Ting Pagoda

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In 1987 Mayor Bill Frederick added the pagoda style gazebo from Shanghai to Lake Eola park. The gazebo is 18 feet acres and 30 feet high, built by Nelson Ying who ran the China pavilion at Epcot. Ying also organized a trip for the mayor to China. Although the structure resembles a pagoda, it isn’t an official pagoda because it doesn’t have a second story. The total cost to add this structure to the park was $100,000. The pagoda hides a pollution control device in the lake.

The pagoda was fenced off when I sketched it because it was being pressure washed and wood was being repaired.  The pagoda was then repainted and new LED lights were installed for night time viewing. All of the storm water in downtown Orlando drains into Lake Eola where it is treated and pollution filtered.

A group of joggers gathered on the benches around me. It should be noted that the benches were designed to be too small for transients to sleep in them. One joggers chronometer showed that he was running 5 minute miles but he had only been jogging at a relaxed pace. The application must have just wanted him to feel good about his performance.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Weekend Top 6 Picks

Saturday October 5th, 2013

10am to 5pm  Orlando Mini Maker Faire. $19 for adults and $13 for youth (ages 3 – 11). Orlando Science Center (777 E. Princeton St. Orlando, FL). Orlando Mini Maker Faire Celebrates Innovation, Invention and DIY Spirit in Central Florida! www.OrlandoMakerFaire.com


11am to 7pm Festival of Bacon. $25 Orlando Festival Park (2911 East Robinson Street Orlando, FL). This festival is where event goers enjoy bacon inspired treats from Central Florida’s top restaurants, live music from local acts, bacon beverages, and other family and pet friendly entertainment. We will boast 30+ top restaurants creating bacon-inspired samples, and competing to win the coveted “Best of Bacon” award. We anticipate on distributing over 5,000 pounds of bacon to a crowd of more than 2,000 bacon lovers who will travel far and wide to sink their teeth into dozens of delectable samples. (407) 246-2287 


8pm to Midnight The Walking Dead Art Event! $10 cover. Acme Superstore (905 E. SR 434 #100, Longwood, Fl). the grownups can play from 8pm-12am with our Acme After Hours18+ Event!!! Free beer (21+ w/ID)! DJ Maus! Live Body Art! Zombie Cosplay Burlesque by Grotesque Burlesque! Cosplay Belly dancing! Costume Contest! Watch The Walking Dead episodes, Zombie Strippers and more!

 

Sunday October 6th, 2013

7pm to 10pm  Art Under the Stars, The 37th Maitland Rotary Art Festival.Free. Beautiful Lake Lily Park in Maitland, Fl. Florida’s first and only night-time fine art festival. Subtle live entertainment adds to an ambiance that is conducive to doing the business of selling art and creates a date-night atmosphere.  The 2013 show will be the best ever with the return of our TV partners and a Saturday night performance by the full symphonic orchestra!

9pm to 11pm Comedy Open Mic. Free. Austin’s Coffee: (929 W Fairbanks Ave Winter Park, FL). Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

12pm to 3pm  Alborea Dances Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month . Free. Casa Feliz (656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL). Alborea Dances is a multicultural Entertainment Dance Company, created and directed by Jenny and Ernesto Caballero, who have been dedicated to the world of dance for more than 20 years. They have combined their experiences as dance educators, performers, choreographers and event coordinators, to present dances from Spain, Bolivia and Middle Eastern countries.

NV Bar and Lounge

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On Third Thursday, September 19th, I went to NV  to see the art opening for G. Lemus. Tr3 Mark Harris curates the shows at NV along with Brad Michael Biggs. The bar is gritty with a fantastic exposed wooden slat wall. G. Lemus came from Honduras and making art helped him adapt to a new culture where he didn’t know the language. In the military his comic sketches of the Drill Sargent were confiscated but he became the official platoon artist. He founded the B-side artists in Orlando with Swamburger. This group of artist were the first to bring art to the clubs and bars in Orlando.

