Nude Nite Poster required hours of make up preperation.

Posted on by Thor

Kelly Stevens, the director of Nude Nite let me know that Nick Herrera the body painter (who is known for his roles on SYFY’s Naked Vegas and Face Off shows) was sculpting a tiger prosthesis for our Model Anya’s face. It takes 3 hours to create the effect.  The photo shoot would be at the Orange Studio (1121 North Mills Avenue, Orlando, FL). When I walked in the back door, there was a small section of the space that was blocked off with movable walls and curtains. It was a bit like a temporary triage area. Anya and her mom were waiting for Nick to begin. He already had the face prosthesis made that would give Anya a tiger’s shaped nose.

Nick had borrowed a several thousand dollar toy that somehow adds fur to any surface using static electricity. The device looked like a large policeman’s flashlight. The fur was cut up and put in the head of the device. It was then plugged in and Nick tapped it like he was a chef adding pepper to a dish. As if by magic the fur appeared on the prosthesis. It could then be combed and  trimmed if needed. I’ve never seen anything like that before.

Anya sat in the model’s chair and Nick took much care in getting the edges of the prosthesis to flow smoothly into her skin. He had a photo of a tiger’s face on a tablet and he quickly blocked in the orange and white color pattern on her face. Anya seemed rather quiet and reserved, but as Nick worked his magic, she began to look fierce and menacing. Nick took about 5 hours to create the Tiger, so he was there
from approximately 3pm until shoot time at 7pm preparing her. Body painting,
tiger glowing contacts, prosthesis (ears, cheekbones, nose, etc.) The photo shoot was supposed to happen by 7pm, so Nick had to work fast. The photographer was Charity DeMeer and Art Director Jeff Matz of Lure Design.

Mark Your Calendars! Nude Nite is one event in Orlando and Tampa that you really have to experience.  All artwork on display is of the nude figure. There are also burlesque dancers body painters and experimental art that defies description. The event runs from February 12 to 14th in Orlando in a warehouse (5051 LB Mcleod Road, Orlando FL). Each night, festivities begin from 6pm to Midnight. Tickets are $25 online or at the door. Spice up your Valentines Day at Nude Nite.

Nude Nite

Posted on by Thor

On Valentines Day, I got to the opening of Nude Nite Orlando at about 10PM, which was a late night out for me. It had been raining all day and it was still drizzling. The event was held at an abandoned warehouse at 639 W. Church St. Orlando, FL. This is several blocks west of the Amway Center in Parramore. Gentrification has pushed its way west but several blocks still had rundown tin roof houses and abandoned properties. I decided it hadn’t been a good idea to park downtown and walk west to the warehouse.

I knew I had arrived when I heard loud music and saw light shining out of cracks in the warehouse foundation. A crude sign outlined in rope was nailed to a tree, it read, “Jesus Saves.” There wasn’t a line to get in. Attendance was surprisingly light. I walked around the perimeter of the warehouse searching for my sketch subject. A nude woman in a gas mask was posing on a pedestal. I considered sketching her but she kept moving in slow motion. She would be a frustrating subject. Wendy Wallenburg and Linda Saracino greeted me. They seemed very excited about a male dancer’s performance.

I started blocking in a second sketch of a woman being body painted near a golden tree. My attention as I sketched however was drawn to a woman seated in a U shaped ottoman in the background. I erased my sketch and moved closer to her to sketch. She was regal, poised and still. Periodically she would raise her arms up to imitate the pose in the photo hung in front of her. I liked when she relaxed, looking off in the distance. The green light gave her an odd glow. When she took a break, a group of girls asked me if it was alright to sit in the ottoman. “I don’t see why not.” was my simple response. They started posing for photos imitating the picture. One girl took her sweater off to pose causing a chorus of giggles and photos.

