Nakatani Gong Orchestra.

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The Inbetween Series at The Gallery at Avalon Island (39 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, Florida 32801) features experimental music Inbetween he times that shows are hung in the gallery. An art exhibit titled Atelier was hung and ready for the November 20th opening, the show featured the works of Edson Campos and Kathleen Brodeur. The nude paintings added a pinch of creative class to the evening.

Earlier in the day, Tatsuya Nakatani had offered a gong workshop for fourteen Central Florida celestial, sonic jockeys. Using bows mallets the performers became a gong orchestra. Artist Lesley Silvia was one of the workshop attendees. She had never performed with a gong in her life, yet she seemed to blend seamlessly into the Gong blend.

Tatsuya began the evening with a solo performance. In his pre-show chat with the audience, he confided that being a gong virtuoso isn’t exactly a lucrative wasy to make a living. He used multiple gongs and a small drum set in his orchestrated piece.  I sketched him in several of his signature poses as he performed. At one point gongs crashed to the ground and it was all part of the creative din.

The most authentic Oktoberfest in Orlando is at the German American Society.

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Each year I like to get to the German American Society (381 Orange Ln, Casselberry, FL) to sketch during Oktoberfest. This year, on October 24th, I was joined by a young UCF journalism student named Deanna Ferrante.I met Deanna at Artlando in Lock Haven Park and she seemed quite fascinated by what I do. She decided to use me as a subject for an article she has to research for her journalism class. So far she has interviewed my wife and several others. Since I consider my daily sketches a form of journalism, it makes sense for her to find what I do interesting.

Parking was hard to find, and for the first time I paid $5 to park at a nearby business. Getting into Oktoberfest is also $5, which gets you a wristband. Most of the action is behind the Liederkranz hall. A gazebo was set up for music and dancing in the center of the back yard. Long tables filled the yard with crowds of people drinking beer. I decided to go inside where a stage was set up in front of a huge photo of a German castle. Several accordion players and a saxophone player provided the music for traditional German dances. Tyrolean liederhosen outfits were everywhere. A small banner in front of the performers announced, “Beer is proof that God loves us.” There was a collection of different sized cow bells, but they weren’t used in the time I was sketching.

Where I sat was right next to where the teen aged dancers would congregate before they went out on the dance floor. The women wore white puffy sleeved blouses and a black bodice that cinched their wastes tight. The blue plaid dress and apron would billow out like a whirling dervish whenever they danced. The men would stomp and slap their heals as they danced. They would also help guide the women in a direction as they were spinning. One female dancer spun out of control as she exited the dance floor and she tripped on the stage. She wasn’t hurt and the adrenalin kept her spinning just as fast for the next dance.

The dancers became fascinated with my sketch and several crowded around to see what it looked like. Deanna used the opportunity to interview several of them. The main reason she stopped out was to observe first hand what a typical sketch excursion is like. She also interviewed people at my table. She didn’t ask me any questions, instead letting me work. Once in a while I would shout out a thought or two, trying to be helpful.

With the sketch finished, I decided to call it a day. The sketch opportunities were endless, but I decided to get home. I bumped into artist Leslie Silvia and her husband Jared on the way out, so I could have lingered and drank a beer, but I’m a lightweight when it comes to drinking. I get a headache the second I take a sip. Deanna said she got what she needed for the article and she headed back to UCF. I liked her approach. She gets right into the thick of the action to find the story. I’ll be curious to find out what the article turns out like.

Community Indigo Vat Dyeing Party

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On Saturday November 23rd, I went to Misty Forest (611 N. Hyer Ave., Orlando, Florida FL) to sketch a Community Indigo Vat Dyeing Party. Clay Curiosities (Jenn Benner) hosted the event. Jenn is an art instructor for children at Misty Forest. As she explained in her invitation, “Yesterday, I got witchy with an amazing group of women to explore the magic of Indigo vat dyeing. Indigo cultivation and vat dyeing are 5,500 year old traditions that have created trade routes, developed new civilizations, and spurned nations into war. Indigo has a rich communal history throughout the world. Our Indigo vat will last another week or two until it expires. I would like to invite our friends and community to help us use the remainder of the dye by hosting an Indigo Vat Dyeing Party. You are welcome to share in this exciting process by bringing a few 100% natural plant-based fabrics (cotton, hemp, and linen only) to dye in the indigo. You may bring clothing, accessories, yarn, pillow cases, tote bags, napkins, etc. Please do not bring sheets or excessive yards of fabric. Our vat is small and I ask that you limited yourself to 3-5 items. This party is free to workshop attendees and $5 for friends and community. Please wear old clothes and closed toe shoes.”

