Shelter

Posted on by Thor

While hiking with Stella Arbelaéz Tascón, we stopped at the Gravel Springs Hut which is a shelter on the Appalachian Trail in Shanandoah State Park in Virginia. While Stella was hiking the trail alone a week before, events transpired here which resulted in her decision to take time off from the hike and stay in a hostel. The story is hers to tell, so I will not relate it here. She shared her story on an Appalachian Trail Community Forum and the comments from many hikers were both supportive and vicious. That one tread said so much about the human condition.

We returned to the shelter late in the day to do a painting. Stella was taking the opportunity to paint locations on the trail that she had not painted before because she was focused on making sure she met her mileage goals. With me around she could slow her role since I am an inexperienced hiker. The final days of the hike became about finding the perfect painting locations and I was very comfortable with that.

We did stay in a shelter almost identical to this one. We ate our dinner on the picnic table and set up our sleeping bags inside the shelter which had a nice wooden floor. After the sun set, the wilderness came alive with a cacophony of sounds. A young married couple was also at this site but they were camping at a site a short distance away. They had both been married previously and had children. Their Brady Bunch family had a baby sitter so that the couple could spend quality time alone.

During the night I became convinced that I heard a bear wandering behind the shelter. I wanted to wake Stella up, but thought better of it. The sound soon shuffled off into the woods. I had a bear bag to store my food and toiletries. Scent proof bags were used to store food and the bear bag was in a steal locker which no bear would be able to open. Bears have to know that only inexperienced hikers would leave food unattended. I think this was my third day of hiking, so I was now an expert thru hiker.

Brooklyn’s Pizza

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When I lived up in Lake County Florida I used to frequent Brooklyn’s Pizza (27405 US-27 Leesburg, Florida). When I went on a sketch outing with Stella Arbeláez Tascón to Brooklyn’s, we got to meet our server who was also an artist. She had just finished painting the restaurant front window with holiday themed art and it was darn good.

I went to Brooklyn’s Pizza sometimes for their delicious pizza but also for the occasional Alfredo and spaghetti meal. Besides the large plate of rich pasta there were also garlic knots which I could never finish. Brooklyn’s got my business on days where I didn’t have much available in the pantry and I didn’t feel like cooking. I felt comfortable eating on my own because the staff remembered me as that quirky artist who is always sketching. They were always curious to see what I would sketch next.

I can’t offer a biased review of the food at Brooklyn’s because I have just recently switched my diet to only plant-based foods. On my refrigerator is a note that says, “No Dairy, No Eggs, No Meat, No Oils, No Processed Foods”. I have started to read food labels to be sure I am not buying tons of hidden chemicals, salt and sugar. I now spent plenty of time searching for healthy foods which are a challenge to find in a Publix, with rows and rows of brightly colored junk food.

I am following an online course where I get to try out different recipes that are for delicious plant-based meals. Since I just moved onto my new Eola Heights Studio in a gorgeous old historic home, the timing is good, since I can stock my kitchen pantry with only whole plant-based food supplies.

The Alfredo spaghetti at Brooklyn’s Pizza was delicious but it has so much heavy cream which is no longer in my diet. The pizza which was also delicious is no longer something I would seek out when going out to eat. The cheese and white flour are both items that I am avoiding moving forward.

If you want a great pizza, Brooklyn’s is a great place to go. I think I will need to experiment to find a recipe for a great plant-based pizza. The cheese is the thing that will be most challenging to mimic. A healthy and savory tomato paste should be easy to make. I made my own spaghetti sauce for the first time last week. I know Cashew nuts and nutritional yeast have good cheese flavor. Most commercial baked goods have too much sugar and processed flour. As I learn more, I will find out which flours are nutritional and worth using. I have only dipped my toes in the water and taken my first baby steps towards a healthy plant-based diet. I will likely make mistakes along the way. But if I fall off the bike, I just need to get back on.

I didn’t purge my refrigerator and I had a large frozen pork loin left over. I made the pork loin several weeks ago and discovered that it is absolutely exhausting to digest meat once you have started a plant based diet. I actually had to stay in the studio that night and rest although I had plans to do a sketch at an event. I have shopped several times since that experience and no meat has made it back into the freezer.

