Spring Fiesta in the Park

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Walking downtown on the evening of April 5th, I noticed hundreds of tents being set up around Lake Eola. At the South East Entrance I decided to sit and sketch. The next day this spot would be bustling as part of the Spring Fiesta in the Park which is an Arts and Crafts Festival. Once in a while people would stop to read the posted events on the directional compass totem pole. The ATM was ready to dispense cash for impulse buys. These sort of outdoor festivals seem to flourish in Central Florida maybe because it is warm year round.

A couple arrived with merchandise stacked up in a little red  wagon. They set up a table in the tent and over multiple trips with the red wagon they moved their wares. I couldn’t make out what they were unpacking from this distance. I didn’t notice any police in the time it took me to sketch, but if all the tents were full of crafts, there must have been police there. The Best in Show Award went to Jeff Nelson for his inlaid wood furniture. The next Fiesta is November 2nd and 3rd.

41st Annual Mayfaire by the Lake

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I took the long drive to Lake Morton in Lakeland which is west of Orlando halfway to Tampa, I had never been to Lakeland before. It is a quaint little town of small bungalows and then gorgeous large homes around the lake. Boy scouts were charging for parking at a local church. I parked a mile away on a side street and walked to the lake. There were plenty of mobile food vendors and then 150 artists venting tents set up all around the lake.  I wandered the art fair quickly searching for a sketch opportunity. A couple playing Medieval instruments performed and a crowd gathered. I didn’t stop since I suspected they wouldn’t perform for long. Sure enough, when I returned five minutes later, they had stopped.

The Mayfaire by the Lake art festival was pretty much what I expected from an outdoor art festival.  Some of the art was bright and playful and some I just didn’t fully appreciate.  It was a beautiful sunny day for a fair. There was a stage set up outside a civic building. Young girls were dancing to the Disney Tarzan sound track. Parents and a small audience relaxed in lawn chairs. I finally decided to sketch this painted swan sculpture. The Lakeland skyline was painted on the swan and I could show the artist’s tents in the background. More importantly, I was in the shade. By the time I finished sketching, vendors were starting to pack up.

Admission to the Polk Museum of Art was free that day. The museum was open for only one more hour when I got there. Security asked me to check my bag at the front desk and I was happy to loose the load. There was an exhibit called, Sketches & Steel. It showed the process of abstract sculptor Albert Paley. I took everything in at a glance, sketches, cardboard 3D studies and small iron studies for huge monolithic sculptures, some of them 100 feet high. There was a room of children’s art that I rushed through. I was on a mission to Find a room of juicy paintings. 0n the second floor, there were photos of families and their possessions from photojournalist Peter Menzel‘s extraordinary 1995 work Material World: A Global Family Portrait. It makes for an eye opening book that shows what is truly important to people from different cultures all around the world. As I left the museum, I noticed an Art-O-Mat. This was a cigarette machine stuffed full of small art works. For $5 I was tempted to get an original piece of art, but I was too lazy to get a token in the gift shop.

Turkish Festival

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The Turkish Festival was held near the Lake Eola band shell on a steamy hot afternoon. Food vendors were lined up along Robinson Avenue. Terry joined me on this sketch outing. She wanted to see the menu for each food vendor. I of course was hunting for my sketch. While she went booth to booth, I stood in the shade and surveyed all the activity. Kids were bouncing on the inflatable fort which had been set up on the grass. Dancers were performing on stage but the sun beat down on the audience. I finally found a spot near this vendor who offered to shoot photos with the ornate middle eastern garments. There were several tables full of robes and turbans.

Perhaps three different families got dressed up as I sketched. Ismail Altintas wearing a large turban coached people on what they should wear and he shot the photos. A mother got her daughter to wear a bright red robe. I wondered were the father was. A young couple dressed up as royal sultans, then stood arm in arm for the photographer. Turkish and American flags fluttered in the breeze along with red and white balloons. When I finished sketching I found Terry so we could order some lunch. We got several gyros and sat in the food tent to eat. A large Turkish family was seated next to us. Little children pressed in to get close to a little baby cradled in the cloaked woman’s arms. The children made faces at the baby and had him clutch their fingers. Terry was hot and tired. I agonized about doing another sketch of the folk dancers on the stage but decided I couldn’t bake in the direct sunlight for the sake of a sketch.

