Winter Park Harvest Festival

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 On November 17th, the day after the ice skating rink opened, The Annual Winter Park Harvest Festival was held on the West Lawn of Central Park. The white tent in my sketch is where the ice rink is housed.The festival is the brain child of John Rife who wants to help educate people to the benefits of eating locally grown produce. A community garden demonstrated what plants did well in Florida.

Since the festival was held right before Thanksgiving, people could consider getting some locally grown, whole hearted goodness on the dinner table for the holiday After walking around and inspecting the fifty or so market tents, I was drawn to the sound of music. Several bays of hay and some speakers were piled onto the back of a truck trailer that served as the stage. A bare scrawny tree offered no shade for the performers and it was hot in the sun. I walked around the staging area several times searching for a shady spot with a good view. I finally leaned against a tree quite far from the stage. Austin Miller was performing. People sat on hay bales and families picnicked on the grass as they listened. “Hey, are you a registered voter?” I was asked. “Yes.” I said. “Well then would you like to sign a petition to help preserve our natural resources?” I had already signed that petition downtown. I heard his pitch again and again. The music was just background noise for the fervor. I didn’t care. It was a beautiful day.

Gailanne Amundsen, of Jubal’s Kin stopped to say hello. Her brother Roger Amundsen had started a locally grown business and he had a tent. Unfortunately, Jubal’s Kin wasn’t scheduled to play. There is a deep rooted Appalachian honesty to their songs that I love. I also bumped into Mark Baratelli and Julie Norris with her daughter Maya. Anna McCambridge Thomas offered me several fried crab cakes from the Big Wheel Food Truck. Boy were they good. Several people I hadn’t met before stopped to tell me they follow my work online. One artist insisted I have to get involved in the annual Winter Park Paint Out. I’ve wanted to sketch that event for the past two years but there was always a scheduling conflict. After my sketch was done, I went to the Big Wheel Food Truck and ordered a stuffed Avocado. I relaxed in the shade and soaked in the music.

Winter in the Park Ice Rink Opening

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On Friday November 16th at 3pm there was a Winter in the Park Ice Breaking Ceremony for the outdoor rink at the Central Park West Meadow.  I was running late to the opening which would involve breaking a large peacock ice sculpture in the most dramatic way. That sounded like an enticing sketch opportunity. Walking through Central Park, I saw Emma Kuch Morris and Betsy Dye chatting on a park bench. I considered stopping to congratulate Emma on her recent marriage, but I was late! I heard then laughing as I rushed on with my art supplies slapping against my leg. After all that rush, I missed the peacock crushing. I didn’t even see any shards.

People were crowding around the rink to watch performers from the RDV Sportsplex Ice Den who began a special performance of “Babes in Toyland.” The performances were a bit too Saccharine sweet for my taste. The ice was then opened up for anyone to skate and I found far more entertainment in watching deep southern beginners falling repeatedly. A mom braced her little girl who was laughing with delight. Two teenage boys held on to the edge rails the whole time, moving in fits and starts.

The Ice Rink will be open till January 8th.  This is a great way to warm up to the holiday season, even if you’re a Grinch like me who delights in the carnage.
Info: (407) 599-3203, Skating includes skate rental $10. 

Hours:

• Monday to Thursday, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Friday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Sunday, Noon to 8 p.m.

60th Annual Winter Park Christmas Parade

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 I wen t sketch the 60th Annual Winter Park Christmas Parade on December first starting at 9AM. Angela Puik, a young UCF photographer wanted to get some photos of me at work. She and her classmate Abu Ngauja are using me as a subject for their final project in their Advertising and Public Media class. They are pitching the idea of doing a video segment for a PBS Television show called, “One“. I took a look at the program and it has some compelling local human interest stories. There is no guarantee that a video segment will be produced, but I worked with them to hopefully get them excited about documenting live with art.

Parking in Winter Park that day was impossible, so by the time I got to the parade route on Park Avenue, the first police cars were  flashing their lights to start the parade. Angela texted to see if I was at the parade. I told her I was by the silver statue, and it turned out that she was on the same street corner. I felt a little self conscious as I sketched. I figure for a photographer, watching a sketch develop might be like watching grass grow. When I started adding color, several kids started looking over my shoulder. A mom pulled her son away mortified. “I’m so sorry, Bobby, give the man some space!” Angela said she had what she needed and left before the sketch was finished. I quickly blocked in a policeman on horseback.

