Every Monday as the sun sets, the Audubon Community Market offers fresh local produce.

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Stardust Video and Coffee ( 1842 Winter Park Road, Orlando, FL) becomes a vibrant Community Market every Monday. When the weather is good, the parking lot fills with vendor’s tents. When it rains, the market shrinks and moves inside. On this particular Monday I sketched vendors offering fresh baked goods and holistic herbs and oils.

It turned out that the vendors son was a bit of an artist, and he sketched me as I sketched the scene. The costumer, with the green head band and purple shirt was a Disney theme park employee. I also recognized he as being a very active Fringe Festival volunteer. Shopping is only half the objective in this small intimate market. Most of the time is spent socializing and catching up with friends.

As the flow of costumers slowed at the Audubon Community Market, the Disney employee sat with the vendor and her sons behind the table. A mysterious ceremony took place where they all held hands. Perhaps there was healing involved, or a spiritual look inward. I should have asked about it when my sketch was done since I could probably use some of what was offered. Lately my body has started to revolt against my horrible diet and constant work by forcing me to slow down with splitting headaches. Doctors only offer drugs but I would rather find a more holistic approach to improving my health.

Nerd Nite is like the Discovery chanel with beer!

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Nerd Nite Orlando at Stardust Video and Coffee, (1842 E. Winter Park Rd. Winter Park, FL) s an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking talks across many disciplines, all while the audience drinks along in a casual bar atmosphere. Speakers present for up to 20 minutes each on a fascinating subject of their choice, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following the presentations is a brief question and answer with the audience.

Quench your curiosity! Come meet up, drink, and learn something new!

The September 11th Nerd Nite featured “Nerd Nite Trivia!” with Ricardo Williams. Teams of up to 4 people competed against other smarty pants from across the city. Here are a few of the challenging questions. I’ll put the answers in the comment section of this post.

1. 90s Animated Series. What 90-93 animated TV series featured the voice talent of Whoopee Goldberg?

2. Wars that the United States fought.  What was the United States major cold war engagement prior to the Vietnam war?

3. People named Michael. Who is the baddest man on the planet?

4. Animals that have sex. If a Puma mates with a Leopard what animal is produced?

5.  Potent potables. What Welsh privateer of the Caribbean was also known as Sir Henry Moore?

The second presentation was, “Steampunk: Creating the Future out of the Past!” by Richard Young. I sketched Richard as he agonized over the Power Point slides. Steampunk is a combination of Victorian Aesthetics with Science Fiction Technology. Speaker He took a look at this Sub-Genre of Science Fiction. Including it’s history, it’s effects on modern culture, and his own experiences exploring this strange and beautiful world. Richard Young has been a member of the Central Florida Steampunk Association for over two years. He spends most of the time at work staring at computer screens, and a lot of time outside of work looking for things to do that do not involve staring at computer screens. An ex-Disney animator is working on a steampunk styled hand drawn animated film. I’m excited to see artists returning to traditional animation. Perhaps we all have been staring at computer screens to long.

“Bird Nerd: Plumage, Sex, and Social Selection!” by Angela Tringali. The plumage of birds isn’t just beautiful, it serves a function. To determine if the plumage of Florida scrub-jay juveniles had a function she changed it, and their social behavior changed too. She spoke about bird color, and a bird found only in Florida. This nerd nite was a bird nerd nite. Her passion for the subject was contagious. She is a conservation biologist and behavioral ecologist. She earned her PhD in 2013. When Angela isn’t chasing birds she is thinking about it. Some people say she has a one-track mind.

The romantic glow of digital devices at Stardust illuminates interactions.

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Once again I found myself at Stardust Video and Coffee on the evening of the Audubon Community Market. As I ate dinner, I sketched people absorbed in the glow of their computer screens. Since I was sketching on my computer, I fit right in. Outside tents were going up in the parking lot for the weekly Audubon Market. The couple in the foreground remained focused for the duration of the sketch. Eventually a conversation fired up and the gentleman moved closer to talk. I was surprised that people could meet in person and have face to face conversations. She was an actress who had just arrived in Orlando. He had her laughing much of the time. They agreed that they should stay in touch before they both returned to their screens.

