Ibex Puppetry brings Earth Day to life.

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Earth Day at Lake Eola fell on the same day as the World Wide Sketch Crawl. The Earth Day organizers were kind enough to let me have a tent set up where local artists could meet for the Sketch Crawl. The Analog Artist Digital World tent was right next to the Ibex Puppetry tent. Artists really had plenty to draw right from the tent. After lunch, I did this sketch of the Music Garden set up by Ibex Puppetry. Martin Wolf Murphy and Mark DeMaio supervised any children who wanted to beat the drums.

Another tent was set up in the Ibex camp where kids could do crafts. They could create the own miniature world or create a kite. The animal puppets that can be seen in the background of this sketch came to life for a parade every few hours. The sea turtle would glide gracefully and the Florida Panther would pounce forward with ferocity. The drummers would join in setting the beat of the procession.

The urban sketchers did explore the rest o the Earth Dan festivities, so the tent was just used when a sketcher wanted a break from the sun. About 5 artists showed this day and sketched together. Sometimes an artist will miss the group, and just sketch on their own. There is so much to see and sketch. It is nice I no longer be an outsider looking in, but to be an active participant in the festivities.

A whale rolled into Orlando.

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Poncili Creacion presented Ballenarca at the Winter Park Public Library. I believe Ballenarca is derived from baleen, which whales use to strain and eat krill,and ark, as in a large sea vessel. They had just come from Miami’s Art Basel where a Whale Arc seemed quite in order. The whale was constructed on a boat trailer.  Car jacks held up the whales massive jaw. Large metal ribs were covered with fiberglass. There was a wide cast of foam characters in the show. Orlando has a strong puppetry community thanks to Heather Henson’s Ibex puppetry.  Hannah Miller and Jack Fields were there. I would say that half the audience were puppeteers and the other half were excited children. There isn’t much of a difference between the two.

The show was colorful and surreal. There was a four legged dog fish, a red character that looked like a cross between a tooth and a heart, and an eight foot high centipede. When the centipede interacted with the kids, the squealed with delight. Kids easily accept the characters and can quickly imagine the world they inhabit. This was no longer a parking lot, but a magical under sea world. Kids don’t react the same way when high tech movies force feed every digital detail.

After the performance, kids were invited inside the whale’s open mouth. The puppeteers needed to drive the whale to Heather Henson’s warehouse where it would stay for the night. They would be on the road the next day to their next open air stage. I was invited to have dinner with the cast at Loving Hut and I jumped at the chance. On the drive to the restaurant I ended up driving right behind the whale. The tale had to be removed for the drive, but the whale still grinned at me. You don’t see a whale in traffic very often. At Loving Hut, one member of the cast was fascinated by one of my brush pens. He did a drawing of a mysterious dark haired girl with straight bangs, in the back of my sketchbook. He signed it Poncili.

Jammin’ Drum School offers a weekly class in worldbeat hand drumming.

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There is nothing more primal than the beat of hand drums. Greywolf offers weekly classes every Friday at The Orlando Aikido Dojo (3764 Howell Branch Road, Winter Park, FL). At 7:00 pm the beginner Jammin! drumming class starts with with Greywolf and Mark DeMaio. They offer insights into proper dembe hand technique; drills and fundamental orchestrated multi-part rhythms. In the class I sketched, there was one beginner, Susan, and soon she was holding her own. Judy, in a pony tail, seemed like a regular beside her was Mark, who I’ve seen perform at Earth Day for Heather Henson‘s Ibex puppetry. Greywolf I have seen many times at drum circles and at world beat gigs around town. Sven who was right beside me had a fascinating intricate tattoo on his bicep.

At 8:00 pm Intermediate class Jammin! class appropriate for all levels begins. All levels are welcome. Greywolf offers insights into Samba drumming with  Djun-djun and other stick techniques along with more complex rhythms. Dun-Dun parts and solo phrases for basic rhythms are covered. I found it funny that Djun-djun and Dun-Dun sound just like the beats created on the drums.  This class is all Sambas, all the time thanks to the insistence of students.

At 9:00 pm the Advanced Jammin! course with Greywolf offers Additional instrumentation and yet more complex rhythms; odd time signatures; performance breaks and leads along with Ensemble pieces. As an example of complex rhythms Greywolf showed us a You Tube video he helped produce based on a ticking beat. Sketching to these complex rhythms is a real pleasure. The beats set the pace as lines danced on the page. People often tell me, “I can’t draw a straight line.” I bet some people feel that they couldn’t keep a beat. But after one session with Greywolf, they would be proved wrong. If you are looking for a fun date night. This would be it.

