Loose Lips – Analog Artist Digital World

Lil Indies (1036 Mills Ave N, Orlando, FL 32803) is right next to Wills Pub. I hosted an Orlando Drink and Draw event (ODD) there and when I arrived, Indies was not open yet. I decided to take the time to do a sketch outside and meet any artists as they arrived. Storm clouds loomed a steely blue grey on the horizon. Mills has a constant flow of traffic, and as I did this sketch, a van pulled up to Wills and a band started unloading their instruments and equipment. The sign outside the club says, “no colors and no weapons” which is a good policy in this day and age. I don’t think they actually check for weapons.

The storm clouds blew my way, and it started to rain just before I was finished. I decided the sketch was done when the first big drops hit the page. Greg Bryla arrived just before the deluge and we went inside together.Lil Indies is decorated like I imagine my grandmothers basement would look like. Kitschy paintings adorn the walls, and vintage couches and chairs are scattered around the entry rooms.

The bar itself is built from various colors of hand stained boards and feels hand made. The signature cocktails can be delicious. I found a table in the corner for the artists and set about drawing the stage area. I believe four of us were drawing that night.

On this evening Tod Caviness was hosting a literary event called Loose Lips. Five writers reflect on the news
with their own words, their own frightening words, and the drinks flowed (some of the best cocktails in town are made at Lil’ Indies), and
the world shall continue on as though uninterrupted. It was a good night of drinking, drawing, listening, laughing and reflecting on where we are headed as a nation.

The next loose Lips will be July 3, 2018 at 8 p.m.again at Lil Indies. The event is 21 and over and will return under the terrifying regime of the Functionally Literate crew.

I stated the new yer off with a trip to Lil Indies (1036 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803) to sketch Loose Lips. Hosted by Tod Caviness, Loose Lips has Local writers read works inspired by current events. Authors all read their text in their digital devises before taking to the stage. The humble typewriter or pen and paper seems to have fallen to the wayside. For most of the time I spent sketching, people struggled to get the microphone system working. The lighting situation at Lil Indies is less then perfect anyone at the mic is lit from behind making them appear as a black silhouette.

Lil Indies reminds me of my parents basement in their small post WWII home. My older brothers artistic endeavors consisted of paint by number clown portraits. These same creepy clowns adorn the walls of Lil Indies along with a classy nude behind the stage. I don’t think she was paint by numbers, but I didn’t get close enough to tell. This sketch was a digital experiment to use different colored pencils to start the sketch. It came about after seeing the work of Howard Brody. He used just three colored pencils to do his sketches and he achieved so much with so little.

With Trump in office, it seems there is endless material for lampooning the news. As frightening as the news might be, there is plenty of room for laughter. I don’t understand how people can lock themselves at home staring at insipid stories with laugh tracks on their TVs when there are such amazing stories being related at our local dive bars.