The Central Florida Fingerstyle Guitar Circle

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I used to live in Winter Park. The city used to mail out a community bulletin along with the water bill. In that bulletin I found the Winter Park Guitar Circle which meets at the Winter Park Public Library, (460 E New England Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789). I arrived pretty early to a room with a circle of chairs. Gradually, musicians arrived, and I placed them in the sketch as they sat down. The seats directly in front of me eventually did fill up, but I left the seats empty for the sake of opening up the staging.

Each guitarist in turn would perform and if the mood was right others would join in. One performer had a harmonica while another had a small head microphone since he felt his voice didn’t carry. Others joked that he might electrocute himself as he got ready to perform. The folk songs and music was relaxing and heart felt. It was a great free concert. There were varying levels of talent and experience but anyone who came and performed found a supportive and safe place to play. Similar song circles sprout up all around Central Florida and they are always a great sketch opportunity.

The Central Florida Fingerstyle Guitar Group meets on the third Wednesday
of each month at 6:00 P.M. til 8:30 P.M. in the community room of the
Winter Park Public Library. It is open to the public and free. Any
person interested in acoustic fingerstyle guitar is welcome and please
do come if you wish to listen and bring any friends with you. This is
always recommended to all levels of players because you will be exposed
to many styles and levels of skills. Bring your guitar if you wish.
The circle is very casual. We sit in a circle and share one at a time.

49 Globes.

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The City of Winter Park responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting but hanging 49 globes in Central Park around the Albin Polasek, “Emily Fountain.” These illuminated globes usually are hunk up and down Park Avenue during the Christmas holidays. This mini memorial garnered plenty of attention. During the course of doing this sketch people kept dropping at the fountain to take cell phone photos. Every color of the rainbow was used. It was a small visual hint of hope in the face of tragedy. Despite the cities over controlling and unconstitutional ordinances that limit free speech, they do know how to honor and cherish the memory of lives lost.

When walking home from a quick sketch competition in Central Park, I saw a chalk outline of a human body on the sidewalk. On October 15, 2016  Roger Thomé Trindade a Brazilian transfer student at a Winter Park school was beaten to death by 3 youths. One of the three bragged about delivering the fatal knockout punch.  Two of the youths, Simon Hall, 15, and Jesse Sutherland, 15, were released on bail in February 2017 pending the trial. They were under house arrest. Authorities say Simon Hall threw the first punch and spit on Roger when he was down. The State attorney did report that Jaggar Guorda, 14, one of the three youths accused in the homicide, will receive his sentence on June 12, 2017. Gourda is accused of initiating the sequence of events that lead to the attack by spraying teens with spunk spray. He is also accused of threatening a middle school girl, saying if she mentioned the fight, she would pay. As of April 6th, 2017 there still was no sentencing in the trial of the three youths.

Pop Up Art Sale in Winter Park

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Winter Park has adopted an ordinance that makes it illegal to create art on the merchant side of Park Avenue. If you were found creating or performing on Park Avenue, an artist could face a $500 fine and or 30 days in jail. Winter Park’s Central Park, however, is considered exempt from the ordinance. It allows freedom of expression. Every day a religious group has brochures on display in the park, presumably to convert passengers getting off the Sun Rail. I decided to test the ordinance by setting up a small art pop up shop on the Central Park lawn. I used a red sheet as the base for the shop, and put out a few square and circular canvases and matted prints of Analog Artist Digital World sketches. I didn’t put out any price tags, so that sales were considered a donation. One sketchbook was put out for anyone to flip through, but no one touched it.



Several artists joined me and sketched while sitting on brick planters. The art was officially in the park, since it was on the grass. The artists, myself included, however, were on the sidewalk and thus might be breaking the law by sketching. I never noticed a police officer that day. It was a perfect day for an art sale. I only sold one drawing that day, which was a figure drawing.



An old man and his caretaker sat on the park bench next to the art pop up shop. The old man smiled at all the young ladies who passed by and he asked how they were. He was good for business, he slowed people down, who then looked at the art. Late in the day, I decided to test the ordinance a bit further. I put several dollar bills in my baseball cap and layed it on the carpet. Within minutes, a golf cart pulled up and a park sanitation worker got out. He frowned at the hat with several bills in it and said I wasn’t allowed to exhibit art in the park. I politely explained that it wasn’t his job to make that call. He decided to let the situation slide, and he drove off in the cart to collect more garbage. He didn’t point out that sketching was illegal, his sole concern was the hat with money in it. I put the hat back on my head to avoid escalating the situation. I was sure the sanitation worker would think twice, and come back. He never did.

