SECAC: Art of the Gilded Age in America

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On my second day at SECAC, I arrived a bit late and grabbed a quick bite in the central social room before heading downstairs. Stella P. Alberaéz Tascón was the chair of a session that would be happening n several hours. She had to sit down and write up an introduction. As she did that, I wandered across the hall and poked my head into a session in progress. I had done no research to pick the topic, and I simply sat in the back row and started to sketch.

In the row in front of me an attendee was working on a portrait drawing in his sketchbook. I immediately felt at home. I was at a conference where everyone was an artist in one form or another. The only other time I felt this at home was in Paris where I would sketch at events and always see another artist at work in the room.

The session I found myself in was about Art of the Gilded Age in America. The chair was Willaim R. Levin from Centre College (emeritus). The speaker at the front podium was Virginia Raguin from the College of the Holy Cross (emeritus). Her talk was about Stained Glass in the Gilded Age. I was immediately drawn in and fascinated. She mentioned that Lewis Comfort Tiffany got his start at a Worlds Fair. She seemed to downplay Tiffany’s artistry and focused on his marketing ability, business acumen and ability to surround himself with very talented artists.

I have sketched at the Tiffany Museum in Winter Park multiple times so many of the slides of stained-glass works were familiar. The Tiffany Museum is home for the Tiffany Chapel which was created by Tiffany’s newly founded firm, Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, to demonstrate its artistry and craftsmanship in producing ecclesiastical goods ranging from clerical vestments and furnishings to mosaics and leaded-glass windows. It was put on display in the World’s Fair, it so moved visitors that men doffed their hats in response.

The Chapel won many awards at the World’s Fair and based on it’s reputation the Tiffany brand became highly sought after worldwide. The chapel itself went into a basement crypt at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine which was under construction in NYC. The chapel was stunted and suffered from water damage in the crypt from 1899 to 1911. Tiffany offered to buy it back from the church so he could restore it. Tiffany had the chapel removed and installed it, with substantial repairs by his workmen, in a free-standing building at Laurelton Hall, his Long Island country estate. There it remained his pride and joy up until his death in 1949.

16 years after his death, the Tiffany Foundation began dismantling the chapel, selling off portions to institutions in the region. In 1957 the Tiffany estate suffered from a huge fire which gutted many of the buildings. A daughter of Tiffany’s informed several collectors from Winter Park that much of the leaded glass was still intact after the fire. The collectors went to the burnt-out shell of the Tiffany estate to buy all of the mansion’s then-unwanted windows and architectural fragments. I love the story of the chapel which was gorgeous in it’s youth then abandoned and destitute and finally rising from the ashes like a phoenix.

SECAC: Art Book Sales

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At SECAC in Winston Salem North Carolina, the Winston Ballroom in the Conference Center had many small tables set up so people could relax between sessions. Long tables were set up down the center aisle of the room which had a wide array of art books for sale. Stella Alberaéz Tascón found a book that showed how to mix your own pigments by finding the natural plants and crushing pigments using a mortar and pedestal. It took a Herculean amount of self control for me to resist getting some more art books to fill out my art book library. I walked down this aisle multiple times between session flipping through the selections.

On the far wall of the room away from the entrance doors were long tables full of coffee’s, Teas and pasties. Since my hotel didn’t have any breakfast options, I came in here each morning to grab a power bar. I resisted caffeine.

Here and the main entrance hall were the min social areas. Many professors researchers and artists had clearly been her at SECAC many times before and they would shout out in joy and hug when they spotted a friend from past years. This was all new to me and it was an uncharted adventure to learn what I could from as many lectures as possible.

I would enter this central conference room between sessions and sit down to figure out what I needed to see next. The titles of the sessions could be long and esoteric so choosing just the right talks was a guessing game. Sessions were organized into categories such as, Studio Art, Art History, Studio and Art History, Graphic Design, Art Education, and Interdisciplinary. I tended to want to see sessions relating to studio art, but almost all of the sessions were also related to art education.

