Eye Surgery

Posted on by Thor

Artist Linda Sarasino had cateracts. Surgery was arranged for each of her eyes on separate days. Since the surgery would leave one eye with a highly dilated pupil, she needed to have someone take her to the surgery and get her home safely. I volunteered to drive. In the waiting room Linda had to fill out legal forms that pointed out every possible thing that could go wrong with the surgery with results such as blindness and death. She signed away her life and we waited. There were the usual doctors office golf and lifestyle magazine, but I decided to sketch.

Finally she was called back to the surgery room and I waited alone. She left behind her bag glasses and jacket. Time moved slowly. Surgery would involve inserting a corrective lens inside her cornea to correct her vision. She had to use eye drops 4 times a day for two days leading up to the surgery. The procedure itself would take just 15 minutes and she would be given anesthesia. The anesthesia can cause amnesia which means many people do not remember the procedure. She has had a bad reaction to the drug that causes the amnesia so they had to reduce the amount given to her. She wasn’t knocked out and she was able to see the knife cut into her eye and the lens inserted. A bright light distorted and gave her the impression that she was experiencing an LSD trip.

This is a procedure done every day and considered quite routine. But it isn’t routine for the person having it done. I sat waiting for well over 15 minutes and the legal forms had my mind wandering to worst case scenarios. When I was called back, Linda was in a wheel chair. A plastic mesh eye patch was over the affected eye. Being transparent if kept her from looking like a pirate. She was wheeled to the back door and then we walked to my ca in the parking lot.

That night, I asked her to go outside to look at the sunset overlooking a golf course. She covered her eye that had the surgery and looked at the sunset and then covered that eye to look through the new lens. She started to cry. She had never see the colors so vibrant and pure. The cataract caused everything to have a yellowish dull cast. She pointed to some subtle wisps of pink clouds  on the northern horizon. I couldn’t see the same pink. Her vision was now better than my own. as the sky darkened, I took a picture of her with her arms outstretched looking like Julie Andrews on a mountain top. As an artist sight means everything, and she had been given the gift of being able to see the world in a brand new way.

Paint Strong Orlando

Posted on by Thor

The Orange County Library System (101 E Central Blvd, Orlando, Florida 32801) hosted Paint Strong Orlando which is a collection of original works created in response to the tragedy at Pulse nightclub by local Orlando artists. Local art-supply store Sam Flax of Orlando donated materials to artists who wanted to create works of art dedicated to the victims and collected more than 250 pieces, which were on display at the Orlando Public from September 15 through October 2016.

The Paint Strong Orlando opening reception displayed these pieces, which celebrate the strength of our community. Sam Flax gave a brief talk himself about how he isn’t an artist but he wanted to find a way to offer creative expression in the wake of the Pulse tragedy. Paintings were hung on every floor of the Library. The reception was incredibly crowded. It was tough finding the right angle to sketch. Linda Saracino offered her advice on where I might position myself. The sketch was done to the vertical dimensions of the Library newsletter, because it was considered as a possible cover image. The “Pulse Love” painting was done by Betsy Brabrandt and the eye bleeding a rainbow was painted by Della Morte.

K.C. Cali sat on the library floor beside me as I sketched. She had a painting in the show at though I never picked it out as one of her pieces. She was upset about the loss that the evening was honoring. 49 people lost their lives, and 250 works of art struggled to find meaning in the senseless loss. I have yet to count all the sketches 1 have done in the wake of the Pulse tragedy. The number continues to rise. K.C. wiped away tears and I stopped sketching to talk to her. This was the first sketch I didn’t complete during the course of an event.

ODD 19 at Wally’s Liquors.

Posted on by Thor

Once a month, I host a free sketch outing called, ODD (Orlando Drink and Draw). The first ODD event of 2017 was held at Wally’s Mills Avenue Liquors, (1001 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803).
Wally’s is a landmark dive bar with a rocking jukebox, serving beer and stiff drinks since 1954. My original goal for ODD was to visit Orlando’s best dive bars. Wally’s definitely is x epitome of a drive bar. 

Upon entering, there is a liquor store to the right with a wide assortment of bottles. Opposite that, two men sat at a table looking at a sports event on the tube. The bar itself is in the back. A U shaped bar fills the tight space. The wallpaper of nude women is the first thing the caught my eyes. I picked a stool at the corner of the bar and ordered a Rolling Rock. Two guys and a gal sat opposite me. Patrons go to Wally’s with one objective, and that is to get drunk. The two guys seemed pretty wasted. The woman, sporting a nose ring and a skull cap fingered her phone and kept her friends amused with the latest Facebook news.  Within minutes of starting the sketch, one of the guys came over to see what I was up to. It turns out he is an artist himself and he spoke for some time about the quick two minute sketches he once did of the patrons at the bar. I overheard some of their conversation which was largely about who had slept with whom and the emotional ramifications. Orlando is a small down, and news travels fast on the streets.

