Boo Boo

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While Stella Arbelaez was down in Miami trying to get into the Colombian Consulate for three consecutive nights to get her Colombian ID and passport, I got to watch Boo Boo at the Yalaha Studio.

On the third evening she went there at about 9:50pm the night before. She was 4th in line and stayed overnight for when the consulate opened at 9am the next morning. Ultimately her 3 nights of perseverance paid off and she got both her Colombian ID and her passport which would be mailed to her when completed. In crazy uncertain times having the right documents offers peace of mind.

Boo Boo is an adorable hand sized pup with tons of personality. He joined me on my walk each morning, then we would have breakfast together. Since I work at my desk all day long, he was good about letting me know when I needed to play. One day he had the zoomies like I had never seen in him before. He reared up on his hind legs resembling a mini grizzly bear. I threw his small aqua colored stuffed rabbit and he went wild in pursuit. Each day I looked forward to his high energy play time.

Since my princess and the pea bed is so high off the ground, Boo could not safely jump off. I decided to sleep on the couch so Boo could get up and off each night. He slept curled up in the nape of my neck while lying on his little sheepskin rug. The added warmth helped me drop off to sleep. I grew attached to him so quickly.

Today I will be driving to Orlando to sketch a theater performance. I am feeling guilty leaving Boo on his own for a little bit. I have been given very specific instructions on turning on music for him to listen to and to reassure him and say good by when I leave. I know that he once tore a hole through a doorway when he was left alone. Despite the assurances and instructions it breaks my heart to leave him. He has been stuck to my side like glue for the three days we have spent together. Leaving him seems like it will break the trust that we built.

That evening after catching up with Stella, I went to my bedroom to sleep in my own bed again. There was a tiny brown blob on the floor. I couldn’t figure out what it was. I poked it with my finger and it moved in a gelatinous way. Then I noticed a small clear puddle nearby. I looked at my finger and it dawned on me that I needed to wash my hands and get some paper towels. Boo Boo had expressed his annoyance that I had left him alone by leaving his calling cards. I feel his dissatisfaction with me was justified. I had let him down and broken our trust. Since he is such a tiny pup, the cleanup was simple.

The Football

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I woke up this morning and felt inspired to do another sunrise sketch at the Yalaha studio. Front and center in the sketch is the ginormous pine tree root ball that I have been cutting roots off of for the past several weeks. Looking at the sketch it looks like I have accomplished nothing and yet I light a root fueled fire every evening.

The bamboo are so tall and graceful. They clatter together with any breeze. Stella Arbelaez used these bamboo as inspiration and as the building material for her sculpture, The Cathedral: Within and Without. Some bamboo were knocked down with hurricane Milton, and others were cut and treated for the sculpture.

A compost pile is started in hay under the shed. I just realized that it needs to be watered and the last couple of days I did that and the thermometer temperature in the pile spiked up. The heat shows that the composting is taking place.

My Instagram feed is full of idyllic homesteads with lush gardens. I am starting my journey to start learning what to plant and when. I placed garlic in a cup held in place with toothpicks to see if I can get it to root and I am doing the same with a carrot top. I wanted to start a potato tower but I have to wait until November to start that project since it likes cold soil. Hopefully there will be mature compost by then. I am just starting to grow the vegetables I tend to eat every week and will expand from there assuming I have success. The Yalaha studio, homestead is starting to show signs of new growth.

Recovery Room

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After my operation where I was essentially neutered like a stray dog with a laser shoved up the old flag pole, my sister Pat Thorspecken -Nepalitano came to visit the Yalaha Studio to take care of me in case anything went south in my recovery. Pat felt I would not be able to get up into the Princess and the Pea bed I usually sleep in. That bed involves stepping up on my flat files to jump up onto the mattress which is about 4 feet off the ground since there are 2 mattresses, a box spring, a bed frame and an extra pillow mat. Stella Arbelaez was off at UCF in Orlando where she is renting a place for convenience near classes, as she works towards her masters degree, and she was kind enough to let me use her bed at the Yalaha Studio, which is much lower, during my recovery. I stripped the beds and remade them both before surgery. I made sure to put protective pads on Stella’s bed just in case I might bleed out in the middle of the night. If I was bleeding I would bleed on my own sheets.

