Van Gogh Cafe

Posted on by Thor

While I was jumping between Air B&B‘s in Orlando, I decided to go to the Van Goghblin Café (805 W Central Blvd. Orlando, FL).   I ordered a Van Gogh themed coffee and settled in to sketch. This café is near the Orlando City Soccer Stadium in Orlando. Being on the west side of I-4, the neighborhood isn’t the best. I walked there from downtown, so I am not sure what the parking situation is like near the café.

Rather than being a stand-alone café, this seems like a coffee shop for the design firms that occupies the rest of the building. I got there late in the day and the staff was getting ready to leave. I had to rush the sketch since the staff wanted to leave.

In the café ordering area there was a faux window that looked out on a Van Gogh painted scene. Thee menu and Ordering counter were painted Van Gogh blue. Starry night sliced across a bright yellow walk in the communal area. Some chairs were in the style of the night café painting by Van Gogh while others were modern plush leather seats. The leather seating was more popular.

The coffee was decent, but the location makes going here less than appealing unless you are heading to an Orlando City Soccer game.

Disney Feature Animation Reunion

Posted on by Thor

The Disney Feature Animation Alum held a reunion In Orlando Florida on March 8, 2026. I drove Stella Arbelaéz and James Paris to the hotel in my Prius. It has been 22 years since the Florida Studio closed its doors, ending a long tradition of hand drawn animation. When we entered the hotel, the open lobby area was packed full of familiar faces. Large tables were set up with bites and there was a table for drinks. We had some free drink tickets and I decided to have a Coke so that I was flitting about like a Humming Bird.

Every time I turned around, I saw someone I had not seen in decades. There was a large screen set up which showed photos of life in the animation studio from years ago. I know now that what I really wanted to see was all the art that had been created by these amazing artists since the Disney Feature Animation Studio closed. I didn’t need to look back. I wanted to look forward.

I knew what James Paris had worked on since we had talked extensively at Stella’s studio, but for most folks I met at the reunion, I could only get an abbreviated elevator pitch of what they were working on. Being a visual artist, I wanted to see it all. I had been in talks with the Museum director at the Orange County History Center about having tables set up at the museum so that former Disney artists could showcase and sell their recent art work the day before or after the reunion. That idea fell through when the director got another job in NYC. I had just returned from 3 months in Europe where I had sketched the 70 or so cities that my father’s 75th Infantry Division had helped liberate in WWII so I found myself repeating that story often.

Kevin Deters had flown in from California. He had stayed with Disney and went on to direct Prep and Landing which was an animated short about elves helping Santa land his sleigh. Aaron Blaise has gone on to produce direct and animate his own short film called Snow Bear and he founded Creature Teacher which has taken off as an online an in-person way to encourage the next generation of animation artists. Xiangyuan (Jay) Jie had helped set the style of the gorgeous painterly backgrounds for Brother Bear. I admired his work on that film so much, and I got to paint beside him in the after-hours painting sessions with models. Jie speaks best through paint since he still isn’t fluent in speaking English. He spoke with me and his wife helped translate. He had images on his iPhone he wanted to show me. He had an amazing sketch of me from one of those after-hours paint sessions. I looked so focused in his sketch. He said there were images I should see on the big screen as well but there were so many pictures that I could not wait for the reel to make its way around again. I was quickly drawn into another conversation.

Laurie Ashborne had a cameraman set up in the corner of the venue. She was asking each artist a few questions about their memories of the studio. This is what I decided to sketch quickly. While working on this sketch I was approached and I was amazed that someone was very familiar with my work. There was some honest reverence in the way my work was acknowledged. I don’t experience that very often. It was heartwarming. With the sketch finished I went and stood in line to offer Laurie my quick answers to her questions. It was a fun interview. I hope a sound bite makes it into her documentary about the Florida Feature Animation Studio.

The whole evening was such a whirlwind. It was like trying to digest hundreds of stories of artistic growth in just a few hours. Bill Silvers has made a career of doing large Disney character themed paintings that are sold at Disney Village. Ginger Wolf gave me her card. She has also become a painter. Former animator, Trey Finney lost his wife Christine Lawrence Finney who was my supervisor at Disney. They had both become painters after leaving Disney. She had a warm heart and was delightful to work for. Christine gave me the opportunity to supervise the final clean up on the director’s cut of Pocahontas. Scenes were added which had been left out of the original film. The largest scene was a love song (If I Never Knew You) sung by John Smith when he was being held captive and Pocahontas gently placed her head on his chest while he sang. The camera rotated  around the couple as he sang, making it a mechanically challenging scene to work on. I worked out long timing charts to keep the even timing of the rotation consistent. I was proud of the result. It was so rare to have complete control of both lead characters in a scene.