I will keep testing this ordinance that limits freedom of expression. On April 4th, I am hosting ODD 22 the Illegal Edition. ODD stands for Orlando Drink and Draw. This sketch outing, will be at The Wine Room on Park Avenue (270 S Park Ave, Winter Park, Florida 32789). We hope to sit at an outdoor table at the Wine Room and quietly sketch while sipping wine. This will be civilized civil disobedience.

Artists
are lumped in with performers which means to engage in any of the
following activities: acting; singing; playing musical instruments;
puppetry; pantomiming, miming; performing
or demonstrating magic or acts of illusion; dancing; juggling; or the
public display of and composition or creation of crafts, sculpture,
artistry, writings, or compositions, including the application of brush,
pastel, crayon, pencil, or other similar objects applied to paper,
cardboard, canvas, cloth or to other similar medium. 

Prohibited
public area means the pedestrian accessed public areas of the Central
Business and Hannibal Square Districts along Park Avenue from Fairbanks
Avenue to Swoope Avenue, and along New England Avenue from Park Avenue
to Pennsylvania Avenue including the area within fifty (50) feet of the
public right-of-way of Park Avenue and New England Avenue on the public
lanes, streets, thoroughfares and ways, including the Winter Park train
station and the public property at what is known as the Winter Park
Farmer’s Market and the Winter Park Historical Association located at
200 West New England Avenue.

So, if you find this anti-art ordinance to be ridiculous, stop out with a sketchbook and pencil, and let’s break the law. If anyone wants a digital “Winter Park Illegal Art” logo for their sketch, just let me know.

Apartment hunting.

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It has been 10 months since I have been separated from my wife. The sketchbooks were the first thing to leave the house. The first apartment I looked at was one block from Sam Flax. The place had new tile and looked nice. It was only an 800 foot studio space however. With all my art, the place would be cramped. The day I looked at the place I sat on the front porch an waited for the realtor. The tiles on the front porch were being bashed up by a workman.

I was amazed that I was accepted almost immediately. I was also amazed when friend in Winter Park who is a snow bird, offered me a sublet when she moved back up north. I sweetened the deal by offering to replace all the living room carpet, and the tile kitchen and dining area with new Mediterranean tile. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Knocking up old tile using a chisel and hammer was way more work than I imagined. I spent six months living in a construction zone. All that blood sweat and tears saved me $200 a month on rent.

The lease was for 8 months, but the friend decided to return two months early. I explained all the work that remained to be done and the response was, “Just get it the fuck done!” So I rushed the job, completing the floor before the new deadline. There was plenty of touch up and cleaning up that needed to be done but I got it the fuck done. The floor looked amazing. Long story short, for reasons I don’t understand, unrelated to the job, I was told to leave and sighed a lease termination document. I considered that document a friendship termination document. Not my circus, not my monkeys. Within two days I had moved to a gorgeous Thornton Park apartment for a short term stay while I looked for a new place. Several friends offered me roommate situations. My Orlando friends helped me land back on my feet.

10th Annual Russell Athletic Bowl Parade of Bands.

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The City of Winter Park proudly hosted the 10th Annual Russell Athletic Bowl Parade of Bands, featuring West Virginia University and University of Miami. The parade was a prelude to the Russell Athletic Bowl game at 5:30 p.m. at the Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium that evening. School bands, cheerleaders and mascots marched through downtown Winter Park and performed a “Bandtastic Game Day Preview.” The parade started at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Park and Lyman avenues. School bands marched north along Park Avenue through downtown Winter Park. After turning west on Garfield Avenue, they proceeded to Central Park where they performed on the lawn in front of the band shell for all fans to enjoy.

I arrived a little early, and found a peaceful shady spot in the shade. Being in the park, I was safe from the Winter Park law that bans creating art on Park Avenue and Herald Square. The park is exempt from the Winter Park law which threatens 30 days in jail and a $500 fine for creating art in public. Excited children played near the fountain. People were seated curbside in lawn chairs waiting for the parade to start. By the time I had sketched the fountain, the bands could the heard in the distance. Bright yellow uniforms filled the street they marched by. Once both bands had marched by, everyone started walking towards the Central Park Band Shell. I walked over as well, but decided there wasn’t enough film for a second sketch. The event reminded me of my youth when we watched high school bands marching in my small home town. I remember covering my ears when drums marched by. The loud drumming vibrated my tiny frame. In all the Winter Park event had all the restrained charm of middle American ideals.