I was told, I might be on narcotics for the pain and my sister brought a walker and a cane, thinking I would not be able to get around. However the only pain medication I was given was over the counter Tylenol and I got around just fine. Instead of being convalescent, I ended up playing the part of the host. I made a lasagna so everyone would have something to eat over the course of the week. There was more than enough food since friends of Stella had dropped off some items and Pat brought several bags of groceries with her from Port Charlotte, Florida.

That weekend I hiked with Pat and Just Jeff at Pear Park (26701 US Hwy 27, Leesburg, Fl) as a way to get out into the sunshine and experience natures healing power. I got a decent sketch at the river on that walk. I also cut off roots from a huge root ball in the side yard of the Yalaha Studio, left over from a fallen tree from hurricane Milton with garden sheers. Jeff dug in and cut off several of the larger roots with a reciprocating saw. We had a fire in the fire pit each night which always calms my nerves.

The room pictured above had a calming effect on me. There was a faux Franklin Furnace and I would turn it on at night and watch the faux flames and the lights that would dance on the walls. The effect was mesmerizing and would instantly put me to sleep. Now that my sister has left, it is quiet again in the Yalaha Studio. I have moved back to the Princess and the Pea bed since I have no problem hopping up. Life has started to return to normal although my insides still feel akimbo like they have been scrambled and have to find their way back home. Instead of lying still, I went to see several more homes yesterday, which might make good studios. Since I am now a tumbleweed, it is hard to figure out where I should settle. Home is where the heart is and I am still searching for it.

The Cathedral Comes Down

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On February 25, 2025 Stella Alberaez  asked me to help her dismantle and pack away The Cathedral into a U-Haul. I got up at 5am for an early morning drive down to the UCF Gallery. It was a glorious drive with literally no traffic until I got close to Orlando. Stella had to pick up the U-Haul truck and there was some type of complication. I was thankful, since it gave me time to sketch the installation piece.

While sketching, a flock of herons few overhead. They made an amazing honking racket. They glided down to a grass field beside The Cathedral. Once on the ground they continued honking. Something about the herons flying overhead was truly beautiful. The piece is meant to allow the viewer to experience the enormity of the natural world, while bringing forth a profound awareness that we are a small part of a large but delicate ecosystem.  As Stella said, “The Cathedral offered deeper appreciation of life by prompting reflection on the fleeting nature of human existence, contrasted against the timeless and majestic presence of the environment that surround us.” I felt all of that as the herons flew overhead on the cool, misty, and otherwise quiet morning.

Slowly the parking lots filled with cars and the art students filed into the building. A grounds keeper fired up a loud edger and the herons flew off. The noise and clutter of humanity began to encroach. The Cathedral felt so much larger on that peaceful morning. The last time I had sketched it was at night and it blended into the dark night sky. Here its bold silhouette was predominant against the sky which turned from a dark grey to pure light.

I tried pulling up some stakes before Stella arrived but, like King Arthur’s sword, they were stubbornly impossible to pull up. I decided there must be a tool needed to do the job. Many bamboo stalks were tied to the metal ring with natural string. I tried untying one with my fingernails but the knots just got tighter.  Bolts refused to budge as I tried to loosen them with my fingers. This sculpture wanted to remain standing. When Stella arrived she had a tool box with all the tools we would need. I snipped the strings with a wire cutter but better yet, she had an Exacto Blade which made the job simple. One by one the bamboo poles were walked over to a spot in the grass where Stella would later park the U-Haul.

