A Dinner Conversation: Best Show

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Pepe (Rob Ward) acted at the MC for the evening for Play in a Day. The auditorium was packed but I found a good spot on the sidelines to sketch from. Nine plays were presented all with the common theme of “Men”. Playwrights had 12 hours to write their plays and the actors and production team had 12 hours to polish and produce the plays. I followed the play written by Tracey Jane, titled The Dinner Conversation. I knew from sketching the rehearsals all day that this was a warm hearted romantic and very funny production. I was of course rooting for them to pull together and create magic on stage.

Pepe introduced each ply in turn and a bongo player accompanied him at one point. Genevieve Bernard choreographed a beautiful dance piece titled, Our Bodies Our Choice. Four woman dancers and on man performed a dance the told a story of abuse followed by a woman’s empowerment. It was bold and left me thinking. They won as the best ensemble for the evening.

Jac LeDoux and Ken Preuss were on a date at the Family Pizza Corral. The set simply consisted of a long red table on which were a series of trays where custom pizzas could be made. I was rooting for their happiness after starting life afresh after divorce. Tracey Jane made the script super easy for the actors because the characters were simply named after the actors playing the part. There were no new names to memorize. When Bennet Preuss and Melanie Leon entered things heated up. Melanie was hilarious with her sexual innuendos and double meanings behind everything she said. She just loved poking fun at her mom and embarrassing her. Melanie’s hilarious performance won her an award as Best Actress. 

While Mel was poking fun, her brother Ben was sullen and resentful.  His mom got divorced while he was away at college and now that he was back she was starting a new relationship with another man.  Jac was loving and caring at every turn and wove an analogy between personal pizzas and individual tastes. However when Ken considered putting pineapple on his pizza, the family had to unite against his pure insanity. He was a food critic and should have known better. Food and family drama were perfectly combined. For this performance I just sat as an audience member to soak it in without the struggle of sketching to distract me. I was delighted and laughed out loud.  I knew where the rough spots in the production might be, but everything flowed smoothly. 

This show directed by Kaitlyn Harrington, and with Destiny Sam as the stage manager won the top honor as the Best Show of the night. I felt so proud, because I knew the blood sweat and tears over 24 hours that went into the magic that happened that night. “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” -Mohamed Ali

ADSR-Squared

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City Arts Factory is about to move into the former Avalon Art Gallery space (39 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, Florida 32801.) Chris Belt took over The In between Series from Patrick Greene, the former gallery promoter at Avalon Island. Chris wanted to add his own touch to the series and decided to ask artists from different disciplines to work together. Pulled together Elizabeth A. Baker a modern electronic sound composer, and Voci Dance.

ADSR-Squared was a multi-movement interdisciplinary structured improvisation work for dance and sound. Evolved from the traditional spatial and sonic relationship of a fixed media track behind dancers, the piece blurred the line between music makers and movers, creating an immersive experience for both performers and audience.

I decided to sketch from the side lines but was afraid the wall I backed my artist stool against might be in the way of some part of the dance routine. I went back stage quickly to check with choreographer Genevieve Bernard to be sure I wasn’t blocking anyone.

The Voci dancers brought a playful aspect to the evening. They interacted with speakers, holding them to their ears and moving to the beat. When they began using small musical instruments, one dancer became possessive and would not share the instrument she came to love. The dancing wasn’t limited to the stage area. Dancers moved in and around the audience as well.

One dancer sat next to me for the longest time. I began to wonder if she was an understudy, but she was only waiting for her moment to shine when she began her solo. Ausin Texas has the saying, “Keep Austin Weird.” The In Between Series is doing its part to “Keep Orlando Weird.”

AquaDance Fundraiser

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Genevieve Bernard of Voci Dance has always wanted to choreograph a water ballet. A week before the Orlando International Fringe Festival got underway, she held a fundraiser for her show titled AQUADance. The audience sat in lawn chairs on the back patio. Pam and I ended up sitting in a cactus garden in the corner of the pool enclosure. My hope was to sketch some of the audience as well as the dancers. Neighbors stopped by and brought along their lawn chairs because more people showed up that expected. A wind blew down the screen set up house left which acted as the dancers green room where they could dry of between sets. A Swam and large flamingo float acted as the background set.

