Reaching Shangrila in Cairns Australia.

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The Shangrila is a five star hotel right on the water in Cairns (Pier Point Road, Cairns QLD 4870, Australia). The room was spacious and well appointed with large photos of reef Corals decorating the walls. Terry went for a walk after we checked in, so I did a sketch from our balcony. As you can see, our view was of the expansive parking lot. I kept the sketch loose by putting watercolor washes down first and only adding line work where it was needed. I should work this way more often. In the distance I could see crowds of tourists walking the main street shopping and looking for restaurants.

After the sketch was done, I flicked on the TV and found a fascinating program that showcases artists who explain their painting process. It was a fabulous show and I got to watch a painting develop from start to finish. I don’t know why there isn’t a show like this in the states. I guess the audience might be consider a bit limited but I thought it was an awesome show. Another program featured four portrait artists who were all assigned a commission to paint a military veteran’s portrait. Only one artists work would win the grand prize and hang in a British museum. With high stakes, it was fascinating to see how each artist handled the commission. There was yet another show that featured a convicted forger teaching artists how to paint like John Singer Sargent. I was transfixed. We need programs like this in the states. The arts are so revered and appropriated in Australia.

Shangrila was our home base for a day trip to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. After my bout of sea sickness while whale watching, I did research online to find ways to avoid it happening again. One remedy suggested saltines the day before, so I got a box of saltines and popped some Dramamines and drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow would be a long day.

Gay Days Expo at Doubletree by Hilton

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Gay Days was held in Orlando from June 3rd to June 9th. There were pool parties galore but each had a rather pricy cover. I decided to document the Gay Days Expo at Doubletree by Hilton Orlando (10100 Universal Drive Orlando FL). The expo featured vendors of all shapes and sizes. I discovered that the hotel charges for parking, so I drove down the street to an office complex I had once worked in and borrowed their garage. I had to walk maybe a quarter mile over to the hotel. This is the way I work exercise into my daily routine. It was of course a hot sweltering day, but the rad near Sea World cut through ancient palmettos and palms. It was like taking a stroll through an undeveloped Florida landscape. The view was only occasionally interrupted by harsh stylish hotels.

When I got to the Doubletree, I noticed someone painting a curb yellow on the opposite side of the driveway. I could small the paint. As I walked toward the hotel entrance, I glanced behind me and was horrified to see a trail of yellow foot prints leading back to where I had stepped into wet paint. The guy had painted the curb I had stepped on and not bothered to put any warning tape around it. Who in Florida would ever walk into a hotel? It is unheard of I suppose. My yellow foot prints were fading as I walked. Hopefully all the paint would were off before I entered the hotel lobby. Just to be sure, I scuffed my souls several timed.

It turned out that the expo hadn’t started yet. Today was the day that vendors set up their booths. I was given a swag bag with condoms and other information for safe sex and invited to look around if I wanted to. Only a few booths were set up, but in a separate room, the sex toy paraphernalia was almost ready. Fairvilla Megastore had a booth that was ready for business. A mannequin wore some strange briefs that hugged the glut muscles. The vendor made sure the packaging was tight in the crotch. Another vendor unwrapped and hung his merchandise carefully. Several muscular men came in from the hotel pool and started asking questions. Their skin was still wet and glistening. The product the vendor was hanging is used to somehow stretch a mans ball sack. I never knew that a large and sagging ball sack was an attractive thing to strive for. One of the bathers noticed me and said, “He must be hearing everything we are talking about.” I shouted back, I sure can, why do you think my legs are crossed?” Everyone laughed and they continued to discuss the best way to stretch sacks. Now I have to wonder if my own sack lives up to the ideal.

Other items on display included blowup dolls, dongs, items in leather and lace and feathery masks with Viking horns. Now the Viking horns were an item that I add spice in my day to day life. There were Midget dolls, Milf dolls, and dolls named like Big Jon, Jack, Miss Anna, and Bareback. Boxes were unpacked with care and time was running out. Vendors were told they only had 15 more minutes to finish for the day. Plans were made to go to The Parliament House for a party that night. There were parties all over town, but this would be my small taste of Gay Days for this year. When I left, my yellow footprints were still visible in the parking lot, but a warning sign and tape were now around the painted curbs. “Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints.”

Aloft Orlando Downtown

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There was a Spring Fling presented by Orlando Style Magazine at Aloft Orlando Downtown (500 South Orange Ave Orlando, FL) on April 10th. I didn’t even know that this building nestled between OUC and City Hall was a hotel. The evening was a way to celebrate the opening of the W XYZ Bar and Re:mix Lounge with the City’s Premiere Luxury Lifestyle Magazine. There were select complimentary cocktails and appetizers, live Entertainment, fashion models and more at this Spring’s most exclusive event. The dress code was Spring-Chic but I didn’t get the memo. Neither did Bronze Radio Returns who performed live.