I heard the performers on the main stage where a crowd of people had gathered. A DJ and his girlfriend introduced themselves. I had just met them at a DRIP Art Night event and I had even sketched the girl as she danced in her polka dot undies. She looked like Halle Berry. Someone else asked me if I was from the Maitland Art Center. Odd question. “I’ve been to the Art Center, but I can’t say they sent me.” I replied. He explained that in past years, there had been artists sketching a model at Nude Nite. I was the only artist he saw creating art.  A woman asked if she could leave her drink next to me as she shot photos. I said, “Sure”. She commented on how small my palette was. I replied, “It’s not how big the palette is, its how you use it.” Of all the art I saw, I made a note of two sketches by artist Ray Richardson from Kissimmee. One was of a nude Cinderella and the other of a nude Snow White munching on a candied apple. Both women were overweight, looking like desperate house wives looking for attention.

I was using a new fountain pen. I discovered a major flaw in its design when I tried to twist the cap off to put the pen away. The twisting motion caused the pen to spit out a huge gush of ink onto the sketch. “Mother F*@$er” I muttered. Just then Kelly Stevens the event organizer walked up. She liked the sketch and I let my frustration and annoyance melt away. The spill was actually a blessing, because I started painting with pure thick pigment which is something I should do more often. As I was getting ready to step back out into the rain, I saw Kelly on a stage posing with patterns of light dancing on her outfit. A computer generated image was being mapped and projected onto her as she posed. Someone held up a mirror so she could see herself. She was laughing and having a great time.

You have one last chance to experience Nude Nite tonight from 6PM to midnight. There is plenty of parking near the warehouse.

Artists@Work

Posted on by Thor

First Thursdays, Third Thursdays, it seems like Thursdays are the only day that art happens in Orlando. Now on every Wednesday
artists gather in SODO to create art outside OLV Cafe (25 W. Crystal Lake St. Suite 175) which is located in that new Super Target street mall in SODO. The address is misleading. I walked down Crystal Lake watching the numbers get smaller. I found out that the restaurant is located half way around the block inside the shopping area.

When I arrived, Parker Sketch was setting up his work area. He was setting up right outside the entrance and I immediately knew that I had to sketch him at work. It was getting near sunset with the sun just an inch above the Super Target. I wouldn’t be adding any color until it got dark. The square canvas Parker was working on once depicted a blue meanie. The canvas changed quickly as he applied paint straight out of the tube or jar. A pink mass began to take the form of a splash. When that paint dried, blue was quickly layered on top. Zinc white was layered over the background and later a light ocher was slapped over that. It was a delight to see colors and forms change so quickly. He is working on a series of paintings that depict splashes which ties into the splashy spattered look of his playful work. He pointed out that he couldn’t sling paint quite the way he could in his studio because no matter how big a drop cloth he used, the paint would always find a way to get on the pavement or brick work.

Parker organizes a monthly Artist critique session and he is pivotal in getting people together to make and talk about art. He said that he promotes other artists because it helps elevate the Orlando art scene. If there is a vibrant art scene then that helps him. His reasoning is identical to the reasons I often give for why I report on the arts scene daily. It was Parkers Facebook announcements that had me out sketching at OLV and considering what a great time I had, I’m bound to want to go back. What artist wouldn’t?

Parker let me know that artists can get a cup of wine for free when they worked outside the restaurant. Now that is a true motivational perk! I ordered a tall glass of Pino Noir. It was sweet and tasty and helped keep the lines flowing. In all about eight artists set up and worked the evening I stopped by. A mom was out walking her toy dog with a girl friend and her two children. After they admired my sketch “It’s righteous”, they started talking about how they would have to come back. They liked the bohemian vibe of being around artists. The mom was being flirted with most of the evening. Her ten year old daughter took an interest in what I was doing and she wanted to play, so I gave her a sheet of paper and let her borrow a brush. She eventually filled the sheet with vibrant colors which is essentially what I was doing. Another artist hard at work.

