Ibex Puppetry brings Earth Day to life.

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Earth Day at Lake Eola fell on the same day as the World Wide Sketch Crawl. The Earth Day organizers were kind enough to let me have a tent set up where local artists could meet for the Sketch Crawl. The Analog Artist Digital World tent was right next to the Ibex Puppetry tent. Artists really had plenty to draw right from the tent. After lunch, I did this sketch of the Music Garden set up by Ibex Puppetry. Martin Wolf Murphy and Mark DeMaio supervised any children who wanted to beat the drums.

Another tent was set up in the Ibex camp where kids could do crafts. They could create the own miniature world or create a kite. The animal puppets that can be seen in the background of this sketch came to life for a parade every few hours. The sea turtle would glide gracefully and the Florida Panther would pounce forward with ferocity. The drummers would join in setting the beat of the procession.

The urban sketchers did explore the rest o the Earth Dan festivities, so the tent was just used when a sketcher wanted a break from the sun. About 5 artists showed this day and sketched together. Sometimes an artist will miss the group, and just sketch on their own. There is so much to see and sketch. It is nice I no longer be an outsider looking in, but to be an active participant in the festivities.

The Trojan Rabbit.

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Jeff Ferree created this life sized Trojan Rabbit. He works in the scene shop at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, so he’s good at building stuff. He based his design on the Trojan Bunny in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Bunny popped up all around town, to promote the Orlando Shakespeare production of Spamalot. First Thursday

This sketch was done at Earth Day which also happened to fall on the Same day as the World Wide Sketch Crawl. I put out an invitation on Facebook to host the Orlando Crawl and about 5 or 6 artists showed up during the course of the day. As we sketched the rabbit, most of the crawlers Sat on the retaining wall to my right. I sat leaning back against a palm tree, and right next to me was a water bowl for dogs Which was used quite often by parched over heated dogs. The smoothie truck was quite popular among the humans who also wanted to cool down. I believe it was The Art Reach people who started blowing bubbles that floated in to the scene.

Jeff used the rabbit to attract peoples attention and then inform them about Spamalot. As I did this sketch,  I realized that there was nothing inside. I later contacted Jeff, and suggested that the bunny could be a good art gallery. When the bunny was moved outside the Shakespeare theater during the International Fringe Festival, Jeff allowed me to mount a show of Fringe related sketches inside. After Earth Day someone actually stole the bunnies tail. Who would steal a bunny tail? It makes for an odd useless trophy. Jeff let me use a scene shop drill which made it easy for me to mount the frames to the walls using brackets which made it near impossible to take a frame off the wall much like paintings in hotel rooms. The bunny was retired after its last appearance outside the Orlando Museum of Art for an animal themed First Thursday, which is a bit of a meat market for singles with some art. Once again I mounted prints inside. I don’t think many people ventured inside.

Crawling on Earth Day

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Earth Day happened to fall on the same day as the World Wide Sketch Crawl. I organized the Orlando Sketch crawl to take place in Lake Eola Park so that we could sketch the Earth Day festivities. I had a tent space, so I made that the home base where all the artists could gather. The tent was right next to IBEX puppetry’s tent, so there was Q sketch opportunity right there.

About four artists showed up, and at lunch time, we all went to the food vendors who were set up around a huge Live Oak tree. A belly dancer performed, but I didn’t sketch since I was still eating. Gay Geiger did manage to get a sketch. After lunch I ran across this artist painting a light bulb shaped earth. There was also a woman helping with the painting, but she left before t could catch her. Jeannette McCree stopped to catch this sketch as well.

Researching Ideas, I found out that it is  a media and experience design company using the premise that
powerful stories create powerful experiences.Their vision is of an enriched,
diverse, and flourishing worldwide community connected through stories. IDEAS has announced that after 6 ½ years, it will be moving from its
current home in Downtown Orlando. No immediate timetable or future
location has been determined.

Over all, hosing the sketch crawl at the Earth Day Festival was an amazing experience. Everyone got some great sketches and it was fun meeting new artists.

Earth Day Celebration at Lake Eola

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April 19th was Earth Day and Orlandoans celebrated at Lake Eola Park. That day was also the 43rd World Wide Sketch Crawl, so I organized the Orlando Crawl to happen at the Earth Day Celebration. There were artist and vendor tents set up all through the park. I suggested that any artists could meet in the art vendor area, so that is where I set up to sketch. I sat right at the edge of a huge patch of Doug Rhodehamel‘s paper bag mushrooms. The mushrooms are part of his Spore Project which encourages people to be creative with the simplest of materials, a paper bag, stick and a rubber band.

