50th Annual Mount Dora Art Festival

Posted on by Thor

On Sunday, I was going to sketch on the set of an independent film, titled Snow Globe, being shot locally. One of the actors got a bad case of the flu, so the shooting schedule was set back several weeks. Suddenly my Sunday was wide open for other sketch opportunities.

A neighbor across the street let me know that Mount Dora was holding its 50th Annual Art Festival all weekend so I decided to go. Parking for this event was going to be a challenge. Many residents opened up their driveways and yards charging $20 a pop to park. I decided to approach Mount Dora from the north and look for parking up there. Several side street had police signage saying parking was suspended temporarily. Side street parking was not an option, so I just kept driving north until a spot opened up. It was quite a hike to the event but I need the exercise. It was a gorgeous day but I was still sporting a hoodie and fleece. I was a sweaty mess by the time I got to Donnelly Park.

I walked one block through the narrow art festival tent valley. An online map showed that if I walked down one aisle ignoring what was on the opposite side of the street and then always turned right, I could see every booth.  I saw just 1 woman wearing a mask. The crowd was way too thick. Seeing every booth stopped being a priority. I cut through a tent to the sidewalks which were getting little use except by artist vendors. I could see glimpses of the art from the sidewalk and nothing drew me in begging for a closer view. Donnelly Park had port-o-potties which I used. I settled on this view since I love that old Donnelly House which is also a Masonic Lodge. Much of the house was hidden by foliage but the corner tower stood tall.

Later this month, I will be having a laser shoved up my corner tower to core out my innards so that I don’t have to pee every half hour. I am glad to say I finished this sketch in one sitting. Once done I immediately ran to the port-o-potties. If the sketch seems rushed of frenetic, that is why. I was told I would have to do exercised before the operation. This is my form of exercise, which is sitting as long as I can to finish a sketch. It is the one form of exercise I love to do.

Art in the Alley, Mount Dora

Posted on by Thor

Art in the Alley on the historic Roylleau Street in Mount Dora, Florida, is held every 2nd Friday. The alley runs for two blocks between 3rd Street and 5th Street. The alley is one block west of Baker Street and ends at the Donnelly Park, right at the Mount Dora Center for the Arts.

I had forgotten my artist stool, so I sat in a tangle of live Oak roots to sketch the entrance to the alley. All the trees were still lit up with Christmas lights. I took my rag and folded it up to add some cushioning against the hard knobby roots.

Several weeks prior, Stella Arbelaez had a portrait on exhibit near here which we visited, and then we went into this Van Gogh themed bus to look at the art of Richard Barrenechea.The entire city was ablaze with Christmas lights and after the bus Stella and I went to the tai restaurant right next to the bus. To me that outdoor seating area reminds me of Van Gogh‘s painting of a provincial outdoor cafe. The Miso Soup warmed my soul and the Pad Thai noodles were sweet and delicious. Overall it was a great night on the town.

Richard had painted an entire house to look like Van Gogh’s Starry Night. On this night, driving into Mount Dora from Yalaha, I saw the house first time right before entering the historic downtown. Sketching the house would be tricky since a large road runs right in front of it.

As I finished up my sketch, a mom was waiting to get her children across the very busy street. She wasn’t crossing the street to see art, rather she was crossing the street to get ice cream cones for her kids. A beautiful hostess encouraged people to enter the bus. Richard has converted this bus into a mobile art gallery of his work. The pop culture paintings are shiny with thick layers of varnish. I stumbled up the steps of the bus and lost my balance. I used my left hand to catch myself from falling. I asked Richard if I could just get a card and he said, “You are leaning on them.” Sure enough my left hand was right on a pile of cards. I laughed. I wonder how many others had lost their balance getting up those bus steps and stumbled upon the cards. That is some golden marketing right there.

Other than Richard’s bus, I only noticed one other artist with a table set up half way down the first block of the Alley. The central building in Donnlley Park had signs for a Highwayman exhibit. I peaked my head in but there was only a retirement party going on. Weather you are looking for ice cream or Art, downtown Mount Dora is buzzing on a Friday night,