Hand Art Center of Stetson University Deland Florida

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Stella Arbeláez Tascón had been invited to exhibit at the Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center at Stetson University (139 E. Michigan Avenue DeLand, FL) for Looks Good On Paper: Second Edition in the Foyer and Gary R. Libby Gallery.

The public was invited to the exhibit featuring Fine Art Prints from the Central Florida Printmakers and Handmade Books from the Book Arts Guild of Central Florida.

Central Florida Printmakers included Stella Arbeláez, Marina Burgner, Meg Carroll, Katy Farmer, Jennifer Harper, David Hunter, Mindy Lighthipe, Bronwyn Merritt, Trent Mouton, Rhonda Peyton, Fontaine Rodgers, Mary Wentzel and Mori Olowu.

Book Arts Guild of Central Florida artists included Holly Jefferies, Meghan Medina, Rachel Simmons, Catherine Cross Tsintzos, Marie Patrick, Rachel Jerusha Kinbar, and Stephanie Rodriguez.

Stella attended the exhibit opening and I tagged along. Before exploring the whole show, I sat in the second gallery where there was a bench to get a quick sketch done. The artist who created the 2 by 4 installation piece was on hand along with his family. His wife was taking photos, and I managed to get his teenage daughter and son in my sketch. I think the kids knew I was sketching so they lingered as they looked at the art. The installation had a deflated mylar weather balloon, a tiny snail shell and some boxes with blinking diodes. Bricks were stacked inside the 2 by 4 supports. What it all meant I can not be sure but it felt extra-terrestrial. The artist was explaining to someone about how he hoards things in his studio certain that someday they will make it into an installation. He talked about obsessively poking holes in a fuel can, which must have been empty and sure enough the hole filled can was in the piece.

On the wall across from the installation was a series of small black and white prints by artist Oscar Bluemner who lived from 1867 to 1938. Oscar worked as an architect, initially in Germany and later in the United States, before turning to painting full time in 1911. One of the prints was of the little red lighthouse that was in Washington Heights below the George Washington Bridge. I have sketched the same lighthouse from my old neighborhood. I identified with his work because these small sketched felt like they were right out of his daily sketchbook. Oscars work is in the Whitney Museum of Art along as at Stetson University. I love discovering an artists work that I identify with.

There were some gorgeous prints in the next rooms. Stella shared her favorites as I explored the rooms for the first time. Also exciting were the handmade books by artists. The exhibit was so inspiring and was sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Looks Good On Paper Exhibit ran from January 20, 2026 to March 21, 2026.

Judith Segal Opening

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Judith Segal is an advocate for all women artists in Central Florida. She had an opening in a group show in Mount Dora. The gallery was in the Mount Dora Center for the Arts in a former vintage mid-century service station (847 E. 5th Avenue, Mount Dora FL).

The exhibit by the Florida Sculptors Guild was called Hazards. Inside the gallery was packed. It felt too claustrophobic to get a sketch in there, so once I walked around and saw all the art, I went outside to do this sketch. In the rush to get to the gallery I had forgotten my hiking boots. I was wearing slippers to the show but didn’t notice until I got there with Stella Arbeláez Tascón. Bonnie Sprung shot a photo of me doing this sketch and sure enough, I was caught red handed wearing slippers to an art opening.

This chrome sculpture made from found parts was outside standing where a gas pump might have stood in the past. I took the artists card and wanted to sketch his studio space but I managed to loose the card. If anyone recognizes his work, please let me know. Judith’s art piece was smaller in size although it was a life sized shocking representation of a vagina. I am debating about whether it was cast from life. There was something flame like about the sculptural piece. For those who recognized what they were looking at, I bet it sparked conversation. Great art does that.

After the opening, Stella and I grabbed a bite to eat across the street. I got a text that a large number of artists were getting dinner at another restaurant in Mount Dora. When Stella and I were done eating we went over to meet the crowd who sat around a long table in the crowded restaurant.

In all it was a fun evening that made me realize that sculpture is very much alive in Central Florida.

Stella’s Print Party 2

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Stella Arbeláez Tascón was working on a commission for the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA). She was responsible for creating beautiful tablecloths for a fundraiser dinner to be held at the museum.

The overall design of the dinner was loosely based on a 1979 Judy Chicago installation called The Dinner Party. The Dinner Party was built around a massive ceremonial banquet, arranged on a triangular table with a total of thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history.