Jon Glassman Gardner was set up in a tent nearby and he explained the mushrooms to people who were curious. Jon had dozens of colored glass magnets that had colorful patterns that resemble topographic maps. He discovered the pattern one day while pressing pigments between two sheets of glass. I’m the proud owner of several of these magnets that hold up sketches in the studio. He was also selling lanterns that featured his unique glass work. Between costumers, he was working on a spray can chandelier. He cut the cans open in a spiral pattern which made them look a bit like Man O War jellyfish. I believe he plans to group these together with lights to create the chandelier.

My plan to have artists meet at this event was flawed. The event was so large and crowded that it became impossible to find any other artists. One art student of Kathy Blackmore‘s introduced himself and I suggested he sketch something in the area. I should have given him my twitter handle or phone number so I could find him again in the crowd.  I assumed no one else showed up, but weeks later I was pleased to see that Plinio Pinto and Matthew Tardiff also sketched the Earth Day festivities that day. Though each artist was sketching on their own, they both found plenty of interesting subject matter to sketch. The next Sketch Crawl is July 12th. I need to get organized and learn how to bring artists together.

Claire and the Potatos Perform at the Earth Day Festival

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The Earth Day Festival was held at Lake Eola on April 19th. This was the same day as the World Wide SketchCrawl, so I invited artists to come to Lake Eola for a sketch marathon. The festival was so crowded that I never met any other artists. I did one sketch in the artist vendor’s area which was slated as the meeting place. When that sketch was done, I walked around the festival looking for other artists and scouting out the next sketch opportunity. Of course, when I heard music, I was gravitated towards it.

Claire and the Potatoes performed under a tent right on the eastern shore of Lake Eola. Last year, Claire was bitten by one of Lake Eola’s swans, so she kept an eye out as she sang. I sat on a low brick wall and sketched. Most of the audience stood on the walkway. All of the music was original dealing with misunderstood youth and romance. The group is a sort of pop hipster comfort band, with a soothing retro sound with dark undertones. The band members are Leslie Rising, Guy Larmay, Marc Sirdoreus and Jim Myers.Someone shot a photo of me working on the sketch, so this sketch circulated a bit on Facebook. Because of that, I thought I might have posted this sketch before. I’ve decided to sign each sketch when it goes online to help avoid confusion in the future. With this sketch done, I decided to call it a day and head home. I was discouraged that I didn’t meet any other artists but it turned out they were out there enjoying their day of sketching.

Mark Your Calendar! Tonight, July 12 between 8pm and 1am, Claire and The Potatoes will unleash their new
album, “Have An Okay Time With Claire and The Potatoes!”, and they’re
doing it at The Geek Easy (114 S. Semoran Blvd)!

It’s the first chance to get the new album (three days early, too),
and the first five people to purchase one will also receive one of the
few remaining copies of their first EP gratis!
Opening the show will be
Bucket of Nails (unpredictable spazz-rock from Orlando)
and then Figments (rock and roll from Tampa)
. There is no cover, so get out and soak up some tunes.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Saturday April 19, 2014

10am to 6pm Free.  43rd World Wide Sketch Crawl in Orlando is on the same day as the 9th Annual Central Floride Earth Day at Lake Eola.
Thor of Analog Artist Digital World is the Orlando host. The idea of the FREE SketchCrawl is that of a global
drawing marathon: Taking a day to journal and draw all that is around you. http://www.sketchcrawl.com/
1- Artists gather together for the Sketchcrawl. (Lets meet at the Artist Corner at 10am to start.)
2- They share sketches and photos from all over the world after the SketchCrawl.
3- The event helps create a community of friends passionate about drawing around the world.
There are no rules:
Anyone can participate, be it to draw for 20 minutes or the full day . Any level of ability is welcome
from veteran artists to first time sketchers. Any age! Try it with your kids!
Artists can explore the event with sketches and ultimately gather at the Food Court-Beer Garden
at 5pm to share sketchbooks while tasting some of the Earth Day food and drink.

10am to 6pm Free.  Central Florida Earth Day. Lake Eola Park (east side) 195 N. Rosalind Avenue Orlando, FL. Please join us for the 9th annual Central Florida Earth Day, the largest and longest-running Earth Day festival in Central Florida! Central Florida Earth Day is back–bigger and better than ever!  Please join us at the largest and most prestigious Earth Day event in Central Florida. The event will include healthy living and eco-friendly exhibitors, speakers, and presentations; non-profits; fun and games for kids; dog and cat adoptions; restaurant booths; environmental and humane education; artist and craft corners; and live music and entertainment. Central Florida Earth Day will draw both committed environmentalists and those who want to learn more about how to protect our health, the planet, and its inhabitants. You can promote your business or group to thousands of people who want to learn more about environmentalism and the varied products and services that support an eco-friendly and a veg-friendly way of life. All money raised will be used for local environmental education and outreach.