Towards the end of the conference, I just started wandering into sessions with no preconceptions and I was never disappointed. Since I am endlessly curious and rushing to complete a sketch, there was never a moment to slow down and be bored. I honestly can’t imagine anyone being bored with so much research and artistic expression being shared.

Bear Hugs

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October 17, 2026 was the Come Out with Pride Parade in Orlando Florida. Stella P. Alberaéz Tascón had the thought to have the 14-foot Trump Puppet in an Orange Jump Suit in Lake Eola Park during the parade. We walked the route around the park and found that there were many spots where a 14-foot-tall puppet would have difficulty navigating.

She switched gears and decided to finish a puppet she had started which was a life sized bear. She already had the head made along with the paws and boots. There were only a few days left before the parade and she would have to sew a shirt, pants and the inner suit for the character.

She worked all night to complete some of the tasks needed. On the day of the parade she was still sewing the pants and shirt. She was working right until the moment the parade started. It was an incredible superhuman push to get the Pride Bear completed.

I was assigned to complete the HUGS and FREE LOVE sign. I used a painter’s pole to hold up a large heart. Stella managed to cover the pole with brilliant rainbow fabric and added fringe all around the heart. The pole could be expanded to elevate the sign high above the crowd. When we made our way into the park, security had a long discussion as to whether they should allow the sign in. Maybe they thought the pole could be used as a weapon. Ultimately the security officer waved us in.

Stella added a rainbow bow tie on the bear and had pompoms and strings of tiny battery powered lights. I carried a hip pack which held two Smart bottles of water and I hooked up a tube system which would allow Stella to drink without taking her bear head off. I was pleased that my water supply system worked.

We walked down the block towards Lake Eola and found a location at the end of the street with no security fencing. The Pride Bear danced to the music on every float. Stella was an absolute star during the parade. When parade dancers saw the bear they had to come over for a hug. The Pride Bear must have given out hundreds of hugs.

Stella could not see straight ahead of her because of the bear muzzle. I had to shout out “Bear Hug straight ahead” any time someone approached for a hug. Stella had an adorable way of shuffling her feet in excitement and opening and closing her paws which invited people to come in for the hug. Everyone adored her. Several people cried while hugging the bear. Several said that The Pride Bear gave the best hugs ever.

After the parade we made our way to the dance floor where the Pride Bear gave even more FREE hugs. Huggy danced for hours right until it was time for the fireworks over Lake Eola. Even as the fireworks went off the bear stayed in character looking on with amazement and joy.

I felt so much joy helping make the moment happen. I brought my art bag but there was never a moment where I could sketch. Both hands were needed to keep the sign vertical and clear of hitting anyone. When I danced I was essentially doing a tango with the sign pole. I felt like Fed Astaire dancing with the pole, but I probably looked more like Pewee Herman.

On young man said to me, “You remind me of my father.” I responded, “Does your father attend Pride?” He said, “No, my father hates me.” The Pride Bear gave the fellow a long hug.  A dancer soared high above the dancing crowd on top of flowing light fabric. I am not sure how the device worked but it looked like pure magic. Blue Star was on stage as a DJ and her dance troupe was performing both on stage and close to the crowd.

The Pride Bear gave away more hugs than we ever imagined he would. Stella had her website URL as a bar cove on the bear’s butt and hopefully some people scanned her butt. Several guys had too much to drink and leaned in with all their weight when hugging. Thankfully I never had to intervene. Huggy never spoke but communicated with pantomime. The whole night was magical.

The next day Stella and I started looking for photos online of people hugging the bear. Stella’s search for “Pride Bar Hugs” resulted in lots of photos of large muscular and very hairy men hugging. Her adorable costume had tapped into a sub culture she wasn’t aware of before. I did find a Tic Tok video and a few photos but I really should have been taking photos of every hug that the Pride Bear gave out that day. As Stella put it, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it really fall?” The Pride Bear twerked his way into many an Orlando heard and the hugs were plentiful. Some things do not need to be quantified.