Any class is $12.
Any two or more classes on the same night is $10 each.

2nd Annual Broomstick Pony Derby

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On Saturday May 4th, (Kentucky Derby Day), The Broomstick Pony Derby was held on the street in front of Urban ReThink (625 E Central Blvd, Orlando, Fl). The Broomstick Pony Derby is a season-long celebration of Orlando’s
play-spirited, civic-minded, try-curious, tri-athlete, road racing and
audacious-arts-appreciating community. The Derby route was over the bricked blocks of E. Central Blvd in Downtown
Orlando, roughly between Summerlin and Osceola Ave. These roads were closed off beginning at 2:00pm on Derby Day.

During the Broomstick Pony
Derby, folks of all ages create and race handmade broomstick ponies,
zebras, ostriches, you name it. Where do the ponies come from? They were made during our spring Broomstick Pony Workshops led by local
artists, including Ibex Puppetry and Clay Curiosities. The
festivities celebrate community and creativity and will raise funds,
friends, and awareness for enhancing Urban ReThink’s operations and
programming.

People and ponies danced in the streets to music provided by DJ Si Rajadhyax  Food and drink specials were offered by Thornton Park businesses, there was a Raffle, Pony parade, featuring pony marchers and an all-kazoo band.

When I got there, the DJ was getting set up. There was a threat of showers and when I felt a few drops, I took cover under the ReThink awning. Necole Pynn assured me that there was no way it could rain on Pony Derby day. People’s broomstick ponies were all lined up along the fence. The rain never came and by the time I finished sketching the DJ the street was crowded. The pony parade involved all the racers gathering in a large circle and passing the pony’s around so everyone got to see the handiwork. A couple was dressed as salt and pepper shakers. One horse rode a broomstick human. There were Unicorns and a sea horse. Some kids were in costume with cowboy hats, frilly dressed and a Bo Peep outfit. In the relay, the Hot Llama Mamas and the amazing kids from Misty Forest were hard to beat.  Contestants were told not to run, but in the heat of the race the fine line between a fast skip and a run was blurred. The youngest contestants, trailing the pack often got the most boisterous cheers as they approached the finish line.

Earth Day Gator

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Since everything was certainly under control at my Earth Day tent, I ventured out to do another sketch. I had sketched Ibex Puppetry’s huge inflatable gator years ago, but I decided it was worth sketching again. An added bonus was that Oliver Kilkenny was playing accordion. He wore a palm frond hat and sun glasses. His music added a sort of French flair to the event except when he played “It’s a Small World After All” which was a crude reminder that we were in Disney’s backyard.

The woman selling ice pops next to me stood on a small step stool behind her cart. She told me she felt like Scarlet Ohara from “Gone with the Wind” when scarlet had to man a booth at the social when all she wanted to do was dance. She shook her booty to the beat of the accordion and offered Oliver a free pop for the entertainment. She had come all the way from Jacksonville to be at Earth Day and very few people were stopping to sample her wares.

A park ranger walked up to Oliver and told him he couldn’t play his accordion because he didn’t have a permit. In Orlando, if you perform in public, it is considered busking, or begging. There is a small blue box painted on the pavement somewhere near the court house. That blue square is the one place where public performance is allowed. Oliver put away his accordion, collected his ice pop and moved along. The silence once he left was deafening.

Janice Böhrk McIntosh who volunteered to help me at the event ended up getting a $45 parking ticket on a street that was NOT marked very well to say no parking. You are able
to tell by the entire row of cars who received parking tickets at a
this city event! The city really knows how to rake in the bucks! This is how they reward citizens who are trying to make the world a better place.

Earth Day Endangered Species

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On April 20th there was a huge Earth Day Festival at Lake Eola. For the first time ever, I agreed to put up an artist tent to promote this site. I framed ten sketchbooks printed some business cards and figured I could sell some of the remaining T-Shirts from the Sonesta Hotel mural. The night before, I packed the car and at 7AM the next morning I was ready to head out. I had used the tent extensively when I painted an outdoor mural for the Mennello Museum over the summer. Now painting outside in the summer is insane and I’m sure the tent had saved me from overheating.

Hurricane Maria helped me find the spot to set up my tent. During setup, people helped each other out. For instance the tent next to me shared their sand bags which would help keep the tents from blowing over.  Rain was predicted but it was a bright sunny morning as I erected the tent. The sketchbook frames were hung back to back on electric wires. They spun in the wind like Calder sculptures. Compared to other exotic tents, mine seemed a bit barren, but that is what my art is like, no flash, just substance.

