Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 11 and 12, 2018

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Saturday August 11, 2018

5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free. McRae Art Studios 8 x 10 C-Note Fundraiser Art Sale. McRae Art Studios 1000 Arlington St, Orlando, Florida 32805. Purchase 8 x 10 art work by McRae present and past members for only $100
each. All proceeds benefit and support McRae Art Studios.

7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free. Black Cow Jumps – Orlando’s Experimental Theater Project. Winter Park Public Library 460 East New England Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Black Cow Jumps in association with the Winter Park Library bring an
intimate evening of theater; parlor dramaturgy of the mind, immersive
and immediate, relational, philosophical and often absurd.

Created by Banks Helfrich, this connective experience is unlike any other.

Come enjoy theater of the heart– along with complimentary wine, cheese and crackers.

10:30 p.m. to Midnight Free but get a drink and bite. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL. Hot blooded Flamenco dancing set to acoustic guitar.



Sunday August 12, 2018

10 a.m. to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

Noon to 1 p.m. Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, near the red gazebo.

2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Script Reading Workshop. Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show, 8267 International Drive, Orlando, FL. Read and workshop plays.

Grimmly Ever After at the Shakespeare Theater.

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I went to the final dress rehearsal for Grimmly Ever After at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803).  Theresa Leigh Smith-Levin, had invited me to sketch. She greeted me warmly when she arrived. There was a hectic energy as the actors got changed on costumes in the green room. On stage, a large swath of fabric was cut in half and then used to cover two music stands at stage left and right. It is from these stands that the brothers Grimm would introduce the various tales. 

The actors rehearseda dance number, before a full run through of the show. The female dancers had to do a move that involved reaching behind their dance partner’s neck and lifting the is right foot elegantly back. The male dancer would the n lift her and spin clockwise making her seem to float and slowly spin. It took quite a few takes to get the more down. Music came for a piano, played live. The piano player would have to be stopped periodically to redo the dancing sequence. This was the first to the choreographer got a good feel for the live music’s timing.

Rumpelstiltskin was a miller who was poor, but who had a
beautiful daughter. Now it happened that he had to go and speak to the
king, and in order to make himself appear important he said to him, “I
have a daughter who can spin straw into gold.” His daughter sang a long song about the impossible task of spinning straw in to gold.  With each tale, the brothers would turn to the audience and offer two possible scenarios that the tale could follow. The voting among the production staff in the audience was done to hilarious effect. 

At one point, a prosthetic amputated arm was thrown on stage, and a princes tried to hide it in her apron pocket. The fingers kept getting caught in the pocket which caused her to struggle which was hilarious, weather it was planned or not. Theresa was laughing in front of me and her laughter was contagious. I had a blast watching the first half of the show. Unfortunately I had to sprint off during the intermission 1 see a McRae Art Studios group show at Maxine’s on Shine (337 Shine Ave, Orlando, FL 32803). I’m glad I went, there were friends, a bit of wine tasting, and plenty of good art. 

Grimmly Ever After runs

November 11 – November 20

Nov 11 at 7:30 PM to Nov 20 at 5 PM

at the John & Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center

812 E Rollins St, Orlando, Florida 32803

Tickets are available online.

Robert Ross Studio #7

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The Art and History Museums of Maitland (A&H) offers an Artist-in-Action (AIA) program that reflects the spirit of founder J. André Smith’s Research Studio and the current mission of the institution. This program provides non-residential studio space to an established or emerging artist for the professional practice and research of fine art. This program is an exciting opportunity to interact with A&H’s community of artists and art enthusiasts while working in this uniquely rich and historic environment.

A fixture at the institution for many years, the A&H’s acclaimed Artist-in-Action program takes place at the A&H’s historic Maitland Art Center (originally André Smith’s Research Studio). In Smith’s day, famous artists were invited to live and work at the Research Studio in the winter months, including luminaries Milton Avery and Ralston Crawford. In the recent past, a number of very well-known artists occupied the studios in a non-resident capacity, including the late Anita Wooten, Barbara Tiffany, and Ellie Diez-Massaro.