AQUADance is the perfect Fringe show. It is sufficiently retro and weird while being absolutely adorable. Dancers came out wearing floral pink swimming caps while holding pink balls that they moved in undulating patterns. They all jumped in the pol gracefully and then began a Busby Berkely inspired number with kaleidoscopic patterns created as the dancers circled one and spun. When it came time to dis guard the balls they were thrown into the cactus garden where we sat.

Dancer Sarah Lockard was smiling ear to ear the whole time. Each dancer’s unique characteristics came out at various times in the show. It was clear that despite the hard work they all were having a great time. Genevieve shed a tear because she was so happy to see her dream of a Fringe Water Ballet finally become a reality. The most funny routine came when all the dancers became flamingos by holding a hand over their heads that was moved like a flamingos head. The dancers moves in distinct and quirky bird like ways, strutting and moving like a regal flock. Their facial expressions, with wide eyes and pursed lips had me laughing out loud.

This production first water ballet in the history of the Orlando Fringe! Inspired by
Esther Williams‘ classic aqua-musicals, Voci Dance presents a unique
blend of modern dance and synchronized swimming. At an off-site venue
with a pool and bar only 1 mile from the beer tent. The hand crafted bar has been in more shows than many actors. I had a coconut rum pineapple flavored tropical drink with an umbrella and I could have sipped that drink all night.

Brought to you by
the award-winning company behind 2016’s Paint Chips (Orlando Sentinel
‘Best of the Fest,’ Orlando Weekly ‘Best of Orlando’). It will be staged at Al’s home (The Aqua Venue 1314 Chichester Street Orlando, FL 32803) a few blocks north from the green lawn of faboulousness. Trust me this unique show will be worth the trek.

The show is 50 minutes and Tickets are $12 along with a Fringe button which is needed to get into any show.

9:00 PM

7:30 PM

9:30 PM 

9:00 PM 

11:00 PM 

8:00 PM 

10:00 PM

A Phantasmagoria Fire Dance to Ring in the New Year.

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John DiDonna the producer of the Steam punk horror story telling group Phantasmagoria invited me to his home in Sanford for New Year’s Eve. I of course expected lots of actors and actresses and was intent on sketching the midnight fire dance. House numbers were impossible to see at night, so we parked in the general facility and walked the neighborhood in search of the party. We walked past this state historic mansion even they I heard voices in the back yard. By process of elimination I finally decided that this had to be it. I heard John laughing in the backyard, so I walked across the lawn toward a gate on the side of the house. Of course most normal guest would knock on the front door, but I walked towards voices and then tried to open a stubborn old side gate. John saw me struggling and he came over to help me force the gate open. Bricks were piled everywhere and a garden hose slithered in all directions across the path. Guests were relaxing around a fire pit in the back yard. I shook hands with Seth Kubursky and hugged his wife Genevieve Bernard.

I was carrying a cold bottle of Prosecco and needed to drop it off in the kitchen. Dion Leonhard greeted us in the doorway. She grabbed the bottle and whisked us inside. She immediately started giving us a tour of the home. John and Dion had recent purchased the historic home from someone who had lost his partner and wanted to escape the memories. The price was a steal. An inspector working for John expected to find dry rot and structural problems, but after several hours, he pulled John aside and said “You have to buy this home.” The original floor plans are hung in the entry hall and a giant staircase was decorated with dozens of framed theater posters. Dion pointed out what looked like a trap door in the floor. This is just on of six houses in Seminole county that has a basement. She opened the basement door, and I could see a skeleton reclined on a basement shelf. Original cabinetry, historic wallpaper and a giant four post bed really made the place feel like it had stepped back in time. The restoration is an ongoing project. Dion was very excited about a room at the top of the stairs that will soon be her dance studio.