Fashion models were stationed all around the room showcasing skimpy swim suits. For heavens sakes, I could see their ankles! I sat on a couch and immediately started drawing the band. When I stretched my neck, I noticed two models right behind me on a mini stage. I wish I had noticed them earlier, I would have put them in the foreground. The music was lively and entertaining but it ended all too soon. Terry’s office is right across the street, so she came down to join me. She sat across from me on the other couch and fingered her phone. Psi, a former co-worker of hers stopped in and they went outside where it was less noisy to talk.

Several people introduced themselves to me as I worked and I picked up their business cards.  With the sketch done, I went outside to join Terry and Psi. There were so many beautiful people clustered around on the patio. Aloft is also a hotel. A pool sat unused on the other part of the patio. Psi said the rooms at Aloft are rather industrial and not in any way plush. If you want plush, then you stay at the Grand Bohemian across the street.

Arts Integrated Learning

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Walking into the Double Tree hotel (formerly the Sonesta) downtown near Lake Lake Ivanhoe, I was greeted with the sight of the collaborative mural I did for a downtown arts district fundraiser. I was here to report on the 2011 Leadership Summit for the Florida Alliance for Arts Education. After a brief welcome and introduction in the main ballroom, the art teachers in attendance split up to attend various learning and inspirational sessions. I went to the Delaney room to listen to Eric Booth speak. I had to finish up a sketch so I entered Eric’s session a little late. I was surprised that everyone in the room was standing as Eric spoke. He then immediately had all the teachers doing pantomime. I couldn’t see anything from the back of the room so I marched down the aisle amidst the chaos and I sat next to Eric looking out at the teachers.

Eric had everyone engaged involved and excited throughout his discussion. He acknowledged the value of anything that was offered for thought. He feels most students are taught to only provide the answer a teacher is looking for. Americans hate not knowing the right answer. He encouraged asking questions that have multiple answers. What matters then is the quality or inventiveness of the answer. Students become more creative after many small successes. Reflection is something that is missing in arts education today. 80% of what you teach is who you are. Passion and really engaging with the students in new and unexpected ways is vital.

He has found that when a student creates something he truly cares about then learning becomes essential. What is taught should have real life relevance for students. He stressed that a prime role of a teacher is as a witness. Every student must be acknowledged and encouraged when they think creatively. The student then can reflect and learn something about how they best learn.

Another activity was offered where teachers were paired in groups of two. One teacher stood and they were given the assignment to convince their partner to give up their chair. The energy in the room soured. There was begging, bribing cajoling and plenty of unexpected fun. There was certainly no room for boredom. When the exercise was over he pointed to several methods that had worked in NYC. One person acted like they might vomit. Another took the seated persons purse and put it out on the sidewalk. The seat was immediately given up. Mean yet creative sometimes works.

Reading Between the Wines

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Reading between the Wines was a fundraiser for the Adult Literacy League. Sponsored by Bank of America, it was held at the Sheraton Hotel downtown across from the Bob Carr Theater. When I arrived I was given a program and a wine glass. I didn’t have time to sample the wines but I placed the wine glass in a pocket of my folding stool just in case. Terry was there chatting with a client. We immediately went to a small private meeting room where Bank of America guests were given a chance to meet and greet Carl Hiaasen.

Carl was born and raised in Florida. He began his writing career as a journalist for the Miami Herald before writing his first book, “Tourist Season” in 1986. Carl’s books highlight the many problems faced in Florida thanks to over development. I’ve read two of his books, “Stormy Weather” and “Basket Case” and they were both hilarious.

Chairs in the meeting room were arranged in groupings of six. It made it seem like there might be group assignments where we had to collaborate and write. I decided to sit on my own over by the cheese and cracker table. Carl spoke to the group directly in front of me for quite some time. Then he sat down for a quick book signing. Everyone lined up. The ten or so people in the room had each been given a copy of Carl’s most recent book, “Star Island.” I’ll read it once Terry is finished. She loves Carl’s books and happily posed for photos with him.

I started the sketch in the large hall before the audience filed in. Robyn Austin from WLOQ was the Emcee. She announced as different silent auction tables were closed out with a resonating gong. Joyce Whidden, the executive director of the Adult Literacy League, introduced a short film about what they do. Basically one in five people read at or below a sixth grade level. In Florida that number is even larger. Literacy has the power to reduce crime, unemployment and dependence on welfare. When the film stopped everyone in the room, several hundred people, stood and clapped. It was a heart warming moment that offered the hope that people do care. Perlis, the man who learned to read at the age of 42, was in the audience.

