Saint Pete’s Roman Catholic Church

Posted on by Thor

After sketching at the Lynching Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, I wandered the empty streets in search of another subject. I settled in to sketch Saint Pete’s Roman Catholic Church, but discovered the major problem of using a digital sketchbook on location… the battery dies.

A small wooden church was built on the site in 1833 and was dedicated in 1834.  A brick building which is part of the present structure was built in 1852. The current Spanish style tower and facade were added in 1882.

After the battery died I searched for a lunch spot where I might be able to recharge. I found Chris’ Hot Dogs which was opened by a Greek immigrant in 1917. Until the 1960s he offered curb side service which resulted in long lines of cars waiting to be served. The dogs are served with a secret chili sauce only known by a few family members. Millions of customers were served in the first 10 decades. President Franklin D. Roosevelt often ordered boxes of hot dogs when his presidential train traveled through town. Other presidents included Truman and George Bush one and two. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Hank Williams Jr., and Elvis Presley all sampled these delicious hot dogs. My two dogs were soggy with chili sauce, but quite good. People in the know, lined up at the bar and had their dogs within minutes.  I sat at the bar, which reminded me of the many bars in the south where sit-ins were held during the civil rights era.

I eventually found a plug in a public park, but by the time the pad was recharged, I decided I didn’t have time to go back to complete the sketch. It had to stay the way it was. It shows my loose thought process early in a sketch before details are added.

The Pulse Shooting Vigil at The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

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You must be aware of the horror by now. On Saturday night around 2am, a gunman shot and killed 49 people and injured 53 more people at Pulse Night club in Orlando. This is the largest single gunman terrorist attack in the history of the United States. This morning, I woke up and the first thing I did was search the Internet for the names of victims. Though none of the names were familiar, I was in tears. Through out the day friends and family from around the country checked in to see if I was alright. I had sketched events at Pulse five times before, so I am familiar with the venue.

At dusk, there was a vigil at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. I wondered how tight security might be. At security check points my art supplies are often suspect. I was pleased that the were no fences or barricades. The crowd was huge and growing. I decided to stop when I saw this large sheet of construction paper for memorial wishes. People knelled down to write and draw messages of hope love and pride. Half way down the scroll, a young girl was writing a message. She was interrupted by a friend who spoke to her. I saw her face contort in pain and sorrow as he spoke. Clearly she had lost a loved one. She hugged her friend for longest time and cried on his shoulder. My heart broke.

On stage, names of the victims were being read out loud. the list went on forever. A woman to my left was sobbing and I had to stop sketching to clear my eyes. I was thankful when another announcer suggested we hug the person beside us. I hugged the man beside me. A quote from Martin Luther King rang true… “Darkness cannot drive out hate; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” I picked up a stray crayon and used it on my sketch. Can creativity really comfort or heal? People wandered the crowd handing out snacks and water. Like a funeral, food is thought to bring comfort.

The little town where tourist dreams come true was center stage for a nightmare. There is no pixie dust that can heal such a tragedy. I don’t understand love in the face of sorrow, hope in the face of pointless violence. Speakers called for strict gun control but legislation is never passed. The ever powerful social media sites don’t have an automatic message to let you know a friend has been shot dead.  We all face our certain demise. Yet that field was full of love and community support. Someone complimented my sketch and I choked up in response. Such kindness despite everything. The gravity and scope of what happened washed over me fully for the first time.

All about-Race and power near Blue Box 6.

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I had arranged to meet Hurricane Maria at Blue Box 8 near the Lynx Bus Station. 27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes
are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking is possible only during day
light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street
performers must use the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can
result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

I arrived a little late and didn’t see Maria. I assumed she was running late and started sketching. My darn cell phone was dead because my car charger was broken. There was no way to contact her. I finished as much of the sketch a I could, and assumed that I could place Maria in the sketch when she arrived. She is a caricature artist and she planned to set up shop in the Blue Box. I probably sketched for an hour and a half, completing most of the watercolor with an open space that I left blank. If anyone reading this is interested, I could sketch you into this incomplete sketch in about half an hour. I will not post the sketch until it has a performer utilizing the box. Become part of The Blue Box Initiative.

I packed up an decided to head home. As I approached a huge construction site near the Bob Carr Theater, I saw Maria talking to several construction workers. She had gone to the wrong Blue Box and was deep in conversation about race and power. Blue Box number 6 had been ripped up due to the construction. As the conversation went on, I realized that the blue boxes represent first amendment zones, where freedom of express to is allowed.

The construction worker was explaining how blacks have been marginalized throughout history. The us Census would redefine the race every time there was census. They were redefined as blacks, negros, African Americans and other names. Poor neighborhoods were fractured and split up with redistricting. He asked each of us where our ancestors came from. Regardless of our past, he said we all have Moorish blood in us. Maria responded, “I prefer to just think of us as the human race.”