I anticipated seeing a large witches cauldron full of die but instead discovered a small orange paint bucket. The die had impurities floating on top making it appear like blue lava. When fabrics are first dyed they aren’t bright blue. The gradually turn blue as the dye oxidized in the air. Inside people were busy with string and rubber bands for intricate tie dye patterns and Shibori techniques. Shibori is a Japanese term for several methods of dyeing
cloth with a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting,
compressing it, or capping. Some of these methods are known in the West as tie-dye. There is a definite thrill that comes when the dyed item is unbound and the intricate pattern is discovered. There were plenty of Ohs and Ahs as the items were shown. Leslie Silvia made pillow cases with one large circular tie die pattern right where the head would rest. The large pattern would make the person sleeping look like they had a halo. She said the pattern was inspired by dream catchers.

There were about 20 to 30 participants but only one person could use the dye vat at a time. Between dyeing sessions, the vat was capped to keep the dye from oxidizing prematurely.  Items that were dyed were soaked in water to remove excess dye, then they were unbound and hung on a clothes line. It was fun to witness people coming together to share a creative
project. Some people Jenn had instructed, later shared their knowledge
with friends who arrived later. I dipped a finger into the vat and rubbed some of the dye into a shadow area on my sketch just to see what it looked like. The raw dye was gritty and almost black on the sketch  I should have put some inside one of my water brushes. Oh well, maybe next time. Jenn said she plans to do similar workshops in the future since this one was such a success.

The Hub

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On September 18th, I went to the Full Sail building 2 lobby (3300 University Boulevard, Winter Park, Fl) for the return of The HUB (a.k.a. the Digital Arts and Design Gallery). Every other month this space will present a new selection of work by students and faculty. Each showcase will follow a theme. The first exhibition featured art and design inspired by music. All media/styles are welcome. Kim Lomas organized the event and I submitted a sketch of the Brad Catron Quartet. Rather than get the sketch framed, Kim gave me the option of displaying the sketch digitally on a computer screen. I liked the idea of displaying my analog art digitally.

The goal is to showcase projects from every department at Full Sail to demonstrate the rich variety of media, styles, and formats used. A committee of instructors choose the award for the best faculty work, and a committee of students choose the award for the best student work. Thankfully, I missed any award ceremony or speeches.

Faculty had quite a bit of work on display. Hugo Giraud had a painting of “The First Lady of Soul (Ella)” and a painting of “Dizzy G”. Leslie Silvia had one of her black paper cut outs (Scherenschnitte) titled “Sparrows and Nightingales.” Leslie joked with me as I sketched, saying, “We don’t allow sketching in here.” It is an ongoing joke among friends that I am so often kicked out of events for sketching. Tony Philippou had paintings of “Bigge”, “Andre 300”, and “Cee-loo”. A student whose work caught my eye was Tyler Christmas who had a painting done on acetate, of a human ribcage with a blue crab on top called “The Protector”. I noticed Tom Buzbee and his daughter, Avaryl in the reception crowd, but he wasn’t exhibiting any of his large abstract works. I had gotten to the reception late and so, I was still working on the sketch long after everyone had left for home.

Imprint Show

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June’s Imprint Show at The Gallery at Avalon Island ( 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, Florida) featured all women artists. On June 29th the artists talked about their process. The first artist to speak was  Emilie Finney. Her work featured large sheets of drywall with words cut into it. I was sitting in the bay window and when she started talking I realized I was sort of sitting in the midst of her piece. l considered moving but I was well into the sketch at that point.

Emily likes to get to the heart of the matter. She loves reading and writing and she grew up in a bilingual household. She is concerned that literacy is on the decline. A linguist said that it is possible to learn any language if you just memorize the 250 most used words. She began to wonder what the 250 most used words are in English. Around the same time she was reading George Orwell‘s “1984” where the elimination of language resulted in the elimination of creativity and expression. She carved sayings from “1984” into drywall. She began to wonder, “What defines America?” Is it the Declaration of Independence? The “I have a Dream”speech? The Star Spangled Banner song? What would these look like if they were only written with 250 words? Emily discovered drywall because her uncle was using it. With a single swipe of his blade he could cleanly crack the drywall in two, she was hooked.