I was pleased with the warm glow of the sketch. I would never get such pure rich color with watercolor washes. As I was finishing up, my Coke bottle fell from the wobbly round table I was sitting at. It crashed to the floor making an insane racket as it bounced repeatedly, yet thankfully it didn’t break.  I must have been beet red as I picked it up. I walked around the market and stopped for a moment to listen to a local musician but I decided against doing another sketch and I headed home. I keep selling the idea that sketching helps me become part of the community, but it also isolates me, making me an impartial outside observer. I’m fully engaged and alive as I’m working, but when the sketch is done, my mood slips and it feels like life is slipping by.

A quiet afternoon at Stardust Video and Coffee.

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With time to spare before going to sketch an event, I decided to order dinner at Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 Winter Park Rd, Orlando, FL). I decided to sit onstage looking out over all the tables and the bar. The tables are old antique doors that had been shellacked a million times. My Rob Reiner sandwich and Coke arrived and I sketched between bites. Pink fish and colorful Japanese lanterns illuminated the dark ceiling. The guy in the red shirt was nodding off to sleep while a young couple chatted with excitement. It was her 1/2-birthday and she was celebrating. I like the idea of celebrating half birthdays. I wonder is she celebrates her 1/4 birthday or her 1/8 birthday. Better yet why not celebrate every 1/365 birthday? I’d just be sure to skip the cake.

Most everyone else was plugged into their digital devises. Doug Rhodehamel had a series of sketches on display in the far room. They were all done strictly in blue. I suppose every artist goes through a blue period. In my senior year at high school I only did blue sketches to rebel against the football coach- Art teacher’s strict photo realism. I’m proud to say I failed art that year, but I partied hard with the actors and had a blast.

The Audubon Market has produce and a sense of community.

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Mondays in Orlando offer few event options. If I’m unable to find a sketchable event, I always go to the Audubon Garden District Community Market at Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 Winter Park Rd, Orlando, FL). Tents start to go up in the Stardust parking lot as the sun sets. I like to order a drink at Stardust and sit back to watch all the activity.

On this Monday, I sketched the Stardust patrons who were soaking in the atmosphere. The market always has a live performer which also makes it the perfect spot to sketch. Produce and products are locally grown and crafted which make the market a healthy shopping option. When I order something to eat, I know that at least I ate one healthy meal for the week. With East End Market just a few blocks away there is no reason not to eat a healthy balanced diet all week, but as an artist on the run, I tend to only eat processed fast food before doing most sketches. Maybe a better diet could result in better sketches.

I’ve sketched a number of vegetarian and Vegan themed events and have seen and heard the merits of not eating meat, yet I haven’t yet followed up with a commitment to change my eating habits. It is hard to teach this old dog how to improve his diet. Eating is a quick necessity that I don’t think much about. I function primarily on caffeine and sugar. Perhaps that is why my sketches pen Iines are so shaky and nervous. Healthy living courses seem like such a luxury, yet im probably not functioning at 100%. Aching bones tend to be a distraction when getting lost in the creative process. Perhaps someday I’ll change.

Sketchy Broads offered fun sketching options for Orlando artists.

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Sketchy Broads are two models, Jenny Coyle and Lindsay Boswell, who love to come up with quirky costumes and pose for artists and photographers. The prices for an evening of sketching were, $10 for anyone who wishes to take reference photos. $7 for the full 2.5 hours of sketching (30 minutes of short poses and 2 hours of long poses) and $5 for just the long poses.

This particular evening the event was at Stardust Video and Coffee,  (1842 Winter Park Rd, Orlando, FL). They always have quality lighting using photographers umbrellas. Personally I prefer a single spotlight to get strong shadows but I tend to focus on only one sketch while everyone else is doing the short poses.

The group had been meeting at Austin’s Coffee (929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL) but I do believe that the modeling sessions haven’t happened lately. Austin’s is a crowded spot to hold the events. I suspect that the turn out at these events might not have been enough to keep the event happening. I also know that Jenny was planning to start work on a film project and certainly once production began on that there would be no time left over for modeling. The last event I notice on Facebook was on December 5th of 2013.

A Family Night Out at O’ Stromboli Gourmet Italian Eatery

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There was going to be an event at Taps From Scratch a new bar across the street from Stardust Video and Coffee. Right after work, I drove to the Audubon Garden District and since I had time to kill before the event, I had dinner at O’ Stromboli Gourmet Italian Eatery (1803 East Winter Park Road


Orlando,
FL).  The last time I was inside this restaurant, there were zombies at a table eating spaghetti. I still regret that I didn’t sketch that scene. The place looks totally different than I remembered. I think there has been a major renovation.