G. Lemus was inspired by the expressive work of Jean-Michel Basquait.  The work in this show featured thick rich paint. Many of the pieces were primarily black and white featuring images of aircraft and flight. In one painting titled “On the Trail of Greatness”, Luke Skywalker seemed to be flying a modern day jet instead of an X wing fighter. Another painting of a nautilus shaped craft was titled “Victory over Love is Flight”. The artist wore goggles as he moved around the opening talking to patrons. He was offered a mural assignment in which he would supervise middle school and high school kids to do the painting.

The artist hired beautiful women to pose as flight  attendants. The whole idea of the show was based around flight. Take you dreams and let them sore. The artist was the pilot and the girls were the flight attendants passing out a menu (his art) with peanuts attached to it. The DJ brought her own equipment and set up at her station at the top of the staircase.

Tr3 and I were discussing a showing of my sketches at NV. Rumors circulated that evening about the possible show and it was quickly established through a quick series of texts, that the planned dates of the NV show were too close to the dates of a solo show still in the early planning stages at The Gallery at Avalon Island. Other than showing my work in a U-Haul (Mobile Art Show), this was my first experience in planning to show my work downtown.  There seem to be unwritten codes of conduct that I overlooked. I’m hoping to have my work on some walls when my book on Urban Sketching comes out in early 2014.

Mark your Calendar, The G. Lemus show at NV (27 E Pine St  Orlando, FL) can be seen anytime before  Sunday October 13th at 2am. Grab a drink and see some art.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Weekend Top 6 Picks

Saturday September 28th

11am to 7pm Harmony Music and Arts Festival. Free. Harmony Town Square. A wide variety of local professional artists and craftsmen along with a solid line-up of musicians on hand showcasing their talents. http://harmonyfl.com/Amenities/music-arts-festival

 4pm to 11pm  BLOODY JUG BAND. Donations will be gratefully accepted. The Tin House Ranch (3300 Stone Street Oviedo Fl).
We will be playing around the Five O’clock hour at this fun Venue along
with some Favorite Last century ROCKERS that DID NOT FADE AWAY ! In the
persons of~Birnam Wood~Rick Birbeck~POW’ R TRIP~and the mighty TIN HOUSE
! Featuring Mr. Floyd Radford and special guest Cat Valentine. This is a
Y’all come event, with camping, drum circle and dancing and
refreshments so bring the family and make a day/night /sleepover
adventure of it.The gates will be open at noon to accommodate campers.

8pm to Midnight Science Night Live!  $15 and free parking in the parking garage. Admission is FREE for members! Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St  Orlando, FL) An evening reserved only for adults, enjoy everything you love about Orlando Science Center with grown-up-inspired programming. View stars and planets through the giant refractor telescope in the Crosby Observatory (weather-permitting). Experience 3D films in the Digital Adventure Theater: A National Geographic Experience. Conduct lab experiments in Dr. Dare’s Laboratory. Delight in food, beer and wine available for purchase It’s an “adult swim” of the science variety! Join us and see how grown-ups do the Orlando Science Center!

Sunday September 29th

10am to noon Super Joy Riders. Free, bring your cape. The corner of East Central Blvd and North Eola Drive Orlando FL. You + Superhero Costume + Bike = Best Sunday Ever. Participants dress as superheroes and ride en mass around the city as they check off their scavenger hunt-like list of Do Gooder Duties; collecting litter, helping senior citizens cross the road, returning shopping carts, basically performing small acts of kindness for an hour and a half of hilarity and love.

4pm to 8pm DUSTOBERFEST 2013. Free, but be sure to order some bratwurst and beer. Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 E. Winter Park Road, Orlando, Fl). Come EAT! DRINK! DANCE! DRINK! EAT! DRINK! DRINK! and listen to oompapa music until you’re sick of it! It’s a special day for all as we present our Quazi-Deutschlander shenanigans… brats, kraut, beer and lot’s of people running about in their lederhosen! It’s like Oktoberfest… but really, really lame.

5pm to 7pm Celebration of the life and Talent of Artist Berto Ortega. Albin Polasek Museum And Sculpture Gardens (633 Osceola Avenue, Winter Park, Fl). This event is a potluck gathering. Please bring an appetizer/finger food style dish, along with a beverage to share. For this event, we are urging those who are willing, to bring their Berto original art works in order to share with others at the event. This event will be a wonderful opportunity to see how many lives Berto touched.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Weekend Top 6 Picks

Saturday September 14, 2013

7am to 9am. Run. Party. ROCK! Free to watch. Lake Concord Park 95 Triplet Lake Drive Casselberry, FL. Rock n’ roll reigns supreme at the 2nd race of the Track Shack Running Series! The Autumn Rock n’ Run 5k features the high energy, live music runners and walkers love. Event proceeds benefit cultural arts organizations in Casselberry.