With few poles left the metal ring became unstable and Stella had to hold it up by balancing it on her shoulders. She looked like Atlas holding up the world. When the final bold let loose the ring was gently lowered to the ground by both of us. It then rolled a short bit, and fell to the grass. It too needed to be disassembled into two strips of metal. I asked about the price of The Cathedral but Stella told me it is not for sale. It would make a magnificent centerpiece to a homestead garden.

The shortest bamboo poles were the first to be loaded on to the truck . The larger poles would have to be loaded corner to corner and they barely fit. One pole in particular had to be repositioned multiple times before the trucks back gate could be lowered. A student approached to ask Stella a question since she is a teaching a drawing class. A professor also approached to ask a question.  Stella seemed quite at home in the university setting. Stella has so many opportunities in the hopper as the Masters Program winds down for her. Only time will tell which way her path might turn. Of one thing I am sure, she will get her masters which was well earned.

Stella Levels Up

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Stella Arbelaez Tascón presented her thesis defense at the UCF Art Gallery (12400 Aquarius Agora Dr, Orlando, Fl.)

Having heard her rehearse for the presentation, several times, I was familiar with many of the threads that inspire her work, so I sat a bit distant from the crowd and sketched.

The sculpture by Stella in the foreground of this sketch is called The Broken Woman. She had a  mannequin which she busted open with a sledge hammer. The distressed surface is covered in gold and hot pink. A sacred heart is in the open chest cavity representing sacrifice. Golden beams radiate from the heart. The crotch is busted open and dollar bills rest chaotically, illuminated from inside, representing the commodification of woman. The broken cage where the head would be is also broken open while a cell phone played static until it shorted out and died.

Stella expressed the idea of a work’s aura, of bringing the presence of it into your life. Her work is about healing. When asked if the healing is for her or others, she pointed out that she hopes to connect to others, but as she is not one of them, she can not know what a person viewing her work might feel. She wants to be honest about what she feels. She hopes the work will be healing to others.

The Cathedral, was set up on the lawn outside the gallery. It is comprised of over 20 foot high bamboo stalks arranged in a circle outside the gallery. In The Cathedral the visitor is greeted by the sounds of chirping birds when they enter into the circle, which would usually  be silent in the evening. The feeling is of being engulfed by nature. Several people I overheard at the opening, expressed a sense of peace. The person is meant to feel elevated as if transported elsewhere. One thought to make the piece more permanent, was to recreate the cathedral with live bamboo, but Stella is also considering the option of recreating it in bronze. The Cathedral reminded me of the bird cage which was broken open above The Broken Woman.

Some work in the exhibition was small in size like intimate etchings of Memories of a Dead Love. Whereas The Cathedral was monumental in size. She feels that her work is moving from the micro to the macro. The larger work can be seen and experienced by more people. Each piece dictated its size. She wanted to experience the labor of chopping down the bamboo with a machete, it is physical sweet labor. Much of the bamboo was already collapsed in her yard, after hurricane Milton. When discussing the materials she used, she said, “This is me, I am the cell phone, I am that bamboo. The choice of materials is important to each piece.” The perfect home for The Cathedral would be as a permanent installation in a garden. She also feels a good location would be in a large city where it could have a large outreach.

In 2020, Stella walked the whole length of the Florida Scenic Trail which is over 1,100 miles, and it was a reset for her after the trauma of divorce. Her work reflects her journey of healing and growth. Soon after walking the trail, she created a persona called The Nature Goddess. She wears a black gown, has horns and a found animal skull on her staff.  She performed in a park lying on the ground and crying for the devastation of nature imposed by humanity.  She was asked why she does not do more performance art. She feels the action of physically moving the materials is in itself a performance. Painting is a private act of performance. These acts of performance are done as the work is created. She does imagine more performance art in her future.

Her work has begun to act as an advocate for the preservation of nature. The job of stopping humanities destruction of nature is too large for one person, so she has become a part of a movement. She wants to help make people aware so they can heal themselves and the earth they are a part of.