On September 12th I went to visit Robert Ross one of the 2013 Artists in Action. I got to the studio a bit early, so I considered doing a quick study of the Maitland Art Center’s central courtyard.  Unfortunately that sketch was interrupted by a lawn jockey who entered the courtyard with a lawn mower. He isn’t permitted to mow a lawn with anyone within 50 feet of him because flying debris could cause injury. He asked me to leave and I erased what I had started. Robert arrived as I exited the courtyard.

His studio doesn’t have any windows, but the bathroom window lets light in when the door is left open. A large tree branch was hung on one wall and Robert was working on a life sized sketch which was pinned to the wall directly below the branch. He decided to work on a still life with a cup, jar and seed pod. He quickly assembled his field paint easel. A warm spot light was set up to illuminate his scene. Robert’s paintings  have been exhibited in a growing number of venues in Central Florida. He also maintains a studio at McRae Art Studios in Winter Park. He worked quickly on his painting and I tried to maintain the same energy with my sketch by avoiding line in favor of value and color. Robert is a retired graphic designer and he loves the ability to pursue painting full time. He plans to take part in the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival where he can see which pieces sell. He doesn’t want to get caught up in chasing the market. I admire Robert’s work which is a blend between Edward Hopper and Fairfield Porter.  Many of his pieces show lonely, empty spaces between structures.

Recently he has been doing large painting based on sketches from sketchbooks. He likes having control over color and form which he can experiment with not feeling the need to slavishly recreate every detail. Watching him work made me itch to start attacking large canvases myself.

Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival

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I went to Winter Park on March 15th to be interviewed by “I Luv Winter Park” in the Hidden Garden Courtyard across from Panera’s on Park Avenue. Parking was atrocious, I ended up parking a mile away and then hiking. When I got to Park Avenue, I realized why traffic was so bad, the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival had just opened. I thought the interview went well although I’m never sure if I’m offering enough information.

I decided to explore the maze of tents. I never have high expectations when I look at art in tents but some work always jumps out and inspires me. Matthew Cornell, a local artist from McRae Art Studios  won the overall award for Best in Show. His oil paintings are hyper photo-realistic. A large painting of ocean waves had me do a double take. I had to walk up close to see the incredible detail.

The Festival was crowded, so it was hard to find a spot to sketch where I wouldn’t get trampled. The fountain offered a quiet refuge in the shade. People came and went in a constant stream. Most people who sat down had fast food from the food vendors. When they were done the wandered off to see more art. The sound of the trickling fountain and birds in the trees helped level my blood pressure, but still I had to rush to get the sketch done.

McRae Open House

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I always like visiting other artist’s studios. Several times a year a McRrae artist Studios in Winter Park opens their doors to the public. This warehouse space is split up into sections to accommodate a variety of artists. Above the entry was a Christmas Reindeer decoration with two strategically placed red Christmas ornaments. Larry Moore‘s studio is right up front and he had some wonderful large oil paintings on display of other artists at work in their studios. They were absolutely inspiring.

I feel a little uncomfortable sketching when there is an open house. I decided to sit outside in a lawn chair that had been set out to keep people from blocking the entry. Julie Koran who I once mistook to be the curator at the Tiffany museum was waiting on some friends. A police woman asked if I was in charge. I had to explain that I was only sketching. She marched inside the studios to see if she could find someone who was in charge. The studio opening had drawn quite a crowd and people were parked up and down the side streets near the event. Julie trailed the officer, the trouble was that some of these cars were in no parking zones and others were parked with the wrong wheels towards the curb. Getting no answers inside, the police woman started writing tickets. It would be a banner day generating plenty of income for the city thanks to the arts. Thankfully I was fine where I parked, although I was ready to sprint ahead of the officer leaving my sketch if there was a need.

