FAVO Blackmore Studio

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Set in a former motel, Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO) at 221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, Florida 32801 features 36 Studios of amazing original art. On the first Friday of each month the artists open their studios to the public for an open house. I stop out periodically to see what is new in the Orlando visual arts scene.

On this trip I was so pleased to find that Kathy and Eric Blackmore had a studio set up. Kathy uses the space as a classroom for her private art lessons with young students. She is a children’s book illustrator and creates gorgeous delicate watercolor paintings for the books. She began this career when I worked with her at Full Sail University. Her husband Eric is a wildlife and environmental photographer and some of his landscapes were on the studio walls. He is also an amazing woodworker who creates custom furniture. Because of this the small studio space is magnificently designed with storage spaces and modular shelving and table tops that can be folded into place.

It is a sweet little set up and it must bustle when Kathy’s students are busy creating. Eric is also a professor and each year he escorts students to exotic locations around the world. He and Kathy therefor get to explore and be inspired by someplace new each year. While Pam and Eric talked, I scribbled as fast as I could to document and memorialize the studio. We explored the rest of the studios, but spent most of our time in the Blackmore studio which exemplifies what is great about FAVO.

Faith Arts Village Orlando

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On the first Friday of each month, a former motel (221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32801) comes alive as a vibrant open studio for local Orlando Artists. The Park Lake Presbyterian Church across the street purchased the motel and has been converting it into active artists studios. Faith Arts Village or FAVO is a good place to check out what is happening locally in the visual arts.

As I was doing this sketch, a local band was performing in the parking lot. hey were singing the opening song from a Muppet movie called the rainbow connection. Almost everywhere I sketch in Orlando there is a rainbow to be seen. In this case a large rainbow heart decorated the entry to a studio that had flower headed mannequins. I had a commission on my mind that involved a small antique carousel. I ultimately called the piece “The Rainbow Connection” and put in prints of all rainbow themed decorations I had sketching since the Pulse Massacre.

The next FAVO showcase is October 5, 2018 starting at 5pm. I always find something unexpected and inspiring.

FAVO Every First Friday

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On this evening, I installed the 49 portraits of the victims of the Pulse massacre at Falcon Bar. I then had to drop some art at Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO), 221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, Florida 32801 and I decided to stay to get a sketch. FAVO is an old motel on Colonial Drive that has been converted into 36 artist studios. On the first Friday of each month the studios are open to the public. It is an opportunity to window shop for some amazing original art.

Some artists set up tables in the parking lot as well. There is also a food truck or two and tables to sit and eat. There is also music. This month, Cindy Barr (on guitar), Jim Hull (on the Bodhran) and Sharon Harlimer (on violin) played under a tent. They performed Irish folk tunes and other selections. A banner had been printed up and hung on the chain link fence that said, “FAVO Cares” to honor those who lost their lives at Pulse.

Milk Carton Superstars at FAVO

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Faith Arts Village (221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, Florida) hosts an  art studio open house every first Friday of the month.  They describe the art motel’s mission s follows: “In life and in extreme death we love. We at FAVO love all and celebrate life and community. Every
month we offer this art show to bring people together. We don’t care
who you are or what you believe in (or don’t believe in). Celebrate an evening of just being creative with local creative people.”

The event allows patrons to browse through 36 artist studios, vendors, , live musical talent, food trucks and more. Bethany Taylor Myers has a studio in which she showcases work from a different artist each month. Her husband is the drummer and lead vocalist for a band called the Milk Carton Superstars.  They performed in the former motel room now being used as a gallery. They were lit from below and small fans blew their hair upwards giving the illusion that they were falling.

FAVO and Park Lake Presbyterian Church work hand in hand supporting all the Orlando communities. The next FAVO evening is August 3rd. The evening gets started after 5pm as the sun sets.

Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO)

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I went to Faith Arts Village Orlando (221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, Florida 32801).  FAVO happens on the first Friday of each month. I like to sketch the event because the dusk light is a challenge to capture. There is usually an outdoor musical act that performs in the parking lot where tables are set up for patrons who order food from several food trucks.

Gallery 251 presented artist, Nadya Nickels, a young multimedia artist based in the Orlando, FL area. Before school, Nadya was an
illustrator for Afropunk.com since then she’s started painting murals in
Orlando and began working with digital media and design. Recently she graduated with
a bachelor of digital arts and design.

Her work mostly
centers around people and mainly painted portraits. Her preferred
medium is watercolor as it requires the painter to have control over the
paint, but also a willingness to adapt and go with the flow of
watercolor.

“I’ve been developing my craft and working in my field for the past five
years as a freelancer. Initially, I started my career in high school by
building my brand “eclectic weirdo.” I created a series of
illustrations; To highlight diversity, show that we are all
multidimensional and shouldn’t limit ourselves to stereotypes. This
concept was picked up by Afropunk. I then began creating weekly
illustrations for their online magazine. I am now a studio artist for
Full Sail’s game design department. My strongest quality is my
empathetic nature, and this translates into my work. I strongly admire
activists and people who inspire others. There’s a ton of work that needs to
be done in this world, and I feel the best way I can contribute is
through design.”