The home has a ghost. The upstairs guest bedroom is where Minerva’s body had been reclined for two weeks. It was a strangely long time to leave her lying there. It is believed that she still wanders the halls. It was getting close to midnight and Dion had to get ready for the fire dance. Guests gathered in front of the home  and the Phantasmagoria fire dancers used the sidewalk as a stage. I decided that the best view was “backstage'” across the street. My friend was confused by my choice and she huddled together with the rest of the theater audience on the front lawn. The count down began… 10, 9, 8, 7, . . . A midnight everyone cheered and the flames ignited. Each performer had a torch candelabra with four or fire flames in each hand. A car driving by honked its approval. Fireworks were exploding all around the neighborhood. It felt like I was sketching war zone. Hours later I would learn that a terrorist attack happened at Reina nightclub as hundreds of revelers marked the new year. In the report I read, 39 had died. That number has likely risen. It felt like June 12th all over again. At the Orlando Tournament of Roses Parade a float with a giant dove and rose pedal rainbow reminded us all of the senseless loss at Pulse.  New Year’s Eve should be about new beginnings but madness prevails.

Sugar Cash Kids and the Forgotten Island at Fringe.

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I had sketched a Sugar Crash Kids and the Forgotten Island rehearsal, so I knew this was going to be a fun show. Blue glowing orbs sat on the stage as the audience entered the theater. I took a seat in what I call the Lincoln booth. Seth Kubersky and Genevieve Bernard joined me. Dancers tumbled and somersault on to the stage, to interact with the glowing orbs. The show opened with an inspiring song in which a young woman (Mary Hannah Butler) yearned to overcome her fears and sour into the world of the imagination. as the song reached its pinnacle, she soared on the wings of an eagle. The story was cut short when young Mei (Kennedy Mason) yelled at her father (Bert Rodriguez) to stop telling the story. She was too old for such fairy tales. She only wanted to hear about what is real and can be touched. It had all been a bedtime story. Her father left, but left the book behind.

When she fell asleep, the bed transformed into a doorway to another world. A child in the audience whispered “Whoah!” And adults in the audience laughed in appreciation for his sense of wonder. Dancers played with Mei making sounds in the dark to startle her.  She was finally greeted by a member of the ensemble (Cole Nesmith) who sang a rousing song titled “You are here!” Where is here, you might ask, “Well, here of course.” Mei was in a tropical forest and to find her way back home she had to consult with a robot. It had been inactive for years since the forest sprites didn’t know how to activate him. ” Did you try tuning it on?” Mai asked. She pressed a button and the robot, named Boltz (Gregory Coleman) booted up sounding like an old Apple computer.

The bed transformed into a pirate ship, and it took Mai and Boltz on a magical voyage. The once cynical Mai now imagined magical creatures inhabiting the sea. She was finally swept away in the world of the imagination. On the lawn of fabulousness I was asked if an adult should see this show. I answered yes. If you have an ounce of  imaginative shirt left in your soul, then you will love this show. The songs are well written by Joshua Pearson, and Jeremiah Dunlap. I find myself humming them even now. The audience stood and cheered. I whistled since I was still scribbling away.

I bet that this show will become a patrons pick and get an encore performance. If so, don’t miss it!

#txtsmall challenged the audience to think and create as one.

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Fringe tech rehearsals were in full swing when performance artist Brian Feldman returned to Orlando from Washington, D.C. to do a performance of “#txtsmall” a new variation of his “txt” show. The performance took place in the home of Carl F. Gauze. Carl has written and produced many Fringe productions, so he understands the need for a good set and production values. He set an antique desk on top of a wooden stage he made for the performance. Tiki gods and lava lamps set the scene while a disco ball was the cherry on the ice cream sundae.

“txt” was first performed in 2009 at the Kerouac House. The premise is simple: Everyone in the audience logs in to an anonymous account on Twitter. invited to an account on twitter. The audience tweets and Brian reads them all aloud. This has become Brian’s signature performance and shows continue in DC. At one show in DC, every Sunday night. At one show the audience began to work together -unprompted-constructing a storyline. It was a magical, unexpected collaborative effort and Brian hoped that the Orlando show might duplicate that magic.

