Winter Park Art in Chambers is to feature the daily sketches of Thor.

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The City Park Public Art Advisory Board invites you to attend a free artist reception for the sketches of Thomas (Thor) Thorspecken from analogartistdigitalworld.com. Refreshments will be provided. Mark your Calendar! The opening reception is Wednesday May 6th from 5:30pm to 7pm at the Commission Chambers and Chapman Room in Winter Park City Hall 401 South Park Avenue Winter Park, FL 32789 second floor. Stop on out and say hi. The show will hang through August 1st.

For anyone who wants to keep the Art Party going, I will be going to the British Invasion Body Painting Show right afterwards to sketch. That event is at the Majestic Event Center, 801 North John Young Parkway, Orlando, FL. Doors officially open at 8pm. Watch talented body painters transform models into living works of art right before your eyes while getting a chance to interact with the artists and the “art.” Some of Orlando’s top entertainers will also be performing on stage throughout the evening. Enjoy the bar specials and browse the artists vending tables.
Entry is $10 presale or $15 at the door.
Get your tickets at www.BASEOrlando.com

Viet Garden

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Whenever I find myself with extra time before going to a theater or other event I often stop at Viet Garden (1237 East Colonial Drive, Orlando FL) for a bite. They serve the most delicious Pad Thai that I have ever tasted. The dish is prepared super quick and it is always super good. There are shrimp and peanut sauce soaked noodles along with light bits of chicken and seed sprouts. Once, I overpaid because the server and woman at the cash register had intercommunicated. The server ran out to the parking lot and caught me before I left. That kind of caring service is rare and it has made me a very loyal customer.

I am almost always alone and I am ushered to a window seat. Since I know what I love, I can usually immediately order. All of the walls in the restaurant are covered with beautiful murals depicting the Vietnamese landscape. Some of the sponge painting of the clouds could be refined, but over all, it is impressive. Mirrors help the room feel larger than it is.

I did this sketch on the evening of my Retrospective exhibit opening at Snap Space in the historic Cameo Theater (1013 East Colonial Drive, Orlando FL). I knew that at the opening I would be pulled in multiple directions with no time to sketch. I kind of regret that this important moment in my career wasn’t documented with a sketch. There are however plenty of photos to be found online. The opening was a whirlwind and it was wonderful to see so many friends and meet new people. A contingent of former Disney animators showed up. I probably hadn’t seen some of them in 10 years. Four original sketches sold almost immediately and that let me relax and enjoy the night. Other pieces kept selling, and when I wasn’t talking to patrons, I was signing books. Most important, I believe my work was introduced to people who hadn’t seen it before.

Lot 1433 Opening

Posted on by Thor

I followed a facebook lead and went to a gallery opening in a private residence on Lake Minnehaha. Yes the is the actual name of the lake, would I make that up? On display were 30 or so paintings from artists Brigan Gresh and Andrew White. These two artists had totally different approaches and looks to their art. Brigan painted very light paintings with multiple layers of paint. Sometimes thick textural brush strokes would show through thin layers of white paint. On top of this were thin spidery impressions which almost would form a discernible shape but remained abstract and elusive. Andrews art on the other hand was dark and brooding. There were stormy clouds looming over dark landscapes and images of screaming monkeys on large dark canvases. The two artists couldn’t be more dissimilar yet later that evening I heard Megan talking about how she and Andrew are considering collaborating on a show in which they would both work on the same pieces of art. It is a fascinating idea and I really want to find out how that works out.
At this opening I spoke with another artist named Louise Bova who is a figurative painter from Brooklyn who moved to Orlando 4 years ago. She lamented the fact that Orlando doesn’t have as much culture as NYC. Last year I might have agreed with her but I found myself arguing the point, trying to point out all the culture that I discover each time I head out to sketch. Orlando certainly isn’t perfect, but it does buzz with activity. After I finished this sketch, I wandered down to the lake to watch the sun set on the opposite shore and then I drove back home.