Weekend Top 6 Picks for April 7 and 8, 2018

Posted on by Thor

Saturday April 7, 2018

8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Free. Lake Virginia Watershed Cleanup. Dinky Dock 410 Ollie Ave, Winter Park, Florida 32789. In conjunction with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American
Cleanup, join us as we clean-up litter in and around Lake Virginia.
Activities may include but are not limited to picking up litter in and
around the lake – stooping, kneeling, and bending.

Breakfast, volunteer t-shirt, snacks, and water will be provided. We
will also provide litter grabbers, safety vests, gloves and garbage
bags.
Please remember to bring a reusable water bottle, wear
closed-toe shoes, hats, and long pants, & carpool! Kayaks and
paddle boarders are welcome!
To register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/city-of-winter-park-sustainability-program-5593791349

11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Spring Market at Audubon. Audubon Park Garden District Orlando, Florida 32803. Come out for Central Florida’s best artists, native and Florida
friendly plants, locally produced artisanal foods, handmade crafts,
music, food trucks and more at APGD’s Spring Market at Audubon.

8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Free. Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL. 1st Saturday of each month. Free fun! https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoShuffle?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

Sunday April8, 2018

9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $275.00 for 6 classes.Crealde Urban Sketch Class. Crealde School of Art, 600 St Andrews Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32792. Urban Sketcher Thomas Thorspecken teaches you to sketch from studio subjects to the environment. Classroom sessions will
focus on sketching clothed models and progress towards sketching the
model and classroom environment. Learn how to incorporate storytelling
into your sketches in our location sessions. These trips to local venues
will challenge you to use your sketchbook the way a photojournalist
uses a camera. The six-week goal is to produce finished sketches using
pencil, pen, and watercolor within two hours. Main Campus

Room 1B.

11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. $12. Locally Fresh. Enzian Theater 1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, Florida 32751. Feed all your senses! Central Florida foodies partner-up with local
filmmakers at this utterly unique (and mouth-watering) event—a festival
favorite! Filmmakers dig into the stock and trade of what makes Central
Florida delicious. Watch their documentaries, accompanied by cooking
demonstrations and sumptuous samples. A feast for the eyes and the taste
buds.
Locally Fresh! Farmers Market
Noon-2:30PM Free.
Lawn at Eden Bar
After Locally Fresh! Scrumptious Cinema, the lawn at Eden Bar
transforms into a Farmers Market, filled with local products fresh from
the field. Get to know Central Florida’s finest farmers and vendors, and
don’t miss this delicious opportunity to take some local goodies home
for your own feast.

1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Family Day on the Second Sunday. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents
are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in
the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for February 10th and 11th.

Posted on by Thor

Saturday February 10, 2018

10:30 AM to 230 PM. Free to sketch, $8.00 to watch the 1950s movie Born Yesterday. Sketching at the Enzian.  Enzian Theater 1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, Florida 32751.

Orlando Urban Sketchers is sketching the Saturday Matinee Classics at the Enzian, and we will be
there to capture in sketches a time, an era and a space. Surrounded by
weeping oaks, a bubbling fountain, and a beautiful courtyard, Enzian is a
unique cinema-going experience, a dine-in theater packed with old-time
charm we wish to document into our sketchbooks.
We plan on sketching in the Eden-Bar garden outside the theater at 10:30 am first.

At 12:00 pm the 1950’s film Born Yesterday will be featured inside the
theater. We plan on moving indoors as soon as doors open to sketch the
theater interior where we can also grab lunch bites and watch the movie.

At 2:00pm we’ll meet back at Eden Bar garden for our traditional Sketchbooks-throw down ceremony.

Watching the film is not mandatory. Sketching can be kept going
outdoors to capture the moviegoers, the Eden Bar crowd, and Enzian’s
garden views.
There’s an $8.00 general admission for those who
wish to watch the film. Tickets can be purchased at the box-office or
online (recommended) @ https://enzian.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0F3600000EZIELEAS All skills are welcome. Bring your sketchbook and sketching supply of your choice.
Invite your friends and family and anyone who likes to sketch, or to spend a quality morning at the Enzian!