I walked up to the corner to watch the parade up close when my sketch was done. More than 100 units participated, including bands, local police and fire departments, marching bands, scouting groups, local
dignitaries, and of course Santa Claus. Boy Scout troop 878 was walking by as I muscled my way up for a view. They handed out candy canes for the kids. Unicyclists charged up to kids on the curb seemingly off balance, only to recover at the last moment. Pre-teen cheerleaders shook their pink pom-poms. Behind me, two boys started climbing on the silver sculpture I had sketched. Their father scolded them. They then circled around the art while checking to see if their father was looking. Roses were being handed out and Cloe tried to shyly get one three different times. Her mom was shouting out directions. “To your left! Don’t wait! Run over! She only has a few more!” Cloe returned dejected. Sky Craft had a float with a flying saucer and plenty of dried ice smoke. Someone released a candy cane tied to a red helium balloon. It rose up and got tangled in the street light until a breeze knocked it free and it rose up to the clouds. I left to go to Full Sail before the parade was over in order to avoid the mad traffic rush.

Gianni Schicchi

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I went to the final dress rehearsal for Florida Opera Theater‘s production of Gianni Schicchi at the home of Kathy and Steve Miller in Winter Park. The rehearsal had been moved to 8PM but when I arrived, the circular drive was already full of parked cars. Light glowed warmly from inside the mansion. The sunken living room offered a perfect set for the opera.

The actors, in costume, stood around Robin Stamper on the piano in the beginning, going over the songs. This is a very accessible opera since all the lyrics are in English. Stage director, Eric Pinder, then had the cast rehearse their final bows. Eric was very gracious about letting me sit in and sketch the rehearsal. He informed me that I had once sketched him at one of Mark Baratelli‘s early food truck gatherings.

Gene Tate sat on the bed as the cast got ready to do a full run through. He then got under the covers. I didn’t realize that he had perhaps the easiest role in Giacomo Puccini‘s comic opera, playing Buoso Donati, who has just died. Relatives of Buoso sit around the bed lamenting his death and more importantly yearning to find out the contents of his will. They savagely search everywhere for the document, throwing papers everywhere. When it is found, they are mortified to discover that everything had been left to a monastery. They then truly cry and lament their loss.

Gianni Schicci is asked to help find some loop hole and he advises them to pretend that Buoso is still alive long enough to get a new will drafted. The dead man is treated like a puppet as Gianni throws his voice, trying to convince a visiting doctor that he is alive. Gianni himself gets under the sheets to dictate the new will in which he takes everything in order to unite his daughter with her true love, Rinuccio, played by Austin Hallock. The aria,  Oh my dear papa, sung by Lauretta, Gianni’s daughter, played by Shannon Jennings, is one of Puccini’s most well known, and one of the most popular arias in opera. Opera is still alive in Orlando.

When: December 8th, 7:30 p.m., December 9th, 2 p.m.

Venue: Bishop Moore High School, 3109 Edgewater Drive, Orlando FL

Phone: (407) 718-4365

Web Site: http://www.floperatheatre.org
Tags: opera
Price: $30

All performances will be followed by a reception.

Models Rehearsing

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Artist and designer Lynne Polley gave me a tip to sketch a rehearsal for the models that will take to the cat walk for Harriett’s Park Avenue Fashion Week. The rehearsal was in the small Wedding Chapel (301 West New England Avenue, Winter Park). I was a bit early approaching the chapel, but I saw a young man go in. As I approached the door, I heard a driving, hip, pop beat from inside that seemed out of place. Gorgeous models were lined up along a wall. Church pews were lined up on a diagonal line creating a runway. The modeling coach was at the end of the runway for a view of each models strut.

The darn pews kept me from sketching the models sinewy legs. The angular poses and relaxed walks are all highly rehearsed. The line kept moving and the models walked for many hours. The instructor shouted out that they all needed to relax. Arms were stiff and tense. She was a bit upset that one of the male models had shaved the hair on his head leaving a Mohawk. She warned everyone to keep their looks. They were picked by clothes manufacturers because of their hair color and looks. Photos of models taken at the last session apparently weren’t that good. Showing the photos to fashion designers, she had to reassure them. “She is pretty in person, really!” She warned everyone, “If you trip on the runway, I will find you.” I sat with several moms who were there to support their young budding models.