-Nadya Nickels

FAVO Motel Art Studios First Friday Art Show and Exhibition

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Mark your calendars. On the first Friday of each month, Faith Arts Village Orlando
(FAVO) 221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, Florida, hosts its First Friday Art Show. There are 36 open studios, childrens
activities, live music, food trucks, and more. The weather is
cooling and the holidays are coming. Stock up on locally created gifts
for loved ones, family and friends.The next FAVO is Friday November 6th starting at 5:30pm. 

I love making a monthly pilgrimage to this event to see artists at work and to quickly check out the latest local art. There is a wide variety of art showcased and I almost always discover something new. The motel room studios are all rather small so I seldom sketch inside, but all the large glass windows appeal to the voyeur in me. I m always shocked at how early the Christmas decorations go up at retail stores, but at Faro you will find local art which can be a very thoughtful seasons gift. 

While artists are being evicted from studio spaces in Winter Park an Ivanhoe Village, FAVO is a rare case of renovating an old motel for artists. Not many of the rooms are full time studios yet, but every month the place lights up with activity. At this Friday’ FAVO, there is a Living Room Theater Preview in room 236. Banks Helfrich and Tisse Mallon present 10 minute previews of Living Room Theater throughout the evening.  Living Room Theater is a unique, experiential show which focuses on fun, connection and authenticity.
A few things for you to know:
– While not lewd or vulgar, this show is recommended for ages 18 and up
– The preview lasts 10 minutes
– There will be 4 different version of the preview which will be on rotation throughout the evening. See just one or all four!
– No charge for preview and donations will be accepted.

FAVO showcases local art, rain or shine.

Posted on by Thor

Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO),  221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, Florida, features 36 art studios open for public viewing, food trucks, live music, and children’s fun art projects. The family friendly event happens every first Friday. The former motel comes alive with art. It was a rainy day when I did this sketch of Will Benton‘s studio space on the second floor at FAVO. Friends visited sitting on his couch and will sold one of his pieces. will has been painting really large canvases that reach to the ceiling. One canvas featured large spiraling Ultramarine circles that matched a lampshade.

This sketch was done from outside Will’s studio looking in. Thankfully there was some cover from the rain but wind gusts sometimes caused some spray to settle on the page. A guitarist performed which offered a calming effect. I went to FAVO to see a show that featured artists paintings on sneakers titled, So Shoe Me. Organized by Deliz V. Berrios and Bethany Taylor Meyers the show was  incredibly fun, the room even had a central bench where you could sit down and try on the art to see if it fit. I felt it was too cramped in the small motel room for me to sit down to sketch,  I’d be blocking art. My solution was to be a voyeur on the outside looking in.

On Friday October 2nd Jack Void showed his ceramic work at FAVO. That is the great thing about this monthly showcase, there is always something new to see. Mark your Calendar, the next FAVO is on Friday November 6th from A pm to 9pm.

Berto Ortega Studio

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On August 2nd,  I visited the studio of Berto Ortega at Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO) at (221 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, Florida).  We had a long talk about blogging and marketing artwork by using social media. Berto is the one artist who uses the studio in the former motel full time. Most other artists just come to the market once a month to sell their work and then leave that same night. This was also the one room where the air conditioner worked making it a studio that you would want to linger in since the other studios didn’t have air conditioning. He invited me to sketch from inside his studio but I decided to sketch from the balcony outside.

Berto asked friends what was the most beautiful place that they had ever painted. There was some agreement that the Grand Tetons out in Wyoming were gorgeous.  After finishing several painting commissions, he put notes on the paintings, left wet paint on the palette, packed supplies in his pickup truck and headed west to the Grand Tetons.  He did several paintings of the majestic mountain range when he got there. I once bicycled through the Grand Tetons. On that trip I decided to throw away the sketchbook I had at the time feeling ill suited as a student fresh out of art school to capture such beauty.

A September 10th a Jackson Hole newspaper reported, “Grand Teton National Park rangers discovered the body of a 55 year-old
Winter Park, Florida man Monday morning.  Alberto Ortega’s body was
discovered at Windy Point turnout on the Teton Park Road; apparently the
victim of a self-inflicted gunshot to his head. Rangers are conducting
an investigation into what appears to be a suicide and an isolated
event.  Park Spokesperson Jackie Skaggs says rangers responded at 6:15
am Monday September 9th to a 911 call from passersby when they came upon the
unconscious man lying on the ground next to his Toyota pickup truck.
Upon arrival, rangers found Ortega already deceased from a head wound
and a semi-automatic pistol next to his body. A note left by Ortega was
also located at the scene.”