Don Sondag has been doing some wonderful nocturnes and he gave me information about a once a week plein air evening painting outing. I think I’d like to try that. Since Florida is so hot, painting at night makes plenty of sense. I explored all the studios and there was plenty of inspiring work. Outside, Bistro Babes food truck offered up dinner options. I ordered a “Mother Clucker” simply because it was fun to shout out. The lady taking my order feigned shock. The chicken sandwich tasted great. Food trucks rule.

McRae Art Studios Open House.

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I went to a McRae Studios open house (904 Railroad Avenue Winter Park). This hallway in the back of the building was full of the quirky art of John Whipple. Built from odd antiques each sculpture has its own unique personality. I really like the mannequin head on a tricycle following a carrot in the foreground. Another head had a megaphone for a mouth. A peacock had a barren wire tail as it waited to roll away on it’s single roller skate.

I stood in a doorway that opened out onto the railroad tracks out back. A small gaggle of girls rushed past me periodically as they played. I joined Dina Mack who was singing as Chip Weston played guitar. Lining the walls of Chip’s studio were luminous seascapes, some large and some shockingly small painted gems. Tu Tu Tango catered the event and I ordered some Tapas. I always like visiting Larry Moore’s studio. I identify with his plein air oil paintings. He had a larger painting hanging outside his studio which was more abstract and playful. It was a hot summertime image and it really caught my eye.

Don Sondag had started a series of nighttime paintings done around Winter Park. There is a quiet mystery to these nocturnes and it made me want to get out and experiment at night. Several musicians had gathered in Lynn Whipple’s studio. They jammed for a while, then talked endlessly. From the quirky and unexpected, to the more traditional art, a trip to the McRae Studios always inspires me.

The Bubble Room Monkey

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I have become addicted to attending McRae Art Studios (904 Railroad Avenue) open houses. Some of these open houses offer the public the chance to watch the artists at work. The studios are located in a large warehouse and the space has been compartmentalized into working studios for 21 artists. The last open house I had attended, I found John Whipple working on a series of black and white illustrations which were rich and deep in tone. At the time I didn’t have the time to do another sketch. I returned with the hope of catching him at work. Unfortunately this open house just gave the public a chance to view the artists finished works and wander the studios.
John told me that he had just cleaned up his work space. This room is filled with antiques and assorted odds and ends for his many quirky and fun sculptures. I fell in love with this old animatronic monkey. John told me that he had bought the monkey at an estate sale when the Bubble Room closed down. For those of you who have been in Orlando for some time you might remember that the Bubble Room was a quirky restaurant with tons of antique toys and animatronics like this monkey. John explained that the monkey had been the drummer for an animatronic band. I love that this character has a string tied around its thumb as if he was intent on remembering something. Even more interesting is the fact that the monkeys other thumb is missing like he had tied that string to tight and the thumb just snapped off.
The entirely naked animatronic to the left was once a Santa Clause. The gears and leavers are simply designed like an old fashioned wind up wrist watch. Santa’s mask has been removed showing a lumpy malformed ball of Styrofoam. The arms also have Styrofoam tied down with twine. I have no doubt that when the lights go out, these characters live out a nightly drama before freezing in place the next morning. Also crammed in the space are old iron fireplace grills and aging yellow boxes. The bright red logo reminds me of the final scene in Citizen Kane when the sleigh is thrown in the fire with the name, Rose Bud.
John isn’t sure yet what is in store for the Bubble Room Monkey. He doesn’t want to alter the characters look until he is sure he has the proper artistic vision for it’s future. Prior to the clean up, the monkey wasn’t even visible. Now the space has a feeling of organized chaos. I asked John if he would allow me to sit in and sketch when he starts on the sculpture that the Bubble Room Monkey was meant for. I would love to see that piece find it’s final form.
After I finished this sketch I then went to visit Don Sondag who is a local portrait artist. Don told me about a Sunday morning painting group. I expressed an interest in getting out and doing some plein air paintings with that group, but both times something came up which kept me from going. I need to call Don, it would be nice to do some thick paintings using large blocks of color rather than the line work I use every day to complete my sketches.

