Central Floridians are rather reserved.  Children joined in. Terry arrived and I searched for her in the crowd. I texted each location I went to thinking it might help. I was up against the stage watching Dali Live when Terry bumped me in the shoulder. We walked away from the stage to the back of the crowd and sat on some steps behind two girls with large snakes. A guy was coaching them saying they shouldn’t let people touch the snakes heads or grab at them. Terry wanted to take a picture, but the girls wanted money.  Terry was tired, having just come from another corporate party, so I walked her back to her car and called it a night. The Dia de los Muertos exhibit at City Arts Factory is up through the end of October.

Handmade Pupppet Dreams Halloween

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Halloween is coming and Handmade Puppet Dreams is ready to show Orlando, FL its darker side. In addition to a 15-foot display of puppets in City Arts Factory, this ghastly gallery exhibit will feature a 2-hour loop of Handmade Puppet Dreams creepiest, crawliest, Halloween-iest films for the public to enjoy any time during open gallery hours (11:00AM till 6:00PM) through the end of October!

 The 3rd year of the Annual Dia de los Muertos and Monster Factory. Co-produced by The Downtown Arts District, Tacatantán Records, and Pink Hair Productions, this exhibit features the work of international, national, and local artists and, this year, will feature a gallery installation by IBEX Puppetry spotlighting Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams!

The Handmade Puppet Dreams segment of the gallery will feature puppets from the films of Ron Binion (AlienCow Puppet Show Redux), David Michael Friend (Moonfishing), Sam Koji Hale (Yamasong), Lyon Hill (Junk Palace and Incubus), Kevin McTurk (The Narrative of Victor Karloch), and Scotty Shoemaker, Tony Giordano, and Jason Murphy(Harker). Screenings will include The Narrative of Victor Karloch, Suck-A-Thumb, AlienCow Puppet Show Redux, Calalilly, Harker, Incubus, In the House of the Sin Eater, Junk Palace, Yamasong, Moonfishing, and Graveyard Jamboree.

Hannah Miller was busy getting the puppets ready for display on the day before the opening.  Midway through the install she turned on the flat screen TV to show the films. Each of the puppets I sketched were in the films. It was like having movie actors pose who are eternally patient. My favorite short film was Moonfishing which had gorgeous silhouetted settings with curvacious Art Nouveau organic curls, and a magical heart warming story. When pizza arrived at 1PM, all the other people who were hanging art disappeared never to be seen again. Hannah called Jack Fields to help as she finished the installation. I admired their teamwork when hanging the posters high on the wall. Hanging a show is hard work.

Thriller Flash Mobs

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The Creative City Project came about as a result of a conversation between Cole Nesmith and Terry Olson, the Director at Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs. The Creative City Project involves gorilla style performances in public spaces every day of the month in October.

The Orlando Ballet had a Thriller themed flash mob on October 12th in the Plaza Theater Courtyard in Downtown Orlando at noon as part of The Creative City Project. I arrived a bit late and there was a crowd of people in business attire milling around the plaza. A 7-11 which recently opened in the plaza was packed. I was afraid I had missed the flash mob but  Robert Hill, the company’s artistic director let me know that there would be three more performances about every 15 minutes. Each performance would be just three minutes. That would be a challenge to catch an entire cast dancing in three minutes. I felt I had bit off more than I could chew.


I climbed the stairs for an aerial view of the staging area. Suddenly I was surrounded by the entire ballet cast all dressed in black. They were posing for a photo in front of the Plaza Theater marquee and resting before the next performance. In the bright noon light they tended to look more like cheerleaders rather than zombies. I considered sketching them, but they went back downstairs just as I started. A woman’s piercing scream shifted my attention to the courtyard. She ran to the center of the courtyard, screaming the whole time. People turned to look concerned. Then Michael Jackson’s Thriller boomed from the sound system. The entire cast danced as zombies and ghouls. People kept gathering to watch. Then as Vincent Price laughed, the performers disappeared. The flash mob was used to help promote Vampire’s Ball which will run from October 19th to the 21st. The show is advertised as being frightening, erotic, and campy. I saw a preview from last year’s show and it looked amazing.


Tonight after 6PM at the City Arts Factory, Yow Dance will also be performing a Thriller Flash Mob as part of Dia Des Los Muertos and Monster Factory. At this flash mob, everyone is being encouraged to join in. So put on your best zombie attire and get out and dance! There will be makeup artists at City Arts Factory in case you need some extra gory wounds.