“#txtsmall” had an audience of six gathered in Carl’s living room. There were isolated instances when a storyline began to form involving monkeys, but like most “txt” performances, chaos and mad improvised thoughts took over. Genevieve Bernard tweeted stage directions asking Brian to dance like a lava lamp. He got up, stood at the front of the stage and moved with a liquid oozing flow.

After the show, Brian told us about a new performance he will premiere at Capital Fringe in Washington, D.C. called Dishwasher. At a mutually agreed upon time, he will go to the ticket buyer’s home, wash the dirty dishes in their sink and,
once completed, cold read any monologue he is assigned. As the show description states, “Is he a better
actor or dishwasher? You decide.” Brian’s first job was as a child actor in a production with Orlando Shakespeare Theater, his second job was as a dishwasher. This production should decide once and for all which career path he is destined to follow. If you happen to be in D.C. right now, I would have suggested you get a ticket. However the 18 show run is completely sold out.

Violectric Debut Revolutionary LED Instrument Lighting “Violuminescence” at Bite.

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Bite Night, hosted by the Orlando Weekly was held at The Orchid Garden and Ballroom at Church Street in Downtown Orlando from 7pm-10pm on June 29th.   I went to the event specifically to sketch the premiere performance of Violuminence. 

Michelle Jones the founder of Violectric asked her husband, Jerry Jones, the groups technical director to design the diodes along the rims of the instruments which made them glow like souped up Harley Davidson motorcycles. Violuminescence produces unique, lighted string instruments that can be remote controlled to enhance any performance in an unrivaled manner.

When I arrived, the event was just getting started but there were already long lines for food. I immediately started hunting for my sketch opportunity. I ran into Ilene Lieber the groups pleasant and hard working PR representative and she let me know that the Violuminence performance would start at 9pm in front of the DJs table on the main floor. That gave me several hours to sketch in the Orchid Room’s magical turn of the century decor. When Violumenence began, I added color starting with the blue glow of the instruments. The instruments glowed in every color of the rainbow as if celebrating the recent Supreme Court decision allowing everyone to share the rights of marriage.

“We are beyond excited to finally unveil Violuminescence to the public later the month,” said founder of Violectric and Fretless Rock, Michelle Jones.  “This will be the first opportunity for public audiences to experience Violuminescence and revel in this truly spectacular and awe-inspiring musical innovation.  We are known for getting audiences up out of their seats and dancing along with us as we play, and we look forward to blowing away all our loyal fans with Violuminescence and hopefully gaining many more new ones worldwide.”

When the violins performed Journey‘s Don’t Stop Believing, everyone in the room started singing along. “Shadows searching in the night”. It was really a magical moment. The crowd was hooked and I sang along as I sketched. The violinists weren’t passive. They began moving around the room finding their way through the crowd.  By the time my sketch was done, the crowd was starting to thin out. All the food vendors had packed up. Darn it. I hadn’t tasted a bite so I can’t report on how good the food was. Genevieve Bernard and Seth Kubersky told me that the food directly across the room from me was absolutely delicious. I am pleased by the rich warm and cool colors that I could catch with my digital sketch.  For more information on Violectric contact 407-434-1261 and for more information on Fretless Rock by Strings Etc visit their web page.

Art Evolution

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Emotions Dance Company will perform the World Premiere of Art Evolution, a collaborative arts experience on Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, 2014, at 8 p.m.
at The John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center’s Mandell Theatre (812 E. Rollins St. Orlando).

Art Evolution is inspired by the famous works of well-known artists.
Audiences will experience live contemporary dance by Emotions Dance
Company, including a piece created by special guest choreographer,
Genevieve Bernard of Voci, visual art by Orlando’s celebrated sketch
artist, Thomas Thorspecken, and spoken word poetry by Jesse
Bradley.

 For this show I did a painting for each dance piece which placed the dancers inside classic paintings. The first dance was inspired by Andy Warhol‘s “Marilyn“. Jesse’s poem pointed out how Marilyn was consumed by the American public just like Andy’s other subjects like Campbell soup cans. The three dancers wore neon bright outfits with tutu skirts. Tiffany Searle poured on the extra sass that really sold the high energy flirtatious flavor of the dance. There was a minor wardrobe malfunction, but it actually added to the flavor of the dance.