To engage the public in the creative process, Stella held a Print Party where visitors to OMA could walk in and make a print on one of the tablecloths. I had already finished a sketch of the Print Party but realized I couldn’t see much of the tabletops from my seated angle, so I stood to do this second sketch. I loved watching people’s excitement as they added their personal touch to the art process.

There were about 4 or 5 volunteers who were recruited to help. Stella had to train everyone on the methods needed to make clean prints. The volunteers would then have to train each guest on how to make a print.

It was cute to watch children making what was probably the very first print they had ever made. I could see their eyes light up when they saw the results and many wanted to try and make another print. Adults exhibited just as much wonder.

Stella was very clear about making sure the ink rollers were stored face up and it was important that the guests rolled enough ink on the plates without putting too much ink down. Once a tablecloth had enough prints it was removed and put aside. Later all the finished tablecloths were moved to a classroom in the back of the museum.

Stella had purchased a simple, mechanical printing press. However, once on site, Stella preferred to use traditional hand printing methods instead, providing a more personal experience and control over the process for the guests. Flat wooden spatulas were used to burnish designs from the wood blocks with water-based inks onto the fabrics. As with Eco-Printing, there was a wide variety to the prints that were made at the print party. Some were light because the guest felt tentative, while others were bold and dark. Like all hand made art, the result reflected the spirit of the artist, even if it was their first time making a print.

In my humble opinion, the Paint Party was a smashing success.

Stella’s Print Party

Posted on by Thor

Stella Arbeláez Tascón was working on a commission for the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA). She was creating tablecloths for a fundraiser dinner that would happen at the museum which was based on the 1979 installation by Judy Chicago called The Dinner Party.

Stella decided to use the commission to create Eco-prints on the tablecloths. This tied in nicely with her UCF Masters Thesis, which outlined the effects of communing with nature while thru hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail. That hike helped foster a lasting love of nature that inspires her work.

Prior to the Print Party, she Eco-printed many of the tablecloths. Eco-printing uses natural leaves to make prints directly on the fabric. Not all the Eco-prints were complete yet, but she also carved wood and foam blocks of leaves, birds and insects for guests to use.

The public was invited to a Print Party at OMA where they could help with making prints on the many fabric tablecloths. It is nerve wracking to have complete strangers contributing to such an intricate process. Multiple folding tables were set up in the gallery space right near the entry to the museum. The tablecloths were then laid flat on the table so guests could make prints.

Stella reached out to her old friend Leanne Klein for assistance during this event. Leanne is a good friend, recent transplant to FL and former classmate from her undergtad years at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She holds an MFA from NYU and teaches printmaking workshops at the Tampa Museum. Leanne was a godsend because she interacted with the guests playfully and got them excited about making an artistic contribution.

The excitement built as more and more guests arrived.

Stella’s OMA Commission

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I helped Stella Arbeláez Tascón, a fellow artist and friend, when she got a commission from the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) to create tablecloths for a fundraiser event. Her idea was to eco-print leaves on the tablecloths along with woodblock prints. The fundraiser concept was built around the 1979 art installation by Judy Chicago called The Dinner Party. With that installation there were 39 elaborate place settings on a triangular table arrangement for 39 mythical and historical famous women. Including Kali, Sacajawea, Virginia Wolf, Susan B. Anthony and Georgia O’Keefe to name a few. The messaging goal of the Dinner Party was to end the ongoing cycle of omission in which women were written out of the historical record.

Stella had never eco-printed before, but she researched the process voraciously. After the fabric bolts were cut and hemmed, they were soaked in fresh water, dried, folded and stacked on a table set up outside. The next step was to boil water and soak the fabrics in chemicals that would allow the natural leaves to make impressions on the fabric. Since there were so many table clothes there were many boiling sessions.

I went with Stella when she purchased the old rusty butane stove for a song on Facebook Marketplace. When we picked it up there was a whole corrugated warehouse full of old abandoned equipment. A cow from the nearby field managed to get over the fence and had to be chased down to be put back in her field. That was all a sketch opportunity, but we were in and out rather fast to pick up the stove.