Bear Box, Shenandoah National Park

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Stella P. Alberaéz Tascón was hiking northbound over 107 miles along the Appalachian Trail going through Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. I joined her for the final 13 miles after I returned from the 75th Infantry Division Reunion in Texas. I was hiking with her when she reached the northern terminus of the park.

Stella and I stopped at Bear Fence Hut to camp for the night. This camping site had a stone and wood hut with a wooden floor and roof. This is luxury living on the Appalachian Trail. The other luxury that the site has is a steel bear box and a pole with hooks to store food and toiletry supplies. Bears have a keen sense of smell and they know that humans carry delicious food staples. The last thing you want is a bear rummaging through your backpack at 2am.

The bear pole had a long steel pole which allows a camper to place their food back suspended about 18 feet in the air. I tried it out. I have a bear proof bag with smell proof bags inside but I still wanted to take every precaution. Hooking the bag way up high takes practice but it is doable. Ultimately, I decided to keep the bag in the steel box since it was easier to access and I had to get into my supplies multiple times while making dinner. I had Mountain House prepackaged meals. They are not set to expire until 2056. These remind me of WWII K-Rations which had all processed and dried foods which in theory could be eaten to this day over 80 years later. I wouldn’t put that stuff in my mouth however.

Stella and I had a restful night’s sleep in the shelter. Early in the night, I thought I heard a bear rummaging around, but I think that was all in my head. The woods are full of noises throughout the night. In the morning, Stella and I set about doing a painting. We sat at the picnic table and painted the view of the woods. As we were painting, clouds rolled in and the woods disappeared into a cloudy mist. It is amazing to be inside a cloud. Stella got a really good painting, while I consider this one only marginally successful. I find painting the deep woods a real challenge. I am so used to sketching and painting man made objects. The woods offer nothing but chaos and organic shapes. Trees and branches flow in all angles. The bear box in my painting stands out as being entirely separate from the organic chaos all around it.

I am so happy Stella invited me on this hiking adventure. This is something I hope to do more often in the future. Perhaps I will branch off and do a long solo hike someday with the plan of documenting every step with sketches and paintings.

Big Meadows, Shenandoah National Park

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Stella Arbelaéz Tascón was hiking northbound over 107 miles along the Appalachian Trail going through Shenandoah State Park in Virginia. I joined her for the final 13 miles after I returned from the 75th Infantry Reunion in Texas. I was hiking with her when she reached the northern terminus of the park.

At the end of a log day of painting, Stella and I stopped at Big Meadows, which is a lodge which has a cafeteria. In turns we each ordered some dinner and ate outside at the picnic tables. While Stella was inside ordering, I noticed a big crow in a gnarly tree and I started sketching. There was a couple seated at one of the tables.

Once Stella got back, I went inside and ordered a sandwich as well. By the time I got back the couple had left. They were replaced by an Indian family. Two of the boys started playing Frisbee. The Frisbee was illuminated. That would have been fun to sketch but I would have needed my iPad to catch the glowing light. The mom was taking care of the needs of the other two children at the table and preparing the food, while dad sat and looked at his phone.

I quickly lost light and gave up on the sketch when it got too dark out. Cars drove by on the road behind the dying tree with their headlight blazing. At the time, I wasn’t eating a vegetarian diet, so I probably had a processed meat sandwich. Stella’s healthy diet while hiking lead to her loosing weight and felling more energized. She shared research which showed that eating healthy could control high blood pressure and after this trip, I switched to an all plant-based diet. In my sketch the dying tree to the right is me eating meat and the lush tree to the left is me eating a plant-based diet.

In my Eola Heights Art Studio, I am building my pantry and cooking plant based recipes every day, and I am loving it. It turns out that giving up salt, sweets and processed food is not a sacrifice but a chance to live more creatively in the kitchen.