Winter Park Art Festival

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My wife works for Merrill Lynch. To kick off the start of the Winter Park Art Festival, Merrill Lynch opened the Winter Park office for a kick off party. The office branch has a wide open rooftop patio that overlooks Park Avenue. More important, food and drink were on the house all night. When Terry and I arrived there were lines of people waiting for food. I started sketching immediately. Irving Radar McLean was playing steel drum music all night. He quite honestly never took a break. I caught him briefly between songs to grab his business card. He said, “You’ll be makin plenty of money from that sketch you did of me”. He actually hadn’t seen the sketch but he had noticed me working.

Clients and prospective clients of Terry’s came to the rooftop event. While she was being a social butterfly, I sketched. Looking over the rooftop ledge unfortunately didn’t offer a view of the art festival itself. The show tents began one block further north. With my sketch finished, I then loaded up a plate and grabbed a beer. Terry introduced me to a local magazine art director and I was surprised to find out she knew of my work. After another beer, I relaxed enjoying the sunset as the steel drum lifted me away to a Caribbean retreat.

Flash 2

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A second Flash Mob was planned to promote Orlando, The City Beautiful. Secret rehearsals were held at the Orlando Convention Center. I was happy there was Free parking available behind the West building. I don’t sketch many Convention events because of the price of parking. There was a long walk from the back entrance first up and then down frozen escalators. I followed a man who looked to be in his 80s and when I passed him, I followed two high school girls that looked like they knew where they were going. When I entered the convention room I was stunned by the vast empty space. The rehearsal took up less than a quarter of the space. When I entered, Randy Ross was speaking with all the volunteer dancers letting them know that they had to mingle and act natural prior to this flash mob performance. The last Flash Mob at the Millenia Mall, people stood around in a circle leaving the staging area wide open. It was painfully obvious that a staged performance was about to begin. This time they planned to do it right. Linda Elchak of NAO Dance then took over the rehearsal getting two large groups formed. This was the second rehearsal so most people quickly took their places. New arrivals were instructed where to line up.

I love the music they choose for these flash mobs, it is fun to sketch to. My favorite moment in rehearsal came when a group of about 20 retirees took center stage and shook their booties to Whoop There It Is! All the younger performers cheered and whooped. The youngest performer was the nephew of Linda Stewart and he held his own keeping up with the best dancers. Enthusiasm and a lust for life has no age limit. I decided not to publish the sketch prior to the Flash to keep the performance top secret. At one point Linda said, “Don’t go past the grid, you will fall into the water.” At that point I assumed they would perform at Lake Eola. I had to work during the time the Flash Mob happened. In hind sight it would have been an impossible sketching situation. If you went to Spring Fiesta at Lake Eola at the right time then you got to experience a high energy treat!

Buzzcatz

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On Saturday, Terry and I went to the 5th Annual Baldwin Park Art & Jazz Festival. The festival looked very much like every other festival I have been to in Baldwin Park. Vendors arts and crafts tents were lined up down the length of New Broad Street. There are always a wide assortment of dogs being walked in this Celebration like “Leave it to Beaver” neighborhood. Our first order of business was to find some lunch. We decided to eat at La Bella Luna which was an Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria. Terry ordered a chicken Caesar salad and I ordered Lasagna. The chicken in Terry’s salad was dry, overcooked and she couldn’t eat it. My lasagna was tasteless except for the excessively salty sauce. I however can eat anything, although my stomach sometimes complains. The waiter asked how everything was and he got an earful from Terry. She said she was doing him a favor since the restaurant wouldn’t be around for long if this is what then were passing off as food. He would be better off finding a better restaurant to work in.