11 AM to 4 PM Donations. Paws in the Park.  Lake Eola Park 512 E Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801, pet lovers from all over Central Florida will gather at beautiful
Lake Eola to support Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando’s mission to
educate, shelter, place, and heal pets and their families with
compassionate, responsible care.

This community wide fundraising event provides support for
the more than 8,000 homeless pets who will be cared for at our two
shelters this year. 


Schedule of Events

Stage Schedule

11am – Welcome and Memorial Bubble Release hosted by The Pet Loss Center

11:15am – Walk Start led by Commissioner Patty Sheehan and The Central Florida Sounds of Freedom Band & Color Guard

12pm – Fundraising Awards

12:15pm – Best in Show Contest with Celebrity Judges

1:15pm – Dog & Owner Look-a-Like Contest

2:15pm – Best Dog Trick Contest

3:15pm – Sit & Stay Contest

3:30pm – Raffle Winners Announced

Ongoing throughout the day

Splash Dogs Dock Diving

Disney Kids and Family Zone

Canine Sports Arena

Lucky Dogs Lure Course

Food Trucks

Vendors

Beer Garden featuring Tito’s Vodka, beer from City Beverage and Barefoot Wines


Sign up, form a team and invite your friends and family to join us
for a day filled with fun for everyone including, of course, your pets! Register and raise $75 or more and on event day, you’ll receive a commemorative event t-shirt and a Pet Alliance dog bandana.

Top Fundraising Prize:

Four-Two Day Park Hopper passes to Walt Disney World

Additional top fundraising prizes include:

Trophies

Medals

Gift Baskets

Chefs Table for 8 at Earls at Mall at Millenia (includes appetizers, main course, dessert, cocktails, beer and wine).

Noon to 5 PM Free. Mennello Museum Indie folk Festival. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803.

The Indie-Folkfest presented
by PLR Florida will  bring the community together again
and showcase local, national and regional art, music and culinary
talent.  The family-and pet-friendly event promises to be the biggest yet!

 This past February,
we welcomed nearly 5,000 guests to the museum grounds for
Indie-Folkfest 2017.  Guests enjoyed beautiful weather, local music,
food, beverages and art.

This annual free event serves as a gift from the Museum’s
City-Appointed Board of Trustees in an effort to promote local art and
community. A portion of all proceeds benefit the Mennello Museum of
American Art’s education and family-friendly programs.

Sunday February 11, 2018.

10 AM to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

1 PM to 3 PM Free. Hidden Medicine Class with John Two-Hawks. Christ Church Unity Orlando 771 W Holden Ave, Orlando, Florida 32839. Grammy® nominated recording artist and author John Two-Hawks is a
victim and a survivor of child abuse. It has taken him 30 years to
arrive at the place in his life where he could finally tell his story.
His new book and CD is a revealing window into the inner sanctum of
John’s very personal life journey from severe child abuse to victorious
triumph, and how the sacred ways of indigenous wisdom revealed a
profound truth hidden within. John wrote the book and music with the
hope that it would help others to bravely blaze a path through their
heart to find their own Hidden Medicine. In this class/workshop, John
Two-Hawks will share his inspirational insights about how to be fully
liberated from hurt and empowered by what we find within. There are
three phases of that journey, and the third is often not realized. John
will share the pathway of all three, with an emphasis on how to take
that final step. An enlightening and uplifting experience for all.
* learn how your experiences can be your vehicle to transform
* feel empowered through deep acceptance and Native wisdom
* learn to rise above past trauma and experience joy

1 PM to 4 PM $5 Film Slam. Enzian Theater, South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, FL. Film Slam continues to be a popular outlet for indie and student filmmakers throughout the State of Florida.
Film Slam will usually be held on the second Sunday of each month at 1PM at Enzian.
This month we’ve booked the craziest Film Slam line up of the year.
Experimental
Films, Puppet Films, Art Films, Bartenders throwing bottles, Gangsters,
a Music Video….this has to be the most amazingly eclectic line we’ve
had for all of 2012.
Program starts at 1pm sharp.  Q and A with the filmmakers to follow screening. 

