Beer tasting at East End Market.

Posted on by Thor

I went to East End Market, 3201 Corrine Drive Orlando, FL, where I have some cards on consignment displayed at Local Roots Farm Store which brings the freshness and quality of the farm
directly to the city, including local produce, artisan foods and craft
beer. I was advised to get a rotating card stand to display the cards but it had slots which were too large for the 5 by 7 inch cards I had created. Because the slats are so large, cards kept falling on the floor and I was asked to remove the display. I’m thinking that I could hand make foam core boxes that could keep the cards from falling but that is a complex task that is on the back burner for now. For now, my cards are on display in a small wicker basket on a shelf.

The bar is made of a huge single slab of wood that curves elegantly.  Taylor and Megan were trying a beer sampler which had six shot sized glasses of beer for their tasting pleasure. I like this sampler idea. I just started a monthly artist group called “Drink and Draw” and the idea is to sample beers at a different bar each month with a group of artists. I am hoping to refine my tastes while also sketching.

Mark your Calendar. The first Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) event will be at Taverna Opa, 9101 International Drive, #2240, Orlando, FL from 5:30pm to 8:30pm on July 6th. Taverna Opa has an assortment of unique Mediterranean dishes. But you might not be too focused on the food as restaurant goers participate in the traditional Zorba line dance and throw plates and napkins on the floor. I’m having to re-think my retail display since cards keep falling on the floor, but it has to be fun sketching a restaurant and bar with plates and napkins getting thrown on the floor.

East End Market Offers All Things Local

Posted on by Thor

My exhibition of several dozen original Orlando Urban Sketches has been hanging at East End Market (3201 Corrine Dr.
Orlando, FL) for the past several months. The show is slated to come down sometime in the beginning of September. Emily Rankin of Local Roots Distribution Company asked me to keep some cards in her farm store in the front of the market. I left her with a dozen or so cards that were left over from the Emotions Dance performance, Art Evolution. I did a sketch based on each choreographed performance and worked the dancers into iconic works of art. Over time I will be adding cards that have urban sketches of venues around Orlando.

After setting up the exhibit in the community room on the second floor of East End, I decided to stay and sketch the market, which is always bustling with activity. People stay at the juice bar for hours working on their computers making them perfect models. The thin pink haired girl was the reason for starting this sketch. When she wasn’t on  her computer, she was talking to the staff behind the bar. Mason jars are used as light bulbs above the bar. Behind me, the custom coffee bar was always serving up orders.

I’m so happy my work has been exhibited at East End. People keep approaching me to let me know that they liked getting a chance to see my sketches up close and in person. I always say that my sketches are about documenting people and places that make Orlando a stronger community. East End Market is a new venue where those people come together to share similar ideals. It has been the perfect place to share what I do with people that make a difference in this town.

College Park Brunch Market

Posted on by Thor

Mark Baratelli, Owner
The Daily City, has taken over College Park Farmers Market and turned it into “College Park Sunday Brunch Market.” The Market happens in the Infusion Tea parking lot (1600 Edgewater Drive, College Park FL). It happens every Sunday from 11am-3pm.I went to the inaugural opening to relax and sketch. Robert Thompson was playing guitar and singing in an outdoor tent. Mark greeted me and pointed out Orlando’s very first fashion truck called Lollipops and Pistols.

Kristin X sat in a lawn chair beside her vintage fashion store on wheels. She is a stay at home mom mom, living her dream of being an artist and creative freak. She studied commercial illustration in college, many moons ago, but it
seemed too structured for her. Her true love is designing
invitations and stationary goods. Oh and thrifting, lets not forget
thrifting. Several women got lost in the trucks vintage clothing for quite some time. Kristin’s son took an interest in my sketch and at one point, Kristen’s husband took her spot in the lawn chair. He joked that I shouldn’t put his beard on his wife.

When I finished my sketch, I went to the Local Roots tent and ordered some shrimp and grits along with a strawberry Mimosa. It was a delicious treat made from all local ingredients.  Mark had his 60’s themed plastic chairs set up around a patch of fake lawn. Some Kerouac House authors were having a heated discussion presumably about literature. Mark was busy sending out tweets on his cell phone. If you are looking for a unique place to have brunch on a Sunday then stop by the Brunch Market.