Mount Marshall, Shenandoah Park

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Stella Arbelaéz Tascón was hiking northbound over 107 miles along the Appalachian Trail going through Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. I joined her for the final 13 miles after I returned from the 75th Infantry Division Reunion in Texas. I was hiking with her when she reached the northern terminus of the park. After passing out of the Shenandoah Park she wanted to keep hiking to give me a felling for what it is like to be a through hiker on the trail. She had me bring her some hiking boots to replace the trail runners she was wearing because the tread had worn off. We trans versed some very boulder strewn areas and the extra tread would be lifesaving. The problem was that the old hiking shoes that I had brought along started to break down. The glue holding the soul of the shoe in place gave way turning the hiking boots into flip flops. I had tape wrapped around the handle of the hiking poles I was using so we were able to tape the soul in place for the day. This wasn’t a workable long term hiking solution. We decided to cut the hike short as her toes were starting to get bruised from the boots that were now too small. When you hike a lot, your feet expand. I had boots that were a size 12 but when I got a new pair to wear to the Appalachian trail I ended up getting a size 13. My feet are expanding as I slowly shrink. We started doing day hikes from the car. Mount Marshall was a day hike for us rather than part of a through hike. We made our way to the summit over several hours then took our time painting for a couple of hours and It was a pleasant way to spend the day without the stress of hiking far enough to find water and a camping spot. Stella kept apologizing but I was having a blast. It was so fun to explore the beauty of nature with a talented artist friend. I haven’t painted with gouache for years. I had a tiny travel sized palette and the main problem came from trying to mix the paint without getting it too dirty on the palette. Part of me wanted to treat the paint like watercolor while the other part of wanted to treat the paint like oils. In general, the paintings turned out darker than the usual watercolors I do. Bees kept buzzing around me to the point of distraction. I wanted to swipe at them but didn’t want to make them angry. Stella found a nice shady spot near the rocks to paint from while my spot back near the trees soon was blasted with sunlight. I got a sunburn on my left arm and on my neck. I resisted my love affair with line, but in the end I started redrawing back into the painting. Stella had a nice set up where her palette was attached to her painting. I want to replicate that some day for my set up. I made a mess and I hope I learned from my mistakes. I intent to paint more often on location using gouache.

Jail Bird Trump Puppet Build

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I helped Stella Arbelaéz Tascón when she was working on a 14-foot-tall Jailbird in Chief puppet. She researched online videos and websites to figure out how to construct a the puppet. A walker was found and dismantled. She then added backpack straps to the walker frame which became the backpack that she would wear which supported the giant head and torso.

The head was constructed from white flexible plastic hose. She built a simple wooden base from scrap she found in her garage. A metal pipe was mounted to that base to support the head as she worked. She figured out how to take simple tubing and make it into a dimensional face. I didn’t do to many sketches of the process since my hands were busily helping. The puppet needed to be completed before a No Kings Rally just 13 days away.

Once the heads tubing structure was complete the “Skin” was added using paper mache. Stella added al the paper to the delicate features of the face, and I helped by doing the same for the rest of the head. Three layers of the paper mache were added to make the head feel solid to the touch. I was pleased and nervous when Stella asked me to paint the head. Making him look like Trump would be a challenge. I blocked in basic skin colors and added thick eyebrows using yarn. Stella stepped in to add warmth to the cheeks lips and ears. I liked her quick bold painting suggestions, and it affected how I painted moving forward.

I also was put in charge of building Trump’s hands. The hands were just as big as the face and were constructed of a cardboard form for the palms and pool noodles for fingers. Unfortunately, Stella didn’t have enough pink pool noodles for both hands, so I had to get more noodles from Family Dollar. Those noodles were blue and a bit thicker. I had to carve them down with an electric blade to try and match them with the thinner noodles. Spray foam filled al the empty spaces in the palm and helped keep the fingers in place. Like the head paper mache “Skin” was added. It was fun painting the Trumps bruised hands.

It was in the final days of the build that Stella had to figure out the puppet’s torso and jumpsuit. I helped by making a stencil and painting 666 as the prison number on the jumpsuit. She had multiple sleepless nights sewing that giant jumpsuit and assembling everything. I have no idea how she finished everything in time. Unlike her, I had to rest.