Carl Hiaasen was then interviewed by fellow journalist Bob Morris. Carl pointed out that writing and rewriting his work came easy to him because of the years writing articles for the Herald. He had deadlines for the paper and he would write even if he didn’t feel like it. In the question and answer session, Terry asked why the women in his books are so much more mature than the male characters. He explained that men are rather simple creatures that usually just want one thing. The audience laughed. Carl often incorporated real life events into his books. He had found that real life stories are often too bizarre to be believed as fiction. As an example, he pointed to a horrible car accident where a mans leg was severed off. The leg was forgotten. An EMT later found it and decided to feed it to his dog. This is far to sick to be believed.

Monday Night Jazz

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If downtown Orlando is quiet on a Monday night, I can always county on quality jazz at the Grand Bohemian (325 South Orange Avenue).I heard that an artist was going to demonstrate how he does paintings using only coffee as his medium.The artists name was Steven Mikel and he was set up in the Grand Bohemian lobby opposite the reception desk.I asked him the question I am sure every tourist asks,” Are you wield the whole time you are painting?” “Do you sip the coffee all day?” We spoke for some time. He used a concentrated coffee “tar” for the darkest dark. and then selects different grades of coffee for different hues. Painting with coffee looks very similar to painting with watercolors.I considered sketching the artist at work, but the sound of jazz pulled me into the bar area.

As always the jazz was lively spontaneous and heart wrenching. I relaxed into a front seat ordered a Blue Moon and got to work. Having just watched Mikel paint with nothing but browns, I found myself dipping into the Sienna’s and Umber’s. Different musicians and singers rotated onto the stage. I searched for the moments when performers became completely lost in the music. By doing so I became just as lost in the spontaneous fluid searching rhythms and beats.When my beer was finished, I decided the sketch was finished as well.

CFHLA Gala

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The Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association Gala was held this year at the Brand new Peabody Hotel right near the Convention Center. As Terry and I drove up to the Hotel, we saw a sign for free parking on the right so we took a right turn into the entry and dropped of the keys with a valet. The new hotel’s lobby is immense. It has the feeling of a space station with it’s tall glass facade and curved oak panels. At first the event didn’t seem well attended but when we rounded a corner the crowd of black tuxedos and ballgowns suddenly appeared. People milled around the bars and the tables full of silent auction items. Terry placed a bid on a leather hand bag but was thankfully outbid. There were the usual suspects, a signed basketball, gift baskets and a few art prints.

Elegantly dressed stilt walkers wandered among the crowd. I envied them thinking it would be the perfect angle to sketch the crowd from. Hal Studholme compared the event to a party thrown by Salvidor Dali’s wife. While Terry was being a social butterfly finding her friends from the Philharmonic, I agonized about what I should sketch. There was an upper level which would have given me a good overview, but Terry pointed out that the dining room doors would be opening in half an hour. Not enough time for a detailed overview. I bit the inside of my mouth and waited. She had made the right call because only moments later the doors swept open and the stilt walkers tried to convince people to go inside.

We sat at the table with the Friends of the Philharmonic. Dinner was decent. I ate quickly and started this sketch in the pauses between courses. Everyone at the table knew of this blog and that they might end up in the sketch. A member of our group joked that I should sketch the woman seated at the table behind us. She had on a tight shear dress and was busty. He said my site would get twice as many hits. I didn’t sketch her. On stage there was a billboard sized check to the Orlando Philharmonic for $10,000.

A Beatles cover band performed as we were getting desert. Then a scrim lifted and the Orlando Philharmonic was there as back up. Soon the dancing started but I had a cold so I wandered back out to the lobby thinking I might try a second sketch. I didn’t have it in me. I lounged on a large couch and watched a group of 6 or so stilt walkers dressed in 60’s rainbow flavored suits as they danced and vogued.

We went up to a friends room upstairs and marveled at the TV inside the bathroom mirror and neon lights under the dresser which were motion activated. Down at the valet we found out parking was actually $10. We were Shang hai’d! My head was ready to explode and I just wanted to rest.

ColORLANDO

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On Thursday September 23rd I will be unveiling a 16 and a half foot long mural of the downtown Orlando skyline at an event called ColORLANDO at the Sonesta Hotel Orlando Downtown

(60 South Ivanhoe Boulevard Orlando, FL).

