Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival

Posted on by Thor

This was the 60th Annual Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival. I arrived on the first day to do a quick sketch. I entered by the rose garden and realized that it was the perfect spot to slow down and observe before entering the tight crowded walkways.College girls took selfies in front of the iconic peacock statue. One girl must have shot over 50 photos of herself in her constellation pattern skirt.

The first local artist I saw was Robert Ross but I never did find his tent. There are so many paths set up with wood chips through the park that I suspect I must have missed a few aisles. Someone walking the event was on his cell phone was saying to a friend, ” It’s 9 to 5 or some mess like that.” I always like seeing the quirky work of Ed Myers who integrates hidden digital phones and tablets into his creations to add blinking eyes to some paintings.

There was a hand made book binder that intrigued me. It reminds me that I should create my own sketchbooks if I want to work on paper that I love in the size that suits me. I have never found just the right sketchbook for my work. I make due with what I can find mass produced.

Local artist Mathew Cornell had a booth on Park Avenue. He creates small and incredibly realistic oil paintings. I like that he doesn’t crowd his booth with tons of work. He just had a few paintings appropriately spaces like in a gallery. The painting on display were called roadside attractions being from his travels across the country. He is trying to relate what America means to him as an artist.

There was also fashion accessories, photography, mixed media, ceramics, metal, leather, jewelry, digital art, fiber, glass, clay and sculptures. It was a chance to see a wide variety of art as inspiration. Of course it is illegal to sketch on Park Avenue in Winter Park. I hoped that the city ordinance had been rescinded for the duration of the festival. I also knew that Central Park is considered a safe zone, where freedom of expression is permitted.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for March 16 and 17, 2019

Posted on by Thor

Saturday March 16, 2019

9pm to 5pm Free Saturday and Sunday. Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival. Central Park, 150 W Morse Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32789. Plenty of art to see and buy. Just don’t sketch on Park Avenue it is illegal.

10am to 4pm Free. Commander’s Call. Museum of Military History 5210 West Irlo Bronson Hwy Kissimmee FL 34746. This ongoing program is held on the 3rd Sat of each month is designed to
appeal to families, military memorabilia collectors, history buffs,
re-enactors and others interested in military history. In addition,
persons interested in displaying, trading or selling their military
items such as honor coins, swords, photographs, military buttons, scale
model boats & planes, military art, uniforms or other equipment
register in advance by calling the museum to reserve a spot. Re-enactors
& veterans are welcome to come in uniform to add to the history
and authenticity of the military experience. Non-military booths such
as health care providers, home improvement, local attractions or other
businesses are invited to be vendors for minimal donation.

For information or to register: 407-507-3894 or to register your table space.

4pm to 8pm Free. Cruisin’ Downtown DeLand Car Show! East Indiana Ave Downtown DeLand, Deland FL. Classic cars & rods. Live DJ, giveaways, shopping & dining. Fun for the family! Every 3rd Saturday night!

Information for showing your car 386-738-0649

Sunday March 17, 2019

10am to Noon. Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

10am to 4pm Free. Lake Eola Farmers Market. Lake Eola, Orlando, FL 32801. Arts crafts and some fruits and veggies.

10pm to midnight. Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out and laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for March 17th and 18th 2018.

Posted on by Thor

Saturday March 17, 2018

10 AM to 1 PM – Free. Sketchbook Project at the Park. Winter Park Station, Amtrak/Sun Rail Station, 148 W Morse Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32789. With #Connection being the theme of the Orlando Urban Sketchers #SketchbookProject, they will take it to the Winter Park 59th Sidewalk Art festival – http://www.wpsaf.org/ where they’ll document in sketches the connection between people, art, and the festival spirit on location, from observation! If you wish to be part of this project or just wish to sketch on location please join them at 10:00am. Sketching into the project sketchbook pages is not mandatory.

Will meet at the Sunrail train station at 10:00 am. After the
traditional meet and greet, they’ll disperse to points of interest
around the park as a group or as individuals to begin sketching. Will meet back near the Sunrail station at 1:00 pm for the Sketchbooks Throw down ceremony. To those who wish to participate in the project on location:

How this will work: The sketchbook we’ve received from the project
organizers will be disassembled and reassembled. Each participating
sketcher will receive one page- 7 x 10inch- with potential of 4
sketching pages (front and back folded in half).

You can pick up a
page from Margaret Gibson on location at the event or use your own
paper, keep within the dimensions of 7 x 10 inch and keep in mind the
paper will be folded in half.

