Saint Patrick’s Day

Posted on by Thor

Terry and I went to Ollie’s Public House, on the corner of Edgewater and Par, on Saint Patrick’s day. Terry had two free tickets for some reason. The parking lot was packed when we arrived. There were green shirts everywhere. Terry brought a beach chair and I had my artist’s stool. We sat fairly close to the outdoor stage. We both ordered a Shepard’s pie which was good and quite filling. Neither of us drank any beer, but there was plenty of Guinness all around.

The first band on stage was “Off Kilter“. They performed Irish traditional songs like, Danny Boy and then went into rock and roll cover songs. We bumped into Kathryne Sullivan, Mike Underwood and their friends Joe Busdecker and his wife Leann Siefferman Busdecker. I spoke with Katheryn a bit but it was impossible to hear over the bagpipes. Women started dancing in front of the stage.

After Off Kilter, the Orlando Fire Department Bag Pipes and Drums Band gathered in front of the stage. There were maybe a dozen bag pipe players and just as many drum players. The crowd gathered around them. The loud shrill sound was quintessentially Irish. The crowd clapped to the beat as the firemen picked up the pace. They played “Amazing Grace” and then doubled the beat. The book light I was using to see my sketch died, so I decided the sketch was done.

It was a fun night. Some people staggered and fell while dancing. One woman had to be helped into the passenger seat of her car by a security guard. T-Shirts read, Kiss Me, Pinch me and I’ll punch you. There was a long break after the Firemen so Terry and I headed home. Just as we drove off, the bag pipes started up again.

Mad Tea Party

Posted on by Thor

On February 8th, Kathryn Sullivan celebrated a very happy not-so-un-birthday at her Winter Park home with family and friends.  I was one of the first to arrive at the Alice in Wonderland  themed party. Kathryn and her boyfriend Mike Underwood know how to throw a party.  Kathryn was in a fabulous Victorian red dress with black lace and Mike was dressed as the mad hatter.A long table was set up for guests.

At the head of the table was a large flat screen TV with a digital camera above it. Mike explained that this was a  PhotoMingle that he had invented from scratch in his garage. The TV interface was just like the touch commands on an iPhone. Images on the screen could me moved, rotated and sized with the swipe of a finger. It was also possible to draw on the photos with your fingers. Mike is marketing this device for weddings, parties and all social gatherings. The uniqueness of the interface makes it an instant hit with guests. This device is pure genius and Mike is bound to make a fortune if he can increase his market before others create cheap knock offs based on his idea. As guests arrived they would pose before the TV for a fun photo session. This thing should make photo booths obsolete.

William Mabery trumped every one’s costumes when he arrived as Alice. Derick Taylor took a seat next to Alice with his Top hat and a bright red ascot. LeAnn Siefferman Busdeker wore a pillow case adorned with black spades. It was an ingenious and quick way to become a playing card. Her husband John’s costume had me stumped for a while. He hopped into the room in a sleeping bag. I later learned he was a caterpillar.

Playing cards were placed on the table to play, Kings, a drinking game. I had never played a drinking game before in my life, but since I was sipping coke, I didn’t mind playing as I sketched. One card involved everyone at the table raising three fingers. The person who drew the card had to mention something that they never did before. If you did that thing then you could fold a finger down. Once someone folded all three fingers down then the next person picked a card. I never fully understood the rules but it was a fun way to get to know people.

CUSS YEAH! A Wes Anderson Homage

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I walked over to Stardust Video & Coffee when I got a text from Terry saying she was there. The cardboard decorations for the Wes Anderson themed costume party were pretty amazing. There was a ten foot long Jaguar Shark and a yellow submarine that had Styrofoam container port holes. Blue fabric draped from metal ceiling rafters offered ocean waves. Pink fish schooled through the room. The entire room was an amazing homage to The Life Aquatic. An entire wall was retro fitted into a cardboard flank of a nautical research vessel. A faux campfire burned warmly on a small stage in the center of the room. I spotted Terry across the room near the bar and I walked over. Having just seen Moonrise Kingdom, I can say I am a true Wes Anderson fan. I felt absolute pleasure from the familiar Wes camera mores and grid structure staging in the film. The story was a hart warming delight. It was a solid 10! Go SEE it, and rediscover the innocence of love.

Terry wanted to have dinner, but I had eaten enough at the craft night prior to the party. She went to order food and I started sketching. I worked fast, but not fast enough. I sipped a beer and sketched while she ate and looked at her iPhone. I blended right in with my hand crafted red skull cap and blue striped uniform. I admired the amazing number of men and women who pulled off the same look, many to much better effect. Many of the women had on fox ears and tails in homage to  The Fantastic Mr. Fox. What woman wouldn’t mind being called a fox? Kathryn Sullivan and Mike Underwood in his blue Speedo underwear strolled in and caused a fair commotion with their lavish and minimalist costumes. Doug Rhodehamel was draped in a giant Royal Tenenbaums banner. Doug had done all the cardboard decorations for the evening. My favorite costume went to a young girl who dressed as a nude Natalie Portman. Her hair was cut just right and her skin tight body stocking was barely noticeable at first glance.

I finished the sketch by the time Terry was done eating. I helped her finish off a few fries. She hadn’t considered a costume, so when she finished eating, she wanted to go. She was overstimulated and didn’t know anyone, so we left.

Wes Anderson Craft Night

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Kathryn Sullivan sent out a Facebook invite for a Craft Night prior to the Wes Anderson themed costume party at Stardust Video & Coffee. I planned to sketch the Stardust party and I didn’t have a costume so the craft night made sense. The address on the invite was right in the Audubon Park neighborhood near Stardust so I parked on a side street across from stardust and walked to find the address. I arrived at a quaint suburban cinder block home with a front porch and car port. I didn’t know how many people might show up to this event, but I didn’t see any cars parked around the house. I wondered if I was at the right place and double checked the address. This was it. I rang the doorbell.

Kathryn greeted me warmly at the door. Felt swatches, glue, sewing thread and other assorted supplies were on an old travel chest being used as a coffee table in the living room. Mike Underwood was in the kitchen cooking snacks. Kathryn and Mike found this place the first day they looked for a home. The interior was completely renovated with new moldings, paint and tile. It was quite a find. A third roommate appeared briefly but she mostly kept to her room. She was making preparations for a trip to Africa. I was the only guest.

I had thought ahead enough to wear a light blue shirt so I might blend in with the cast of The Life Aquatic.  Since I didn’t have a red skull cap, I needed to fabricate a replica out of felt. I also needed to add blue stripes to my shirt. Kathryn had me cutting felt for the hat and soon I was busy trying to create a decent replica using only felt, fabric glue and some thread. The Life Aquatic was playing on their flat screen TV as we worked. Kathryn was creating an intricate yellow submarine complete with thread sewn lettering. It was an ambitious project. Mike it turns out is quite a cook and he made delicious hors devours. Mike started doing folksy paintings of  Margot Tenenbaum, played by Gwyneth Paltrow from The Royal Tenenbaums. That is when I started sketching Mike and Kathryn hard at work.

My red cap had a nipple at the top, like you would see on a condom. When I tried it on without the folded up lower edge, I looked like a demonic Pope. The Darjeeling Limited came on as the second Wes Anderson film as we worked. The scene came up where one of the brothers fell passionately in love with an Indian woman he met on the train. Man, it got hot! Kathryn and Mike had amazing costumes as poppa Steve Zissou and Kingsly from The Life Aquatic. His costume was mostly a bathrobe and tight Speedo.