Di-Verse Word

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0n June 30th I stopped by Dandelion Communitea Cafe (618 North Thornton Avenue Orlando FL) for the Di-Verse Word Poetry competition hosted by Shawn Welcome.  The eclectic spoken word poetry event exposes everyone to all types of styles in writing and performing to this
city. It offers inspiration for not only poets but for those who just
enjoy the art. Poets quickly filled the outdoor patio area as the sun set. The event became more crowded than I expected with people bringing lawn chairs so they could sit in the driveway.

Terry wanted to go to a concert at a cowboy bar so I didn’t have much time to sketch. Several girls with extremely high heels sat on a bench just before the poetry competition began. I later saw them in the cowboy bar. Poet Sasha Nichols Rivera said hello. Her mom and brother were there as well. A young poet was extremely anxious about getting up to perform his poem. There was a cash prize on the line and this was a cut throat competition. Sasha took him for a walk around the block to calm his nerves. I was asked to judge, but I had to refuse since I knew I would have to leave early. Besides, now I knew a poet competing and thus would be biased.

Melissa Kasper and her friends sat beside me. Melissa is a writer, artist and poet but she doesn’t want the stress of performing as a poet in competition. She said she has enough stress in her life with her two jobs. Her ex-boyfriend kept encouraging her to compete, but she would rather enjoy the poetry which remains personal. By the time the first poet got up, I had to leave to meet Terry at the concert where I got to watch several people collapse on the dance floor because they were so drunk.

Mark your Calendar, Di-Verse word is held every Tuesday starting at 8pm outside Dandelion Communitea Cafe.

Differing Views

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On June 22nd, I went to the opening reception for “Differing Views” at the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida (946 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803). This was a  group art show featuring:
Parker Sketch, Jon Glassman Gardner,
Patty Sheehan  and
Karen Cate.

When I arrived, a little early, John Glassman Gardner was still hanging pieces. He had these wonderful one inch square  pieces of glass with vibrant patterns that looked like aerial views of river valley topography. He told me that the pattern had been discovered by accident when 2 pieces of glass had been pushed together with a small drop of paint between them. Like a microscope slide, the paint spread. When pealed apart, this organic pattern would appear. John then glues magnets on the back. He was placing dozens of them on a metal support column. He gave me one of these pieces and it is proudly displayed in my home. It isn’t signed unfortunately so someday I hope to catch him to sign it.

Commissioner Patty Sheehan had a show the previous week at the Peacock Room. She had sold 75% of all the pieces there. She therefor had to do more than a dozen paintings in a weeks time to have something for this show. All her paintings were of black cats with wide eyes and a Cheshire grin. She called them “Bad Kittys” and they sell like hot cakes. She gave me a button with one of these kitty’s on it and a pink equal sign. Of course this was “Equality Kitty”.

Parker’s Sketch’s work is ubiquitous to the Orlando art scene. His pieces use pop commercial imagery portrayed with bold brush work and a liberal display of spattering. The boldest piece was of a faded American flag. He was voted the Best Arts Advocate in this years Orlando Weekly. Karen Cate only had a few pieces in the show.  I had never seen her work before.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Weekend Top 6 Picks

Saturday August 24, 2013

8am-10pm Secret Lake RunYak Free to watch $30 to Compete.  200 N. Triplet Lake Drive Casselberry 2.3K run and a 3K paddle. $50 gift card to male and female winners. runyak.com

8pm-10pm 9th Annual Red Chair Affair. $22. VIP $225 individual. Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre 401 West Livingston Street, Orlando, Florida. A kick off of Central Florida’s arts and cultural season. Don’t miss an exceptional evening with dynamic performing groups and local visual artists. Performances by: Brass Band of Central Florida, Central Florida Community Arts, Enzian Theater, Florida Opera Theatre, Garden Theatre, ME Dance, Inc., NuLook School of Performing Arts, Orlando Aerial Arts, Orlando Ballet, Orlando Gay Chorus, Orlando Philharmonic, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF.

9pm -11pm I Believe In You: Performance, Art, and Dance Party. $2. A one night only performance driven event with a committed group of experimental artists who love what they do and love you too. Featuring performances by: Jessica Earley, Jack Fields, Ashley Inguanta, Melanie Lister, Stephanie Lister, Hannah Miller, Jorgen Nicholas Trygved. Visual art by Winter Calkins.

Sunday August 25, 2013

7am – 9pm Mudd Volleyball Challenge. Fundraiser for March of Dimes. Free to watch, $550 per team to compete. Lee Vista Center 7600 TG Lee Blvd. Orlando FL. marchofdimes.com/florida

10am – 11am. Super Joy Riders. Free. Eastern entrance of the Lake Eola Farmers’ Market. Participants dress as superheroes and ride en masse 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.

9pm – 11pm Dead Parrot Comedy Show. Free. Peacock Room 1321 N Mills Avenue Orlando Fl. thepeacockroom.com

Key of E Load In

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 On August 20th, I went to The Venue to see the Key of E load in for their one week run. I got there about the same time as Helen, the tech for the show. As I sketched the empty stage, Andy Matchett pulled up to the theater with a truck full of set pieces, wood, monster parts and fabric. The garage door was opened on house right and several guys in the truck helped unload. One of them was wearing a boy scout uniform and I wondered if he would earn an apocalyptic merit badge. Soon the stage was cluttered.