Mimi’s Christmas Birthday Party.

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Mimi Hwang lives on beautiful Lake Sylvan in Winter Park. Finding her house number was a challenge but there was plenty of side street parking once I got off the main road. Her back yard sloped right down to the lake’s edge. The night tin view off the lake we gorgeous with all the home lights adding a romantic glow. It was a chilly night and no one else used the rented tables and chairs she had set up on the hill. I poured a Proseco and started the sketch. The table was pitched an angle, so the wine glass kept inching down the table towards my lap. I found it could be stabilized by wedging a pine branch under the leading edge.

The back porch of her home had a DJ and a fire pit. It was also mission central for the bar which supplied champagne all evening. Candle light and Christmas lights supplied the only illumination. Mimi had tons of rich sweet roast duck and plenty of side dishes. A piano player performed holiday favorites which everyone sang along to. I finished the low light digital sketch in record time, so I could get back inside and warm up. Wendy Wallenberg pointed out all the walls of the home that she would rip out if she were to buy the home. She also took selfies with just about everyone at the party. By the time the birthday cake rolled out, every one was stuffed, drunk or both, and the cake went uncut. Being able to party outside in December is why we all love to live here in Central Florida.

El Potro Mexican Restauranl in Winter Park.

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I arrived in Winter Park an hour early before a sketch opportunity at a shaman healing workshop. I decided to get dinner at El Potro Mexican Restaurant (501 N Orlando Ave Winter Park, FL) in a nearby shopping mall. There is a daily lunch time buffet for a little under $13. The buffet was empty when I arrived so I ordered tacos and re-fried beans, it was decent meal at a very affordable price.

The paintings on the walls were by Dominican artist  Jose Calcano.  They depicted rural scenes with scarecrows and migrant workers in the fields in the fields. The Scarecrow was painted in 1974.he colors were hyper saturated. I must have arrived before the dinner rush because the couple in front of me were the only other people in the place.

I recently moved my studio to Winter Park and ironically this restaurant is right within walking distance. Another restaurant in the same shopping area however has caught my taste buds. It is an Indian Restaurant called Tamarind Indian Cuisine, (501 N Orlando Ave #149, Winter Park, FL). This place has a Vegetable Jalfrezi that is to die for.  It is a medley of fresh vegetables with onion pepper and curry sauce. If I was to be sent on a space mission spending five years travel.’ to another planet, the the Jalfreizi is what I would wan to lire on.  The Malai Kofta is also good, being mixed vegetable balls cooked in a rice green cream sauce. I tried a Dosa, which is a thin crispy crepe, but it was rather dry compared to the other dishes. I almost tasted Dosa once before but my sketching got me kicked 8 of the Indian Market, before I could taste it. My curiosity about Dosa has been satiated.

Both restaurants are incredibly affordable, with enough food as leftovers to last as lunch and dinner the next day.

The Winter Park Paint Out takes over Park Avenue.

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The Albin Polasek Museum and Sculp­ture Gar­dens will host its eighth Annual Win­ter Park Paint Out dur­ing the last full week of April 2016. Twenty-five pro­fes­sion­ally acclaimed Plein Air artists will roam across the city cap­tur­ing many of your favorite land­scapes and land­marks with oils, water­col­ors and pas­tels. Plein Air, a French term mean­ing “in the open air”, describes art works painted out­doors with the sub­ject directly in view rather than in a stu­dio. Plein air artists cap­ture the spirit and essence of a landscape or sub­ject by incor­po­rat­ing nat­ural light, color and move­ment into their works.

 If you’re an art lover, a patron, or just curi­ous to see what the buzz
is about, stop by the Polasek Museum to see the lat­est from the 25
artists in action! The museum, sculp­ture gar­dens and gallery will be
open free to the pub­lic through this excit­ing week-long event.
Com­pleted paint­ings will be hung in the gallery’s ‘Wet Room’
imme­di­ately. As the week pro­gressesthe gallery will fill with Plein Air art­work. Be sure to visit often to watch the artists work
and to pur­chase these one-of-a kind paint­ings the moment they are hung
on the wall.