The water and fabrics frothed up in the huge metal pot and bubbled over the edge. When Stella finished stirring the pot, she went off to complete another task, and I sat and watched the pot while I sketched. I lowered the fuel nozzle a few times to keep the mix from boiling over. Once the boil was complete all the fabric was taken out and hung on outdoor clothes lines to dry in the breeze. Having this outdoor space to work on the project was critical since this was a messy process. The whole point of the eco-printing process was to celebrate the natural beauty of the outdoors.

In the background of this sketch is a hydroponics tower that was absolutely thriving. The edible lettuce was growing so fast that the tower was getting top heavy. The lettuce at the top was getting the most sunlight and it grew to the point that it broke the plastic tower in which the plant pots had been positioned. I patched the broken tower with plastic wrap because the water was leaking out of the tower and onto the ground. My fast, sloppy engineering fix seemed to work at least for the short term. I harvested the plants which were then drooping down unsupported and put them in bags in the refrigerator. The root system inside the tower was so huge that it would have to be cut out when all the plants were harvested. The greens lasted a long time in the refrigerator. I do believe some of them were eco-printed.

No Kings Protest Orlando Florida

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Stella Arbeláez Tascón has wanted to build a large puppet for some time. When she found out that a No Kings Protest was being staged nation wide, and in Orlando Florida, she decided it was time to build a 14 foot tall puppet of Donald Trump as a Jailbird in Chief. Such large puppets are often build in Europe but it is a tradition that has not yet taken root in America. I became Stella’s studio assistant to help bring this behemoth to life.

Stella found many videos online that showed how these large puppets could be built. She borrowed from various puppet workshops to come up with her n. A walker was cut apart and when turned upside down to became the spine of the puppet. She borrowed the shoulder straps and belt from an existing backpack and miraculously they fit neatly onto the walker.

The Trump head was constructed from 1/4 inch plastic tubing which formed the three dimensional framework. Paper mache was then added to create the skin of the face. The result was a highly stylized and expressive head. In the final night of construction, I was tasked with building the hands and painting Trump’s’ Orange face. When Stella gave advice on using thin washed of red over the nose, and ears, the face started to gain a ruddy life. Bruises and blotchy skin were replicated. By 3 or 4 in the morning I had to drop off to sleep, but Stella kept working. She had to sew the huge orange prison jumpsuit by the time we would have to leave for the protest in the morning.

The rib cage of the puppet had to be cut back to allow the puppet to fit in the hatchback of her Prius. The giant head could just fit in the passenger front seat. It is an absolute miracle that the entire fourteen foot puppet managed to fit in her Prius.

Stella hired a second puppeteer to handle the extremely large left hand. She dressed like a secret service agent with a white dress shirt, black tie and sun glasses. Since I am living out of a backpack, I didn’t manage to pull together an equally stellar garb. I made due with what I had.

Assembling the puppet and getting Stella set inside was challenging. We practiced the assembly at her studio and then recreated the steps outside the parking garage near Orlando City Hall. The trickiest part of the assembly has snapping the bulk of the puppet onto the walker that Stella had strapped to her back. With the huge Trump head mounted on top, the puppet wanted to topple. I was grateful when everything snapped into place. Stella’s solid hips and low center of gravity were an absolute advantage.

The puppet was so tall that it could not walk under the covered awnings on the side of the skyscraper leading to City Hall Plaza. When we stepped out of the shadows into the open plaza people shouted out, “The hands are too big!” That is my fault, I built those monsters. The puppet would be so much more manageable with tiny little raptor hands. You know what they say about tiny hands, right? Anyway, that was the ongoing joke all day long.

We marched the puppet around every corner of the City Hall complex. In several places the tree branches were too low to allow passage. We found other ways to navigate around. Hundreds of people were gathered. I kept shouting out, “Jailbird in chef coming through!’ to help clear a path. Stella was the brains of the operation. She would let us know which direction to turn and make sure we were all lined up. If one of us walked too fast we could throw off the balance and cause the puppet to topple. When Stella wanted the hands to wave she would let us know. She then wanted us to walk the diamond shaped crosswalk in front of city hall. When we did that the honks and shouting from the cars waiting at the light became overwhelming. Crossing quickly with a fourteen foot puppet isn’t an easy task. The Trump puppet can’t break into a run when the time runs out on the crossing signal.