10am to 8pm Free. Acme’s Star Trek vs Star Wars Art Show and Charity Auction for Hero Initiative. Acme Superstore 905 E. SR 434, Longwood, Fl. Acme’s Star Trek versus Star Wars Art Show! Join us for new themed art, family-friendly activities, movies, contests and vendors! And a store-wide sale on ALL Star Wars AND Star Trek comics, toys and merch! Throughout the day, we’ll also have a silent art auction with all proceeds going to Hero Initiative:.
Winners will be announced and contacted at 7pm. All ages welcome! FREE to attend!
Also, for all you 18+ fans, check out our Acme After Hours: Star Trek vs Star Wars Art Party!  

Sunday April 20, 2014

2pm to 8pm. Free.  Orange Blossom Jamboree 5 Pre-Party. Red Lion Pub 3784 Howell Branch Road Winter Park, Fl. A pre-Celebration of Florida’s finest homegrown festival: Orange Blossom Jamboree 2014!!! Live music from local OBJ bands on an outdoor stage, free homemade BBQ, and over a dozen vendors will all be present!

5:3opm to ? $7. Southern Fried Sunday with People’s Blues of Richmond, The Woolly Bushmen and Fast Preacher. Will’s Pub 1042 N. Mill’s Ave., Orlando, Fl. This SFS will rock! April’s SFS presents bands who all have a blues tinged, garage rock soulfullness to their diverse yet distinctly Southern sound. We welcome Virginia’s People’s Blue of Richmond back to Will’s after their last display of badassery. They’ll be joined by The Woolly Bushmen and Fast Preacher, the side project of Fat Night’s Daniel Hanson. The $7 Cover includes BBQ. Because this show falls on Easter and because we’ll be celebrating the first full liquor SFS at Will’s we are hiding eggs around the bar which will have tickets for free shots inside. Happy hunting!

9pm to 11pm Free. Solo Acoustic Spoken Word. Natura Coffee and Tea, 12078 Collegiate Way, Orlando, FL. 407 482-5000.

Spores

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At the Earth Day Festival at Lake Eola I decided to get a Vegan Lunch. The food court was at the South east entrance to the park under a huge Live Oak. I decided to get a carrot hot dog at Spork Cafe‘s booth. Tisse Mallon and her sister Joyce were working hard to keep up with orders. Joyce was at the barbecue grill searing the carrots over the coals. For a drink, I went to Midtown Eco Village for a berry smoothy. I ate lunch back at the Analog Artist Digital World tent. The hot dog was delicious although quit messy. A big splooge of mustard fell on my pants.

Journalist, Curtis Franklin had taken several photos as I sketched earlier in the day. He stopped by my tent to interview me. It was a fun talk and it turned out we have quite a lot in common.  Whenever he visits a new city, he walks the streets with a camera and a tape recorder to capture the city’s story.

My next door neighbor was Doug Rhodehamel, one of his art projects is “The SPORE Project” he makes paper bag mushrooms out of used paper bags that would usually end up in a landfill. The SPORE Project was
created in 2005 to promote support for art in schools and to illustrate
the importance of creativity in everyday life. He supplied paint and brushes so the kids could paint their own mushroom. Doug worked with a volunteer from Northland
Church and Hope4Orphans. This summer he hopes to to help send a few volunteers to
Ukraine and Russia. Through several week long summer camps, they will be
providing arts and crafts and paper bag mushrooms to hundreds of
orphans.

Doug’s spores are slowly taking over the world.  He stood next to me and laughed like a mad scientist. Parents and their kids would march through my tent to plant their spore and begin painting. There wasn’t much in my tent so it made the perfect garden gateway. I was glad, cause it meant more people would see my sketchbooks. I had the framed books hanging from the tent upper supports above children’s heads. Parents ended up banging their heads on my frames so I just had to plant a seat below the sketchbook so people knew to walk around.

Patti Matchett and her husband Andy joined me for the afternoon. I can’t thank them enough. With all the merchandise sold out, there wasn’t much to do other than hand out business cards and talk to people about the blog’s sketch a day mission.  Two Japanese culinary students wanted to buy the sketchbook suspended over my head. I tried to explain that it was an entire sketchbook but they could buy a print for $200. Language was a barrier but I have their contact information so maybe there is still hope to close the sale.