Stella is a semi finalist for the 2025-2026 Fulbright Grant and hopes to return to Colombia to research the role that technology and media play in an indigenous community there. She wants to share her knowledge of 2D animation and sees herself as a tool. She is part indigenous herself and wants to contribute to the empowerment and dissemination of their voices, while they author their own stories.

The work shown is just the beginning of her artistic journey. The work will continue to evolve. Three years ago she had no idea she would be producing the monumental work that is on exhibit today. She is excited to see what is yet to come. The art is intending to spark peoples empathy. Even a one degree shift towards empathy can make a difference in a world intent on division. Her work lets the viewer know that there is a way out, and there is hope. Anyone can overcome feelings of entrapment. When she moves her studio back to her house, the work might scale down, but  she knows that as life happens, she will continue to grow and large scale work will take form and evolve as she does. For her, monumentality contributes to the presence of a piece.

UCF Studio Art Mid Term Crit

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Stella Arbelaez  invited to go to the UCF Mid Term Critique. She was very busy getting her thesis finished, but it was great for me to meet the graduate students and talk art. Artist Zoe Nestlie had invited me once before, but at the time I was recovering from a COVID-19 infection.

Zoe had two paintings on display. Both were self portraits. In one a clown in white face had red rings around her eyes and a painted on smile while she face reflected sadness. An extra triangular canvas sat on top extending the blue clown’s had upward. Actual blue pom poms adorned the hat. Above the  painting was a round canvas painted red representing a balloon. One professor advised Zoe to use an actual balloon while another advised against the idea. It is up to Zoe to figure out what would work best. A second self portrait titled Facade, had heart shapes rose colored glasses. On that piece red orange and yellow flowers acted as a physical bouquet. Her work is about the psychological impact of emotional abuse within an intimate partner relationship.

The previous time I had sketched the the UCF Critique, Zoe was showing off her first painted explorations. She is still a first year student and this is her third time showing her work to the School of Visual Arts and Design, (SVAD)  faculty at large, for a formal critique. I happened to do my sketch quite close to her work. All of her work had been digital at the first critique. She had done a very consistent series of digital paintings of large eyed girls in uncomfortable positions. I asked Zoe if she preferred working digitally or traditionally. She still does some studies for paintings in the digital medium but now prefers to work larger on canvas. She likes the physicality of working on large paintings that have three dimensional elements. It is interesting to see her work progress as she moves through the masters program.

One female artist was talking about how women artists have been marginalized throughout the history of art. She followed up with the fact that she was in the masters program and that meant that the tide had turned. There are 3 men in the masters program, but only one guy made into my sketch. He is looking at his cell phone.

As I was sketching, Anna Vic Webb asked if I could stop back and visit her studio when I was done with the sketch. When I got back to her studio, she was just wrapping up with several professors. She had a self portrait on display. The eyes were a disturbing red but impossible to avoid looking at. As I was talking to Anna. I kept glancing back at those red piercing eyes in the painting. Sections of the painting vibrated with florescent brightness. Hair was painted on the legs in a spiraling pattern similar to Van Gogh’s nigh sky. A lone wolf was peaking printed on her tee shirt in the painting. We had a long talk about art which was quite rewarding. I didn’t really critique the work but instead offered suggestions on techniques she might like to try to tie all the elements together. I lost track of time getting to chat about art. I finally slipped away when a professor came in to offer her critique.

Boat Ramps

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One of my online students canceled their 4 to 6pm class on Saturday, so that gave me time to get to Hickory Point Recreation Park before sunset. Stella Arbelaez had suggested I go there to sketch the fishermen.

I didn’t find the fishermen but was fascinated by the army of boats being hauled out of the water at the boat ramps. The setting sun lit up one Spanish moss coated tree a bright orange. The parking lot was full of pick up trucks with boat trailers. There were so many trucks and trailers that I couldn’t find a spot to park. The small road connecting all the lots spiraled in circles. At one pint I turned in and found I was driving the wrong way, since there were arrows painted on the roadway. I finally just parked on the grass.