Since there needed to be room for the band, a platform was constructed house right that essentially extended the stage. The first order of business was to hang huge black curtains on both sides of the stage to create very small wings where actors could not be seen when off stage. The tiny wall at the back of the stage was at a quirky angle because it sloped along with a wheel chair ramp that had to be installed to comply with city codes.

A large back lit screen had to be put on top off the wall, so a plank and two by fours were needed to level off the TV platform. Chaz Krivan and Evan Miga tackled the task. Chaz actually had an iPhone app that acted as a level. All the actors gradually trickled in and Brittany Wine, the stage manager, got them busy running lines and going over dance moves. Her task was to keep everyone on task so they could do a run through of the show at 8:30pm. Corey Volence was worried that some scenes would need to be re-blocked since there was no actual backstage where actors could go when not on the stage. There are close to a dozen actors if you count the band and special effects crew. Andy decided to run one exit scene where all the actors needed to get off stage. There was a major bottle neck as actors tried to get down the wheel chair ramp. They realized that at times some actors would literally need to exit the theater. It will all work out in the end. Christie Miga asked Andy how he would rate his anxiety level. He said it had leveled off at a solid 7.

Brittany Wine was pleased that she finally appeared in one of my sketches. She asked why I put her in a garbage can. The garbage can must be a stage prop and it was just chance that she stood behind it. As I finished my sketch, the cast was ready to do a run through of the show. As I left, I heard Andy begin to sing “I Just Can’t Wait for the Game to End!” The Key of E Kickstarter fundraising drive was a success so the full cast soundtrack is available!

Get your tickets for the return of the show at The Venue (511 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL). Mark Your Calendar! You don’t want to miss the end of the world. Show times are…

Friday: 8/23 8 PM

Saturday: 8/24 8 PM

Monday: 8/26 8 PM

Thursday: 8/29 8 PM

Friday: 8/30 8 PM

Tickets are $10 pre-sale, and $15 at the door.

Hope

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In June, Brendan O’Connor, sent me a Facebook message, “Thomas I’ll be headed out to the Hope Community Center in Apopka (1016 N Park Ave Apopka, FL) on Thursday around 11:30 to work on the mosaic-mural for the afternoon. You’re more than welcome to join!”

Brendan is a project manager for Art Reach Orlando whose mission is to support art projects that foster creativity and hope, develop
self-esteem, and offer children a platform to reflect, re-vision, and
rejoice. By fostering creativity they are encouraging and empowering
children to imagine the positive changes they wish to see in
their own lives, their communities, and the world.

The Hope Community Center is a service and learning community dedicated to the
empowerment of the Central Florida’s immigrant and working poor
communities through Education, Advocacy and Spiritual Growth. Janis Neunez is the artist who designed the mosaic mural that will surround the back entryway to the center. The
story of the area’s migrant workers will be told through through the
placement of tiles and objects donated by migrant worker families and through interactive computer chips
placed in the mosaic. By activating the chips with your smart phone, you can see
images and hear the stories of the men, women, and children who made the
Tree of Life mosaic at the center and make up the real life mosaic of
our Central Florida community.

Brendan had to work from the top of the ladder using acid to clean an area. I was nervous that someone might open the door fast and send him tumbling. A dear friend Melissa Kasper recently fell off a ladder breaking her nose, so the possibility was fresh on my mind.  I’m glad to report that no artists were hurt during the creation of this sketch.

Adult Workshop, Patterns in Life

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On Wednesday July 24 from 6-7:30 p.m. I went to the Mennello Museum of American Art (900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, Florida)  for an adult workshop called Patterns in Life. After last summer’s success, the museum brought back a series of one-time classes for adults (and mature high school students). The classes are taught by UCF art students and include coffee in the morning sessions and a glass of wine in the evenings.

Patterns in Life explored intriguing designs created by the Florida Seminoles. Their native patterns are often inspired by plant motifs and other aspects of the natural world. Attendees tried their hands at designing symbols of their world. The four UCF Student Instructors were Mary Joy Torrecampo, Charles Morrison, Kristine “Kiki” Esdaille and Lujan Perez. I was impressed that Charles was doing the same thing I was doing, by documenting the workshop with a sketch. Lujan, seated at the head of the table was working on an orange painting that evolved into a portrait. It was encouraging to see students doing impressive figurative work. I told them about the World Wide SketchCrawl and Charles seemed intrigued.

The Cunningham paintings on the walls seemed to glow on the dark purple walls creating a vibrant pattern. Spanish moss draped off the branches of the huge Live Oak behind the museum. I never got a closeup look at any of the five attendees paintings. But everyone certainly had a fun time.