Weekend Top 6 Picks for December 13th and 14th.

Posted on by Thor

Saturday December 13, 2018

6 AM to 1 PM.  Free.  Parramore Farmers Market.  The east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View.  Beginning on January 6, the Parramore Farmers Market will be open
every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the east side of the Orlando
City Stadium, across from City View.Purchase quality, fresh and healthy
food grown in your own neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet
Farming, Growing Orlando, and other community growers.

10 AM to 5 PM.  Daily through January 16th.   Admission to Otronicon is free for OSC members, $20.95 for adults, $18.95 for seniors and students, and $14.95 for youth (ages 3-11). Otronicon: Interactive Tech Expo.  Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803).  Otronicon will celebrate its 13th year as Orlando’s premier technology event you can’t afford to miss!

At Otronicon, guests walk on the cutting edge through state-of-the-art gaming and simulation technologies, including military and medical simulators not typically available to the public.

NEW THIS YEAR:

• See and feel what it’s like to pilot a plane in OSC’s new and permanent Flight Lab experience on its opening weekend!
• Learn all about drones by meeting drone experts and seeing live demos
• Go on a virtual test drive with Motion Sphere, where you’ll experience 7 G forces with six “Degrees of Freedom” – back/forward, right/left, up/down and roll/yaw/pitch

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND:

• Interact with industry leaders and educators and learn about STEM careers
• Experience the future of games and design
• See the latest in medical and military technologies, plus video gaming, art and more
• Check out workshops and presentations led by industry pros
• And so much more!

Regardless of your background, whether you work in the tech industry or just have a passion for learning, Otronicon will engage your mind and spark your curiosity.

Visit Otronicon.org to see what’s new and check out our list of exhibitors!

Noon to 4 PM.  Free.  Winter Music Series.  Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards 19239 US 27 North, Clermont, Florida 34715.  Each Saturday afternoon during the month of January, Lakeridge Winery
holds its famous Music Series, featuring live music on the outdoor
stage, and inside at our Wine & Cheese Bar upstairs in the winery.
The musicians selected are all fantastic performers, hand-picked from
the wealth of talent located throughout Central Florida. Lakeridge wine,
beer, soft drinks and a variety of food is available for purchase,
along with complimentary Winery tours and tasting.

BAND SCHEDULE:

OUTDOOR STAGE

Jan 13, 2018 NOON – 4pm The Nightly Grove Band

Jan 20, 2018 NOON – 4pm Shawline

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Mike Quick Band

WINE & CHEESE BAR

Jan 13, 2018 NOON – 4pm Bobby Koelble

Jan 20, 2018 NOON – 4pm Bobby Blackmon

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Jeff Whitfield

Sunday December 14, 2018

 Noon to 1 PM.  Donation based.  Yoga.  Lake Eola at the field near the red gazebo. 

1 PM to 5:30 PM Free.  Family Day on the Second Sunday.  The Mennello Museum of American Art (900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803).  The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents
are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in
the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

2 PM to 5 PM $5. Film Slam.   Enzian Theater (1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL 32751).  Originally a project of University of Central Florida’s Downtown Media
Arts Center, Enzian became the home of FilmSlam when DMAC closed in
2006. Now in its fifth year at Enzian, FilmSlam continues to be a
popular outlet for indie and student filmmakers throughout the State of
Florida.

FilmSlam will usually be held on the second Sunday of each month at 1PM at Enzian.

COME CELEBRATE INDEPENDENTS DAY!!!

It’s so hot outside our brains just melted! So, this month we’ve booked the craziest FilmSlam line up of the year.

Experimental
Films, Puppet Films, Art Films, Bartenders throwing bottles, Gangsters,
a Music Video….this has to be the most amazingly eclectic line we’ve
had for all of 2012.

Program starts at 1pm sharp. Q&A with the filmmakers to follow screening.

An interview at the Enzian Theater.

