Wine Women and Shoes – Analog Artist Digital World

Wine Women and Shoes held at Sea World‘s Ports of Call on May 18th, raised money to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida which is a private, nonprofit organization that collects and distributes donated food to more than 500 nonprofit partner agencies in six Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia.

When Terry and I arrived at Ports of Call, we first had our photo taken. The photographer remembered that I had sketched Wine Women and Shoes last year and she later took several shots of me at work. Maria Diestro lead Terry and I inside a bit early so I could get a jump on my sketch. I immediately focused my attention on these couches bathed in magenta light. No one was seated yet but I figured women wearing high heels would definitely want to sit and rest.

Terry sampled the food and wine while I sketched. She sat on the couch and I caught her fingerirg her iPhone. The only other men in the room were waiters holding silver platters with high heel shoes on them. There were vendors everywhere and a percentage of any sales went to Second Harvest. For $50 you could buy a key to a closet door. Inside that closed was merchandise valued at over $6,000.

Wendy Wallenberg and Coralie Claeysen-Gleyson, the director at Jai Gallery, joked around with Terry for a while. This was my first time meeting Coralie and I was so pleased that she knew about my sketch-a-Day project. Wendy was wearing an industrial pair of high heels that seemed to catch every woman’s eye. There was a competition for the woman wearing the most fabulous shoes and I heard Wendy won. Terry lamented that she didn’t wear her Eiffel tower themed high heels. With my sketch done, I had time to nibble one pastry before the food was carted away.

It was my wife Terry’s birthday. Thanks to Maria Diestro, I got two press passes to Wine, Women and Shoes since Terry adores a good pair of high heels. What better birthday could there be than spending an afternoon sipping wine and shopping for shoes? The woman at the reception table wished Terry a happy birthday. That was an unexpected sweet gesture. Maria must have made a note on the list. The event was a fundraiser for Second Harvest Food Bank held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. We arrived a bit early and agreed that I should get my sketch done first. I decided to focus on this Parisian style ottoman that had been set up. There were very few places to sit so I figured it would be a popular spot for women to rest their legs after standing in high heels. Besides myself there were only a few other men in the room. “Shoe Guys” held shoes on platters and they walked the room showing off the wares.

Vintners showcased samples of their wines and there were food stations. I never found time to try any of the food since I was sketching. One of the “Shoe Guys” turned out to be Matt McGrath a friend who often produces Play the Moment productions. That must have been a fun gig, being a male Vanna White for hundreds of women. I was glad Terry had someone to talk to while I worked. She purchased a pair of shoes that she adored. I decided the sketch was done when the runway fashion show began. Terry saved me a seat. A woman seated in front of us said to Terry, “You’re so lucky your husband joins you at this type of event.” I sipped my white wine.

It was an afternoon of Fashion and Compassion. Second Harvest Food Bank provides access to food and other grocery products in order to meet the needs of hungry families in six Central Florida Counties. They promote and support the development of partner agencies’ ability to fulfill their missions. They mobilize leaders and communities by bringing visibility to the invisible problem of hunger and poverty, and they develop more holistic and county-specific solutions to hunger in Central Florida. Bidding was fierce during the auction. All of the proceeds from Wine, Women & Shoes benefited Second Harvest Food Bank. Before we left, we sat in the photo booth.