I was amazed by so many of the artists I got to meet again. The Disney Feature Animation Studio had truly been like catching lightning in a bottle. All that talent spread out across the country after the studio was shuddered in 2004, but I decided to stay and make my mark right here in Orlando.

Stella, James and I met near the hotel reception and made out way out to the parking lot. Good-byes lasted for at least an hour. It was a shame to leave, but we had an exciting ride back sharing stories of who we had caught up with.  The following morning, the main shooting would begin on James Paris’s short film. We all needed our rest. The caffeine had worn off, and I collapsed in my Air B&B and instantly fell asleep. As always I was an outsider looking in, even in my dreams.

Procrasticare Day 1

Posted on by Thor

The Disney Feature Animation Alum held a reunion In Orlando Florida on March 8, 2026. Former Disney artists from all over the country flew into Orlando for the one-night reunion.

James Paris was working at Disney Feature Animation when I first began doing drawings for the feature film Pocahontas. Animation in those days was done with pencil and paper. I worked in what was known as the “Fishbowl” where a glass wall allowed Hollywood Studio theme park tourists the chance to see the Disney magic firsthand. Little did they know that they had to watch the new kid on the block. My first desk was right against the glass and James had a more private cubicle inside the room, maybe 20 feet from the wall of curious by passers.

My first Feature Animation Clean up drawings were for what is called slow ins. That is where the drawings get closer and closer together until the lines literally touch and overlap. It was grueling line between line work, yet I found it relaxing. The challenge was to keep these in-betweens just as aesthetically pleasing as the Key Drawings which the animator did to show the extremes of an action. James would clean up those Key drawings and then he needed to be sure my drawing matched the line quality and aesthetic of his drawings.

I was assigned to the Powhattan unit and James was put in charge of checking my drawings. Powhattan was the father of Pocahontas, and he had stoic and controlled movements. All that slow movement required 12 to 24 drawings per second which kept me quite busy. At first all the tourists watching me draw was distracting but with so many drawings to do I soon forgot they were there, looking over my shoulder through the thick glass wall.

James was meticulous in checking my drawings, at times completely redrawing an in-between. I adopted the same level of methodical control as I moved up the ladder and began checking the work of other artists. I liked this check in process since it was a chance to get away from the drawing desk and interact with another artist. I probably learned quite a bit watching James rework my drawings.

To justify the expense of flying to Orlando from Las Angeles California, James decided he would shoot a live action short at Stella Arbelaéz’s home studio. He story boarded the whole film in LA and had a shot list prepared so that he knew exactly what needed to be shot each day. Most of the shooting would be done on the day after the Feature Animation Reunion which was March 7, 2026. James arrived at Stella’s on March 7 and had all the movie lighting and equipment delivered to her place in the morning. That night before we all drove to the reunion, he had much of the equipment set up and he just wanted to capture a few shots of Stella’s hand painting on the canvas.

The story of Procristicare is straight forward. Stella is on her couch scrolling and looking at social media posts. She is not creating. Time is being lost. She sees an online add for Procrasticare and is curious. She signed up for the service. Almost immediately a young woman showed up at her front door and announced that she is with Procrasticare. Stella was holding her phone when she opened the door and when the Procrasticare worker saw the phone, she grabbed it and ran. She rode away on a bicycle. I had just tuned up that bicycle, fixing a flat and getting the brakes aligned, and I put a phone holder on the handle bars. I am glad the bike got some screen time.

I drew Stella and James twice in my sketch. James spent a long time getting familiar with the camera and the motion stabilizer set up. While he was working out that tech, Stella was reviewing her student’s classwork on her computer. When the shooting began, Stella stood at the easel and added brush strokes to the canvas. James moved the camera around the room fluidly. It was all very physical.

With that shot done we all got ready for the reunion, and I drove James and Stella in my Prius to the hotel where the reunion was being held. Some Feature Animation artists had met earlier to see a screening of Mulan at a theater down near the hotel, but we were busy shooting a movie, we didn’t have time to play the part of being an audience.

Lake Eola Sunset

Posted on by Thor

I just moved to the North shore of Lake Eola in Eola Heights, Orlando Florida. Each day I take a walk to the lake and often do a sketch. I started with watercolor sketches but now I am doing oil paintings which take about 3 sessions to complete.

This watercolor sketch was done before all the swans were removed from Lake Eola. I managed to sketch one swan swimming across my field of view. The sun  was setting quickly so I tried to capture the light before everything went dark. The fountain lights turned on and the streams billowed up a blood red. It is an effect I am sure I will capture better using oil paint.