The next dance called “The Understudies” was inspired by Edgar Degas‘ “L’Etoile“. Larissa Humiston the choreographer, and Emotions Dance founder explained, “It is about the girls in the wings that never get to perform.” Sketching dance rehearsals has always been one of my favorite subjects. I’ve noticed that as a senior company dancer performs, there is often another dancer in the wings mimicking the dance moves with minimal gestures. I now realize that she must be the understudy.

The next dance is inspired by Edvard Munch‘s “The Scream“.

Larissa explained that, ” I am coming at it as
though it is an impending war. The mother can see the tanks moving in,
and is trying to protect her daughter.” It was inspiring for me as a visual artist to get the inner thoughts about the choreography even as the dance was being created. Taylor Shepherd performed as the mother and Isabelle Lepp, the youngest member of the company performed as the daughter. This is the most dramatic piece in the show and it paired together two dancers whose every gesture and expression can be clearly read.

“New Soul“choreographed by Megen Gerth,  was inspired by Sandro Botticelli‘s “Birth of Venus.” This was a graceful, lyrical dance that celebrates beauty and grace. 

“Tag” was choreographed by Genevieve Bernard of Voci Dance. Genevieve explained her thoughts, “So,
I went with Keith Haring, who for me, was a big inspiration when I was
young. I was a fan kid and met him in NYC at a Swatch signing when I
was in 9th grade. Anyway, I was going between using a specific piece as inspiration or him, and I kind of did both. At
times the dancers in the piece represent him, all of the running and
cross overs across the stage are my homages to the subway drawings he
would do on black paper. When advertisements where expired in the subway, they covered them with black paper. He would draw with white chalk on them. The
dancers running and drawing and running again represents him, having
to draw and get his message out and often having to do it quickly
so as to not get caught. I
also have the dancers “drawing” on the walls, the floor, anywhere…as
he also seemed to have the need to just draw and do it …wherever,
whenever…so I interspersed moments of “stop and draw” with the dancing
and running. Some of the actual movements the dancers do trace the shape of a heart..” When I was going to the School of Visual Arts in NYC, I used to see Keith Haring’s chalk drawings in the subway stations. I therefor drew the 23rd Street subway station that I passed through every day I went to art school. In the dance, Taylor Shepherd began drawing of the wall, floor and then in the air itself. It was a magnificent and graceful gesture that showed no limits when the artist is fully involved, lost in the moment and riding the creative flow.

“Behind the Smile” was choreographed by Larissa Humiston and performed by Taylor Shepherd.  This piece was inspired by Leonardo DaVinci‘s “Mona Lisa“. Larissa explained, “There is something in that smile, yearning, sadness, jealousy,
sass, sexuality? I am coming at it with that angle for that solo.” The dancer, Taylor Shepherd commands attention. When she gracefully leaves the stoic Mona Lisa pose, her every gesture felt confident and appealing. She radiated that smile that hinted at playfulness and inner emotions that can only be expressed through dance. For this series of sketches, I studied rehearsal videos to catch the subtle graceful poses in mid action. Taylor always offered clear lines of action that were a pleasure to draw. Studying the video reference, I began to animate several of her moves just for the fun of studying and understanding her movement.

“Sibling Rivalry” was inspired by Grant Wood‘s “American Gothic“. Larissa Humiston choreographed the dance which was performed by Megan Girth and Isabella Lepp. Isabella, an apprentice at Emotions Dance, has just been accepted by the Alvin Alley Summer Dance program in NYC. This playful dance number was a favorite of the ten year old girl who was at the dress rehearsal. The two dancers playfully nudged and pushed each other as they broke free of the stoic Gothic pose. They kept trying to upstage each other to win the audiences attention.

“Persistence of Memory“ by Salvador Dali was the inspiration for Larissa’s “Time Lapse“. She explained, “This one is about life, the slow and mundane
existence, moving as though suspended in time, the everyday rigamarole,
and then of course, the sped up and frantic life. Each one affects the
others for a minute, but then they ultimately return to their regular timing.” Taylor moved in graceful slow motion for most of the performance. I wondered how she could remain so focused, so balanced for the entire duration. The strength needed must be staggering. Any yoga master would approve. Hannah Rusk moved as the accelerated counter point and thus I drew her movement more often. Karen James took the middle road perhaps representing a look at bland normalcy. 

