2013 Top Five Sketches

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1. Into Darkness. November 9, 2013. With 42% of the votes.

 2. Circus Protests. January 12, 2013. With 21% of the votes.

3. FAVO. January 28, 2013. (Tie) With 14% of the votes.

3. Garden Theatre. July 23, 2013. (Tie) With 14% of the votes.

3. I Believe in You Performance, Art and Dance Party. September 23, 2013. (Tie) With 14% of the votes.

3. How the Mall Stole Christmas. December 7, 2013. (Tie) With 14% of the votes.

4. Fake Landlord Scam. June 18, 2013. (Tie) With 7% of the votes.

4. Clandestine Arts, Sweeny Todd Auditions. November 7, 2013. (Tie) With 7% of the votes.

4.  My Way. November 12, 2013. (Tie) With 7% of the votes.

5. 13 in 13. January 14, 2013. With 0% of the votes.

Bad Wolf Art Night

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On November 14th I went to the Peacock Room (1321 North Mills Avenue, Orlando, Florida), to find out what Bad wolf art night is all about. Hosted By Kyla Rene’ the event invite explained that, after a one month break, the performers would be back to create some more art. Dancers would be improving to live music. There was no cover at the door. The hours on the invite were 5:30pm to 8pm. This was earlier than most events but I stopped by at 5:30 to have a drink.

The stage in the back room wasn’t set up but there was band equipment packed and ready.  I settled in at a table in the bar and drew the early birds like myself. The owner of the Peacock Room, David Rich was seated at the end of the bar. He took an interest in my sketch and stopped over several times to photograph the sketch in progress. Now I can see why new art is always on display on the walls. David truly loves art. He also works in the Disney Parks in operations. He must be someone who has no need for sleep.

As I was working on the sketch the band equipment was moved out. It was probably 7:30 or so when I was finishing up and there was still no hint of Bad Wolf Art Night so I packed up my art supplies and left. Either I got the date wrong, or the event didn’t start until much later. Either way, I had my sketch already and I headed home.

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Nostalgiart

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On November 20th, I went to Bart (1205 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, Fl) to see Christie Miga‘s Nostalgiart show opening. As Christie said, “I have created a small, yet completely rad spray paint show based on my favorite things as a child of the 80’s: He-man, Mario Bros., Jem, Garbage Pail Kids, etc. It’s been a few months since my last art show because I needed a little break from the deep thoughts and underlying meanings of my last show. So, I decided to just have fun and create art that simply makes me happy and for no other reason than that.”

Bart is a small bar that has vintage arcade video games from the 80s and 90s. I got there before the place filled up ordered a beer and started sketching. Christie and Evan Miga showed up shortly after and sat on the couch beside me as they finished up the food they had ordered from the food truck outside. Christie had what looked like a cake box but it was full of Christmas ornaments Christie had painted. AS friends and patrons filled the room, the couple mingled. One lady at the bar asked me if she could look inside the box beside me. I guess she thought I was in charge. I said it was fine and she looked through picking out several ornaments she might like to buy. I pointed out Evan to her and she approached him to complete the sale.

Evan has just recently gotten a dream job at Disney Imagineering. When I asked him about it, he sounded just like I did when I first started working at Disney Feature Animation. He is thrilled to be surrounded by so many amazing artists. Red dots started appearing under many of the paintings which were priced to sell. The paintings were fun and colorful with a powdery airbrushed feel. Many referred back to childhood animation shows but what attracted me was the bright patterns and colors achieved with stencils and occasional areas of hand painting. I’d love to see an entire car covered with these powdery abstractions. I mentioned the idea to Terry but she prefers the metallic grey surface that rolled off the showroom floor.

By the time my sketch was done, about half the pieces on the walls were sold and the room was packed and buzzing. Someone explained to me that this is the way you need to sell art in Orlando, by matching your work to the theme of a venue and offering it for cash that people might have in their wallet. Pop, fun and airy work seems to sell best in this theme park town. This show fit the bill and was a home run hit. Mark your calendar! The show is only up till the evening of December 23. Head over and check it out before the Holidays.