11am to 3pm. Galactic Encounter Day. $18 Saturday and Sunday. Orange County Regional History Center 65E. Central Blvd. Storm troopers and more! Star Wars Fangasm!

11:30am to 1:30pm. Rally In The Park To SAVE The Capen House. Winter Park’s Central Park, adjacent to the rose garden. They’ll be activities for the kids, speakers, music!



Sunday September 15, 2013

10am to Noon. SeaWorld protest!! We will gather in the grassy median at the entrance to SeaWorld SeaWorld Orlando 7007 SeaWorld Dr., Orlando, Fl. In the wild, Orcas live in large , intricate social groups and swim up to 100 miles a day in the open ocean. Orcas at SeaWorld are confined to enclosures that to them are like bathtubs, and these animals are unable to engage in most natural behaviors. Join ARFF in speaking out at this peaceful protest All signs and leaflets will be provided. Arffcentralfl@arff.org

4pm Southern Fried End of Summer Shake up. $10-$12 Mills 50 Venues, Wills Pub, Lil Indies, Peacock Room. Southern BBQ and live music.

9pm to 11pm Solo Acoustic Spoken Word. Free. Natura Coffee and Tea 12078 Collegiate Way Orlando FL. 407 482-5000

Sara Knee-ds You!

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On August 13th I went to Redlight Red Light (2810 Corrine Drive, Orlando, FL) to attend a fundraiser for barkeep Sara who had an unfortunate accident. While working out at the gym, she tore the lateral meniscus in her right knee almost in half. The injury left her unable to work, walk, or bike (which is her only form of transportation). The surgery and physical therapy required to get her back on her feet is going to cost between 7,000 and 10,000 dollars. While she has the love and support of friends in the time being, surgery is imminent and will need to take place in the near future to avoid permanent damage. Being that the price tag is a wee-bit heavy, Redlight Red Light hosted a benefit in her honor to help her raise the funds she needs to recover to get back to slingin’ beers and stealthy biking.

Some special kegs were tapped and all of the proceeds were donated to her surgery. Since I’m a fan of drinking for a cause, I ordered one of Sara’s beers to sip as I sketched. Erica Abalos-Hernandez, formerly of Bee’s Knees had some huge chocolate chip cookies for sale. She explained that there was a dash of sea salt on them which compliments the sweetness. I had to try one. It was so good, especially washed down with the beer. Later she walked the room with someones child on her hip. Sarah took her place behind the chocolate chip station with her crutches leaning up against a table next to her. I spoke with her briefly about biking in Orlando. She lives downtown and used to bike everywhere. She knows all the back roads routes to Redlight Red Light. She described her knee injure in some grizzly detail and I was glad I could help out in my way. The room grew crowded as I sketched. It was heart warming to see so many people coming together to help someone in the community.

When I ordered a second beer, my sketch started looking pretty good. Donated beer bottles filled a pew and several tables. There were silent auction items such as gift baskets, a meal for two at The Table (a value of $240) and $100 meal at Eola Wine Company. Donated items also came from Black Bean Deli, Will’s Pub, Dear Prudence, Oblivion Taproom, Wild Ocean Seafood, the Enzian, the Gnarly Barley, College Park Yoga, Stacole Fine Wines, Imperial, Sushi Lola’s, Lineage Coffee Roasting, and others. Artwork was also being auctioned off.

The Sara Knee-ds You! Fundraiser was a huge success. With everyone’s
generosity,  $6,500 was raised towards barkeep Sara’s
knee surgery and physical therapy. Sara said, “To
everyone who attended on Tuesday, donated, raffled, drank some beer,
brought me coffee, drove me around, made me food, offered me a piggy
back ride, or sent some thoughtful words my way, my sincerest gratitude.
Because
of the overwhelming amount of support I’ve received from friends,
patrons, and small businesses in our community, I will be able to fund
my surgery. I wish I had more than words to express how
thankful I am. Witnessing the generosity in people has been a wonderful,
humbling, life changing experience. There is no feeling more amazing
than realizing you are not alone. Thank you.”

