Gratitude Bonfire

Posted on by Thor

Julie Norris opened her home on a cool crisp evening for a front porch party. Terry and I arrived in separate cars after a farewell reading at the Kerouac house. There was a wide assortment of whole fresh foods on the porch. Julie is helping me assemble a 2012 Calendar, so I handed her some design elements she had asked for. Julie asked Terry if she wanted some cider and they went into the kitchen to heat some up. I heard music out behind the house so I wandered outside. Julie had a large vegetable garden and I avoided stepping on several large leafed pumpkin vines as I made my way toward the singing.

Perhaps a dozen people were seated around a fire pit, basking in it’s warm glow. There weren’t any chairs, so I went back to my truck to get my artist’s stool. In the light of a street lamp, I was thrilled to see my breath as I exhaled. I rushed back to the fellowship of the fire to warm up. After several songs, I decided I had to try and sketch. When Terry came out, I was surprised that she sat across the fire from me. I relaxed when she started singing and even leading, by looking up lyrics on her iPhone. After we all sang Fulsom Prison Blues, by Johnny Cash, a woman to my left said we had to see this song sung by a five year old on You Tube. She said it was the funniest thing she had seen in a long time.

Roger and Gailanne Amundsen of Jubal’s Kin were relaxing beside the fire. They had just performed at a huge concert at the Citrus Bowl. Gailanne came over to glance at my attempt to catch the firelight. She had seen a previous sketch I did of Jubal’s Kin at Urban ReThink and she liked it. It made me happy to rub shoulders with so much raw talent in the hidden dark corners of undiscovered Orlando.We all sang “Hallelujah“. Even our imperfect broken harmonies sounded divine. I felt grateful and warm. Perhaps I am in the right place at the right time in this chaos of life. “It was a cold and broken Hallelujah!”

An improvised blues song began and everyone wanted Julie to make up some lyrics. When she sang her blues everyone clapped along with the beat. People joined in adding their own blues to the mix. The warm voices filled the cold void surrounding the fire. Terry was tired and wanted to go home. I rushed the sketch so I would get home soon after her. I hugged Julie to say goodbye and turned my back to the warm glow.

Jubal’s Kin

Posted on by Thor

Jubal’s Kin consists of the home grown talents of Eric Jaskowiak, Roger Amundsen and his sister Gailanne Amundsen. Roger and Gailanne harmonize beautifully. They were on tour in Alabama but returned to Orlando to perform after a reading by Deborah Reed at Urban ReThink. Deborah wrote a book about a Central Florida musician who floundered after her husband cheated on her. She lost her will to sing and sequestered herself away. Julie Norris’s baby girl, named Maya, danced to the sweet Appalachian folk music.

My favorite song was called “Everything is Free.”

Everything is free now,

That’s what they say.

Everything I ever done,

Gotta give it away.

Someone hit the big score.

They figured it out,

That were gonna do it anyway,

Even if it doesn’t pay.

Gailanne’s voice is absolutely beautiful and the harmony with her brothers voice reminded me of the simple sounds of early Simon and Garfunkel. Their sweet melancholy songs seeped straight into my soul. I had to buy their CD and it has been playing every time I drive to a new sketch location this week. They are a rare, young and talented group, and we are lucky they call Orlando home. After the book signing performance, Jubal’s Kin headed right back to Nashville Tennessee to continue their concert tour.