He spoke of a true and divine knowledge of yourself, historically speaking. People have been calling themselves everything but what they are, and so they are never able to take their proper place
in the national and international
affairs of men all over the world. they have been mentally robbed of their
inherent
and invincible manhood, by being
robbed of their nationhood.
The west African Moorish Empire expanded into Europe conquering Spain in 711 AD. This was the greatest power in Europe at the time and its influence spread resulting in the Renaissance. Apparently Abraham Lincoln was assassinated because he understood this Moorish commonality. The same was true of Dr. Martin Luthar King. One of King’s aid stepped aside to open a pathway for a sniper’s bullet.

The local school the the worker used to go to used to inspire students to greatness. Then teachers were brought in from out of the community and the students were no longer taught civic pride. Drugs ravaged the neighborhood causing further collapse. These drugs were specifically introduce in impoverished neighborhoods. This backfired however because then others could get cheap drugs there and the drug plagues spread could not be stopped.

With my sketch done, I decided to slip away. Free speech was very much alive near Blue Box number 6. I asked Maria if she was willing to set up for a short time in Blue Box number 8, but she had to get over to Audubon Park where she would be doing caricatures at the Monday night farmers market in the Stardust Video and Coffee parking lot.

From Darkness Into Light

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I went to City Hall where people were gathering for a candle light vigil in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. As I approached, I saw a banner with Abe Lincoln, and Mahatma Gandhi. It turned out this was a small group from the Occupy Orlando crowd. The King vigil was gathering inside the rotunda of City Hall where it was warm. Teens were dressed in uniforms as a color guard and drum marching band. The rotunda was packed. Glow sticks were issued to everyone in the crowd. Considered trying to sketch but I knew the political speeches wouldn’t take long. Buddy Dyer mentioned that the Circus was in town and we might be walking past elephants that were being kept in the Amway Center garage. I positioned myself near the exit.

The marching band walked out to the street. There were several police cars and motorcycles to block off traffic as we walked towards Parramore. The crowed stretched back for a block and a half. Faces were illuminated with the mysterious fire fly green glow. It was an impressive sight though impossible to catch with a sketch since we were all in constant motion. Terry was at One Eyed Jacks watching a football playoff game with Packer backers. I texted her to let her know where I was going. Our final destination was Shiloh Baptist Church (604 West Jackson Street).

The church filled quickly for an Interfaith celebration of Dr. King’s life. I sat near some steel drums, figuring it was a definite sketch opportunity. The steel drummer’s did play with their bright red shirts blazing. Someone sat right in front of me shooting video and rather than get annoyed, I realized he made a nice foreground element. Speakers were from a variety of religions, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Christian. Reverend Jim Coffin gave a surprising keynote speech where he recounted a time in his childhood when his family 0ffered their land to colored people for hunting. Once word spread, people from all over the state came to that land to hunt. Although they considered themselves more liberal than most, they still told jokes that were racially motivated. Change happens slowly and we still have a long way to go.

The closing hymn was, “We Shall Overcome.” My sketch was done and I knew that I needed to stand and sing along. The woman in a pew across the isle reached out her hand to me and soon everyone was singing with their hands clasped and raised in joy. “We shall overcome some day. Oh deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome some day.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Candle Light Vigil

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On Martin Luther King day I went to Knowles Memorial Chapel on the Rollins Collage Campus in the evening for a candle light vigil. I found a spot on an upper level baloney with it’s wrought iron railing. I sketched the space feverishly as people filed in. “Bridge over Troubled Water” was echoing through the church organ pipes. The Keynote speaker was Fairolyn Livingston who is active in collection and preservation of the community’s history and is a founding member of the Hannibal Square Heritage Center Picture Collection Team. She was born in Hannible Square a segregated community for blacks. She is active in collection and preservation of the community’s history and is a founding member of the Hannibal Square Heritage Center Picture Collection Team. Thanks to the groundbreaking efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King, she was able to attend Rollins College to earn her B.A. degree.

A moment of silence was asked for in Dr. Kings memory. The church bell tolled fifteen times. There was something eerie in the sound as it filled the night then faded. The Chapel was packed. Everyone stood to sing “The Black National Anthem.” Students got up and spoke about how Dr. Kings words changed their lives.”Hate can not conquer hate, only love can conquer hate.” Four female singers rose and sang “I Give Myself Away.” Finally everyone in the church lit their electronic candles. Perhaps the image wasn’t as moving as a raw flame, but the room was alive with light as everyone sang out, “Let there be LIGHT!” Everyone filed out of the church, cradling their candles, as I rushed to finish my light filled sketch.