Michelangelo’s “David” was the inspiration for “Strength and Beauty” performed by Megan Girth. Larissa explained, “This solo is about strength and beauty, power, yet not in a bad way. Regal in a way I guess. David is really about beauty, strength, and pride.
Just looking at the human body and marveling in its winders. The slow
and controlled movement shows these concepts.the David solo just just about strength and beauty, power yet not in a bad way. regal in a way I guess.” Megan moved with slow deliberation often reminding me of a proud Greek athlete. She moved like she was at the very first Olympics, proud and sure of her victory. I’ve actually sculpted David using digital tools and visited him in Florence, so it was a pleasure to revisit the pose.

The final piece is one of my favorites, and it is the first painting I executed after Larissa explained the project to me. The dance is inspired by Vincent Van Gogh‘s “Starry Night.” This is a full company dance in which half the dancers wore black sequins representing the night sky and the other dancers wore white sequins representing the stars. Each needs the other to complete the whole. They flow together in torrents and streams embracing one another. The lyrics from a contemporary pop tune keep reminding me of this dance, “The stars make love to the universe…” A majestic lift near the end of the dance reminded me of the crescent moon and Taylor reaching up towards the night sky reminded me of the flowing curves of Van Gogh’s cypress trees.

Mark your calendar! Don’t miss this show. The first performance is tomorrow, Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, 2014, at 8 p.m.
at The Lowndes Shakespeare Center’s Mandell Theatre (812 E. Rollins St. Orlando). Tickets are $20 at the door. All of my original paintings will be on display and there are $2  gift cards that feature the dancers in action. Stop in and say hello.



Emotions Dance Rehearsal

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Emotions Dance Company is rehearsing for the premiere of “Art Evolution“, a collaborative arts experience. Larissa Humiston the Emotions founder and choreographer invited me to be a part of the experience.  At first I thought I would do a series of sketches of the rehearsals but it is a long drive to the dance studio, and I try to reserve Sundays as family time.

Art Evolution is inspired by the famous works of well-known artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, Degas and more. Audiences will experience live contemporary dance by Emotions Dance Company, including a piece created by special guest choreographer, Genevieve Bernard of Voci, and spoken word poetry by artists such as Jessie Bradley, Mark Harriott and more.

I love the idea that the dance is inspired by famous paintings so I’ve started a series of paintings that show the dancers as part of the paintings. For instance the dancers gestures are evocative of the spiraling night sky in Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Video reference of the rehearsals is giving me the luxury of picking gestures that work best for my paintings. In all there will be ten paintings I need to complete that will be displayed at the Shakespeare theater during the show. I’ll likely make affordable gift cards from the series of paintings as well.

 This contemporary dance, visual art, and spoken word collaboration will
be performed twice: Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, 2014, at 8
p.m. at The John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center’s Mandell Theatre (812 E. Rollins
St. Orlando).

Pre-sale tickets for the performance are $18 for General Admission and
$14 for Students/Seniors and will be on sale starting May 1 and will be
available through June 5. After that, tickets can be purchased at the
door for $20 General Admission or $15 for Students/Seniors.

The TrIP

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Patrick Greene who is the curator at The Gallery at Avalon Island, 39 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL, asked me to be a part of the TrIP Project. The TrIP Project has artists and writers ride the Lynx bus system to report on the mass transit system in Orlando. The first plan was for me to sketch Benoit Glaser and several other musicians who were going to play their instruments on the bus. Unfortunately Patrick gave me the wrong date and I knocked on Benoit’s door a day early. A second option was to sketch Genevieve Bernard‘s Voci Dance who did an interpretive dance performance on a bus. However, a close friend and artistic spirit, Mary Hill, took her own life and I needed to go to her memorial service that day. The bus tickets sat in my pocket unused for the longest time.