After lunch we ran into Hal Stringer who was displaying his colorful paintings. He relaxed in the shade of a tree and watched as people examined his bold landscape paintings. He applies the paint thickly with a pallet knife. My favorite painting was an abstract that resembled liquid fire. Hal pointed out the program to us and told us where the two stages were set up. Terry and I wandered to the end of the streets and were drawn to the music of the Buzzcatz. Terry and I spotted Carol Stein, a wonderful pianist, song writer and composer. She grabbed a table and I sat down to sketch. While I worked, Terry decided to shop and explore the arts and crafts tents. Carol and I ordered margaritas. Carol said, “These people don’t realize the world class caliber of musical talent they are listening to!” I had seen the guitarist on the left, Bobby Koeble, at a Rollins College Faculty showcase concert and he amazed me. The classic jazz, motown and rat pack era music kept the audience swaying. Several couples started to swing dance while children ran in circles on a patch of lawn. Behind the band people relaxed in the grass looking out over Lake Baldwin.

Festival of the Masters

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Terry and I went down to Disney Village to see the Festival of the Masters. Artist who displayed their work in tents had to have won a “Best in Show” ribbon in another festival in order to exhibit here. I parked my truck in the lot behind Cirque du Soleil which isn’t as crowded as the lots up front. As we walked in Terry told me to go find a spot to sketch since I’m not very good company until I have a sketch under my belt. I prowled the festival hunting for the perfect spot filled with color, crowds and contrast. I bumped into Kathy and Eric Blackmore and she showed me some cool brass sculpted bookmarks she had purchased. As I continued my search, I saw a woman sitting on the ground working on a bold ink line sketch of the Disney Architecture. She was about half way into the sketch so I resisted the temptation to find out if she was a fellow urban sketcher.

I finally decided to sit in the shade leaning back against a “Morning Glory” movie poster. Large metal sculptures of a horse, bull and a lion were on display in the center of the square. There was a constant crowd gathered taking iPhone photos and reading the plaques. 0ne man stood frozen a few feet in front of me and he said, “Should I hold still?” He had guessed that I was sketching and he asked , “Can I take a look?” I said, “Of Course.” Rather than discuss art, he asked, “Did you see “Social Network?” I replied, “YES! It is without a doubt the best film I have seen this year!” He let me know, “I have seen it three times.” When he found out I was a blogger he said, “You better watch what you write, you could get yourself in trouble. When I pointed out that , “Zuckerberg became a billionaire.” He said, “Well at the time he wasn’t.”

I started adding color to the Wolfgang Puck signage, “Live, Love, Eat.” I called Terry to find out where she was once I finished my sketch. We held hands as we walked towards the far end of Disney Village where Anna McCambridge and her mom were doing chalk sidewalk art. We found Anna’s panel of a Blue Owl but the image was finished and Anna wasn’t around. Terry and I considered getting a drink at the House of Blues but the slack service convinced us to leave. When we got back to my truck, I was shocked to find the original Carl Knickerbocker magnetic painting that I had on my tailgate had been stolen! The thief should know that for the rest of his life, he will be cursed by the horrible legend of the alligator man. Once a month in an agonizing process, his skin will turn scaly and green and he will return to the primitive, primordial swamp where his empty spirit belongs. I felt like I had been gator tail slapped in the stomach. Another reason I hate going to Disney.

July 4th – Celebration

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Terry and I drove down to Celebration to catch the fireworks display. When we first entered the complex, there was a parking lot where we could then catch a bus to the downtown festivities. The place was packed and there was a huge crowd surrounding the main stage where an Elvis impersonator was singing and a group of 1950’s dancers were performing. I didn’t feel like sketching the huge crowd or the ever changing dancers so I wandered until I found a nice relaxing spot next to this Chinese food concession stand. The meals were prepared to order so the cook was in constant motion trying to keep up with the demand. Right next to the Chinese food was a beer tent which had just as much of a demand.
Several times mothers stopped to point out the artist to their children. I never stopped working and in time they wandered off. On little girl kept watch for close to half an hour before being dragged off to find a perfect fireworks viewing spot. Terry wandered around and found us a spot behind the hotel where she wanted to go to view the display. When the sketch was finished we went over to the hotel. There was now a guard at the door who told us we had to be guests of the hotel in order to get in. Terry was furious since she had gotten in earlier. We finally sat down on a grassy knoll and relaxed. There was a dramatic count down from ten but it was a false alarm. When the fireworks finally lit up the sky they were dramatic and well timed to the music. I saw some explosions that were new to me. Some mortars had secondary sparks which then buzzed away like bees. Terry and I muscled our way out of the crowd before the last of the mortars lit up the sky. Our bus was the first to leave the crowded downtown area.