This is the second time I have had to report on an Orlando artist taking their own life. This news was gut wrenching since Berto is an artist whose art I admired. Will Benton who runs FAVO allowed me to sketch the artist’s studio. A rough cross which was painted white with artist brushes, vines and a tear shaped jewel was mounted on the studio door. Inside, his paintings filled the walls. One painting of a small skiff or life boat pitched in the high seas. In the distance a sign of hope, a large schooner was shrouded in orange ocher mist.

A large portrait was left for Will Benton. It was a portrait of a man that once saved Berto’s life. He and a woman were working in a store which was held up by an armed gunman. The husband of the woman grew worried when she didn’t return home. He went to the store and managed to save Berto and the woman’s life. It is a large painting, stoic and resolved. A note written by Berto was taped to the back of the painting. “Will, to say I’m sorry for all this is furtive, but I’ll say it anyway. There have been few people who have extended themselves to me like you have, and I really like you like a brother for that. I can’t say enough how I have always appreciated you.” I searched the rest of the note, hoping to find some hint of WHY? There were no signs to explain the tragedy. All that remains is an emptiness. A lone chair sat in the corner of the once active artist’s studio.

“When I have a terrible need of – shall I say the word – religion. Then I go out and paint the stars.”

– Vincent Van Gogh

FAVO

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On the first Friday of each month, artists gather at a former motel to display and sell their work. Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO) is at 221 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, Florida).

    FAVO is a free Event open to the public. There were 21 studios of amazing artists. The FAVO Market outside had even more artists and vendors. This is a Family Friendly Event with Activities for Children,  plus Food Trucks and  live music.

  

Will Benton organizes the event and I visited his corner studio. He had a large abstract on the wall that he had done. He suggested I show my sketchbooks in the market and I’m considering the idea.

  

Julio Sanchez Julsan had bright folk art on display. A brightly painted chair was both charming and disturbing. It resembled an electric chair. Rodney McPherson told me he was working on a mural on the ceiling of Twist Hair Studio. It makes sense to have something to look at as you lie back to get your hair washed in those custom sinks. Todd Fox had intricately decorated cigar boxes that resembled primative alters with shells and other found objects. Brian Barnett from Deltona was showing quirky abstract line art that reminded me of paintings by Miro. Richard Perez Messina (Jano) showed me his splashy abstracts. Hidden within were images of faces and a dragon. He paints with his hands, smearing the paint with abandon. I defiantly liked his bold approach.

None of the air conditioners seemed to be working very well. As it is now, artist set up for the evening and then break everything down the same night. Only one or two artists actually work in the motel rooms. The buildings are undergoing renovations to bring them up to city codes.  The dream is that this will one day become a thriving artist’s community. As I sketched, I noticed a large diptych of a heart was sold as well as some potted plants. There was a guitar player playing a rhythmic beat over and over. Someone began talking to him and the rhythm continued. I kind of envied the woman getting a massage. I was tense and sweating.

Mark your Calendar! The next FAVO Art Exhibition and market is Friday September 6th from 5pm to 9pm.

FAVO

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Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO) is an outreach ministry of Park Lake Presbyterian Church. Will Benton is in charge of helping renovate the motel which hosts artists who exhibit their work once a month. The mission of FAVO is to encourage art as an expression of faith. On January 4th, I visited to see which artists were exhibiting their work. The motel is located across the street from Park Lake Presbyterian church and is right off Colonial Drive. I discovered a parking lot quite by mistake.

Unfortunately it was raining continuously that evening. The January 4th Event focused on a New Year featuring local Orlando Art,
The FAVO Market and the soft opening of the new FAVO Gallery. This
Gallery will present all original works from local artists. All sales
from this Gallery will benefit the renovations of the property to meet City Requirements. Adequate sprinkler systems need to be installed and ramps built so the complex is accessible to anyone in a wheel chair. 19 Studios were open with Local Juried Artists showing their work.

There were several Food Trucks parked behind the motel with their generators buzzing loudly. The event was lightly attended, but the motel rooms glowed bright as the sky grew dark. Photographer Gail Peck introduced me to the work of a British Urban Sketcher whose work she felt I should see. He wrote a book called, London You’re Beautiful. Renee Wilson was showing pieces that were rendered with words. There was an image of a raven that was composed using the words from an Edgar Allen Poe poem. She does commissions where she interviews a person and then does a drawing using words from that person’s story to create the image. Bonnie Sprung was set up in the motel room closest to the food trucks.

A minister stood in an artists studio looking at the work. The artist asked him if he could bless her work since she believed in that sort of thing. I didn’t stay for the blessing. I searched for a spot out of the rain and I did a quick sketch. Mist from the rain kept moistening the page. Seth Kubersky and Donna Dowless said hello as I struggled with the sketch. The FAVO Gallery will be having it’s Grand Opening on February 1st at 5PM.