At the bar, a father and son were seated watching the Andy Griffith Show. The boy who was about the age of Opie, was exploring the restaurant. Staff had given him permission to wander behind the bar and into the kitchen. Dad was enjoying a beer and talking non-stop on his cell phone. Mom stopped in sweaty from an afternoon run. The waitress, all in black would occasionally run up a costumer’s tab on the computer.

I decided to order a lasagna which was quite good. A fly had made his way into the restaurant and I spent much of my time swatting it away. In Germany I remember flies were a constant nuance in restaurants but they are usually less of a problem in America. That insistent bugger certainly detracted from my dining experience. Since I was also sketching my attention became scattered. After I ate there was still quite some time before the Taps from Scratch event. I decided to call it a night. I doubt I’ll ever return to O’Stromboli unless I suspect zombies might be slurping up strands of spaghetti.

Nerd Nite Orlando XIII

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On March 13th, I went to Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 E. Winter Park Road, Orlando, Fl.) to experience Nerd Nite Orlando XIII.  I arrived early, ordered a Humus plate and a Coke and found a table with a sweeping view of the room. As people arrived, I populated the sketch. Nerd Nite Orlando is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking
talks across many disciplines – all while the audience drinks along in a
casual bar atmosphere. Speakers present for 20-25 minutes each on a
fascinating subject of their choice, often in an uncanny and
unconventional way.

It’s like the Discovery Channel – with beer!

Josh Manning, the founder and “Nerdboss” of Nerd Nite Orlando was the first speaker. His presentation was about “Chindogu: Unuseless Inventions” which translates to “really weird” (chin) “tool” (dōgu). This is the noble Japanese art of eccentric invention. Often causing more problems than they solve, chindogu ultimately serve no real purpose. Neither useful nor useless, they are therefore “unuseless” (similar to how “undead” means not dead and not alive). So what’s the point then? Unbridled creativity, of course! Chindogu are like anarchists that have broken free from the pragmatism of traditional invention. Come discover the wonderful world of unuseless creations that include baby mops,  a tissue dispenser cap, and umbrella ties! Josh is always interested in new ways to think differently, he also co-organizes a group of employees at Kennedy Space Center called the “Spaceport Innovators.” In the 2nd grade he even entered an invention contest by submitting his “fishing backpack” creation, which was just his school backpack outfitted with a car air freshener so that he could carry around all the fish he caught minus the stink. He didn’t win any prizes, not even an honorable mention.

The second presentation was “Digital Heroes: How Video Games Can Save The World” by Carlos Donze  A growing body of evidence suggests that video games play (pun totally intended!) a larger role in brain development than previously thought. In this talk, he discussed their role in tackling some of the world’s seemingly insurmountable problems, such as personal happiness, poverty, and helping the terminally ill. Let Carlos show you how playing video games can translate in to real life power-ups!

Emily Empel presented,

“Cards Against the Future: Generating Possibilities Instead of Predictions” Talking about the FUTURE is old school. All around us, societal “squares” are sanitizing our conversations about the future. These politicians, business leaders and academics rely on forecast models that reduce uncertainty. Some people like to think things progress along a straight linear path, but progress and change happens in sudden unpredictable surges. Let’s be real: the world is getting weirder. Forecasts that discount mystical, immeasurable,  elements limit our ability to fundamentally explore what’s ahead. In other words, exploring the future is a job for societal misfits, and total nerds. In the spirit of Chindogu, Emily showed a hilarious clip of a robotic ketchup dispenser. Obsessing over the FUTURE(S) is where it’s at.  She explores the present and the future according to a new set of rules. She is a trend spotter, marketing disciple, and corporate futurist. She provides executive management with strategic insights to identify emerging developments. Emily earned a Master of Science degree in Future Studies from the University of Houston. Her research has been featured by organizations such as The World Future Society and AlterNet. A former nomad, she’s slowly realizing, thanks to fellow Orlandoans and a lot of imagination, that Orlando doesn’t suck.

Emily wanted to talk after the presentations to brainstorm about a creative project she has brewing. Her pink haired friend Natalie Chandler kept me company as Emily discussed, and sometimes argued the future with people after her talk. Natalie confided that Emily is super busy yet she wants to layer this intricate creative project into her schedule over the next several months. Emily outlined the project that she and others are brain storming. The World Future Society Conference is coming to Orlando this July and she wants to put together a show for that conference. Tentatively titled, “Near Now” the project is aimed at
bringing together intellectuals and creatives who are interested in
exploring how the future of Orlando can unfold in 2030. I agreed to help bring together creative people that could help bring this vision to light. The seed is planted. So far, progress is slow but if it is meant to bloom, it will. The possibilities are limitless.