New Moon Circle

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On August 5th, I went to Dandelion Communitea Cafe (618 N Thornton Ave, Orlando FL) to sketch the New Moon Circle. Each and every New and Full moon, people gather to celebrate the cycle of time. The Moon Circles are non-religious, and open for people of any walk,
faith, race or creed to come and enjoy. This a sacred space where you
can express your true self with music, rhythm, dance and trance. These rhythm circles are geared for musicians that play softer drums
like frame, tabla, jugs, bells or any other type of light percussion
instruments. Guitar, sitar, didgeridoo, signing bowls, flute, harmonica,
signing and laughter also have a home under the Bodhi Tree which is in the garden beside Dandelion Communitea Cafe. The circles are a way to celebrate harmony in the community.

Borrowing from Native American, East Indian, Middle East and Celtic
traditions the music experienced here excites, sooths and nourishes
and your mind, body and soul. The Drum circle is organized by the Florida School of Holistic Living. The school, seeks to connect our community with the planetary cycles that affect all of us, even in urban environments, such as seasonal cycles, planting cycles, and lunar cycles. They believe that by living in greater harmony with the natural cycles that guide us, we develop a greater relationship to the planet and thus it becomes easier to walk our path lightly upon her.

On this evening several dozen people gathered in a circle which was lit with an LED light strip. In the center of the circle was a  metal bucket full of candles. A young woman lit the candles as it grew dark. Storm clouds gathered darkening the sky early. I used my weather radar app on my iPhone and it looked like a small storm cell was heading our way. I sketched as fast as I could. It began to rain with sporadic large drops at first and then a waterfall. I put up my umbrella and kept working. A tent was erected and the remaining musicians huddled under it. Despite the thunder and lightning several women danced in the rain lifting their arms to the sky as they spun. The candles had long since been snuffed out by the rain, but when the rain stopped, they were dried off and re-lit. The drumming and dancing continued as I left with my soggy sketchbook.

Mark Your Calendar! On Saturday September 21st, 
the Largest Drum Circle in the World  will happen as people around the world drum on Peace One Day 2013. Drumming in Orlando will begin at 10:30am. The exact location has yet to be determined.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Weekend Top 6 Picks

Saturday September 7, 2013

7pm Silent Auction, 8pm Show PLAY-IN-A-DAY 2013 (Season Kick-Off). $15 Lake Howell High School Theatre (4200 Dike Road, Orlando FL). Beth Marshall Presents is thrilled to once again be in partnership with Lake Howell High School and Penguin Point Productions for our second year to be kicking off our 2013-14  season with a long-time theatrical community event: PLAY-IN-A-DAY! A group of 100 artists coming together to write, direct, act and fully produce 9 different short plays all with the same theme (given 24 hours in advance) to present an evening of fun theatrical enjoyment for the community.

11am to 6pm Big Bang Bazaar.  $5 Maitland Civic Center (641 S. Maitalnd Ave. Maitland FL). Local Arts and Crafts.

8pm Orlando Drum Circle. Free.  Orlando Brewing (1301 Atlanta Avenue Orlando FL).

Sunday September 8, 2013

Noon to 4pm Raul Colon Show. Orlando Museum of Art (2416 North Mills Ave Orlando FL). Children’s book Illustrator. On view through November 3rd.

1pm to 3pm Film Slam. $5 Enzian Theater (1300 South Orlando Avenue  Maitland, FL). Films by local film makers.

10pm to Midnight  Sick Of It Presents: Rancid Karaoke Cover Set. Will’s Pub (1042 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, Fl). You come up out of the crowd and sing your favorite Rancid songs with a live band…YOU’RE the singer!

FAVO

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On the first Friday of each month, artists gather at a former motel to display and sell their work. Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO) is at 221 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, Florida).

    FAVO is a free Event open to the public. There were 21 studios of amazing artists. The FAVO Market outside had even more artists and vendors. This is a Family Friendly Event with Activities for Children,  plus Food Trucks and  live music.

