South Beach Drink and Draw

Posted on by Thor

After a long day of sketching at Art Deco Weekend in South Beach Miami, the Urban Sketchers then met for a drink and draw a block away from the beach at Abuella’s Cuban Kitchen. A group of us ate dinner downstairs and then the plan was to to hold the Drink and Draw upstairs. There was some confusion with the restaurant owners who seemed unaware of the plans that had been made weeks before. The dinner we had was sub par. An 18% tip was
already in the bill and I decided to fill out the digital form to give a
20% tip instead. After seeing someone else fill out the form I realized I had
given a $20 tip rather than 20%. The waitress gave me a $20 bill back.

One sketcher came downstairs and said the space upstairs was cold and weird. That made me want to go up and see for myself. Ultimately we did all go upstairs to an outdoor patio that overlooked the street. I liked the curve linear cornice in front of which many of our group sat. It was indeed spacious and weird, I liked it.

To my right the discussion turned to mixing music as a DJ. Several of the group were into mixing beats. James Richards spoke to an artist at length and Pam spoke to James’ wife. I focused my attention on finishing this sketch for the duration.  One artist was told she would have to order something other than a water or she would have to leave. She had just paid for a very expensive tasteless diner downstairs. She stood her ground. This evening left the impression that South Beach Miami is cut throat and rude.

Art Deco Weekend VIP Reception

Posted on by Thor

Art Deco Weekend is held in Miami Beach each year. Art Deco Weekend was created nearly 43 years ago by the Miami Design
Preservation League (MDPL) to showcase the beautiful Art Deco buildings
of South Beach, saving it for future generations. MDPL’s early work was
the catalyst that created the vibrant, world-class city we live in
today.

This year, Orlando Urban Sketchers, Tampa Urban Sketchers and Miami Urban Sketchers were invited to offer sketch tours and demonstrations during the festival. Day 1 was problematic. It rained much of the morning as we tried to set up the tent. Tensions were high and sketch equipment got muddy. The Florida Urban Sketchers had a tent where guests could try their hand using watercolors and it became mission central for  sketch tours.

Pam Schwartz prepared historical information cards abut each of the Art Deco buildings that were being visited on the sketch walks. She teamed up with James Richards on the first sketch walk and was the historical tour guide before artists sketched the scenes. Day 1 there were two sketch walks and three demonstrations. I gave a demonstration sketching the Versace mansion using as my canvas the large Grape Leaves that are so prevalent beach side in Miami Beach. This turned out to be a fun experiment and others grabbed leaves to try sketching themselves. The leaves are thick and leathery and I was told they can be sent as post cards through the mail. I may try to mail one of the sketches back to Orlando.

In the evening there was a VIP reception for board members. It was insanely windy. Women’s hair and palm tree fronds blew horizontal. Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra performed on stage. The wind blew into the microphones creating extra sound effects. The dancers were all amazing. That is because they were mostly a local dance group. We had several drink tickets and Pam ordered several sangrias. I usually like sangria but this stuff was pure alcohol or rocket fuel. I could not down my drink.