Another bar patron approached me and he said my sketch reminded him of the work of a short little French artist. He got down on his knees to demonstrate the artists height, and I shouted, “Toulouse!” He had seen a movie about Toulouse Lautrec which was made back in the 60s. He said if Toulouse were to enter Wally’s, he would be sketching, just like me. Though my sketch wasn’t finished, he asked if he could share what I was doing. He lifted the sketchbook like a sacred document and shared it with everyone who was in the sketch. A poet entered the bar through the back door. He was asked to chime in on t sketch and he said, “I only can express an opinion about literature, I don’ know much about visual arts.” Then he looked at the sketch and simply shouted “Damn!” He is a man who knows how to use words. The bar maid checked on my progress several times.

Linda Saracino showed up and then Viviana Castro. Viviana could only stay for 20 minutes so she rushed to get a thumbnail sketch done. Then Wendy Wallenberg showed up and she lit up the Internet with a selfie and controversy. Online, Elizabeth Maupin said she had bee warned to never go in the place. She is an artist but I haven’t convinced her to whip out her sketchbook yet. Out in the parking lot Wendy kept yelling at cars that parked to near her Porche. The guys windows were rolled down, so they might have heard her. I was afraid she might start a brawl. 

The night was an adventure. We listened to some good Beetles music on the Jukebox, joked with the regulars and had a couple of beers while sketching. Then Wendy stepped in despite the smoke to make the evening true ODD.

The Last Neanderthal Ball.

Posted on by Thor

I went to the last Neanderthal Ball at the Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803). In preparation for the ball I painted a black bow tie using some of Linda Sarasino‘s acrylic paint with a tiger pattern. I also put on a pair of tiger socks, but I don’t think anyone ever saw those. I entered , I entered the venue early and found a stand up table with a decent view across the room. My table was right next to a hoop suspended from the ceiling. That means I would have a front row seat for the female performer who was suspended and poured drinks. It was difficult to ignore her as I sketched the overall scene.  As cavemen and women entered the venue, I added them to the sketch. 

Running with Scissors performed cover songs on the main stage. Dancing to Eagles songs isn’t easy. But I tried. The MC remembered me from last year and he asked me information about what I do. I gave him my card and gave him my rundown about doing a sketch a day to cover arts and culture in Central Florida. I was amazed when he gave me a major plug from the main stage microphone, inviting everyone to take a look at my sketch in progress. When I was done, I left the sketchbook open on the table. Linda chatted with Wendy Wallenberg, who was wearing giant pink earmuffs as a head dress, and a pink fur vest. For the fashion show, she acted shocked and horrified be all 1 modern lights. It was a nice touch. She won a bottle of champagne for being one of the best dressed cave women. 

One caveman went all out on his fashion accessories. He had a uni-brow and wild woolly hair. He carried a big club, and the clincher was his performance during the fashion show. He kept his knees bent and moved as if on the prowl. He walked right up to the female judges and looked at them quizzically, bending his head to the side like a dog. Then he sniffed the air trying to catch a whiff of their perfume. He got a standing oration. Actually, everyone was already standing, but they did clap for him the loudest. 

Michael McLeod entered the fashion show, but, besides his Armani suit, the only accessory was a zebra bow tie. It did put my blunt hand painted tie to shame. He strutted the dance floor, opening his suit to show off the Armani label. Wendi had a zebra hat for Michael to wear, but it was vetoed. So many tables were reserved, probably for corporate sponsors, but I don’t think those signs had much meaning. After the awards, the evening quickly wound down. Leaving the parking lot, I forgot to turn on my headlights. A caveman blinked his headlights at me from behind as I waited at a red light. I made nothing of it. Then he drove up beside me going north on Orlando Avenue. He honked and pointed at my front bumper. It finally dawned on me what he was trying to communicate. I waved and gave him a thumbs up as I flipped on the lights. He gave me a thumbs up in return and drove off. Cavemen look out for each other.

The Television art show at Barefoot Spa.

Posted on by Thor

I submitted a piece at the Television Art Show at The Barefoot Spa (801 Virginia Dr, Orlando, Florida 32803). This show featured art of television personalities, art of televisions, and art of anything related to televisions. There were classic television shows, cartoon characters, Atari, the evening news, and more. I submitted a sketch I did of a Brian Feldman performance done at Frames Forever. Brian set up televisions in the storefront window and watched TV all night as each station switched from analog signals to digital signals. Each TV showed static after the switch. It was the night when analog officially died. If you had an old TV with rabbit ears, it became a devise to watch static across all the stations. Since Brian was bored by the viewing options, he used his cell phone to tweet and research through the night.

The TV Art Show reception was fairly well attended, but more than there quarters of those in attendance must have been artists. Linda Saracino is an artist who paints quirky dress fashions and does intricate collages. She was talking to someone who ended up being deleted from the sketch, since he or she would have been standing in the centerfold of the sketchbook. Linda’s work wasn’t in the show, but I’ve seen her at about every art opening that I’ve ever sketched. John Glassman Gardener was busy signing colorful spray can lids that acted as magnets. He would place each on the metal column as he finished signing them.