Any Road Will Take You There

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Terry and I went to the Kerouac House (1418 Clouser Street Orlando FL) on Saturday, July 20th at 8PM to hear David Berner read from his book “Any Road Will Take You There: A Journey of Fathers and Sons“. David, a past resident author at the Kerouac House, now resides in Chicago. He felt his life was at an impasse and decided to take a road trip with his sons to loosely follow Jack Kerouac‘s journey’s cross country. Rather than travel in a vintage automobile, he decided to travel in an RV. One of his sons said, “Its not cool dad, it is a tin can.” Regardless his son was up for the adventure.

David found a family photo which hinted at strained relations due to infidelity. He realized he had never been told about the hurt feelings and anger as he grew up. He wanted to know his own sons better. The mid-life “On the Road” trip would be a way to connect. While writing in the Kerouac House, David felt Jack’s presence in the back room and he decided that is where he would have to write.  David knew quite a bit about self publishing saying most authors never sell more than one thousand books.

After the reading David signed books at the dining room table. Brooks Teevan, the present resident artist, told us all about a news cast about a plane crash of Asiana Flight 214. The names of the pilots had been researched and a call to an intern at the MTSB confirmed the names. The captain was Sum Ting Wong, and the other pilots were Wi To Lo, Ho Lee Fuk, and Bang Ding Ow. The newscaster never skipped a beat as she read the names off the teleprompter. Someone must have been playing a prank which somehow slipped through the rigorous checks needed before the story aired. As horrible as the news of the crash was, it was impossible not to laugh. Long after the conversation had moved on to a more literary topic, Terry kept laughing uncontrollably. Just when she could catch her breath, she would start again and everyone would join in.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Weekend Top 6 Picks

Saturday August 10, 2013

9am to 2pm Junk in the Trunk Rummage Sale! Alden Road in Ivanhoe Village near The Venue. Ivanhoe Village Main Street will team up with Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival to present the Junk in the Trunk Rummage Sale! In addition to finding some bargains, you’ll be able to sip free mimosas and enjoy the cuisine of Local Yolk’l food truck. Proceeds will benefit IVMS and Orlando Fringe.

10am to 5PM $7-10 Eco Friendly Pepper Expo. Saturday and Sunday.  International Palms Resort and Conference Center 6515 International Drive. Learn how to survive the apocalypse. omproinc.com

6:30pm to 10pm $150 Taste of the Nation. Orlando World Center Marriott 8701 World Center Dr. Orlando, Florida. Taste food and wine from all the best local restaurants all in one evening.

Sunday August 11, 2013

1pm to 3pm $5 Film Slam. The Enzian Theater, 1300 S Orlando Ave  Maitland, FL. See films from local film makers.

4:30pm to 6:30pm $13 Roller Derby Season Closer  Semoran Skateway 2670 Cassel Creek Boulevard, Casselberry, Florida. Come watch the Arkham Assailants and the Sunnyland Slammers battle it out one last time this season. The winner will take on the Serial Thrillers. Doors open at 4:30 and first jam is at 5:00.

7pm to 9pm Free White House Concert t2000 South Summerlin Orlando FL. P.J. Rohr who will play jazzical music (Claude Bolling and more) with her favorite pianist, Lee Lallance. Visual art will be by Maryse Jupillat. Doors open at 7PM and the music starts at 7:30PM.

Taco Tuesdays

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Mark Tour Calendar, every Tuesday is $2 Taco Tuesday at Wall Street Cantina in Wall Street Plaza (19 N. Orange Ave., Orlando , FL). The event includes $2 tacos, tequila shots, Cantinaritas and Corona and Corona Light beers. Tacos start flying from 2pm to 2am. I decided to do a sketch early in the day to surprise Terry who works downtown and loves Tacos. I figured I’d do a sketch and then call her at work to surprise her. Well the best laid plans go astray, when the sketch was finished I called only to find out she was out getting a massage in Maitland. I decided to order a second taco and keep working on the sketch.

As 5pm rolled around the place really started filling up. A group of white collar business men muscled up to the bar and grew louder. The waitress in a green T-shirt kept checking on my progress and she stoked my soda caffeine fix.  The $2 Tacos are only available in beef, but they were good. I headed home at rush hour to get some work done on the Urban Sketcher’s guide which is almost finished.

Key of E – The Full Cast Recording of the End of the World!

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The Key of E took the 2013 International Fringe Festival
by an apocalyptic storm. Help this award-winning apocalyptic rock musical record soundtrack come to life! You know you want it. The completely new and original apocalyptic rock musical by Andy Matchett won 11 Audience Choice Awards,
the most of any show in the history of the awards, including Best
Musical and Best of Fringe. A Kickstarter has been created to help
produce the soundtrack to the show on CD and Vinyl! The goal of the kickstarter is to raise $3,000 before August 21st at 5PM. To date, $280 have been pledged. Donate to the Kickstarter to guarantee you get your copy of the music.
For and donation of $250 or more you can get a signed archival print of the Key
of E Monster as seen on this site.

Mark your Calendar, The Key of E will be returning to the stage starting August 23rd to August 31st at The Venue (511 Virginia Drive Orlando FL). Tickets to the show are just $10. Show times are at 8PM. Seriously, this show will rock your face off!