On Monday, the first day of the Paint Out, I met Robert Ross who was set up near Writer’s Block Bookstore just East of Park Avenue on Welborne Avenue. Since Winter Park has just recently passed an ordinance making it illegal to create art or Perform on Park Avenue, I wanted to observe artists who where were immune from the $500 fine and or 60 days in jail for creating art in the forbidden zone. Each painter I saw on that day to had a Winter Park Paint Out sign which was a visual hint to police that they were sanctioned by the Museum. Several Russian women stopped to watch Rob a work, and shoot some photos. I passed four Plein Air painters hard at work as I walked back to my car. Odd that a city that just recently outlawed art should suddenly be over run by 25 artists from around the country for a week. why not allow free expression all year?

Mark Your Calendar for the free Paint Out demonstrations and workshops. Tonight April 26th, there is the “Dynamic Shadows Oil Painting Demonstration” by John Guernsey.  Bring a blanket or lawn chair and join us in Central Park by the Rose Garden. On Wednesday April 2tth, there is a Sunset “Paint-In” at the Winter Park Racquet Club, (2111 Via Tuscany, Winter Park). Paint Out Artists gather on the shore of Lake Mait­land at the Win­ter Park Rac­quet Club to cap­ture a beau­ti­ful Florida sun­set, then take a break from the week’s activ­i­ties. Come share the vista with us and watch as these out­stand­ing artists cre­ate a sun­set mem­ory on can­vas.  A cash-only bar and buf­fet will be avail­able to non-members, so please make an evening of it! April 30th from 6pm to 9pm is the Paint Out Garden Party.  Tickets to this event are, $100 in advance, and $125 at the door

My Journey into Mindful Meditation.

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I attended a weekly Study Group that meets at Peter Carlson’s house (1818 Carrigan Ave., Winter Park FL) on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. After 45 minutes of meditation, various aspects of Buddhist teachings are discussed. The study group is open to anyone who has completed a meditation retreat or taken a course on Buddhist meditation or psychology. My goal of course was to sketch, which I consider my own form of meditation. I now realize that I was under qualified to attend since I have never attended a retreat. I got to the home about 15 minutes early since I was told that at 7pm the doors close and no one else can enter until the meditation was complete.  I thought I would need my art stool, since I assumed, quite correctly, that people would be seated on the floor. The meditation occurs in a tiny retreat behind the home. There however was a chain link fence blocking access to the meditation retreat. Walking in the dark, I felt I might be trespassing. I knocked on the front door and Peter assured me that I could go out back.

The small building was dark a empty. I was the first to arrive. I found a light switch and made my way to the meditation room which had dozens of chairs along three of the walls. I didn’t expect chairs. I settled into a corner chair and lightly penciled in the overall composition as I waited for people to arrive. I placed all my pencils and pens in a row on the floor, because I didn’t want to be searching for things during the meditation which would be noisy. Peter had a comfortable looking mattress throne with an adjustable desk set up for his computer. A sculpted goddess head looked out in all directions. Two participants sat on the floor with pillows to cushion their spines. Others sat in chairs, out of the view of my sketch. Peter said, “lets begin.” and the room became completely silent.

45 minutes seems like a short period of time to complete sketch since most of my sketches take two hours to complete. My first lines were rushed but I started to notice that the fast pen strokes seemed quite loud in the silence. A calm washed over me and the pen began to explore with quiet deliberation. Even so, the pens journey made a sound quite louder the my own breath. the line slowed down even more to a snails speed and each line became more deliberate and more confidently observed. True observation takes quiet deliberation. The line work completed itself with time to spare. I resisted the temptation to reach for other tools since bending over would have created loud rustling noises. This forced me to focus on one deliberate task without interruption.

A Buddhist prayer bowl quietly sounded announcing the end of meditation. Everyone took a five minute break and then returned for the discussion. Peter was just getting over a harsh cold that developed at his last retreat. He spoke of his mindful awareness and acceptance as symptoms developed. People who meditate often have the inner strength to heal quickly. As we were leaving, I realized that everyone but me had left their shoes at the from door. I also realized when I got home that I had left my art stool in the meditation hall. Clearly that was a sign that I needed to return.