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Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Saturday December 21, 2013

10am to 4pm  Commander’s Call. Free. Museum of Military History 5210 West Irlo Bronson Hwy Kissimmee FL. This ongoing program is held on the 3rd Sat of each month is designed to appeal to families, military memorabilia collectors, history buffs, re-enactors & others interested in military history. In addition, persons interested in displaying, trading or selling their military items such as honor coins, swords, photographs, military buttons, scale model boats & planes, military art, uniforms or other equipment register in advance by calling the museum to reserve a spot. Re-enactors & veterans are welcome to come in uniform to add to the history & authenticity of the military experience. Non-military booths such as health care providers, home improvement, local attractions or other businesses are invited to be vendors for minimal donation.

3pm to 7pm Cruisin’ Downtown DeLand Car Show! Free. East Indiana Ave Downtown DeLand, Deland FL.  Classic cars & rods.  Live DJ, giveaways, shopping & dining. Fun for the family! Every 3rd Saturday night! http://mainstreetdeland.org/calendar.cfm/mode/details/id/12037/recurringId/71147/cruisdowntown-deland-car-show

9pm to Midnight The Falcon Presents: C-Note Collection. Free, but be sure to grab a drink and linger. The Falcon 819 E. Washington Street, Suite 2, Orlando, Fl. Original art and framed prints under $100.

Sunday December 22, 2013

1pm to 3pm Irish Music. Free. Olivia’s in 108 N. Bay Street, Eustice FL. http://www.oliviascoffeehouse.com/

5:30pm to 9pm Southern Fried Sunday. $10 Will’s Pub 1042 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL. Thomas Wynn & Friends, Hymn for Her, Bad Santa & The Angry Elves and The Bloody Jug Band will be entertaining you with some great music!   BBQ from The Smiling Bison!

6:30pm to 9:30pm   First European Winter Fair. Rosen Shingle Creek 9939 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL.  The newest family event is a European-Style Gift-mart and Culinary-crafting. Booths and vendors, with displays on the decorated outdoor patio of the beautiful hotel, will offer gifts and crafts, cocktails and food, chocolate workshops, ornament-making, cookie decorating, custom Christmas stockings and more. Call 866.996.6338 for reservations.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Saturday December 14, 2013

7:15am to 9:30pm Reindeer Run. Free to watch. Sea World 7007 Sea Harbor Drive Orlando, FL. 7:15 am 3 Mile Start. 8:45 am Rudolph Run. 9:15 am Rosen Hotels Holiday Costume Contest.

2pm and 8pm Words We Wear. $25 Goldman Theatre in the Orlando Shakespeare Center (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL).A 60 minute original performance piece that includes dance, acting, and mixed media. There is an ensemble of 20 female performers.

The show is about exchanging negative words for more positive words. EpicVita Also on Sunday December 15th at 8pm.

4pm to 7pm McRae Art Studio Open House. Free. McRae Art Studios 904 Railroad Ave. Suite 200 Winter Park, FL. Take a peek inside the studios and processes of various artists working at Mcrae Art Studios. This is a great opportunity to see works in progress, purchase available works, and learn more about Mcrae’s warehouse space, situated in the heart of Winter Park, FL.

Sunday December 15, 2013

10am to 7pm Grandma Party. Free. Stardust Video & Coffee1842 E. Winter Park Rd. Orlando FL. Arts, crafts and local talent. Grandma Party is you and me and all of us making it happen. http://grandmapartybazaar.tumblr.com/

Noon to 4pm  Locally Grown Words – a Book Fair. East End Market 3201 Corrine Drive Orlando, FL. In January 2014 I will be opening a small, independent bookstore called Bookmark It in the new East End Market, located in Orlando’s popular Audubon Park community. Its primary focus will be two-fold. First to offer books that support the mission of the various other vendors in the market (organic farming, juicing, sustainability, etc..) and the local-focus movement that defines East End. And second (this is the exciting part), to champion the local writing community by offering a wide selection of books by Central Florida authors, develop events that offer opportunities for book launches, readings and workshops, create a “Local Book of the Month” club, and more!