There was a big private event going on at the clubhouse. I just walked towards the water to see what I could find to sketch. I settled on this view of the boat ramps. This is where there was the most activity. I sat in the shade next to the public bathrooms. Early on in the sketch a fellow walked up behind me and asked with a thick southern drawl, “You mind if I peak at yer sketch?” I held it up though it was only half started. He was delighted regardless. “Well hell that looks gooood.”  A mother and her tow daughters approached much later in the process. Mom explained that if there was one talent that she could have, it would be to make art.

A Lake County utility vehicle parked right in front of me blocking my view to much of the scene. He walked away leaving the engine running. I considered putting the vehicle in the sketch but decided her would drive off soon. I looked at what could be seen around his vehicle to keep pushing my sketch forward. Sure enough maybe 15 minutes later he drove off.

It was fascinating watching the endless stream of boats being hauled out of the water. There was a line of pick up trucks behind me waiting to get to the water’s edge. I was impressed by one man who used the ramp to launch his kayak. The kayak was set up with all sorts of fishing implements. Now that looked like something I might want to try someday. The Highway 19 bridge had a polite and consistent flow of traffic. Most folks don’t tail gate around these parts. This was the last sketch in this Stonehenge panoramic sketchbook. It goes on the bookcase today. I need to find another one of these sketchbooks. Most scenes out here in Yalaha are undeniably wide.

As I was exiting the spiraling parking lot, I saw a fisherman walking towards the water. He would get to his fishing spot just as the sun was setting. I will need to return to Hickory Point just a touch later in the day to find that sweet fishing spot. There are also hiking trails I haven’t discovered yet.

Sun Eden

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This is a sketch of the entrance to Sun Eden which is my little slice of paradise in Yalaha Florida. This little Fast Food Mart has the best price for gas in the area, so this is where I tank up my Prius after long road trips back and forth to Orlando. The owners of this mini mart must be doing pretty good since they have a large house down by the lake with a large pool. 48 is the busy road in front of the Mini Mart and it is challenging turning into Sun Eden since there isn’t much of a turn off lane and most traffic is going 55 miles per hour. I almost missed the turn the first time I drove into Sun Eden and thought I might slam into the community sign but I braked hard as I swerved right.

After the move I realized a large table I had, just didn’t work in the studio space. Stella Arbelaez had IKEA shelving in the garage that wasn’t assembled yet and we decided it was a much better solution. It was a good choice. I will have to get the same shelving the next time I need to move. It is hard letting go of something that has worked so well in the past. To save weight when I was packing the uHaul to move out of the Chatswoth studio, I left one piece of the table behind. It was a large slab of metal that extended down the middle of the table between the sets of legs. I figured I would have more space to store stuff under the table without that metal piece in the way. Well, when I reassembled the table as the Yalaha Studio  it wobbled like a drunken sailor. Without that metal support the table was useless.

Rather than have the heavy and solid table go to land fill, Stella took a short video and posted it on a community site. The table was free to anyone who wanted to pick it up. I kept it in my Prius as we ran errands.  we were ready to go to the landfill, when a couple expressed interest to the online posting, and arrangements were made to meet in the mini mark lot. I parked near the air pressure station, which I couldn’t get to work. The table exchange happened like a clandestine drug deal but in broad daylight. It felt good knowing the table would have a new life probably sporting antiques or flea market goods.

I made a similar mistake with my Disney Feature Animation table. I left behind the heavy metal hardware that is used for adjusting the angle of the flat desk surface. I figured I don’t use any other angle that lying the desk flat to support my computers, so I could just hammer in some supports myself and spare myself the heavy hardware. It was a stupid decision and I rushed back to Orlando the next day to recover the hardware. Thankfully it hadn’t been removed. On the lawn it liked a bit like a lizard with a large square head. It took me hours to assemble, but I am glad the integrity of the desk remains intact.