McRae Art Studios Open House

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I always love to sketch artists at work in their studios. So when I found out McRae Artist Studios in Winter Park was having an open house, I headed right on over. The first artist I visited was Dina Mack who is an abstract painter who also teaches a course called Destination Journal. Dina had a set of colored pencils that were made from tree branches and we debated for some time how they got the leads inside the pencils. It made sense for them to have drilled out the center then shoved the leads in, but the branches sere gently curved to a straight drill bit would have been useless. I decided they might have grafted the leads onto the sides of trees and let the branches grow around the leads, but that would take too much time. Another studio visitor wandered in and conjectured that the colored pencil leads might have been molten or liquid and allowed to dry, but that still doesn’t account for the hollow space needed to pour the liquid into. Quite simply, it is an unexplainable miracle.
After wandering around a bit I found that there was always a group of people standing outside the studio of Susan Bach. Susan is a potter who makes wonderfully ornate funeral urns and vases. She was demonstrating how she throws a pot on her potters wheel and she sometimes invited passers by to try the wheel for themselves. Hal Stringer, who I had met a few weeks before when he hosted an artists gathering at his home, decided he would give the potting wheel a try. He struggled with the clay at first, using a bit to much brute force to try and keep it centered on the wheel. Susan encouraged his to relax and close his eyes. Then with just his sense of touch he gently began to build the form. He did a fine job, and Susan placed his piece aside so she could fire it and glaze it later.
A crusty old fisherman who used to be a captain of a fishing boat on the Bearing Sea near Alaska stopped to watch Susan work for a while. He told her about how he was the only captain who had an all woman crew in the cold arctic waters. This is a fine example of artists and patrons sharing and learning from each other. This was a fabulous event where it was possible to see artists as they work. I hope the McRae Studios continues this tradition.

Hal Stringer’s artist gathering.

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At the last minute I was invited to an artists dinner party being hosted by Hal Stringer in Winter Park. Mary Hill had told me about this event once before but the last time it was held, I was driving down to the Keys. When I entered the first order of business was to walk room to room and look at all the beautiful paintings of Florida landscapes. I bumped into Don Sontag a portrait artist who I first met when I worked at Disney and later at the McARae Studios. There was a self portrait by Don in the living room leaning up against a wall and waiting to be hung. There was a blur of introductions and then I asked if I could dig into the Paella that Phillis Miller had made. I thought I was going to leave within an hour to go sketch another dance rehearsal. I was the first to load up my plate and I went into the living room to eat. I only knew a few people at the gathering and as I ate, I started to feel overwhelmed by the sound of all the different conversations. In a crowd like this I start to hear everything at once with no filter. It gets to the point where I don’t even notice if someone is talking right at me. Mary Hill suggested I take a look at the artist studio in the back yard.

When I went back to the studio I fell in love with the space. It was a tiny little outdoor shack with exposed beams and a warm inviting interior. Inside a table had been set up and people were seated having dinner. The studio also had an outdoor patio with comfortable lawn chairs with a perfect view of the bright half moon. I suddenly realized I had to sketch so I ran out to my truck to get my sketchbook and supplies. The people around the table were, Elizabeth and Joe Ferber, Maralyn Masters, Sharon Osterhold and Jazz Morgan. After they finished eating they started to paint their dinner plates. All of these plate paintings were abstract and very colorful. One finished plate painting can be seen on the fireplace mantle in my sketch.

A few people became curious about what I was up to, so I found myself surrounded with people who wanted to see my sketchbook. As usual, my eyes teared up from the strain of sketching, and I struggled to recover. The host joked about how he took the longest time to join Facebook. He said “This gathering is face time, not Facebook.” Mary came out with a blanket and sat in the lawn chair next to me. We joked for a while about the notion of making a B grade horror film. It is actually a really fun idea that I am now considering doing some visual development for. I was glad I had decided to stay longer at this artists gathering. I got a good sketch and met some talented and inspiring artists.