Analog Artist Digital World 2009 Retrospective Opening

Posted on by Thor

The opening for the Analog Artist Digital World 2009 Sketchbook Retrospective was a lively and crowded five hour event at Dandelion Communitea Cafe. The ten sketchbooks created last year were framed in shadow box frames I had built myself. I had Frames Forever frame several assignments I had done for Orlando Home and Leisure as well. The number of pieces framed was just enough to fill out the space, and one sketch wasn’t hung.
On opening night I arrived early to set up a tablet PC, which I hung on the wall to play a flickr slide show of all the drawings posted to the blog in 2009. Patrons who were from the various arts boards were some of the first people to show up right after work. The band called Hymn for Her set up to play alternative folk music for the people arriving later. The cafe is used as an unofficial after party for the people who go to First Thursdays, which is a monthlt themed art event at the Orlando Museum of Art.
Dandelion Communitea Cafe was packed all night. People who I had sketched during the year kept arriving and introducing themselves. Once the music started it became impossible to talk, so at that point I got the sketchpad out to document my own opening. An artist/author from the last Sketch Crawl also stood in a corner of the room furiously working in his pad. The little child at the table playing with the crayons is the performer’s child. He had a large headset on to protect his fragile eardrums. The rest of us experienced the music full blast. I asked the performers to place one of my framed sketchbooks on the amplifier behind them. It frames Pierce’s head in the sketch as he plays banjo. Maggi is playing a cigar box with a broomstick attached. The instrument actually has a really good sound.
When I finished this sketch, someone showed me a sketch on their digital camera and he said it would be a blast from my past. He said the sketch was mine, and for the longest time I didn’t believe him. My eyes started to tear up from the strain of staring at the musicians and drawing. Julie Norris, co-owner of Dandelion, asked if I was Okay, as I kept rubbing my eyes with my sleeve. Perhaps there was an emotional reason for the tears as well, rediscovering a sketch from a vibrant and exciting time in my life. The lines on the sketch he was showing me digitally, were vibrant and flowing, dark and confident. I really liked the sketch, yet couldn’t believe I had done it. It showed a New York City street scene with a crowd of people. He finally explained that it was from a sketchbook which had been passed around the Florida Disney Animation Studio. I had done that drawing on the backlot of MGM (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) more than fifteen years ago. Darn, I was a good draftsman back then!
All night, people offered new ideas on places I could sketch in 2010. By the end of the night my head was spinning. I only had one white wine. With all the conversations and activity, I never had time to take a sip. Eventually, a large crowd of us had to be asked to leave so the place could be cleaned up and closed down for the night. What an exciting night! The show will hang at Dandelion Communitea Cafe at 618 North Thornton Avenue Orlando through January 30th. Go by, grab a tea, and enjoy the events, places and people that defined Orlando culture in 2009.

WPRK 91.5 Front Porch Radio

Posted on by Thor

I had met Jeremy Seghers at several events around town. I finally asked him if it would be alright to come in sometime and sketch the radio station he works at. WPRK is located in the basement of a Rollins College building. When I walked in there was no secretary, I just walked towards the conversation I heard in the next room. Jeremy was behind the mic. He and Julie Norris were talking to John Rife about Community and the Media. The topic of discussion is one that is fresh on my mind after covering IZEA Fest a few weeks ago. I started talking about how I, as a blogger, have a responsibility to support the artist community and through discussion, influence and improve the public’s view of the arts. I stressed that a blogger’s responsibility is to bring others into the spotlight. The discussion, which I am passionate about, was so natural that I didn’t even realize I was on the radio.
Also in the room were a photographer and writer from Winter Park Magazine who were doing a piece about the show. The photographer was everywhere getting shots of everyone from every angle. I sat back and relaxed into my sketch. I had to work fast since I had arrived late and was worried I might not finish. As it turns out I ended up having plenty of time to sketch since the next show’s host didn’t show. Jeremy had to head off to another job and Julie suggested that I sit in the hot seat and we started to talk. She was so gracious that I immediately felt at ease. She held her new born the whole time we talked which also had a soothing affect, like I was in her home. If you listen to the audio podcast I come in around 43 minutes and 40 seconds into the show. At first I was nowhere near a mic and later on Julie sat me down in front of the guests mic. I had no idea Analog Artist Digital World would become the topic of discussion but regardless I had a fun. I discovered it is possible to sketch and be interviewed at the same time. Oh and it looks like Jeremy and Julie cornered me into doing a show at Dandelion Communitea Cafe. I will certainly let you know when that happens.