I sketched Lesley Silvia as she spoke about her Sherenschitten, or black paper cutouts. She considers herself a recovering photographer. She did some very experimental and creative photography but there are so many photographers which made it hard to be seen. She started with cutting paper because it is part of her European heritage. She discovered that she loved the process. Many of her pieces were based on European Folktales but they are also deeply personal. She brought along a loose leaf binder where she keeps all of her developmental thumbnail sketches and research. I looked through it after her talk and was astounded at the level of organization and how many ideas were taking form and being developed. Every step in the process was preserved. It reminded me of the notebooks that Edward Hopper kept to document his paintings. It was exciting to see her process so clearly preserved. I have so much yet to learn.

Birkbeck, Duff and Ball

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On June 20th (Third Thursday), The Gallery at Avalon Island featured musicians Rick Birkbeck, Duff and Ball at the opening reception for The Imprint Show. A large fabric instillation grappled its way through the entry where the main exhibit was and where the musicians performed. Naomi Butterfield was there listening and Terry and I joined her. One of the musicians was related to Naomi, but I don’t recall the links on the family tree. The musicians had to perform over the ever louder conversations that erupted around the art.

The Imprint show featured all women artists including Dina Mack and Leslie Silvia. Dina and Leslie’s work are exact opposites visually. Dina had quiet abstracts that featured white on white while Leslie’s work had black paper cutouts that boldly featured folklore bordering on nightmares. Britty Metty aka Brittany Metz, had a complex installation that resembled an alter with an illuminated Virgin Mary that had her skull shattered. Stuffed animals and an intricate assortment of found objects were piled up at the Virgin’s feet.

This was the evening of the last game in the NBA Finals, so Terry wanted to go to Frank & Stein’s (150 South Magnolia Avenue Orlando, FL) for some hot dogs and watch the game. It was an exciting game, with the Miami Heat winning. Towards the end of the game, Frankie Messina, Naomi and several others stopped in to watch the climax of the game. Frankie gave several of us “Emblems of Power” necklaces made by Mo4us Da Heru. Mine was an all black bead necklace with a golden cross encased in a black cube.

There Will Be Words

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There will be words featured local authors reading excerpts from prose they had written. The event happens on the second Tuesday of every month at Urban ReThink. When I arrived I spotted Darlyn and Brad Kuhn who had recently been married. I congratulated them and hope to attend a celebration in their honor at the end of the month. I then sat next to Leslie Silvia to talk visual art as the stage was set. Lesly did the cover and all the headers for the “Best of Orlando” issue of the Orlando Weekly. She executed the assignment using silhouetted paper cut outs.

When the authors were ready to read, I went upstairs for a birds eye view. Jana Waring was introduced as being the “Best Local Author” as voted by Orlando Weekly readers. She read a short story in which the protagonist didn’t like pets. She described manic and unpredictable pets from her childhood. With plenty of tongue in cheek humor, she indeed convinced me that owning pets is insane.

Jared Silvia read a hilarious piece about Lobster Fest. I laughed the whole time realizing I’m just as much of a misguided geek at heart. Darlyn Finch read a touching story about a present she had brought for her ill brother. Knowing he had recently lost the battle, often forgetting those who loved him before he died. Darlyn has a way of writing from the gut that I admire. Small collectible books called “chapbooks”, were hand bound of each of the author’s stories. The evenings host, J. Bradley, announced that we should buy them now before the authors died and the value of their words escalated. There is something very rewarding about being in a room of people sharing their stories. Events like this remind me that Orlando has a thriving literary community.

Orlando Home Grown Show

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As part of the week long Snap Photography celebration, there was to be an exhibit of photography from Orlando locals at the Orlando Museum of Art as part of First Thursdays. Johannah O’Donnel was there and I was told she helped organize the exhibit. On exhibit in the front gallery were paintings which all revolved around an urban theme. I made my way back towards the sound of music. I bumped into Joe Rosier who was promoting his one man storytelling show in the up coming Fringe festival. I am trying to arrange to sketch Joe since he has so much character.

In the central room of the museum with the giant blue blown glass sculpture by Dale Chilhuly a simple two man band was warming up. Adriaan Mol was playing guitar in his laid back fashion. The bands name was, Please Respect our Decadence. There was a nice tall cocktail table right in front of the stage so I started to sketch. I always get nervous sketching in museums now and I kept tracking the museum guards movements as I worked.

Jared Silvia said hello and he let me know where the photography exhibit was. When I finished sketching I went to the back gallery where the photo exhibit was hung. Jared let me know where his wife Silvia’s piece was hung. She was near her photo talking with friends. I jokingly asked her to stop crowding the art so I could get a look. It was a stark almost black and white photo of a woman in a flowing white dress lying in a stream. I couldn’t see the woman’s face. It looked to me like a murder scene. I talked to Jared about it and he said I was wrong. It was a more romantic and symbolic image with personal significance. I mentioned Dustin Hoffman floating in the pool in a scene from “The Graduate.” I hit much closer to the mark with that visual analogy.