The show featured 30 pieces of art by 18 different artists.

Bethany Taylor Myers

Brian Garnett

Carrie Perman

Chrissy Hufford

Cierra Hannah

Delores Haberkorn

Donna Harrington

Eric Wise

Glaucia Mir

Jamie Meagher

Jon Glassman Gardner

M Scott Morgan

Mark Goffe

Parker Sketch

Thom Solo

Thomas Thorspeken

Vanessa Bernal

Parker Sketch curated the show, and he did a great job logging the art as it arrived and when is was picked up. My piece didn’t sell. The problem was that I exhibited the original. Lets face it people in Orlando cant afford my originals. My prints at half the price do sell on occasion. Even the owner of a sports stadium decided to buy a print rather than the original painting that they commissioned. 

Nude Nite had a stellar opening night.

Posted on by Thor

Nude Nite is a dazzling art and entertainment event celebrating the beauty of the nude. It brings together hundreds of artists for three evenings of visual art, performance and a cast of characters both in costume and out. Open to the public, tickets can be purchased at the door. This year the event took over an empty warehouse at 5051 LB McLeod Rd. Orlando FL. Tree trunks outside the venue gave a visual clue that you had arrived along with the line of cars waiting to park. Valet parking is $10 so I drove down the road a distance to find self parking.

Once inside, I quickly walked around searching for a subject to sketch. Since most performers were nude or partly nude, the choices were overwhelming. On a stage with butterfly wings as a backdrop, a figure squirmed inside a dark fabric cocoon. Later in the evening she was free of the cocoon and gracefully flapping her wings. There was a staging area for Marla E. Artist who began a life sized nude painting of a nude female model on one of her thick impasto canvases.

In the furthest reaches of the warehouse, I found these two men hard at work. A large ball of electric wiring sat between them. They were pealing away the plastic casings from wires to expose the inner copper wire. The copper wire was then cut into one foot lengths and stacked in a neat pile. A video camera taped the whole process and a black and white projection filled the back wall. As I sketched, I realized that the projection showed a different time. It didn’t sync with the live action performance. What does it all mean? Who knows. Art I guess. The crowds weren’t too dense on opening night, but I’m always amazed at how many people are shooting photos. You can tell the amateurs with their red laser beams and flashes. They should learn to sketch, it is far less disruptive.

After my sketch was done, I packed up to get right back home. As I left, there was a huge crowd with their cell phones raised to take photos of some unfolding action. Linda Saracino who was with her friend Lillian Verkins explained that there was a clothed couple standing on display in front of the mob. People standing in line were given a chance to take a pair of scissors and cut away a one inch square of fabric. As each square was removed, the couple was slowly unclothed. I would think two strategic snips could make the outfits quickly fall to the floor, but I suppose the cuts were supervised in a grid pattern. I never did see over the crowd to find out. Before I left, I was once again tempted by a sketch opportunity when I saw a nude woman painted silver and elevated on stilts which were hidden under a graceful silver skirt. She was Voguing for photographers however which made her an unpredictable twisting turning subject to sketch. Oh well perhaps I’ll catch her tomorrow night. Parking near a large event like this I always fear that my car might get towed for profit. Thankfully it was where I left it.

Wrapping the Maitland Art Center

Posted on by Thor

March first was Artist Colony Day at the Maitland Art Center (231 Packwood Ave W, Maitland, FL). Between 2-6pm there were Open Studios and hands on activities, then between 2-6pm The Maitland Art Center was wrapped in blue plastic. I’m sure the idea is inspired by the art of Christo. The entire month of March was filled with experimentation and collaboration referred to as Art 31.

I expected a crowd on day 1 but instead found that the only people on site were the dozen or so volunteers. A food truck was purring behind me as I started to sketch. The wrap began at the South east corner of the building. Two volunteers on the roof lowered a roll of clear blue plastic on a string. The volunteers on the ground secured the plastic with a cinder-block brick and then the roll was pulled up to the roof where it was again secured with a brick.

Courtney Jean Canova rode up in a recumbent bike to say hello. He had biked from his home about 11 miles away. I admired his exercise ethic. My bike has broken spokes and flat tires and has been neglected for years. Perhaps it is time to give that bike some love, attention and use. Cortney parked his bike and then started shooting photos of the volunteers at work. Courtney’s wife Kelly arrived by car so that Courtney didn’t have to bike all the way home. Linda Saracino was at the event for a short time. She lamented the fact that such a cool event was getting so little attention. I did what little I could with a sketch.

As I making final preparations for my retrospective show, Courtney came through in a crunch when I put out a request for an old beat up table to put my art supplies on in the exhibit. He had a battered old drafting table that fit the bill perfectly. I also picked up an old French folding table from Kathy Wilhelm Witkowski but the drafting table was picked for display. Kathy has a studio called “New Leaf Studio” which I’m now curious to sketch. The name implies fresh new foliage after a long winter or perhaps it simply implies the leaf’s in a table.

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.