7:30pm to 9:30pm Abdias Ernesto and Family. Free. The Timucua Arts White House 2000 South Summerlin Avenue, Orlando, Fl. An intimate evening of World Folk Music, art and love-filled energy. 7:30pm Kattya Graham. 7:45pm Beth McKee. 8:15pm Abdias Ernesto Garcia and Family. Live Art by Deliz V. Berrios. This show will be recorded and released as a live DVD and CD of our first album as ‘Abdias Ernesto & Family.’ We will have special guest performances by Beth McKee and Kattya Graham plus some brand new music.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Saturday December 7, 2013

10am to 10pm   $5 admission a portion of which goes to Saving Grace in Uganda. BIG BOX OF ORLANDO two-day pop up shop. SAY IT LOUD! (1121 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803). Big Box of Orlando is is a two day pop-up shop inside a warehouse featuring a tightly curated collection of gift-giving merchandise from 18+ Orlando brands. Presented by TheDailyCity.com.

11am to 6pm. Big Bang Bazaar Bonanza! $5 Saturday and Sunday.. Lake Lilly Park (Maitland, Florida 32751).  come out and support local artists! Also this is a great chance to stock up on unique and awesome holiday presents! http://www.bigbangbazaar.net/

4pm to 6pm. WKMG Local 6 for Holiday Concert. Free. Lake Eola Band Shell (195 N Rosalind Avenue, in Downtown Orlando). The Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra will once again join forces with WMKG Local 6 and the City of Orlando to present the fourth annual WKMG Local 6 Holiday Concert. The concert will feature FSYO orchestras and a special appearance from the Central Florida Community Arts choir, and will also serve to benefit the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Network.

Sunday December 8, 2013

7:30am to 9pm. Gallery Fresh Art Markets. Free to shop. Orlando Fashion Square (3201 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida 32803). On the 2nd Sunday of every month Gallery Fresh Art Markets and Orlando Fashion Square proudly present “Show Your Art.” This indoor, non-juried art event showcases 60 to 90 local artists and fine crafts persons and is located throughout Orlando Fashion Square.

11am to 5pm. Sparkle Artisan Market. Free to shop. Dandelion Communitea Cafe (618 N Thornton Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803). Come to the annual Sparkle market where at least 25 artists and their handmade offerings will dazzle you! There will be a variety of gifts galore. Lunch at Dandelion and get the best healthy food in town. Bring your friends and kids. Shop local!! Park at Hillcrest Elementary School south of Dandelion Communitea Cafe.

1pm to 3pm.  Film Slam. $5. Enzian Theater (1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL 32751). Experimental Films, Puppet Films, Art Films, Bartenders throwing bottles, Gangsters, a Music Video….this has to be the most amazingly eclectic line we’ve had for all of 2013.

Valencia East Campus

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On November 26th, I left work at 5pm and drove over to  the Valencia East Campus (701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando FL) to see the Valencia Jazz Band Concert

Concert directed by Chris Dolske. Unfortunately the concert didn’t start till 7:30pm so I had several hours to kill. Of course I started sketching.

Two benches away from me a hooded student seemed to be sleeping while sitting up. She then lay down for a sounder sleep. Another student sat closer for a quick cell phone conversation. Students that must be theater majors came out pushing and pulling a costume rack. One girl hopped up on the rack letting herself be pulled by the other student. One costume fell and was run over. They squabbled about whose fault it was playfully and frantically. More students walked by with wigs on Styrofoam heads destined for the green room.

With the sketch almost finished, it started to rain. I put up my red umbrella and kept working. There was another hour till the concert, so I decided this was my sketch for the day and I headed home. On the drive back I listened to a 1936 Carnegie Hall Jazz concert on the radio, so I got my Jazz fix.