I had put a call out on Facebook for volunteers who could man the tent while I sketched. Janice Böhrk McIntosh and Patti Matchett answered the call. Janice agreed to come bright and early and Patti agreed to come in the afternoon. Janice arrived and I explained that she could sell some T-Shirts and hand out business cards to people that were interested. She was excited to get started and I walked over to the Ibex Puppetry area to sketch the puppets that would be in the Endangered Species Parade. In the background of my sketch you can see a tow truck removing a parked car. Business as usual it the city beautiful.

As I sketched the display, all the puppeteers posed for a photo. Of course it was tempting to try and sketch them all in, but I knew they would all be gone as soon as the camera shutter clicked. April Tennyson mugged for me but she knew I wouldn’t have time to sketch her in. Necole Pynn who was at the Broomstick Pony tent had a kazoo. She asked me for a good kazoo tune and I wracked my brain to come up with “Jack the knife”. She seemed pleased as she hummed the tune through the instrument.

The Endangered Species Parade began and all the puppets came to life. Heather Henson, the founder of Ibex Puppetry, took hold of the Manatee and breathed life into him. Her mother, Jane Henson, had recently died, but today was a celebration of life. To the beat of a drum the parade flowed past me with grace and rhythm. The children followed with paper puppets they had made in the craft tent.

With my sketch done, I went to check on Janice. She had sold every single T-Shirt and most of the business cards had been handed out. I was in shock and delighted. Within the first hour, all my merchandise was sold and she was telling everyone who would listen about my project to document Orlando Culture one sketch at a time. What a godsend. There is no way I could have accomplished that. All hopes and expectations had been exceeded.

Corridor Project at Plaza Live

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Patrick Greene helped facilitate a parking lot performance before the Deerhoof concert at Plaza Live. It was the second Corridor Project production.  When I got there it was just starting to get dark. Patrick had a megaphone and there was some negotiating with the Plaza Live staff to clear an area in the parking lot for a staging place. Having no idea what was to come, I decided to step back and sketch a long shot of the parking lot scene to see what developed. Hannah Miller parked a pickup truck and pulled out a huge tree trunk set piece. A car was asked to park at the end of the row to avoid any other cars from driving into the staging area. I saw brown sheets being unfurled on the pavement and on the tailgates of parked cars. The parking lane was being converted into a forest glen.

An Ibex puppetry kite hinted that the performance was about to start, so I finished the sketch and moved closer. Voci Dance performed with the help of Tiny Waves and The Shine Shed Collective. Performers were all dressed in exotic woodland creature costumes. The dancers moved nimbly between the tree trunks, performing to live music. I sketched a strange bird-like creature with drums before he marched off into the woods. I wasn’t sure if Sarah Lockhard was a fox, beaver or a hound but all the dancers moved with grace. Hip bones became headdress eyes and antlers. It was all very primal. When the performance ended, sheets and set pieces quickly were gathered up and the magic disappeared.

The Nativity Rehearsal

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I went to the Henson’s Pineloch warehouse on December 12th to sketch a rehearsal of The Nativity. Rehearsals were held most weeknights for two weeks from about 7:30 to 10pm. All of those rehearsals were for two performances on December 22 at Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater in the Altimonte Mall. The oldest story in Christian history was made new in this retelling with live music, and the gorgeous puppets from IBEX Puppetry and the Jim Henson Company. This puppet production was spearheaded by Jane Henson, the wife of Jim Henson of Muppet’s fame.  Jane helped Jim in the early days of television production but then abandoned puppetry to raise her family. He youngest daughter, Heather Henson helped her bring this production to life.

The warehouse was cavernous, filled with boxes and bins full of foam, fabric and assorted puppet parts.  There were woodworking benches and large kites suspended from the ceiling. If you were to imagine Santa’s toy factory, this would fit the bill. I decided to sit behind the table where the performing puppets were stored. Gabriel with his gossamer wings dominated the table. A dark sinister and conniving Herod stood beside him, visible through his transparent wings. Mary, Joseph and the three kings also waited to begin their performances. A train rumbled by adding an industrial edge to this period piece.

From this angle, I could see the puppeteers who had to crouch down behind the stage setting to stay out of the future audience’s view. Sean Keohane, the director corralled the cast and explained how important the telling of the story would be. It was something parents could share with there children. Sarah Lockhard worked with the Virgin Mary rod puppet. Her face expressed every emotion as she moved the puppet. It was fascinating watching actors become lost in the subtle performers.  The word, marionette, 
means “tiny Mary” and  was derived from the puppets used in medieval mystery
and miracle plays.