Posted on by Thor

I interviewed Julie Norris Wilder at the Enzian Theater to find out what I could about the law suit she was in with her founding partner at Dandelion Commonitea Cafe. She and the partner had different ideas about how to run the business. When her daughter, Maya, was born, she asked the partner to step in and help run the business more. She felt that corners were cut and the cafe didn’t live up to the who is it idea she had mind. She tried to buy out her partner but couldn’t raise I needed funds to make that happen. The differences had to be settled in court an ultimately she surrendered her shares to the business she helped build. There were personal aspects to y conflict, but those details can be left behind as both parties move forward and grow independently. She is happy to know that Dandelion is still doing business and thriving.

I have collaborated with Jul. when we put out an Analog Artist Digital World calendar several years ago. She is a graphic designer on top of being an entrepreneur, an environmentalist and devoted mom. She has plans to build a business that helps empower women. She dreams big and goes for those dreams. She has been the host of Front Porch Radio for years. She show airs every Wednesday at 4pm on WPRK 91.5FM. She interviews people who make a different in the community, and sparks thought provoking conversations.

Birdman questioned what is real and what is imagined.

Posted on by Thor

Terry and I went to see Birdman at the Enzian Theater,1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL. While I waited for her to arrive at the Eden Bar outside the movie theater, I couldn’t resist doing a sketch. I ordered an Orange Blossom Pilsner and sketched as fast as I could. The advantage of being an artist in this digital age is that people who focus their attention on their phones become completely absorbed and therefor never notice that they are being sketched.

Birdman turned out to be one of my favorite movies of 2014. It was much like Hitchcock’s The Rope in which there were no discernible cuts between scenes. The movie was about an actor who was famous for his role as Birdman in the movies but he wanted to be taken serious as a true artist. He wrote and directed a play for Broadway that he hoped would revitalize peoples perceptions of him as a true artist. The camera followed his every move as opening night approached. The first scene showed him in his dressing room in a cross legged yoga pose. As the camera pulled back you realized that he wasn’t only meditating, he was floating above the floor. My disbelief was suspended and I accepted each of his supernatural yet ego centric quirks.

What happened on stage always seemed to reflect what was going on in his own life. Because there were no obvious camera cuts, the moments seemed to play out in real time right until the opening night of the show on Broadway. Much of what happened might have been imagined by the narcissistic director played by Michael Keaton. There was a hilarious moment when he took a cigarette break right outside the stage door. A stage hand closed the door locking him out and he had to walk around the block, through Times Square in his underwear to get to the front entrance of the theater. Did this actually happen, or did he imagine the humiliating situation? Every scene raised these type of questions. This wasn’t a CGI effects block buster, but it was a smartly written drama that raised more questions than answers. I absolutely loved it. The film garnered wide critical praise, and won the Academy Award for Best Picture, along with the Best Director for González Iñárritu, the Best Original Screenplay, and the Best Cinematography from a total of nine nominations, tying it with The Grand Budapest Hotel for being the most nominated film of the Academy’s 87th annual awards ceremony. Michael Keaton deserved to win the Academy Award as the best actor.

The Creature From the Black Lagoon Screened at the Enzian

Posted on by Thor

As part of the Cult Classics Series, the Enzian Theater screened the original 3-D version of The Creature From the Black Lagoon made in 1954. Gina Stanley, the actress that was the Creatures on screen crush was at the screening. In the film she wore a stunning white swimsuit that was quite revealing for its day. Much of the film was shot in Florida swamps. In the film, Gina is screaming every time she sees the creature. The actor inside the creature suit, Ben Chapman, who was 6 foot three, played the creature on land. He was a former Polynesian dancer under contract with Universal Studios. His height and size made him perfect to play the creature. A second actor, then a college student, Ricou Browning, played the “underwater Creature” for
the film, and he wore the “underwater Creature suit” for the sequences
shot in Florida

Julia had an incredible career as an actress outside the lagoon. She starred
opposite Tyrone Power, Glenn Ford, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, Jimmy
Stewart, and Charlton Heston. Working on a horror film was considered a step down for many actresses so she almost turned the film down. It is ironic that today, this is the film she is most known for.