  

Will Benton organizes the event and I visited his corner studio. He had a large abstract on the wall that he had done. He suggested I show my sketchbooks in the market and I’m considering the idea.

  

Julio Sanchez Julsan had bright folk art on display. A brightly painted chair was both charming and disturbing. It resembled an electric chair. Rodney McPherson told me he was working on a mural on the ceiling of Twist Hair Studio. It makes sense to have something to look at as you lie back to get your hair washed in those custom sinks. Todd Fox had intricately decorated cigar boxes that resembled primative alters with shells and other found objects. Brian Barnett from Deltona was showing quirky abstract line art that reminded me of paintings by Miro. Richard Perez Messina (Jano) showed me his splashy abstracts. Hidden within were images of faces and a dragon. He paints with his hands, smearing the paint with abandon. I defiantly liked his bold approach.

None of the air conditioners seemed to be working very well. As it is now, artist set up for the evening and then break everything down the same night. Only one or two artists actually work in the motel rooms. The buildings are undergoing renovations to bring them up to city codes.  The dream is that this will one day become a thriving artist’s community. As I sketched, I noticed a large diptych of a heart was sold as well as some potted plants. There was a guitar player playing a rhythmic beat over and over. Someone began talking to him and the rhythm continued. I kind of envied the woman getting a massage. I was tense and sweating.

Mark your Calendar! The next FAVO Art Exhibition and market is Friday September 6th from 5pm to 9pm.

Drip Fairy Body Paint Jam

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0n August 1st, I went to Drip (8747 International Dr. Suite 102, Orlando, Fl, right behind Senor Frogs and Denny’s) to sketch the Body Painting Party after the Drip show.  Painters and models began around 7pm. They gathered in the back stage dressing room and storage area. With eight body painters and just as many models, it was going to get tight. The body painters were, Mandi Ilene,
Lori Babson Jessup,
Tanisha Morgan,
Tracy Purple, and
Cody Saults. All the body painters hat gathered to celebrate Mandi’s birthday.

Jessica Mariko, the founder of Drip welcomed me when I arrived and she went into the dressing room to be sure that models and the artists were all OK with my sketching them.  The painters had a three hour window to get a jump on their body paint creations before guests would get to see their work immediately after the Drip dance show. I focused my attention on the model directly in front of me who was already painted white from head to toe and covered in glitter. She became a stark silhouette in front of the light on the wall. An intricate pattern spiraled around her gluts.

Other models got undressed and periodically, everyone would shout “Nipples!”, followed by laughter. Pasties and thongs would be seamlessly painted to hide any anatomy that was required by social code. An urban graffiti painting shouted “Unity!” I was seated in the only chair in the, closet-room. Often my view was obstructed by models bare backs. It seems ironic that I spent much of my time trying to look past the nudity to see the figures I had started to draw.

The sketch was pretty much done when I saw Terry enter the dressing area. I stood to go meet her. She should have lead me out by the ear, but she seemed delighted to be backstage among the chaos. We got a drink at the bar and soon the Drip dancers were pouring free beer into the open mouths of guests. The live rock band began to play and the hip urban dance began. The dancers spilled drinks on each other and their relationships became clear as they moved among the crowd and teased one another.

The show follows a story line of love and betrayal. The main characters are blue and yellow as hinted at by their Drip rags covering their hair, and the paint they get covered in. When the couple embraced, their colors mixed to become green. I was wearing my Drip T-shirt which was already stained from past shows. In previous shows, paint filled water balloons had been handed to guests. Now the cast took charge, exploding the balloons by hand all over the audience. There might have been incidents in past shows where balloons had hit people in the face. The new approach guarantees everyone gets wet and messy without the dodge ball angst. Even so, a burst of paint in my face managed to loosen a lens in my glasses and it popped out as I sipped a drink later. DRIP is an in-your-face explosion of color and movement backed by a live
rock band, all in an industrial dive bar. You may get wet … you may get
messy … you WILL have an awesome time.

Mark Your Calendar! Shows are every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9pm. What are you waiting for? This is the most fun you can have with a date, loved one, or friends in Orlando.
Tickets for the show available at www.ilovedrip.com.