The next week I returned with no sketchbook in hand. I wanted to experience meditation first hand without the distractions of sketching. I’ve never been comfortable sitting cross legged on a floor, but I figured if I found just the right pillow I could pull it off.  I had observed the perfect posture of friends and wanted to see if I could quiet my mind the same way. I wedged two pillows under my knees for extra support. I closed my eyes and relaxed rocking my butt side to side to settle into the pillow. I rolled my neck snapping cartilage. The room was completely silent except for the sound of a ceiling fan. Blue and green orbs danced and flowed together on the insides of my eyelids. My breathing seemed loud. My lower back ached so I breathed deeper which straightened my spine.  Why do I keep having to swallow? I focused on my breath again and relaxed. I began imagining the room in the green and blue patterns swimming in my eyelids. As I imagined this new world of swimming forms the prayer bowl quietly sounded. Wow. Time had flown by. Had I meditated? I’m not sure. The fact that I sketch daily means that I already quiet my mind to achieve a sure focus. Perhaps that is good training for this looking inward.

The talk was about five precepts or commitments needed for awakening. Peter discussed how harmony and compassion were not important to early hominids. Charles Darwin‘s theory of the fang and claw pointed out that only the most aggressive of a species survives. If that were true, then loving kindness would be seen as weakness. But daily mindfulness offers strength. The second commitment is be mindful of how desire affects our choices. This relates to our compulsive and addictive tendencies relating to social media. I rely on social media in my quest to find new sketch opportunities. I need to realize when this becomes a form of distraction.  A third commitment is to avoid aggression and hostility. This can be in every social interaction. A more modern commitment is towards the ecology of the planet. For early man this wasn’t a concern but today careless abuse of our resources can have lasting impacts for future generations.

It was reassuring to be in a room full of people seeking compassion and an increased interpersonal trust. I haven’t decided if extended meditations are for me. I like the idea of doing a quiet 60 breath meditation each time I leave the studio to go on location to sketch. Life is ever changing. For me this study group answered my yearning to “Eat, Pray and Trust.”

Angel Jones in Blue Box Number 3.

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27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These
boxes are for panhandlers and buskers. Back when they were painted, they were referred to as beggars boxes. Panhandling is possible only during
day light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist
street performers must use the blue boxes. If you loiter on the sidewalk, you are suspect. Performing outside the boxes
can result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. I have started a series of 27 sketches in which performers utilize
these Blue Boxes. These Boxes represent the only places downtown where
theoretically there is complete freedom of expression.

Angel Jones is a Fashion designer, stylist, model, writer, and artist from Melbourne Florida. Angel has spearheaded a Facebook group called, “Artists Unite! A group formed to protect all artists and our freedom” This page unites artists from around the state as cities like Winter Park and Saint Augustine create unconstitutional laws limiting freedom of expression. Orlando doesn’t have an ordinance specifically banning artistic freedom of expression, but the police do not see the difference between creative expression and panhandling. 

Finding these blue boxes is a bit of a treasury hunt. I arrived at the intersection of Amelia and Hughey and found a complex jumble of spray painted marks. Surveyors are marking up the sidewalks probably to keep track of electrical and plumbing lines. A block a way the “Creative Village” is now a desert of sand and dirt. Sidewalks and pavement are all being ripped up for whatever is to come. There are several Blue Boxes in this construction zone which may no longer exist. 

Angel was a bright splash of color on an otherwise drab and grey downtown street corner. She created handmade Victorian cupcake dress herself with countless hours spent sewing the brightly patterned fabrics. Her wig was bright pink an her necklace had every color of the rainbow. Angel’s Insanity and Bazaar Bazaar the clothing line, features her unique handmade creations. She chatted about her army brat upbringing and leaving home at the age of 15. Although considered the black sheep by her family, she clearly made the right choice to pursue an art inspired life. At protests she is the most exuberant champion for artistic freedom of expression.. She is a dynamic force who you definitely want on your side.

Students from Orlando Tech were the most common pedestrians. They would often stop to chat with Angel to find out what we were up to. A father and daughter on bike stopped to watch me sketch for bit. She is an artist and wanted to know how I sketch so fast. My advice was to loosen up and accept the imperfections. A sketch by definition is incomplete. A bright pink Lynx bus rushed by accentuating the pinks in Angel’s hair and dress for a moment. 

I never saw a police patrol car.  The police station is several blocks to the south of this Blue Box. Angel didn’t have an open case, or tip jar and if she did, I doubt any bills would have been dropped in. Once again the blue box was far removed from businesses where executives in suits might wander out during their lunch hour. They were safe from the threat of art. If you know someone who might want to join the Blue Box Initiative, send them to the group page which is where these sketch sessions are scheduled once a week.