Since I was busy holding the rod that controls the puppets right hand, I didn’t get any sketching done at the protest. In one of the videos I saw of the protest, I overheard someone saying “Wow pretty awesome.” I was sure he was taking about my stellar puppetry performance in waving that right hand. I was a sweaty mess by the end of the day and muscles I didn’t even know I had were sore, but it was sooooo worth it.

I returned the next day to sketch city hall and then added protestors and the puppet when I got back to my Thornton Park studio. The Jailbird in Chef go plenty of coverage on the news and social media.

Thanksgiving at the Eagles Lodge

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For Thanksgiving my sister and her husband brought me to the Eagles Lodge for our Thanksgiving meal. The lodge has a big open room which is ideal for setting up a series of tables, The room I sketch was near the bar and the larger room had long rectangular tables. Our table had about 4 couples and myself.

At the front of the room was a small stage and there was a guy at an electric piano and a woman singing. The volume was intense. We sat near the stage but once the music started everyone retreated to the back of the room in an attempt to be able to hear each other talk. Even back there, you had to shout real loud and lean close to hear in any attempted conversation.

The food was all pre-prepared and it came out very quickly. The turkey meat was all pre-cut and there was stuffing and potatoes. It was a good-sized meal. After we all ate, we moved into the bar area where it was easier to have a conversation, because the musicians were on a break. That is when I took the opportunity to sketch. A football game was on the large screen TVs and many in the bar were rooting for one team or another. One member of our party has since died. His widow is working to get his ashes moved to his home state up north.

I will be returning to Punta Gorda in a few days since my sister has volunteered to drive me to and from a hernia repair operation I am going to have. Since returning to the States this operation has been my primary goal. I am so grateful to have her nearby to help in my recovery. I will stay in her guest room to recover and then my life will once again have a hard restart as I hit the road in search of an apartment in Orlando.

If I recover fast enough, I hope to help my friend Stella Arbelaez Tascón who is building a 14-foot-tall Trump puppet she will showcase at the No Kings Rally in Orlando Florida on March 28, 2026. I helped make the hands for the puppet and I really want to see this behemoth walking in front of City Hall in his orange prison jumpsuit. The puppet construction is far from complete, and I feel bad having to leave during the final crunch to get the whole rig set up. Stella literally worked for 48 hours with no sleep. That is the level of dedication needed to complete such a monumental task. Right now, the puppet rig is set up so the puppet is 14 feet tall. She is debating weather that is too tall. I’m Thankful I have been able to be part of such a monumental build.

Market Day

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Stella Arbeláez Tascón and I went to the Webster Westside Flea Market (516 NW 3rd Street, Webster, FL). This is a painting of the combined haul before we divvied up the spoils of the marketing war.

Stella is great at comparing prices and finding the best deal while I just grab on impulse and sometimes forget to pay. I’m just excited to get the produce in my ancient granny cart which was rickety by the end of the shopping spree due to the produce weight.

The jar contains, Tamarind, a hard shelled pea shaped Fruit legume, which is sweet and bitter at the same time. I bit off individual seed pods and nurse the fruit off the seed with my front teeth while rolling it in my mouth.

I have become addicted to having several oranges every day. I am also a fan of cooking corn on the cob every night. It only takes 5 minutes to boil an ear so it is a quick snack.

In the background of the sketch are some ink bottles. Stella was testing each bottle of ink for it’s permanence when used with watercolor washes. It turns out one bottle is not permanent and that is the one she had been using.

My backpack for my Europe trip arrived yesterday. Each morning I put it on to walk around the block to see how it feels. I shopped at REI and maybe packed it 1/3 full. I hope on my travels I can find keep finding lush bounties of fruit as I hike, train and drive from town to town. I am getting close to finishing my itinerary. Which will give me a list of the towns and hamlets I must visit to follow in 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken‘s footsteps as his C-Company infantry unit moved from France to Belgium, Norway and ultimately the heart of Germany at the end of WWII. I think I solved the mystery of which work concentration camp his unit might have liberated and moved the victims toward Eastern Europe via train box cars. The displaced person’s didn’t want to get on the train and his unit had to hammer the box car doors shut with nails. The trip East might have been a death sentence. Skeletal faces started out from between box car boards in sorrow.