If you cannot attend our sketch
outing on Mar. 17th and still are interested in contributing your sketch
to the project please contact Margaret Gibson for additional details,
and as indicated here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/USkOrlando/permalink/755567521299156/

Submitting our collaborated sketching work to the worldwide collection at the #BrooklynArtLibrary
will greatly define us urban sketchers artists and the global art
movement we represent and are part of! We are proud to take part in
this project!

www.sketchbookproject.com

What to bring:

Your own sketching/drawing/painting supply

Your sketchbook or painting paper to sketch more

Sitting stool

Hat and drinking water

A friend or family member and anyone who likes to sketch

All skills are welcome!

11 AM to 11 PM –  Free. 3rd Annual Crooked Can Celtic Festival. Crooked Can Brewing Company 426 W Plant St, Winter Garden, Florida 34787. The biggest party of the year is coming back to the Crooked Can Brewing Company for its THIRD YEAR! Join them for Three Days of Live Celtic Music, Irish Dancers, Local Vendors, Delicious Eats and so much more. Oh, let’s not forget about the Crooked Can Brews!!

4 PM to 8 PM -Free. Cruisin’ Downtown DeLand Car Show! East Indiana Ave Downtown DeLand, Deland FL.  Classic cars and rods. Live DJ, giveaways, shopping and dining. Fun for the family! Every 3rd Saturday night!

Sunday March 18, 2018

 9 AM to 5 PM – Free. Friday Saturday and Sunday The 59th Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival. Central Park in Winter Park. The
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival is one of the nation’s oldest,
largest and most prestigious outdoor art festivals. Over 1,100 artists from around the
world applied for this year’s Festival. An independent panel of three
judges selected the 225 artists exhibiting their works. The Festival
consistently ranks as one of the top juried fine-art festivals in the
country. Recent accolades include the #4 ranking in Art Fair Calendar’s
“2016 Best Art Fairs” and Art Fair Source Book’s listing in their “Top
10 Fine Art Shows, 2016”. The Festival is also listed in Sunshine Artist
Magazine’s “Top 100”. 

The Festival features a wide variety of fine arts and crafts
in the following categories: clay, digital art, drawings and pastels,
fiber, glass, graphics & printmaking, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed
media 2D, mixed media 3D, painting, photography, sculpture, watercolor
and wood as well as our Emerging Artists. Artists complete for 63 awards totaling $72,500. 

Girls and boys can create their own artwork at the Children’s
Workshop Village. Easel painting is very popular, and local art centers
and museums feature a variety of fun, hands-on art activities for
children. Admission is free and participants may take home their
artistic creations. The Children’s Workshop Village hours are 10 a.m. – 4
p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Easel painting is from 10 a.m. – 3
p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

1PM to 8 PM – Free. Will’s A Faire Spring Market. Will’s Pub 1042 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803. Will’s A Faire, the one day retro, vintage, local and handmade market is back at Will’s Pub on March 18th for Spring 2018. Will’s A Faire is the Biggest Outdoor/Indoor vendor market in Orlando, with 50 to 75 Vendors, Live Music a la Southern Fried Sunday, Craft Cocktails, Craft Sodas and Craft Brews from Will’s Pub and lil indies, Food Trucks andFree Fun for the Entire Family! Bands, Food Trucks and Specific Vendors: TBA! The Market runs from 1pm until 8:30pm.

3 PM to 5 PM – Free. Lutheran Cantata Choir and Chamber Ensemble. Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church (2021 West SR 426 Oviedo FL. Lutheran Cantata Choir and Chamber Ensemble. A Voice from Heaven – Claire Hodge, Director. Reception for the audience after the concert.

Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival

Posted on by Thor

I went to the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival and arrived shortly after noon of the first day. I found a nice spot on the merchant side of the street from which to do a sketch. Officially, I was breaking the law, that says no art can be created on that side of Park Avenue. I had my back to several magazine stands which kept any passers by from looking over my shoulder. Melissa Marie McCain had said she would be there and I do believe I saw a large feather plume in the crowd that had to be heard. I need to give her a commissioned piece called “The Rainbow Connection“. It documents the many rainbows I have sketched in the wake of the Pulse shooting. The notion of locating someone in the crude at this festival is insane. The artist whose boot I sketched did the most amazingly photo real still life’s. I jotted his name down in my cell phone, and spell check changed it to shouting. That isn’t his name at all.

My favorite art in the show was by R. Michael Wommack. They were large pastels that showed areal views of suburbs at night. Each home had a glowing green pool it the backyards and clouds were unified puffs. An occasional window would have the blue glow of a television. They were all haunting and quite amazing.