Earth Day Endangered Species

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On April 20th there was a huge Earth Day Festival at Lake Eola. For the first time ever, I agreed to put up an artist tent to promote this site. I framed ten sketchbooks printed some business cards and figured I could sell some of the remaining T-Shirts from the Sonesta Hotel mural. The night before, I packed the car and at 7AM the next morning I was ready to head out. I had used the tent extensively when I painted an outdoor mural for the Mennello Museum over the summer. Now painting outside in the summer is insane and I’m sure the tent had saved me from overheating.

Hurricane Maria helped me find the spot to set up my tent. During setup, people helped each other out. For instance the tent next to me shared their sand bags which would help keep the tents from blowing over.  Rain was predicted but it was a bright sunny morning as I erected the tent. The sketchbook frames were hung back to back on electric wires. They spun in the wind like Calder sculptures. Compared to other exotic tents, mine seemed a bit barren, but that is what my art is like, no flash, just substance.

I had put a call out on Facebook for volunteers who could man the tent while I sketched. Janice Böhrk McIntosh and Patti Matchett answered the call. Janice agreed to come bright and early and Patti agreed to come in the afternoon. Janice arrived and I explained that she could sell some T-Shirts and hand out business cards to people that were interested. She was excited to get started and I walked over to the Ibex Puppetry area to sketch the puppets that would be in the Endangered Species Parade. In the background of my sketch you can see a tow truck removing a parked car. Business as usual it the city beautiful.

As I sketched the display, all the puppeteers posed for a photo. Of course it was tempting to try and sketch them all in, but I knew they would all be gone as soon as the camera shutter clicked. April Tennyson mugged for me but she knew I wouldn’t have time to sketch her in. Necole Pynn who was at the Broomstick Pony tent had a kazoo. She asked me for a good kazoo tune and I wracked my brain to come up with “Jack the knife”. She seemed pleased as she hummed the tune through the instrument.

The Endangered Species Parade began and all the puppets came to life. Heather Henson, the founder of Ibex Puppetry, took hold of the Manatee and breathed life into him. Her mother, Jane Henson, had recently died, but today was a celebration of life. To the beat of a drum the parade flowed past me with grace and rhythm. The children followed with paper puppets they had made in the craft tent.

With my sketch done, I went to check on Janice. She had sold every single T-Shirt and most of the business cards had been handed out. I was in shock and delighted. Within the first hour, all my merchandise was sold and she was telling everyone who would listen about my project to document Orlando Culture one sketch at a time. What a godsend. There is no way I could have accomplished that. All hopes and expectations had been exceeded.

Earth Day at City Hall

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In the plaza in front of City Hall there was a small Earth Day Celebration with about ten tents promoting conservation and green initiatives. There were two large circular plague where all the world land masses were covered with green grass. Terry was there with her co-worker Sy. She picked up a free green earth day reusable shopping bag. In the Orlando Wetlands tent there was a baby alligator in a blue tub. People could hold the gator while having their picture taken in front of the Earth Day plaques. Red flowers decorated the edges.

There was a miniature golf course with bleach bottles and other garbage as the sand pits. Half full water bottles were being tossed into a recycling bin as a carnival game. New energy efficient light bulbs to a new totally electric car from Nissan were on display. There is now an electric outlet for a car right on Orange Avenue outside City Hall. The same gray electric car has been plugged in there the two times I’ve walked by. Todd Morgan was there representing Comprehensive Energy Services. I know Todd for his work with Harmonious Universe which helps brighten the town with colorful interactive murals. Anyone can help in the painting so long as they can hold a paint brush.

It started to rain as I was sketching so I rushed under a palm tree for some cover. Mayor Buddy Dyer walked out of City Hall and paused to look at the makeshift Earth Day Celebration, then he walked across the street toward the Grand Bohemian with two other men in suits. Be sure to stop by Lake Eola today to see all of the activities throughout the day.

Earth Day

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On the same day as the Kentucky Derby, Lake Eola became the home of Earth Day in Orlando. Twenty eight groups and businesses helped sponsor the event. Dozens of tents were scattered around the lake. There was free music, a kids play area and various performances through out the day. You could learn about building a local food network, health and wellness and water conservation. I on the other hand was drawn to such luxuries as a good shoulder massage. As I leaned back against a tree and did this sketch, my shoulders as usual tensed up as I worked. Right next to me in the lake was a gooses nest with mom sitting pretty. Periodically well meaning adults and children would chase the mother goose away by crowding the nest and throwing bread at the her as she swam away.
When My sketch was finished Summer and her friend Teresa stopped to say hello and I decided to be sociable for once and joined them on a quest for a refreshing desert. After turning down some holistic cupcakes we all settled on flavored ices. I got a mango flavored ice and we all sat down to enjoy some free music as we ate. The ice really hit the spot on a hot summer afternoon. It was nice to just relax after a solid day of sketching.