I started this sketch knowing I only had 20 minutes to work before this final act finished. I sketched with the hope that they might do an en chore but I had no such luck. The fellow in the wheel chair right in front of us was very enthusiastic. After each song he would shout out “You guys are great!” When The Ashley Gang lead singer told the audience that CD’s were available afterwords, the guy in the wheel chair shouted out “I want 5!”. The performer behind the mic then told the audience “You all can learn something from this fellow up front. He is our answer to a folk musicians bailout package”.
Folk Festival Audience
The audience relaxed on the grass on the banks of Lake Formosa to listen to the Musicians on stage at the Orlando Folk Festival. Terry and I had a hot dog for lunch and sank into our lawn chairs. Small children were playing and dancing to the music. Those odd rusty characters are metal sculptures.
Folk Festival
This presidents day weekend the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art hosted the 7th annual Orlando Folk Festival. Admission was free. There was a stage with live music and a collection of tents with folk art and local crafts artists. The tent just right of center in this sketch was set up for the Kerouac Project. When Terry and I walked up to say hello to Kim and Summer, who were manning the booth, a woman named Helen, was looking at a photo of a Jack Kerouac residence in Orlando on Yates Street. She thought she recognized the house and called her brother in law who she thought might live there. The brother in law confirmed the address over the phone. Jack Kerouacs mysterious influence seems to be working to this day bringing people together.
While doing this sketch an artist approached me because he was curious about the Niji water brush I was using. I explained where he could get one without ever stopping work on the sketch. When he was leaving and saying goodbye, we glanced at each other for the first time. It turns out he is Brian who was my first supervisor when I started working at Disney over a dozen years ago. Brian works for Disney Merchandising to this day. He had many story’s to tell me of how the Animation Building had been taken over by management after the executives closed the Florida studio. Apparently every square inch of space is now cut up into cubicles and the only hint that for over 10 years the building was at the forefront of a golden age of animation is an animators jacket which has been encased in glass and hung near the bathrooms.