There was a crowd of people gathered on the deck that juts out over the water. They were taking pictures and talking. I wonder if they are there every night or if this was a tourist group. Being able to walk to the north shore of Lake Eola any day, morning or night is a thrill and my plan right now is to do 49 paintings all around the circumference of the lake. I have done 5 of those oil paintings so far.

There will also be plenty of small sketches like there. I want to break away from watercolor and start using gouache which can be applied opaque with layers of color overlapping. With the lake as a backdrop subject every day I hope to start experimenting more and taking chances.

Making mistakes and making some honestly ugly paintings is all part of the process.

Fringe: Flashlight Cabaret

Posted on by Thor

The Orlando Fringe from Orlando Florida presented Flashlight Cabaret at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This was a variety show where Fringe artists presented unique songs and skits never seen before. Each act was lit only by the flashlights held by every member of the audience. This was a challenge to draw but a fun night to say the least.

Waiting to enter the show it seemed like the performers gathered and came up with their bits moments before the doors opened. It was fun and exuberant chaos. Since I was sketching, my flashlight helped illuminate the sketch while I worked. I am usually concerned that my lighting up the sketch might be distracting for other audience members around me but in this case, everyone had a flashlight, so all bets were off. With so many performers doing so many different bits, it was hard to decide what to sketch. No single moment would suffice.

There were some songs performed which was expected, but there was also burlesque, some truly Shakespearean monologues and at one point as I sketched, I was blinded when toilet paper which was blown in my face with a leaf blower.

Being in a dark room where every person in the audience projects their light center stage is truly a magical experience.

Fringe: Against Her Wishes

Posted on by Thor

So What? Who Cares? Productions from Orlando Florida presented Against Her Wishes at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Emily Fontano the writer, director and star of the one woman show welcomed the audience to her mother Janet’s funeral. Janet had specifically stipulated in her will that there should not be a funeral but instead a dinner with friends. Family had other plans and now the packed audience were welcome to the funeral.

A slideshow of Janet’s life was projected on a screen but I was one of the last to enter and I could not see the screen from my angle. The whole show was a eulogy.  Emily spoke fondly of her mother but did not present her as a perfect angel. She outlines the highlights of her mother’s life with affection and honestly not every moment was perfect. Because of her flaws and exuberance for life, I fell in love with the woman we were all there to celebrate. The funeral wasn’t a sober affair. There was dancing and music, some of the songs had been picked by the deceased. Emily presented us all with humor and sadness.

I really liked the premise for the show. At a funeral you often learn more about a person than you ever do with a casual meeting. Art is often created to celebrate lives lost. This show was filled with laughter and joy as well as a feeling of loss. After hearing Emily talk about her mom in detail, I felt I began to know them both a little better.

I absolutely loved the show. It made me reflect on all I could say about those that I miss deeply.

Against Her Wishes won Patron Pick in the Brown Venue and had an extended run. The show won an award for Solo Show — Comedy.

Fringe: The One Who Calls

Posted on by Thor

Midnight Stories from Orlando Florida presented The One Who Calls at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. On a public access broadcast called Sightings, Shawn (Bre Wells), a ufologist fielded calls late into the night from believers. She was jaded having heard everything before but firmly believed that UFOs do exist. For her the evidence was overwhelming.

She was used to getting calls from quacks who claimed to see something, but it was easily explained away. Many members of the audience were actually callers. When they called into the show, they would stand up. This was a fun way to make the audience feel like they were also part of the rural community of callers.

One frantic call stood out from the others and that sighting lead to a series of sightings that grew closer to the broadcasting site. A hysteria set in. It of course reminded me of the hysteria that resulted when Orson Wells broadcast The War of the Worlds on the eve of Halloween just before WWII in 1938.

One very creepy call had static and heavy breathing. Could this be ET himself? Shawns research into UFOs was highly researched but the scientific community ignored her findings. This evening might finally offer validation. Lights flickered and for a moment the hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

After a rural hick confessed that he made the sighting up, a female caller who had never called in before offered reassurances. She then drove to the station to speak with Shawn in person. Believing in UFOs has a lot to do with wanting to believe we are not alone in the universe. The female visitor strongly believed in Shawn’s talent and findings. In the end what we all need is human connection and a feeling of being part of a community. Weather that community is interstellar or a tiny rural town, we all want to feel connected.

Travel Light & Sketch Often

Posted on by Thor

Travel Light and Sketch Often was a gouache painting demo by Michael Held. The Albin Polasek Museum holds an annual Winter Park Paint Out, and Michael was one of the rock star artists who helped raise money for the museum. Each year over twenty professionally acclaimed plein air artists paint at the Polasek Museum and at other locations throughout Winter Park and Orlando. Art lovers are invited to watch the artists at work and attend free painting demonstrations like the workshop I attended. The Paint Out happens in April before the worst of the Florida heat kicks in.