I stopped to talk to Stacy Barter, a Winter Park plain air painter. She had some amazing painting of a construction site. I asked her where the site was and she said she had gone to where the Whole Foods was being constructed on Orlando Avenue just north of Lee Road. It is the type of scene that attracts me as well. Don Santag had sold a large sunset painting of one of the canals that connect the many lakes in Winter Park. He confided that the Disney Feature Animation background painters had inspired his work. Seeping his large work made me want to start painting big.

I left for the festival with many layers because the morning temperatures were down in the 40s. By the time I left, it must have been almost 80 degrees. I was overdressed. I got a chicken gyro for lunch along with a green drink, Mountain Dew. Oh yes, I forgot to mention. The opening day of the Winter Park Art Festival fell on Saint Patrick’s day this year. There were plenty of people wearing green. My Nantucket hat was green as was my artist stool. I decided to paint the sketch only using green and Orange.I was told Orange is the color of Northern Ireland. My mothers family came from Corr Ireland in the south, so there is more green in the sketch than orange.

The Winter Park Sidewalk Festival continues today and tomorrow from 9am to 5pm. There is plenty of amazing art to see so be sure to check it out. Just don’t sketch on the merchant side of Park Avenue, you risk a $500 fine and 30ndays in jail. If you do happen to sketch, let me know and I’ll send you the Winter Park Illegal Art logo to emblazon your image.

Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival

Posted on by Thor

I went to Winter Park on March 15th to be interviewed by “I Luv Winter Park” in the Hidden Garden Courtyard across from Panera’s on Park Avenue. Parking was atrocious, I ended up parking a mile away and then hiking. When I got to Park Avenue, I realized why traffic was so bad, the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival had just opened. I thought the interview went well although I’m never sure if I’m offering enough information.

I decided to explore the maze of tents. I never have high expectations when I look at art in tents but some work always jumps out and inspires me. Matthew Cornell, a local artist from McRae Art Studios  won the overall award for Best in Show. His oil paintings are hyper photo-realistic. A large painting of ocean waves had me do a double take. I had to walk up close to see the incredible detail.

The Festival was crowded, so it was hard to find a spot to sketch where I wouldn’t get trampled. The fountain offered a quiet refuge in the shade. People came and went in a constant stream. Most people who sat down had fast food from the food vendors. When they were done the wandered off to see more art. The sound of the trickling fountain and birds in the trees helped level my blood pressure, but still I had to rush to get the sketch done.

Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival

Posted on by Thor

Clyde Moore, AKA I Luv Winter Park, invited me to sketch the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival from the second floor French windows of, Downeast (130 North Park Avenue). The second floor of the store, owned by Don and Lettie Sexton, has been dubbed “The Attic.” The attic features art from local Orlando artists as well as a wall devoted to Winter Park themed art. The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival is a huge three day event that features art from talented artists from around the country.

I had never been to “Downeast” before so I watched building numbers closely. When I saw 130, I walked upstairs, but the place didn’t have a retail vibe. I felt like I was entering a home. The kitchen had dishes stacked in the drainer. I walked down a hall towards an office. It was a lawyer’s office and the elder statesman informed me that his firm was at 130 South Park Avenue. He said North Park Avenue started one block further north.

Downeast had racks of women’s clothes out on the sidewalk. I walked inside and quickly found the staircase to the attic. Clyde greeted me upstairs. He pointed out what he felt might be the best sketching angles. I chose to sit in the center French window which had an unobstructed view over the vast field of artist’s tents. It was a beautiful day. Foot traffic was light as I started, but by the time I finished the sketch, there was a steady stream of pedestrians. Some women crossed the street to flip through the racks of clothes simply because the building cast a nice pool of cool shade. A piano player was tickling the ivories the whole time I worked, adding to the festive feeling of the day.

A huge stuffed Teddy bear named Parker stood in the window next to me. Occasionally children would notice Parker and they would shout and point. A couple of people noticed me sketching and they stopped and waved. I don’t have the anonymity I once had. I could hear Clyde taking an endless series of photos as I worked. He must have enough photos to create a stop motion time lapse of this sketches creation.

I had to get to work at Full Sail as soon as my sketch was done, so I only was really tempted to linger for a moment to inspect the quirky and fun found object sculptures of John Whipple. Anna McCambridge Thomas was there and she introduced me to her mother in law who actually has one of my calendars. That made my day. The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival continues today Saturday, March 17th, from 9 AM to 6 PM and then on Sunday, March 18th, from 9 AM to 5 PM. Be sure to stop into Downeast and say hi to Clyde or Lettie who were so gracious to share their “Room with a View.”.