Thornton 2nd Thursday Wine & Art Walk

Posted on by Thor

On the 2nd Thursday of every month, Washington Street just two blocks East of Lake Eola burst alive with color for the Thornton 2nd Thursday Wine Walk.

$10 cash gets you a wine glass and a map of all the locations where you will be greeted with a complimentary pour of wine. Glass pick up is at Mother Falcon (819 E. Washington Street). The walk proceeds go to the Thornton Park District Non-Profit. Many Thornton Park restaurants and bars, artist vendors are set-up throughout Thornton Park.

When I arrived in June, artists were just getting settled in their sidewalk spots. Electricity was available for when it got dark. I liked this wall of abstract art that artist Nick Seyler had set up next to Dexter’s Restaurant.  His tiki totems added a bit of tropical flair. The second tier of paintings was set up on tripods on a table. Several bursts of wind from looming storm clouds toppled paintings over, but there were pedestrians who caught the work and helped him lean it back again.

Dresden Kincaid of Earth Culture had her intricate handmade jewelry set up on a table. Her pieces are “natural expressions of art and positivity.” She uses natural minerals and gem stones woven together by thin wire to create intricate jewelry. I liked that she spent much of her time focused on creating a piece. There were always women stopped at her table trying things on. Dresden showed Nick some of the crystals she had with her. They were stored in tiny one inch clear plastic boxes. I used to collect minerals and I have a bunch of those boxes full of crystals above my desk. Intrigued, I walked over. Nick was holding a cluster of clear quartz crystals with cubes of pyrite or “fools gold.” It wasn’t for sale. She handed me one of her rings and it really was amazing how she used thin wire to weave together various natural stones.

Clouds and a bit of thunder had artist nervous that it might rain. I sketched faster. Nick said to Dresden,that “You will have to duck under your table if it starts raining.” She replied, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a rainbow appeared.” Fifteen minutes later a huge rainbow arched to the East over Washington Street. I’ve never before met someone who could predict a rainbow. As I was adding color to Nick’s paintings on my sketch, the sun burst through the tree leaves above his work mimicking the bright colors in his work. The whole sky to the west turned yellow then orange.

Jason L. Lee and Brad Biggs, the Arts Hub founders both stopped by to say hello. Brad had exciting news about some future Arts Hub shows and Jason showed me a ring that Dresden had created for him. As dusk settled in, my sketch was done. I walked West and spoke to several artists. This Wine Walk used to be held on Third Thursday but it conflicted with all the people viewing gallery openings downtown. Melissa Felcman of Mother Falcon moved it to the 2nd Thursday of each month and now The Arts Hub Florida organizes all the artists. When the street lights came on and the artists turned on spot lights to illuminate their work, the scene became a magical nocturne with art glowing warm as the evening cooled. I think I need to return to try and catch that light.

If you want a relaxing event on Thursday July 11th, then mark your calendar and head to Thornton Park to sip and stroll. The Thornton Park Parking Garage has entrances on North Eola Drive and East Washington Street. Street parking is available if you patiently look for it.

Thursday T&A

Posted on by Thor

I went to Graffiti Junction (900 E Washington Street, Orlando) for Thursday T&A (Trivia and Arts). I arrived a bit early right after work. T&A happens each Thursday from 7 to 9PM. I decided to sketch the ornate fountain that slows traffic through the Thornton Park District. I wonder how many drunk drivers ran into the fountain before they decided to put all those steal barricades around it. I leaned back against the new Mother Falcon Bar. Tables were being set up outside anticipating the evening crowd. Melissa Felcman who is an amazing supporter of the arts, came out and shot a photo of my sketch in progress. For once I didn’t feel like I was in the way. I heard the announcer across the street and when I finished the sketch, I went inside Graffiti Junction for a burger and Trivia.

They were just starting the second round of T&A when I arrived. Here are some of the questions. If you know the answers, you can leave them in the comment section. People were instructed to close laptops and put away cell phones to avoid cheating. The Mission Impossible theme kicked in.

What character smoked a hookah pipe in Alice in Wonderland?

What gives the Red Sea its red tint?

What is the Indian Religious concept called in which a soul returns to a new body?

What is the hormone responsible for male sex characteristics?

Word Jumble! NAIGLCABN

Snoop Dogg changed his name to what?

True of False. Wimbledon games are played on a grass surface.

What is the State capital of Washington?

What makes women more creative? Flowers, loose shoes, or chocolate chip cookies?