Porsche Road Rats Rally

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Stella Arbelaez suggested we go to sketch a Porsche Road Rats Rally going at Bountiful Farms (27314 County Road 33, Okahumpka, FL). The event was almost over, so we had to rush to get there. I reasoned that men would still be talking about their fancy engines, and chrome with hoods open long after the closing time for the event.

In part, I was right. There is a small outdoor cafe called Bountiful’s Bestro, under a giant 300 year old live oak on the property. The outdoor seating was crowded, presumably full of Porsche owners bragging about their cars speed and many modifications. My ex wife used to drive a Porsche so I know that speed is everything. Stella set up near her car to sketch the cafe and huge tree, and I wandered over to sketch the Porches parked on the grass parking lot.

As I sketched, car owner after car owner walked to their car and drove off. A distant Porsche had the car owner come out and open the hood. He showed his engine to a friend. I had to stop sketching when it started to rain. At that point every car owner rushed over and drove off. I went back to find Stella and she was still sketching. We decided to head over to a small fresh market where we brought some produce. I wanted to get some cucumbers since I had recently picked some in a field nearby. The woman behind the counter explained that cucumbers were out of season, which I suppose was true since the crop was now in supermarkets rather than in the fields. There is a weekend farmers market that happens on Bountiful Farms and Stella discussed the possibility of having art for sale at the market. I will have to return to sketch that farmers market some weekend.

By the time we left the fresh market it had stopped raining. We then had a fantastic soup and grilled cheese sandwich lunch under the gorgeous live oak. We had the place to ourselves. The waitress kept offering us free Cokes since we were creating art, but in the end we paid. Despite the brief rain, it was a great outing. We both wished we had spent more time sketching, but it is the experience that counts not how polished the sketch looks. Stella’s sketch of the Bistro and live oak is really good and could easily be finished some weekend. My sketch, as usual is a panicked mess.

Art in the Alley, Mount Dora

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Art in the Alley on the historic Roylleau Street in Mount Dora, Florida, is held every 2nd Friday. The alley runs for two blocks between 3rd Street and 5th Street. The alley is one block west of Baker Street and ends at the Donnelly Park, right at the Mount Dora Center for the Arts.

I had forgotten my artist stool, so I sat in a tangle of live Oak roots to sketch the entrance to the alley. All the trees were still lit up with Christmas lights. I took my rag and folded it up to add some cushioning against the hard knobby roots.

Several weeks prior, Stella Arbelaez had a portrait on exhibit near here which we visited, and then we went into this Van Gogh themed bus to look at the art of Richard Barrenechea.The entire city was ablaze with Christmas lights and after the bus Stella and I went to the tai restaurant right next to the bus. To me that outdoor seating area reminds me of Van Gogh‘s painting of a provincial outdoor cafe. The Miso Soup warmed my soul and the Pad Thai noodles were sweet and delicious. Overall it was a great night on the town.

Richard had painted an entire house to look like Van Gogh’s Starry Night. On this night, driving into Mount Dora from Yalaha, I saw the house first time right before entering the historic downtown. Sketching the house would be tricky since a large road runs right in front of it.

As I finished up my sketch, a mom was waiting to get her children across the very busy street. She wasn’t crossing the street to see art, rather she was crossing the street to get ice cream cones for her kids. A beautiful hostess encouraged people to enter the bus. Richard has converted this bus into a mobile art gallery of his work. The pop culture paintings are shiny with thick layers of varnish. I stumbled up the steps of the bus and lost my balance. I used my left hand to catch myself from falling. I asked Richard if I could just get a card and he said, “You are leaning on them.” Sure enough my left hand was right on a pile of cards. I laughed. I wonder how many others had lost their balance getting up those bus steps and stumbled upon the cards. That is some golden marketing right there.

Other than Richard’s bus, I only noticed one other artist with a table set up half way down the first block of the Alley. The central building in Donnlley Park had signs for a Highwayman exhibit. I peaked my head in but there was only a retirement party going on. Weather you are looking for ice cream or Art, downtown Mount Dora is buzzing on a Friday night,