There was a somewhat disastrous design of the Creature’s head, that
almost made it into the final film. But a screen test at the eleventh
hour convinced the studio head that the look of the
creature did not work, and the head was redesigned and became the
classic we know and love today. The film was impressive on the big screen and it became clear that many scenes were staged to take advantage of the 3-D effects. After the screening Gina signed autographs and I had her sign my sketch.

Florida Film Festival Industry Party at the Copper Rocket

Posted on by Thor

On April 11th I went to the Florida Film Festival Industry Party at The Copper Rocket, 106 Lake Avenue Maitland, FL. It was a chance to hang out with Festival friends and chat about all the amazing films. Each Film Festival guest got one complimentary beer and live music all night long. There was a table set up at the entrance and I got an arm band. At 8pm the place was pretty empty. Drew Yardis performed on the stage in the corner and I started sketching him. He performed covers of popular songs while adding his own inflections and personality to each piece.

Journalist Michael McLeod joined me at my table. He explained that Susan Sarandon was giving a talk at the Enzian Theater across the street. That program which also featured a screening of one of her films, wouldn’t let out until after 10pm. That is when The Copper Rocket was going to get mobbed. I wondered if I should hang out just in case Susan decided to get a drink in this local dive. Denise Sudler also stopped by our table and we chatted while I continued to sketch. We discussed the notion of my doing an evocative sketch for her. It would be an edgy commission that might spur others on to consider the idea.

The filmmakers of Druid Peak sat at the table next to us. The film was written and directed by Marni Zelnick. Executive producer Maureen Mayer explained the film to us. It is set against the backdrop of the wolf reintroduction program in Yellowstone National Park. It is a coming of age story about a troubled teenage boy (Andrew Wilson) who finds a home for himself tracking wolves in the wild. The production was partly funded by a one hundred thousand dollar grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. It is a story about the why of conservation, not just the how.

Florida Film Festival

Posted on by Thor

I went to a Florida Film Festival press preview for “After Winter, Spring“directed by Judith Lit at the Enzian Theater, (1300 S South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, FL.) This is a love story for the farmers in Perigord,
France, which has been continuously cultivated for over five thousand
years. One hundred years ago, half of the population of France were
farmers. Now less than 3% are. Will the Perigord peasants be the last
generation to employ and sustain the old methods? Will the world lose
their “old peasant wisdom” of prudence, respect, and love of the earth?
Filmed over four years, “After Winter, Spring” is a treasure trove of
great food and farming traditions. With fascinating detail, it captures
the roots of farm-to-table and the tenacity of the people who have taken
one season at a time for generations. The filmmaker, an American ex-pat
and Perigord neighbor, was raised on her own family’s farm in
Pennsylvania. Her bond to the land and the people who love it translates
into an insightful, lyrical tribute to a way of life on the verge of
extinction. 

Judith grew up on a small farm in Pennsylvania. She saw how her parents had to sell off the farm in small parcels until there was no land left to farm. When she traveled to France later in life, she fell in love with the quaint farming life. She packed everything and went to France to rediscover her roots. She interviewed her farming neighbors to learn about their more natural way of living.

The film didn’t only show small farms as a bucolic ideal. Three generations of women ran a goose farm. In a rather graphic scene, one of the women answered questions as she shoved a funnel deep down a gooses neck to force feed it. She massaged the goose’s neck to force it to swallow. The harsher sides of farming were shown, like shaving a slaughtered pig with a machete or breaking a chicken’s neck and then plucking the feathers.

A tobacco farmer bragged about the beauty of his hand harvested crop. “The more beautiful it is, the prouder we are. It (the tobacco) sings on the verge of being brittle.” All the farmers are trying to find a path through change. It is hard to compete against huge industrial farms that have multi-million dollar machines doing all the work. The smaller farming families feel their land helps preserve habitat. Since they are attentive to the land, they become more attentive to themselves and others. As one farmer stated, “I accept what life gives me. I can’t do otherwise.”

The one shred of hope is that people have grown sick of over processed food-like products. A younger generation is returning to the fields to live lives closer to nature.  Farm to table, has become a new battle cry. Perhaps the pendulum can swing back. Perhaps Spring can follow a Winter of industrialized neglect.