Couples Cooking Class

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Kristen Manieri, of Great Dates Orlando, invited me to sketch a couples cooking class held in the demonstration kitchen above East End Market, (3201 Corrine Dr. Orlando, FL.) I arrived about an hour early to sketch in the layout of the kitchen before the couples arrived. The demonstration was completely sold out. The $120 class fee per couple included utensils, recipes, ingredients
and sit-down dinner for two, but BYOS (bring your own spirits).

Jes Tantalo, East End Market’s Chef-in-Residence, was busy with preperations when Terry and I arrived. Terry went to explore East End Market and then Stardust Video and Coffee while I sketched. We planned to go to Drip on International Drive after my sketch was done. Kristen helped out by making recipe cards for the guests before they arrived. Her iPhone was used to fill the room with romantic Italian music. A large banquet table filled the dining room next to the kitchen. Fresh flowers from the extensive gardens downstairs were put on the table as centerpieces.

The first order of business was to have all the couples create flat bread appetizer perfect for
noshing on while everyone sipped wine and dove into the menu sourced almost
entirely from East End’s gourmet purveyors downstairs. Everyone crowded around the counter that separated the kitchen and dining area. Each couple took some flat bread and spread goat cheese on it, sprinkled some olive oil and then cracked open a tiny dime sized quail egg on top. Fresh arugula, again from the garden downstairs was added as a garish along with a pinch of salt and pepper. One fellow put a mountain of arugula on his flat bread and he was playfully scolded by the other couples. There was plenty of camaraderie and laughter as everyone worked.

The main dish was Poussin, or baby chickens, for each person. All that was required was some seasoning before they were put in the ovens. The flat bread appetizers were done in a flash and then all the couples sat at the table sipping wine and talking. In the kitchen, Jes was still busy cooking fresh local vegetables marinated in Whisky. One adventurous guest was put in charge of cutting up a football sized turnip. I had to close my eyes when he struggled with the first loud slice. Fox 35 News reporter Jackie Orozco introduced herself. She was intrigued by my daily sketch journalism and is considering the idea of reporting about what I do. With the retrospective exhibit coming up, her timing couldn’t be better.

Terry stopped back. I hadn’t started adding color yet. This was a more challenging sketch than usual with so many people crowded in the foreground. When she left I sketched faster. I left before the Poussin came out of the oven. I rushed out to catch up for my own date night, but I was to late. She got a taxi to take her to International Drive to see Drip perform a show with black lights. Perhaps I should have abandoned the sketch. A better person would have done that. As I drove home alone, I realized I was extremely hungry. I hadn’t eaten all day except for tasting one of the flat bread appetizers Kristen had offered me. I pulled into a Subway and ordered a Flatizza which is sort of a flat bread pizza. It wasn’t very exotic, but it filled me up for the moment. Much later I picked Terry up from Drip. Apparently it had been an amazing show. She was soaking wet and covered in paint.

Mark Your Calendar! The next Couples Cooking Class is April 12 from 7pm to 9:30pm at East End Market.

Stardust

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I went to Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 Winter Park Rd, Orlando, FL) with the plan to sketch Nerd Nite. I arrived right after work and ordered a Crispin’ Glover sandwich and a Coke. I was order number 15. Long tables in this room are made from old doors with an incredibly thick varnish over the surface. The varnish fills in all the doors panel insets. I assumed that the Nerd Night presenters would set up a movie screen in the small staging area framed by red curtains.

The great thing about Stardust is that people come here with laptops and notebooks to work. When you are in a room full of people busy working there is an energy that always motivates me to sketch. Although I might be alone, the activity and energy of the room makes me feel part of a vibrant community. In a digital world, we are all hungry to connect in our own unique way. I sit quietly watching and sketching while extroverts carry on fast animated conversations. The chatty moments as people mingle before an event begins are my most productive time.

I realized half way into the sketch that I was at Stardust on the wrong night. The army of nerds I hoped to sketch never showed. With so many events on my calendar, I sometimes get the date or time wrong. But I don’t care. There is plenty of beauty and drama to be found even in the everyday pace and flow of Stardust, it is what you make it.