Eat, Paint and Party while benefiting the Downtown Orlando Arts District!
Experience the best of Orlando in food and entertainment as the Sonesta celebrates our vibrant local arts community. You are invited to preview Sonesta’s stylish, newly renovated property and mingle with artists in a whole new way!
ColORLANDO is your chance to be a part of creating a community masterpiece with award-winning sketch artist Thomas Thorspecken that will adorn the walls of the Sonesta Hotel while enjoying local entertainment at its finest including:
– Music by the Olga Feroni Jazz Trio
– Live DJ
– Celebrity lookalikes
– Live dance performances
– Opportunities to win great prizes, including a Cruise on the Nile in Egypt.
– Much, much more!
This will be an event you don’t want to miss, featuring an exclusive Silent Auction benefiting the Downtown Orlando Arts District! The party starts at 5:30pm .

For this event I needed to enlarge a sketch I did of downtown Orlando. I considered doing this at Full Sail using an overhead projector to project the sketch on canvas duck taped to the classroom white board. The setup worked but I was suddenly shocked at the size of the mural. I would need a large ladder in order to sketch the top half of the image. I quickly realized that would be a painful process. Two different people suggested I take the sketch to Triangle Reprograhics. When I went in to drop off the sketch, David Magagni walked me through the printing plant back to an area where I could compare various canvases. I immediately wanted to sketch. After checking a proof later in the week, I asked about sketching the mural when it went to press. At first the request was turned down by the foreman, but someone suggested I call Reg Garner, the VP of sales,and he loved the idea.
The 16 foot long mural was to be printed on the Vutek 5330 EC press. Eli Melendez wearing his New York Yankees baseball cap showed me how the press works. The canvas is threaded through a series of rollers and then flows over the top of the machine. A large box moves back and forth adding the inks to the canvas. I arrived at Triangle Repro shortly after 5pm. The night crew works till 11pm. Unfortunately the operator who set up my job wasn’t in, so the press sat silent. My nerves grew raw as I sketched knowing the mural was just a button push away from being finished, and the grand fund raising party at the Sonesta hotel was fast approaching.
So please come out tonight and help me add acrylic color washes to help finish up this huge canvas. Tonight promises to be an amazing party!

Juneteenth – Jazz Jam

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Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. In honor of this holiday the Grand Bohemian (325 South Orange Avenue) hosted a Jazz Session Jam. Yvonne Coleman, the coorfinator of the event said, “Our Jazz Session Jam has been going on every Monday for almost two years and was selected to be a part of the Juneteenth event. The founder was the late keyboardist Billy Hall along with co-founder, saxophonist Don Black. The purpose of starting this awesome night of music was to have a venue to bring musicians together so that people could enjoy great music. Most important, proceeds in the tip jar goes toward needy families, and charities. ”

I dressed up for the occasion and headed downtown. The jazz was to be flowing from 8 to 11 PM. I parked across from City Hall and walked down Orange Avenue to the Hotel, my dress shoes snapping crisply on the pavement. I entered the Bossendorfer piano lounge and asked where I could find the Jazz. I was led to the bar area. I didn’t hesitate to find a place up front from which I could sketch. There was an empty table but it was being reserved for Dick Batchelor, a notable former Congressman and businessman and community leader, and his friends. I decided to place my small tripod camping chair next to a thick pillar and leaned back to start sketching.

There was much shuffling as people moved chairs from one table to another and at times photographers would stand in front of me to get their shots of the performers. Patience and perseverance paid off. I get a visceral thrill out of drawing while listening to jazz. The beat and rhythms add a spontaneous flow to the line work. The whole time I drew I was tapping my feet and swinging my body as I quietly let go to fully experience the flow and surge of the music.

People kept coming over to compliment me on the sketch. I’m always surprised to be complimented on something the is only half finished. I was talking to a woman on my right when someone tapped me on the shoulder making me swing around to my left. As I looked up at her my body kept falling to the left. My left leg had fallen asleep and I crashed to the floor. The woman tried to catch me but I went down anyway. I then tried to stand up to get some circulation back in my leg but then I stumbled again and began hopping up and down on my one good leg until I could do a sort of shuffle step to the beat of the music. When I had stopped my contortions, the woman said she had been watching me work the whole time I was sketching and she was amazed. I thanked her and then sat down to finish what I had started. I tapped both feet to the music to be sure not to loose them again.

Sultana Fatima Ali showed up for the final set, dressed in a black sequin dress. She and Washington-based Jazz musician, Marcus Johnson, both sat tapping on their respective cell phones with the warm glows from the screens illuminating their faces. I assumed they were tweeting or updating their Facebook statuses. I was shocked and delighted when I found out she had been inspired by the art-themed environment to write, and she shared her musings with me.  I believe through the visual elements and written word, an experience can truly be captured.

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.