Kelly Stevens,who organized Nude Nite each year, was there having dinner. She stopped over and thanked me for putting Nude Nite in my 2012 Event Calendar. We discussed the months of work that goes into the show and perhaps I will get to document the behind the scenes process more this year. inside at the bar, Todd Morgan and his wife, Laura were having a drink. Todd founded “Harmonious Universe” which does murals with the help of anyone willing to pick up a brush and help. I sketched the progress of a mural done in the beer garden behind the Milk Bar down in the milk district. I found out the restaurant was closed and that entire wall was white washed.

D.J. Mo’Negro was mixing music outside right next to the entrance. I was tapping my foot to the beat. Parker pointed out that one beat reminded him of “Time keeps Slipping Away.” Once I heard it, I couldn’t help but sing the lyrics out lout. Parker and I were both singing as we painted. Late in the evening the DJ started mixing frenetically. Parker shouted out, “Stop punching buttons!” The toy dog started barking at the D.J. He shouted back, “What?” He stopped the music and the barking stopped. Once he flipped the music back on, the dog started barking again. I shouted out, “Everyone’s a critic!” Shortly thereafter the D.J. started packing up.

Nude Nite Tampa

Posted on by Thor

I gave myself plenty of time to drive to Tampa with I-4 traffic. As I got off the highway I realized I was several hours early. I passed endless warehouses until I came to the end of the road at a warehouse with a “Mad Max” styled vehicle. The owner of the vehicle does set construction for the DRIP Dance company. This was it. I decided to walk the neighborhood in search of a sketch. There were hundreds of garbage trucks parked in a lot, smelling pungent. Crows perched on the trucks probably looking for food as they laughed. I realized the ride in front of the Nude Nite warehouse was a far better sketch, so I hiked back.

The sun was getting low on the horizon as I worked. Performers began to arrive. A magician strolled by and a body painter stopped to see what I was sketching. Her model arrived in another car. When she turned to go inside, I read “Paws off” written across her short shorts with two paw prints on her buns. I saw Kelly Stevens, the event organizer got out of her car. I almost shouted “Hello!” but she had a thousand things on her mind. I felt more at home as performers arrived.

A photographer walked beside me as I made my way inside. It was his first time photographing Nude Nite and he was excited. Kelly greeted me inside and I slipped between the red velvet curtains and looked at the art with an unobstructed view. Nude Nite celebrates the human body in art. The event was multifaceted with sculpture, painting, performance art, body painting and characters walking the floor. It was the largest figurative show in America. I walked over and started another sketch.

Nude Nite – Fuschia Foxxx

Posted on by Thor

Kelly Stevens the founder and mastermind of Nude Nite asked me to stop in to the event to do some sketches each night. If you missed Nude Nite which ran from February 11-13th you missed an amazing experience. I would suggest you look up the event coming up in Tampa on March 4-6th. You really shouldn’t miss it. When I arrived at the warehouse I walked in a side door and was stopped by a bouncer, I guess I had walked in the exit. Getting my hand stamped and getting checked off the list took a few minutes. The open warehouse space where the event was staged was packed. Art was to be found in every nook and cranny of the place. I wandered in a daze wondering what I should sketch first. There were live nude picture installations with nude models voguing behind gilded frames. In one corner, artists were sketching a nude model. Wandering the floor were many dancers moving provocatively and stealthily. Suddenly loud music blared from a corner stage with red and blue curtains and a gilded offset fame defining the stage.
Fuschia Foxxx a burlesque performer from Seattle took to the stage. Fuschia moved like a sensuous belly dancer. A large red skull with glowing rind stones covered her crotch. When she raised her arms, six other arms followed making her look like an Indian Goddess. Slowly and with some flair, the elements of her costume fell away and the crowd cheered as the music grew louder.
After her act was over, I started splashing color on the sketch as fast as I could so I could move on and explore some more.
As I wandered the room people I had never met before started introducing themselves to me. Getting to meet so many new people was fun and unexpected. It made me want to return again. I had come this first night after FRESH had completed its night of performances. That meant I really only had time for this one sketch and I was desperately wanting to sketch some more.