This was the second huge project to christen Stella’s new large studio space. Opening the space in the room allowed for larger than life ideas to take form.

The giant head was balanced on a pipe inside the puppet so it could nod. The puppet was so large that two people could fit inside. I needed to hold all the weight of the puppet as Stella strapped on the backpack. Once she was standing and balanced, I could duck out of the puppet. At that point, I would be in charge of holding a long stick which supported the bruised right hand.  It is so fun to be the friend of an artist who thinks so big. I am so happy for the time I had to collaborate.

Look at Those Melons!

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By Thomas Thorspecken

My Friend Stella P. Arbelaéz Tascon and I were seated on a wooden bench at the entry to this covered stall area at Webster’s Market. This vendor was selling corn on the cob and watermelon. Stella said that his thick southern accent was for show, in that vendors are showmen as well as salesmen. On watermelon was cut open with a machete and free samples were offered to any passer by.

Parked in the parking lot was a Trump and Vance American flag painted car.

Stella had t use the bank machine to get some cash outside the market office. The person getting cash before use stood staring at the screen forever. It turned out the machine had not given him his cash, Had to go into the office to report that the machine had failed him. Stella decided to try the machine herself despite the risk. The machine refused to work. In the market office she was guaranteed a refund at her bank. There was no other bank machine on property but there was one at a gas station down the street. We walked with Boo Boo down the street to find the machine. There was a sign on the gas station door that said no dogs were allowed inside but service dogs. Boo Boo panicked when Stella went into the gas station. I kept reassuring him that she would return. Each person that filed inside smiled. They came back out with there lottery tickets secured.

Each watermelon was $7. I decided I had to have one. I picked up the biggest one I could find and it was as heavy as a cinder block. Stella’s little granny cart strained under the weight. We also picked up so many fruits and vegetables that the bags overflowed from the top of the cart. I ha to hold the handles of the top bag to keep it from tipping over and spilling out.

I am not a great shopper. Some of the vendors spoke Spanish. Stella spoke fluently to them. My 60 or so days of Duolingo only allowed me to pick up a few words of the conversations. When I picked up some tamarind from one vendor I started taking to Stella and walked away. He shouted out, “You haven’t paid me!” I am such a space cadet sometimes.

Meanwhile in Gaza, starving Palestinians are being shot to death as they rush towards food relief truck in the hope of getting some food.

On July 4th, I finally cut the watermelon in half. I put the two halves on a table with spoons. Stella and I raced one another in eating the watermelon. Hers looked like a strange smiling beast with a snaggle tooth. She took a photo of her creation and used it as her profile picture on Facebook.

Alligator Alcatraz: Protestors

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By Thomas Thorspecken

The scene at the entrance of Alligator Alcatraz was chaotic with protestors who want the facility removed lining both sides of the street. Florida State Troopers and National Guard Troops were on hand to be sure the entrance to the concentration camp remained open. A helicopter hoovered over head. I am not sure if the helicopter was for media or the camp security.

There was a bit of a circus atmosphere around the entrance.  was one pro Trump protestor who had a sign that said, “Send more Gators.” A family showed up later with a father waving a 1776 American flag and his daughter held a Trump, MAGA election flag. They were quickly surrounded by media like a swarm of mosquitos. The little girl spread her arms to unfurl the blue flag, then she wore it like a shawl over her shoulders to protest from the intense sun.

Protestors against the facility far outnumbered the people celebrating cruelty. The number of reporters far out numbered all the protestors on hand. My friend Stella P. Arbelaéz Tascón and I walked around on cameraman standing on the shoulder who was looking through his camera with his back to traffic. A blue jeep veered towards us at maybe 5 MPH. Stella and I jumped aside but the cameraman was blindsided and struck from behind. He fell forward twisting his body to look back as he fell. His left foot got caught under the front tire and then the car ran over his leg up to his knee. I was right beside him as it happened.