Florida Film Festival

Posted on by Thor

The  23rd Annual Florida Film Festival is now underway. The Festival runs for ten days showing 170 films. This is one of the top film festivals in the country and if you go, it is likely you will rub shoulders with producers and directors as you sip a drink at the Eden Bar. With so many films to choose from, it is a good idea to surf the Film Festival website, to see what interests you on any given day. The festival runs through April 13th.

I attended several preview screenings to wet my palette.  The Enzian Theater (1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL) is nestled among huge live oaks that tower overhead. They looked particularly naked this year before the bright spring foliage filled then in. Philip Tiedtke stopped to see how my sketch was turning out. He explained that this year they invested $11,000 to have all the Spanish Moss removed from the trees. I knew something looked different, but I hadn’t put my finger on it. He explained that all the Spanish Moss was smothering new growth and it made the branches extra heavy. There was concern that they might collapse under their own weight thanks to all the moss.

Besides all the film screenings, there are also panel discussions, industry parties with fabulous food and drink and opportunities to meet the stars. Susan Sarandon, Paul Sorvino, Giancarlo Esposito, and Shawn Christensen are all attending the Festival. So get out and see some films and do some Hollywood star gazing..

Mennello Gala

Posted on by Thor

The annual Mennello Museum Gala on February 22nd was referred to as, “An Evening With Fabulous Friends.” In exchange for illustrations supplied for the Museum’s 25th Anniversary, Terry negotiated tickets to the Gala held at the brand new Alfond Inn, (300 E New England Ave. at Rollins College, Winter Park FL.) Each year, The Friends of The Mennello Museum of American Art host an elegant gala to raise funds for the museum’s collections, exhibitions, and programs. This, the Eleventh Annual Gala celebrated The Mennello Museum of American Art, located in Orlando Loch Haven Park, which is owned and operated by the City of Orlando. The Gala also celebrates the passion of its founders, Michael A. and Marilyn L. Mennello. Marilyn passed away years ago and a statue of her is in the museum.

I was working from 9am to 5pm at Full Sail on the Saturday of the gala. Terry agreed to bring my suit and tie to the inn. I met her up front as her Porsche was being valet parked. I felt a little awkward being in jeans surrounded by tuxedos and women in ball gowns. Terry was in a gold sequin dress and blended right in. I rushed off to find a men’s room to change in. There was no large bathroom stall so it was like getting dressed in a very tight closet.

The silent auction items were in a small rotunda with a green house glass domed ceiling. Everyone crowded into this tight space with a craps table taking up a huge chunk of real estate in the center of the room. I spent most of my time trying to keep people from tripping on my art supply bag. Terry flourishes in this type of crowd and she squeezed her way around the room handing out fliers for my retrospective show next month. For a brief moment we stepped outside where it was cool and airy but we immediately went back into the chaotic crowd. I bumped into Michael Mennello and shook his hand. I’m not sure if he remembered me from the day I sketched him in his home.

When they opened the dining room, Terry and I found our way to table 26 which was the Enzian Theater table. Sigrid Tiedtke was warm and inviting, giving us both a hug. I was very flattered that she knew of my work. She looked much like her daughter Elizabeth who I often see at the Enzian. Philip Tiedtke sat next to Terry. The Tiedtke family established the Enzian Theater back in 1985 and it is Orlando’s top art house movie theater. The annual Florida Film Festival is now one of the top ranked film festivals in the country. Another couple at the table turned out to be musicians and I hope to sketch them performing some time soon. Frank Holt, the Executive Director of the Mennello Museum also ended up sitting at our table. Although table 26 was far from the podium, we were surrounded by talented heavy hitters in the arts community.

My tie wanted to keep flopping down onto the wet sketch. I dropped my pencil several times. The room was constantly buzzing with activity as the staff rushed to serve food. I picked at my plate of food as I worked, but I spent more time sketching than eating. The live auction had a fast talking auctioneer. The largest item was a trip to Colorado and most of the other items were group restaurant outings. Before I knew it, the Gala was over. Such events seem so rushed when you try to capture them with a sketch.