Interactive Puppetry

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At the opening of the Handmade Puppet Dreams exhibit at City Arts Factory, Heather Henson, the founder of Ibex Puppet Company, had just opened a present from a friend.
She held a sleek sculpture of a deer or ram or maybe it was an ibex. All the colorful tissue paper was on the floor, and a light breeze from someone passing by caused a sheet to move, begging me to play. I was reminded of a an interactive art performance by actress and puppeteer, Rebekah Lane, on October 16th as part of the Creative City Project. She staged her performances four times at different locations around Lake Eola. When I arrived she was stuffing colorful tissue paper into brightly colored shopping bags. She explained to me that the idea for the performance came about after she attended a recent puppetry workshop. She learned about the work of Albrecht Roser. She explained that there are two ways to approach a story. First you can write a story and then find the materials with which to tell the story. The other approach is to let the materials influence and mold the story.

I was excited at the prospect of a performance in public catching people by surprise. A small foot ladder held a wicker rattle, an iHome stereo player and some thin green wire strands.  The puppet show banner hung from a flaccid length of PVC. She eventually found an existing sign near her staging area to support the banner. She turned on the stereo, playing some Felliniesque music and she approached passers by to try and drum up an audience. First three then five people gathered. Her performance was in mime. She offered the five people the shopping bags with delight in her eyes. They riffled inside the bags looking for what she was offering. All the colorful tissue paper was in the way. Then she extracted a bright blue tissue from a bag. Playfully, she crumpled the tissue into a long worm-like shape. She crouched down and had the tissue crawl about in the grass and then look around quizzically. Others played along. Soon there was a procession of caterpillars in the grass.

They moved to the ladder where a tissue paper cocoon was built and suspended with the silky wire strands. The caterpillars went inside and later emerged. Rebekah took the newly emerged tissue and she lifted it up into the breeze. It floated and danced in the wind. Every one’s tissues flew up in the air like graduation caps hesitant to return to any head. People ran after their creatures before they could be blown into the lake. Rebekah then folded her tissue, creating wings and her hand acted as the body and legs of a butterfly. A little girl was delighted when the butterfly landed on her head. There was an innocent Gelsomina joy in this performance that playfully asked people to imagine life in the colorful, and inanimate, while offering them the luxury of play. Sometimes we all need a little reminder that life isn’t all about meetings and schedules.

Handmade Pupppet Dreams Halloween

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Halloween is coming and Handmade Puppet Dreams is ready to show Orlando, FL its darker side. In addition to a 15-foot display of puppets in City Arts Factory, this ghastly gallery exhibit will feature a 2-hour loop of Handmade Puppet Dreams creepiest, crawliest, Halloween-iest films for the public to enjoy any time during open gallery hours (11:00AM till 6:00PM) through the end of October!

 The 3rd year of the Annual Dia de los Muertos and Monster Factory. Co-produced by The Downtown Arts District, Tacatantán Records, and Pink Hair Productions, this exhibit features the work of international, national, and local artists and, this year, will feature a gallery installation by IBEX Puppetry spotlighting Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams!

The Handmade Puppet Dreams segment of the gallery will feature puppets from the films of Ron Binion (AlienCow Puppet Show Redux), David Michael Friend (Moonfishing), Sam Koji Hale (Yamasong), Lyon Hill (Junk Palace and Incubus), Kevin McTurk (The Narrative of Victor Karloch), and Scotty Shoemaker, Tony Giordano, and Jason Murphy(Harker). Screenings will include The Narrative of Victor Karloch, Suck-A-Thumb, AlienCow Puppet Show Redux, Calalilly, Harker, Incubus, In the House of the Sin Eater, Junk Palace, Yamasong, Moonfishing, and Graveyard Jamboree.

Hannah Miller was busy getting the puppets ready for display on the day before the opening.  Midway through the install she turned on the flat screen TV to show the films. Each of the puppets I sketched were in the films. It was like having movie actors pose who are eternally patient. My favorite short film was Moonfishing which had gorgeous silhouetted settings with curvacious Art Nouveau organic curls, and a magical heart warming story. When pizza arrived at 1PM, all the other people who were hanging art disappeared never to be seen again. Hannah called Jack Fields to help as she finished the installation. I admired their teamwork when hanging the posters high on the wall. Hanging a show is hard work.