Though political opinions were divisive, people pulled together to help the man who was run down. The driver was panicked and clueless as she slowly backed up off his leg, off the shoulder and into the road. A thin white line separated where it as safe to walk and the traffic on the road. All traffic was stopped by state troopers after the accident. A national guardsman talked to the injured man and kept him still until EMTs could arrive. The shoe was taken off the man’s injured leg. If he was in extreme pain then he knew how to mask the pain. Thousands of photos must have been taken as he lay on the shoulder of the road. The ambulance arrived from inside Alligator Alcatraz and he was loaded on a gurney and taken inside. Legislators and representatives who toured the facility that day complained that they could not see the medical facilities. This one cameraman got to see the medical facilities first hand.

Stella had been interviewed by a Univision reporter in Spanish. Stella’s interview kicked ass since she was well versed in how development was encroaching on the natural beauty of the Everglades. Stella is from Colombia and speaks Spanish fluently, so her opinions carried weight as she spoke of Latino detainees with no criminal records being held in the facility. We looked t the comments with the now viral video and strangely few people addressed what Stella had said. Instead people seemed fixated on Boo Boo, her tiny dog who sat in her lap as she was sketching. People wanted to jump to the conclusion that Boo was suffering in the Florida heat even though his fur had recently been trimmed and he was in the shade of a golf umbrella. I can vouch for the fact that he is very well taken care of. People are instantly more concerned with the well being of a pet instead of having any compassion for humans being held under atrocious conditions in the detention camp. Steve, a National guardsman came over in his camouflage uniform and asked to pet Boo Boo. He explained that he had a small pup named Josephine Coco Pebbles. Josephine had her own social media page.

Any concern about the views of police, or National Guard, regarding the detention camp, melted away in part because people had to pull together to help an injured reporter. Boo Boo also helped bridge the political divide, allowing people to unite, or express concern about Boo’s well being, as he stood against injustice. The tiniest of pets can ignite concern while people celebrate cruelty to humans.

Alligator Alcatraz: Press Conference

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By Thomas Thorspecken

On July 12 Democratic legislators and representatives had arranged to get a tour of the Alligator Alcatraz, a quickly assembled pop-up detention center with tents set up on an abandoned airstrip in the everglades. At least five members of Congress and roughly 20 state legislators toured the detention center.

A reporter held up a fist full of rusty nails and explained that the nails had been planted on the roadside to puncture the tires of news trucks and protestors vehicles as they pulled off the road to park. Thankfully, the Prius I had parked, did not get a flat.

When Stella P. Arbelaéz Tascóne and I arrived at the Alligator Alcatraz we noticed a news tent set up where legislators were taking to reported before they went into the detention facility. It was blazing hot but I sat to get the sketch.

The meeting broke up as I was sketching. The tent had been crowded full of reporters but they wandered off when the representatives left to go inside the dentition center for a tour. The sketch gives the impression I get any time I post a sketch and article. You might think you are addressing a crowd, but actually only a few ever seem to hear the commentary.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz explained that 32 detainees are packed into cages like sardines, inside the tents, with eight cages per tent. There are 900 detainees reported to be at the detention camp. inmates have to wear colored bracelets, Red, Yellow and Green, to mark where they stand in the deportation process. Red would be a high level offense, Green was a medium offense, and Yellow which was worn by most of the inmates was for minor civil offenses. Lawyers are finding it impossible to meet with detainees.

Schultz said conditions inside the internment camp were were appalling. The te,nts were hot muggy and mosquito infested. Carlos G. Smith complained that they were not allowed to talk to any of the detainees. Anna Eskamani explained that they were shown empty tents to give a sanitized and scripted impression of the facility. There were three toilets per cage. As she put it, “We have animals that are in better conditions.” She said the detention center was a $50 million dollar grift.

The airstrip had been shut down because it did not meet environmental standards. Huge trucks are rolling into the facility every day. A reported 11 acre area has been covered with cement. The site is not hurricane proof nor is it flood proof. Within a week of the sire opening video footage leaked onto the internet showing a floor at the site flooding. The Miami Herald reported that over 100 detainees do not have any criminal record.