The Search for the Holy Grail

My wife, Terry, agreed to meet me at the Florida Film Festival to see the Animated Shorts. I got to the Enzian a little before Terry and ordered an Orange Blossom Pilsner. There wasn’t anyone in the box office so I sat at a table and sipped my beer, watching people as they arrived. I waved hello to Kim Robinson from the Mennello Museum. She sat down at my table and began knitting the tiniest baby slipper I have ever seen. She had seen at least ten films already although she stopped keeping count. She essentially takes the week off and sees all the independent films she can. A line started forming for “Single Ticket Holders.” I wondered out loud if there was a line for “Married Ticket Holders.” Kim decided she had better stand in line so she could get a good seat.

Terry arrived and she checked with the box office. The Animated Shorts program was sold out. A woman in blue was at the head of the “Standby Line.” We sat down in the second and third standby spots and waited. The group of people behind us all knew each other. Director Sari Gilman approached from the Eden Bar. She recognized these long lost friends and her face lit up. There were hugs and a quick flurry of conversation as they tried to catch up before the line started moving. Sari is a film maker from San Francisco. Her film “Kings Point” is about the need for companionship and the difficulties of growing old in America, of being alone. Terry and I looked at each other and our eyes grew large. Sari spends most of her time alone in a dark room cutting and editing scenes together. Between screenings of her documentary short, which is half an hour long, she hopes to promote the film. Promoting the finished product is difficult for any artist. The film is being screened one more time on April 21st at 1pm at the Regal Park Village. I will not have a chance to see it since I have class that day.

The line started moving and we made it into the Enzian Theater in Siberia at the back of the theater. An announcer asked someone from Lure Design to stand up. Lure was the sponsor of the Animated program. She then thanked Full Sail and asked Full Sail staff to stand. I remained seated. My favorite animated short was “Notes on Biology.” With stop motion jitter, children entered a classroom, sitting at their desks. Notebooks are opened, some neat and tidy and some a mess. A student starts animating a wheel turning as the teacher drones on about Biology. The notes spark to life when he draws a robot elephant. I learned a new word, ectoecology, which is how an organism abopts to its environment. A Film Festival staple, Levni Yilnaz, entertained with his “Random Observations about Sex.” Animator Bill Plimpton was in the audience and he had two shorts in the show, my favorite being “Summer Bummer“.

After the screenings, there was a free screening of Monti Pithon and the Holy Grail, outside on the brand new inflatable movie screen. The thing looks something like one of those inflatable kids romper rooms or slides. I’ve actually never seen “The Holy Grail”, so I was excited. The film had already started and the hillside lawn next to the Enzian was packed to overflowing. I sat right next to the screen, and looked up the hill at the audience. I couldn’t really see what I was doing but at least I caught an impression of the couples lying on blankets enjoying the show. Terry found me and shouted in my ear that she was going to go. That morning I had my heart carved out with a dull knife. Luckily, it was just a flesh wound and my hand can still put marks down on a page. I finished the sketch in no time flat since I couldn’t see any detail. I looked up at the thin elongated knights on the screen which billowed in the wind. A few drops of rain fell and I left before the movie was over. Someday I hope to see the whole film.

The Mennello Christmas Tree

Angela Abrusci offered to take some high quality photos of the five foot long painting I did for Margot Knight. We agreed to meet at the Mennello Museum to take the shots. Some shots were taken as the painting leaned against a brick wall and then we layed it flat in the parking lot. It was a cloudy day which she said made for better diffuse light. Autumn Ames wasn’t sure how to ship such a large painting, so I decided to ask Kim Robinson in the Museum, her advice. From the basement she found a large shipping box called a strong box. Inside was coated with foam soundproofing material. The box was just six inches shorter than what I needed for the painting. She also suggested that the panel be wrapped with glassine which would keep the foam from sticking to any paint.

Kim and Genevieve Bernard were getting ready to put up the museum’s Christmas tree. The wooden tree was designed by artist Anita Lam in 2000. She called it “The Out in Aspen BB Tree.” The branches were wooden dowels. They all had numbers which corresponded to the height they were placed on the trunk. Branches were collated and piled on the floor. Angela stayed to help and she snapped pictures. An old metal American flag was added to the top of the tree. It bobbed on its spring just barely clearing the water pipes.

Many of the ornaments were original works of art by local artists. The Museum put out another invitation to artists to submit ornaments for the tree this year. Genevieve went to an inner city school to participate in Career Day. She had the children make craft paper ornaments which she planned to string up on the tree. On her iPhone, Billy Holiday was singing “Nice Work if You Can Get It” as she strung the ornaments together using red yarn. Outside the giant bay windows the lake sparkled and a large colorful sculpture by John Robert Wolf moved slowly in the breeze. Kim stacked apple ornaments below the tree.

Gail Pergande stopped in to watch with her dog. Once the tree was full of ornaments, we all went out to lunch at Shakers in College Park. I hadn’t finished my sketch yet so after lunch, I returned to the museum to add color washes. I was inspired by the bright colors in the Earl Cunningham paintings on the walls.

Mennello Museum

I went to the Mennello Museum for a quick meeting with Genevieve Bernard about a possible mural outside the building. We met in Kim Robinson’s office. Her office window looks straight out at the blank wall. Executive Director, Frank Holt, wanted to be sure the final image was cohesive. The proposed wall is 48 feet wide by seven feet high. Next week I will be meeting students who will help with brainstorming for ideas. Apparently there is a competition which will help pick which high school students can help me out with the actual painting of the mural. Details are still being worked out. My challenge is to maintain my usual spontaneous style so the mural looks like a sketch done on location. The sun beats down on the wall which waits for inspiration to strike so it can fulfill it’s potential.

When I entered the museum it was obvious that they were taking down the 1934 New Deal show and putting up a new show. The New Deal show featured paintings from the Smithsonian collection. The new deal program lasted for a very short time in 1934 and it encouraged artists to portray the American scene. Many of the paintings depicted the American dream for a brighter future. As these idealistic visions were crated away, new art went up from local Florida artists. In a side gallery paintings by Ron Van Sweringen were being hung. These paintings looked like Jackson Pollack drip paintings. The difference being that Pollack spread his canvases on the floor letting the paint drip down. Ron placed his canvases on a wall and then threw the paint at it. He referred to his painting method as “Astroism.”

After the meeting I decided to sketch as the new exhibit, called “Fla-Art,” was installed. A worker stenciled up the title of the show above the reception desk. The first new work to go up was of a man pushing aside a curtain and gazing out at the viewer. It has an ominous weight to it. Most of the other work was still from the New Deal. A miner drilled for coal, men pushed large blocks of ice in an ice house, men marched through a field to work.

As I sketched a young woman asked the receptionist about renting the museum for a wedding. She was given brochures and suggestions. Several artists walked in with canvases. I was impressed by some of the work waiting to be hung. The Fla-Art show is opening May 13th from 6-8pm. Members get in free and non-members pay $5. There will be a cash bar. The Florida Artists show will be on display through September 25th 2011.

Evenings with the Director. On Tuesdays 6/14, 7/12, 8/9, 9/13, 6pm experience an evening with museum Director Frank Holt. The walk is included in general admission. Reservations required. Call (407) 246.4278

Family Days are on Sundays, 6/12, 7/10, 8/14, 9/11 starting at 12:30pm with family arts and crafts activities and a children’s workshop at 1pm. At 2pm there is a FREE guided tour.