GLBT Community Center of Central Florida – Analog Artist Digital World

On September 22nd there was a Celebrity Bartender Fundraising event at the Savoy (1913 N. Orange Avenue Orlando Fl). Funds raised went to the GLBT Center ( 946 North Mills Avenue, Orlando, FL), The evening featured surprise celebrity bartenders making you yummy drinks. I ordered a Pabst Blue Ribbon and sketched as the night unfolded. There were several small square stages that had illuminated floors. These were the stages for a fit male dancer. The celebrity bartenders included Adam Nickolson and Robert Carver.

The atmosphere was seedy but exotic. Cigarette smoke wafted through the bar and ultimately made me want to sketch faster. I had one shot which tasted a bit like watermelon. I had sketched at the Savoy once before and got a ticket for parking on the wrong side of the street in the suburbs. This time I parked quite a distance away and walked. I’m a bit paranoid now that police target cars parked near popular venues. Nothing dramatic happened while I did this sketch, it just seemed like the quiet start to a typical evening at this Orlando waterhole.

On June 22nd, I went to the opening reception for “Differing Views” at the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida (946 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803). This was a group art show featuring:
Parker Sketch, Jon Glassman Gardner,
Patty Sheehan and
Karen Cate.

When I arrived, a little early, John Glassman Gardner was still hanging pieces. He had these wonderful one inch square pieces of glass with vibrant patterns that looked like aerial views of river valley topography. He told me that the pattern had been discovered by accident when 2 pieces of glass had been pushed together with a small drop of paint between them. Like a microscope slide, the paint spread. When pealed apart, this organic pattern would appear. John then glues magnets on the back. He was placing dozens of them on a metal support column. He gave me one of these pieces and it is proudly displayed in my home. It isn’t signed unfortunately so someday I hope to catch him to sign it.

Commissioner Patty Sheehan had a show the previous week at the Peacock Room. She had sold 75% of all the pieces there. She therefor had to do more than a dozen paintings in a weeks time to have something for this show. All her paintings were of black cats with wide eyes and a Cheshire grin. She called them “Bad Kittys” and they sell like hot cakes. She gave me a button with one of these kitty’s on it and a pink equal sign. Of course this was “Equality Kitty”.

Parker’s Sketch’s work is ubiquitous to the Orlando art scene. His pieces use pop commercial imagery portrayed with bold brush work and a liberal display of spattering. The boldest piece was of a faded American flag. He was voted the Best Arts Advocate in this years Orlando Weekly. Karen Cate only had a few pieces in the show. I had never seen her work before.