38th Annual Festival of the Masters

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From November 8th to November 10th, 130 artists set up tents in Downtown Disney for the 38th Annual Festival of the Masters. The parking lots in front of Downtown Disney were ripped up and fenced off due to construction. The back lot parking lot I usually park in was completely full. I had to loop around and was directed to a staff parking lot beside the cast services building. I had to drive up and down all the isles before I found what must have been the last spot in the lot.

The parking situation didn’t stop people from attending the Art Festival. The crowds were dense. I walked through the festival surveying all the art.  Behind the Circ du Soleil Circus Tent, the view opened up with a grassy knoll overlooking the lake. I relaxed on the grass and started to sketch. An artist sat in front of his tent joking with patrons and showing them prints. When another artist entered his tent, he shouted out to everyone that she was the winner of $1000. He later looked over my shoulder saying, “You’re among friends here.”

One lady had a tent full of dog paintings. Every canvas had a banner across it that said, “No photos.” I understand where she is coming from since I share my work everyday yet want people to know that the image has a copyright, which means, “don’t steal the image”. I place a 10% ghosted copyright banner across every sketch now. It is barely noticeable.  Whenever someone reproduces my work without asking, that copyright banner grows bolder. Policing image theft is difficult in the digital age. The Internet is the wild west of copyright theft. People want music, video and art for free. I love when people use my work, so long as they pay for the rights.I love it even more when people link back to this site to share my work or a particular sketch.

Much later I felt two other people standing behind me. My first thought was that they must be Disney Security intent on stopping me from sketching. It turns out they were former students of mine. This married couple had taken the 2D Animation class together and they were both stellar students. Having graduated, the couple is enjoying the tourist attractions in Orlando. Russ is planning to do an internship at Full Sail. As the sun set, the shadows grew longer. Getting off Disney property was as much of a challenge as getting on.

An Evening with Executive Director Frank Holt

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On October 15th I went to The Mennello Museum of American Art (900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, Fl.) to join the museum’s executive director Frank Holt for a walk and talk through the Everglades series of exhibits.As people arrived, I got to work on my sketch. The room I was in was filled with paintings by Eugine Savage. In 1935, he made the first of many trips into the Florida Everglades to study the Seminoles and their traditions. Eugene was a mural artist and all his paintings have a very bold consistent look. The Indians tolerated the artist at first but when he started depicting women partly unclothed, they stopped appreciating his vision. Any Seminole woman who had a romance with a white man would be cast out of the tribe, floating down river in a dug out canoe. The intricate patterns of traditional dress was treated with loving detail while extraneous detail was stripped away from the Everglades environments. The studies done in watercolor on tan paper were often mounted beside the final paintings giving amazing insight into the artist’s process. The artist also hand made the frames giving this collection of paintings an amazing uniformity.

Art and Artifacts of the Seminole were on display along with the paintings. With the development of Florida as a Tourist state, the traditions of the Seminoles slowly died. Villages were reduced to roadside attractions where you could have your picture taken with a local Indian.  There is something sad in seeing these once proud people reduced to selling trinkets and photo opportunities. The artifacts are on loan from the collection of I.S.K. Reeves V and Sara W. Reeves. In the main gallery, Earl Cunningham paintings of the Everglades are on display. These painting seem to literally glow as the jump off the walls. In the back gallery, sketches of Rob Storter document Southwest Florida Everglades life in line and wash. I love these direct observational sketches that help preserve a simpler life that is long gone.

Frank Holt curated the Mennello Museum’s current Everglades
series of exhibitions like a conductor bringing together the
notes that create a symphony. The longtime executive director is at home
orchestrating displays of art in this museum, where he has practiced
his craft since it opened in November 1998. When done well, the evidence of the curator’s hand is not obvious,
but it is distinct. His signature is bold wall colors, brilliant
lighting and thoughtful interplay between the showcased art and the
natural architecture of the museum. Mark your Calendar, these exhibits are up till January 5th of 2014, and they shouldn’t be missed. Opening on January 17th, 2014 will be Southwestern Allure: The Art of the Santa Fe Art Colony. This exhibition features 40 artworks from public and private
collections that reflect the development of Santa Fe as an art colony
through the artists who visited there and helped establish the city as
an artistic center.