sleepwalk 2: i walk over you

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The week Winter Park hosted the 51st Annual Sidewalk Art Festival, Katie Windish of Frames Forever & Art Gallery hosted the 2nd Annual Outsider Art Fair in the parking lot of her framing shop. I like the sound of being an outsider, so I agreed to exhibit a bunch of my prints from sketches done around town. Doug Rhodehamel also was going to be there making paper bag mushrooms and this was going to be an opportunity for me to get a sketch of him at work.
I got to the Outsider Art Fair a little late and found I had to squeeze in to make some space for my work. I had just exhibited my work in theTheDailyCity.com Mobile Art Show and so I had a pile of prints which had been used to wallpaper the entire inside of the truck. I simply threw the pile of prints down on the pavement and let people who were interested flip through. I think I sold just 2 prints that day but I got to meet so many great artists. Tracy Burke was working on a large portrait of Pete Townsend in bold black and white brush work with just a touch of warmth added for the flesh tones. I was impressed by her work, yet didn’t interrupt her to talk. I have bumped into her several times since and I keep trying to arrange to try and sketch her at work.
Towards the end of the day, I finally went up to the front of the shop to see Brian Feldman’s performance called “sleepwalk 2: i walk over you.” I set up across the street and watched Brian as he stumbled back and forth on the scaffolding that was set up in front of the shop. With the original “sleepwalk,” Brian slept for 50 straight hours while people were allowed to walk over him. This time, the bystanders were under the scaffolding while Brian sleepwalked above them for 8 hours. A small sign read, Shout out, “Why don’t you get a room?” A mother encouraged her little girl to shout this up to Brian in order to get a 1 inch button. He had a face mask on and thus really couldn’t see where he was going. The metal railings were the only thing keeping him from falling to the ground.

30 Days of Sand

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A month long sand sculpting festival was held on the space coast. Held at the Radisson Resort, this first time event was intended to help build and sustain a vibrant arts and cultural industry in Brevard County. Money raised is used to support the arts cultural ind historical organizations and to help artists decrease dependency on government funds and corporate sponsorships.
Terry and I drove out to this event one weekend in April. When we got to A1A the main drag in Coco Beach, the traffic got horrendous. Luckily the Resort is on the northern end and we pulled in to park without waiting in traffic too long. We were guided to a spot to park the car in the grass. At the ticket booth the high school kid taking tickets asked Terry if she was a senior citizen. I think it will take Terry some time to get over that one. But wait, if Terry is a senior citizen then I might be as well by association. What the….!
The sand sculpture were already finished which was disappointing to me. I had hoped to see the sculptors at work which would have made for a better sketch. There were eight huge sculptures. The level of detail was astounding. One sculpture of Italinan architecture and monuments used a forced perspective which mad every building look bigger and taller. People milled around the sculptures constantly, stopping once in a while to shoot photos using cell phones and cameras.
I found the only shady spot on the lot which was next to the merchandise tent. Terry agreed that she would wander for a while and then read a book as I sketched.
When I finished I went to get some lunch from a vendor. I was told the crab cakes were really good to I ordered those. The proprietor spoke with a thick Mediterranean accent. He didn’t have any sodas so I went to the High School girls next door for a Coke. It turns out they are cheerleaders raising funds for a competition trip. I bought the Coke but didn’t support the cause.
AS Terry and I ate lunch I spotted Derrick McKenzie and his girlfriend Pamela Vaughn. I worked with Derrick at Disney Feature Animation and we met a few times as I sketched the Singing Christmas Trees since he works for the First Baptist Church. When I saw him he was checking out the sound equipment on the stage. Like me his mind always seems to be in work mode. We joked around for a bit and after lunch Terry and I headed for the beach to experience more sand up close and personal.