Finally, I saw that there was going to be a reading at The Gallery at Avalon Island called, “There Will Be TrIP” on January 14th. I decided I would take the bus downtown for this reading. When I graduated high school, I decided to go to the School of Visual Arts in NYC. I stayed with my parents the first two years and took a bus to the city everyday. The bus ride and consequent subway rides took well over three hours out of the day. Since I also had to get back, that was six hours in transit. Sketchbooks at the time became filled with sketches of fellow passengers. I didn’t own or drive a car for the entire decade I commuted to and stayed in NYC. When I came to Orlando to work for Disney Feature Animation, I got off the plane, took one driving education course and then got my drivers license at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Within the first week I had purchased my very first car, a sweet Honda del Sole convertible. Not once did I ever take a bus in Orlando.

On the morning of January 14th, I got ready for my TrIP adventure. It was raining, so I put my sketchbooks in a zip top plastic bag and put on a full set of rain gear that included plastic pants. I looked like I was ready for an Arctic Expedition. Google Maps on my iPhone said the closest bus stop would be near Universal Studios. It was a four mile hike. The reading downtown was going to be at 7pm. I left at 2pm since I had no clue what I was doing. I hiked through isolated suburban side streets and marveled at all the McMansions surrounding a lake I walked around. The rain was persistent but light. I felt a little uncomfortable walking with my hoodie up since Trevor Martin had been gunned down for walking in a neighborhood much like this I imagined. Someone was just recently shot for texting during the previews at a movie theater. People with guns are crazy in Florida.

Besides raining it was also hot and humid which meant I was getting wet from the inside out rather than from the outside in. When the rain became the faintest mist, I took off the rain jacket to vent some body heat. One of the side streets leading to the bus stop turned out to be the entrance to a gated community. I would have to walk around the gated community adding more miles to my hike. I realized when I was maybe one mile from the bus stop that, had I driven, I would already be downtown and parking,

I walked past a bustling middle school with long lines of cars waiting to pick up children. I realized this was a prime sketch opportunity although I imagined some parent might question my motives. When I arrived at the bus stop it was 3:30pm. I had been hiking for an hour and a half. Five construction workers in bright green vests were at the stop. Conversation was about car envy. A female worker lamented a friend who had a job and makes money on the side. Her friend could afford a Honda Civic. The construction workers make about $150 a day helping build a huge new motel right next to Universal. A large SUV driven by a fellow construction worker pulled up and they all piled in. The 21 bus that I was waiting for didn’t arrive for another hour at least.

On board, the large female driver had to help me figure out how to insert the ticket into the column shaped payment device. Digital lights and numbers gave me too much information to look at. The ticket got sucked in and then spit back out. On the back of the ticked, I found out I could board any bus until 3am in the evening, after that the ticket was void. On the bus, people sat in tight constrained poses clutching bags with arms crossed.  A mom boarded with her excited little girl. They likely had just been at Universal. The child’s eyes were filled with delight.  This bus trip was a fresh adventure for her. They sat next to me and I saw the girl motioning to her mom to look at what I was up to. She sat on her moms lap and watched every line and wash as it splashed on the page. At the Valencia College bus stop a gorgeous woman got on and stood right beside the driver checking her phone periodically. I sketched her quickly, so happy she had brightened the scene. Sketching on the bus got me motion sick. The bus lurched and pitched every time it stopped and it stopped 65 times on the route downtown. The driver also had a lead foot. Perhaps she had learned to drive at the Daytona racetrack.

At 5pm I arrived at Central and Garland Avenue downtown near Church Street Station. The walk to Avalon was less than a mile, so I figure the TrIP probably took three and a half hours whereas a drive downtown usually takes me half an hour but I park in the suburbs to avoid meters and being towed, so the walk can be an extra half an hour or so. So my assessment is, Bus = 3 1/2 hours and Car = 1 hour. The good news is that if I ever got drunk downtown, I know what bus would get me to within 4 miles of my home. But why would I get drunk downtown? Since I was early, I decided to go to Jimmy John’s to get a sandwich. I checked into Avalon where artwork and poetry was being hung on the walls. A poem by Naomi Butterfield was hung by a painting by Parker Sketch. The show is titled “I Believe.”