Snap was like a week long shot of adrenalin. This dynamic, inspiring event shook me to the core making me realize the importance creative media can have to affect positive change. The city of Orlando really needs events like this to challenge, provoke and inspire creative change.

Johnny Cash Tribute at Redlight Redlight

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Redlight Redlight, (745 Bennett Rd) is a hip bar that often has themed shows of local artists’ work. On this night the walls were covered with Johnny Cash portraits. Plineo Pinto had several sweet watercolor caricatures that I liked. I bumped into Leslie Silvia who showed me the nasty blisters she got on her hands from a recent crewing competition. She had some nice silhouettes of Johnny Cash. American Destitution, was on stage playing Johnny Cash songs. I asked Jared Silvia how long they had been playing to try and gauge how long I had to sketch. The place was packed so I sat on the floor right in front of the stage to get my sketch.

After the set was over, I talked to one of the performers and he told me this was the first time the band members had performed together in a very long time. I still hadn’t ordered a beer so I muscled up to the bar and ordered a Cony Island Mermaid. The beer was dark and strong. I settled into a corner table and started a second sketch. A movie screen was set up on the stage and Johnny played for the crowd flickering and a bit distorted. His music and the swift kick from the beer made me blue. I wondered what lively conversations were flaring up around me. My hand moved over the pages involuntarily. With my second sketch finished, I decided to get home. As I left a group of graffiti artists stopped me to say hello. I had sketched these artists at Frames Forever and Art Gallery as they worked on large mural panels. I was fading and a bit depressed from listening to Johnny Cash for several hours so I didn’t socialize long. Terry was away at some conference in Texas so I could have stayed out much later. But my work was done.

Awakening the Dragon Boat

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Leslie Silvia gave me a tip that a Dragon Boat was going to be launched at Lake Fairview at the Orlando Rowing Club. As I approached the park, pink balloons let me know I was at the right place. After I parked I walked up towards the lake because I could see the dragon boat on a trailer behind a pick up truck. There was a chain link fence between me and the boat so I walked the length of the fence looking for an entry. I didn’t find one, all the entrances were locked up. I walked back the other way towards a crowd of people many of them wearing pink shirts. As I approached this crowd underneath a picnic pavilion, Leslie saw me and approached. She gave me a program and explained what was about to happen. Before the boat would be launched, there would be opening remarks and a performance of the Orlando Taiko Dojo. I set up and started sketching the performers. The rhythmic drumming didn’t last very long and I rushed to get as much detail into the sketch as I could before they left the stage. I was just starting to apply color as the group stopped and prepared to go home. I had chosen to sit at the table where the performers had left their supplies so when they were done I found myself surrounded. A little boy saw me working and stood right in front of me watching me work. His friend tried to convince him to go play on the swings but he stood transfixed. I had to lean side to side so I could see around him.
When a new Dragon Boat is launched a black mark is painted on the center of the dragon’s eye. According to legend, the dotting of the eye awakens the dragon, and grants the boat and it’s racers good luck. Dragon boat racing commemorates the life of Qu Yuan who lived in the third century BC. He was a minister who advocated reforms for his home state of Chu. The king refused to listen and Qu Yuan was banished. When Qu Yuan heard his home had been invaded, he drowned himself in the Mi Lo river. Local fishermen rushed out in boats in an attempt to save him. They beat drums and thrashed the water with paddles in an attempt to keep fish from eating his body. Rice dumplings were thrown in the water to try and lure the fish away.
When I finished this sketch, I walked out to the water where a dragon dance had just stopped. All of the women in pink shirts turned out to be breast cancer survivors and they were the dragon boat’s crew for the maiden voyage. I followed them out to the dock where the boat was moored and considered getting a sketch as they loaded into the boat but the moment was gone in an instant. The boat had been funded by Harriet Lake and named for her daughter and breast cancer survivor Shelly Lake and Harriet’s sister Isabel Etter. The warriors paddled the boat gently off shore and then they threw pink and red carnations into the water to commemorate people they knew who had died from breast cancer. The flowers floated gently back to the dock in the afternoon breeze. The women in the boat were known as Warriors on water (WOW). A woman sat at the each end of the boat and the woman in back shouted out a beat for the rowers to synchronize to. The sun was setting creating bright orange flashed on the water, as the warriors gracefully cruised out to the center of the lake and back. I stood on the edge of the lake for the longest time thinking I might get one more sketch, but I decided it would be dark before I finished. I simply etched the image in my mind and vowed to return to sketch another day.