What comes after the turn in Texas Hold em Poker?

True or False. The Grey Wolf is also known as the Timber Wolf.

Snap Mothers Day Reception

Posted on by Thor

The main photography exhibit for Snap was on the 5th floor of the GIA Building (618 East South Street.) I parked in Thornton Park and walked to the building. The exhibit took up the entirety of the 5th floor which was still under construction. Overhead, air ducts and beams were exposed. The walls had exposed insulation and raw metal studs. It was a wide open industrial loft. Surreal fanciful photos were everywhere. One large area was separated from the rest with a long black curtain. I stepped inside the ominous space. Large three foot high black and white photos shot by Barry Kirsch hung from the ceiling one after the other in two rows. Every photo was of a murder scene with one element, a gold watch, appearing in each shot. Most of the shots felt staged but as a whole the effect was disturbing and desensitizing.

After seeing everything I decided to focus by sketching the Dan Eldon exhibit. Mothers slowly began to arrive, and it was heart warming to watch them share the art with their children. This was an opportunity to spend quality time away from the distractions of TV and video games. They could share wild creative thoughts with abandon. Dan Eldon’s mom, Kathy, came to the exhibit and she offered a guided tour of her son’s photo journals.Dan was born in 1970 in England. When he was seven years old the family moved to Nairobi Kenya. This began his lifelong infatuation with Africa. His mom was a journalist and he accompanied her on interviews. His father worked with local community leaders. From his parents he learned how to transfer ideas into positive life affirming actions. A creative activist is someone who uses thought or imagination to catalyze positive change in our world.

He returned to Africa when he was 22 and photographed the horrible effects of famine in Somalia. His images helped spearhead a large international relief effort. He used his art to affect a positive change. Throughout his life he kept journals in which he would create expressive collages. The exhibit consisted of large screens on which large prints were made of pages from his journals. These pages offered a personal glimpse into his adventurous life. I jotted down a few of the quotes from his pages, “The most important part of vehicle maintenance is clean windows, so if you are stranded you will enjoy the view.” “Death is just a horizon and the horizon is only the extent of your view.”

On July 12, 1997 Dan Eldon was stoned and beaten to death while covering the conflict in Mogadishu, Somalia. He was just 22 years old. His mother, though devastated, had to find a positive way to deal with her grief. She formed an organization called Creative Visions and published Dan’s journals in a book called, “The Journey is the Destination.” She is intent to share his creative vision with the world. This mothers Day I got to meet an extraordinary mom. A mother’s love is eternal.

World Cup

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I put out a request on Facebook asking where would be the best place in Orlando to watch the World Cup Soccer match. Someone responded Graffiti Junktion (400 East Washington Street in Thornton Park) so that is where Terry and I decided to go. When we first entered there was literally not a seat available. Terry wanted to go to a quieter bar down the street, but I knew this is where I needed to sketch. When we went back in the bar area, I found a spot in the corner of the room and I leaned back against the wall and started sketching. This meant I would have to stand for the duration of the game, but I thought it was worth it. Terry couldn’t find a seat so she asked me for my car keys and went back to get my portable stool. Right after she left a table opened up and I sent her a text to that effect. It turns out she had left her purse with me and her phone was in the purse. She ended up walking the 4 or 5 blocks and when she got back she realized she didn’t need the stool anymore.
At the table right in front of me there were several lesbian couples who were very affectionate. I found out that the two countries competing, Spain and Portugal, both recognize full marriage equality for all citizens. In other words, marriage need not only be the union of a man and woman. The fellow with the face paint was very boisterous. He was shouting and screaming the would game which then set the stage for a very loud crowd. He noticed me sketching and he climbed over to see what I was up to. The ink work was finished and I was about to start adding watercolor washes. Thankfully he loved what he saw and he took the sketchbook from me and started showing around to friends. When I got it back I started painting.
There were several moments where everyone in the room jumped to their feet and shouted. The moment the game winning goal was scored the place went ballistic. People were shouting and hugging, it was pure pandemonium. Since the people in front of me were rooting for Spain and had on orange and yellow face paint, I thought the team with the orange jerseys were from Spain. When the game was over I found out I was rooting for the wrong players the whole time. The orange jerseys belonged to Portugal.

Tomorrow Thor will be sketching “From Dust to Life”, the art of Jason Lee, at the Peacock Room (1312 North Mills Avenue) between 8PM and 11PM.