My advanced Urban Sketching student and I went for a sketch excursion at the Orange County Regional History Center (65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL). I leave it up to my student to decide what to sketch. She was intrigued by this Orlando Air Base display. With this display about 1/4 of an airplane fills the gallery while manikins inspect the wheel well.
The challenge was to make the plane and wing appear huge in the small gallery space. I opted to make it clear that the plane was enclosed in the room. The sketch isn’t absolutely accurate. There was a platform that the airman stood on but I didn’t think it helped to tell the story, so I left it out. I felt that what helped make the plane parts feel massive was the dark shadow they cast on the wall.
The display tells the story of the Orlando Naval Training Center which was established in 1966. For about 30 years the training center was in operation. The training center was fully operational between 1968 and 1994. More than 652,000 recruits passed through the facility. After being closed and demolished, the site became the Baldwin Park neighborhood. Blue Jacked Park in Baldwin Park has two memorials dedicated to the Naval Training Center, the Lone Sailor, and the Blue Jacket Recruit.