Artwork created during the Winter Park Paint Out is on display as soon as they are completed and dropped off at the museum’s wet room. These paintings are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds going to support the Museum.

The description for Michael Held’s workshop lured me in, since it sounded very much like the light kit I carry when I travel. Michael uses gouache which is a medium I want to start working into my kit. I put down very light washes of watercolor on my sketches but at times, it would be nice to go back in and paint opaque paint on top to bring out highlights.

Michael is different than other painters at the Paint Out. Rather than depicting local landscapes, in all their detail, she prefers to paint close ups of birds in a loose and very vibrant style. She doesn’t try to catch wide vistas; she prefers close ups on avian subjects.The camera is not her enemy. She described some of the other artists at the paint out as illustrators and she considers herself more of a visual poet.

She showed her travel kit and I really liked the compact container she had to hold her gouache colors. She said that they never dry out when sealed. She also used a spritz bottle often to moisten the colors. I had a tiny spritz bottle but it didn’t seem to make it to the studio in the last move.

Michael painted one of Albin Polasek’s statues with all of the foliage behind it. It was a challenging subject made more challenging since she needed to keep talking about what she was thinking at each step of the process. I know that talking while at work cuts me off from the more spontaneous and creative side of my brain. Michael described that stages of a painting to great comic effect. Every painting had its ugly phase and every time the artist had to push past that phase.

I learned a whole lot from watching Michael paint, I also loved her story of going through a very difficult time in her life and then pushing ahead to quickly become a renowned painter. She travels often with her small gouache painting set up and she has inspired me to start painting in the medium myself.

Fringe: The Breakfast Reunion

Posted on by Thor

Grinning Cat Theater Company from Orlando Florida presented The Breakfast Reunion at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The show revisits the cast of The Breakfast Club movie only now it is 25 years later and they meet the night before their High School reunion. One of the kids hit it big in the tech boom becoming a tech billionaire while others found local hometown jobs including becoming a teacher in the school where they were once held in detention.

Each character in turn unveiled their middle-aged angst. A marriage was on the rocks and jobs were not exactly gratifying. I kept trying to figure out who was Molly Ringwald all grown up. In general, I never married the older characters to who they were in high school. The show did keep me engaged. Like the movie, the characters were locked in the library for the duration. It is possible that the lock failing might have been intentional to force the former high school deviants to spend the time needed to rehash old times and show their new lives of normalcy.

Vulnerabilities from high school remained with each adult. The same fears and concerns just resurfaced in each new decade. Were friendships forged leading into the future? It seemed rather that these former students who exposed their weaknesses in detention 25 years prior were just ships passing in the night. When the doors locks were opened they each rushed out to the routines they had forged as adults.

I watched this show on my birthday which was a special treat. 1980s nostalgia drew me in. The years are passing for me so I felt it would be good to see how the high school princess, bad boy and weirdo had grown.

Fringe: Haunting Co. A Live Ghost Investigation

Posted on by Thor

the Crisis Collection from Orlando Florida presented Haunting Co. A Live Ghost Investigation. Ed and Liz (Andrew Sandoval and Lex Bentley) from a small local paranormal company introduced themselves with video promotional materials. They had built a name for themselves on a popular YouTube channel. The footage was shot around Lock Haven Park where the Fringe is located. At one

point they tentatively approached an electrical box which I recognized since it has appeared in some of my sketches. There was trepidation that the box might be haunted, it most certainly was a shock hazard.

In theaters there is a tradition of placing a single light center stage at night to ward off ghosts. The intrepid Haunting Co. investigators used some high-tech gear to contact any spirits in the room. The young investigators awakened two very pointy ghosts who were once performers on the stage.

Perhaps because I was so focused on sketching in the dark, I wasn’t too frightened by the apparitions. When the lights dimmed or when out, I was simply anxious that I was loosing precious sketching time. Sketching what I could in the dark, the audience appeared ghostly as a frantic wash of color. Detail could only be deciphered in small isolated spots.

I am a big fan of late-night ghost investigation TV shows. My hope is to catch a glimpse of some subtle figure as it appears briefly or causes some object to move. Subtlety and mystery is what I felt the ghosts in this investigation were missing. The makeup and costumes were spectacular, but the ghosts were very much flesh and blood and bound by gravity.

With so much horror appearing in the news cycle every day in America, I felt hard pressed to get worked up about several lost souls.