Later in the rehearsal, a leggy, blonde 16 year old model joined the group. She wasn’t used to wearing the high heels she had on and when she walked down the isle, her heels clomped down, sounding like a bull in a china shop. She leaned forward like a stilt walker loosing her balance. The modeling coach worked with her extensively trying to get her to relax. Another model offered her another pair of heels and she improved but still walked with an imbalanced awkward grace. I smiled inside. One of the models looked over my shoulder and asked, “Are you an artist?” I cringed, never looking up from the sketch and barked back, “Yes!”

National Night Out

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I went to the Winter Park Police Department (500 North Virginia Avenue, Winter Park) for National Night Out. This was a free family community event that offered food, fun, raffles and prizes. I arrived straight from work on a cloudy grey Tuesday. The street in front of the police department was blocked off and a food vendor had just set up a tent. A Monster Energy Drink pickup truck pulled up behind him. Volunteers in red T-shirts helped get things set up. A blue armored vehicle backed onto the sidewalk with several officers spotting him. I sat on a stone bench and sketched the September 11th Memorial. A woman approached to see what I was doing. She said the police chief was going to display a broken fragment from the twin towers at this event. She then offered me the opportunity to buy one of the memorial paving stones. I never did see the tower fragment but part of me really didn’t want to see it.

It began to rain and I had to run for cover. I added color to the sketch from my new vantage point under an awning. Since my car was many blocks away and I didn’t want to walk in the rain without an umbrella, I started sketching the assault rifles, hand guns and battering rams being exhibited by members of the swat team. People could try on the heavy green flack jacket and even lift a rifle to see how heavy it was. There were always people in front of this table.

I experienced a sudden hot flash and I lost feeling in my finger tips. My arms were soaked with sweat and I dropped my sketchbook. I put my head in my hands and willed the pavement into focus as a woman got her hair caught in the Velcro of the flack jacket. Friends were laughing at her plight and shooting pictures. I got a bottled water out of a cooler next to me and used it to cool my neck and forehead. I began to panic. I didn’t want my last sketch to be of fire arms. Then I realized there must be a half a dozen EMTs at the event. If I was going to pass out, this was probably the best place to do that. I slowed my breathing and drank the bottle of water. I realized walking in the rain might cool me off so I packed away the sketchbooks and walked back to my car. The rain did feel good. I managed to drive home but I wasn’t feeling great. I crashed on the couch and didn’t get up till the next morning.

To Kill a Mockingbird

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As part of the Florida Film Festival there was a free outdoor screening of “To Kill a Mockingbird” in Winter Park’s Central Park. The film is 50 years old, which makes us both the same age. I drove to the park straight from Full Sail when it let out at 5PM. The movie wasn’t going to start till around 8PM when it got dark. That left me a whole lot of time to sketch before the movie started. I invited my wife, Terry, to the screening but she was swamped at work. She then changed her mind saying she would meet me for a drink or dinner. I started this sketch to see how far I could get before she arrived. When she did arrive, I abandoned the sketch and we looked for a bar or restaurant. We ended up eating at a Tai restaurant a block away on Park Avenue. The price for a cup of wine was too high so the idea of a drink was abandoned. I ordered Pad Tai and I didn’t particularly like the dish. I had 3 cups of Coke so I would be buzzing like a humming bird when I returned to finish the sketch.

Film Festival staff and volunteers were on the stage setting up the portable movie screen. A series of aluminum struts were pieced together as the outer framework for the screen. Several ropes were threaded over the band shell roof supports and the ropes were pulled tight to raise the screen. The vintage black and white movie was actually a DVD which was inverted and then projected onto the back of the screen. When my sketch was done, I moved closer and watched the movie from backstage. A policeman, two stage hands and later a waitress were the only other people who watched from this vantage point. On the Central Park lawn, couples had picnics with wine and candle light. It was actually chilly and I rubbed my bare arms for warmth.

When the 14 year old Atticus Finch was given a gun by his father, he was told that the urge to shoot at birds would become too great. He could shoot all the Blue Jays he wanted, but he should never shoot a Mockingbird. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

It felt good knowing this film about racism and courage was being shown in Central Florida. When I first moved here over 17 years ago, I went to a counter demonstration, because the KKK were demonstrating at the Jewish Community Center in Maitland. I ended up face to face with the Grand Master or Poo Bah, whatever he was called. He held a huge can of mace, aiming it at my face. Angry, I muttered, “Go ahead.” There were a few police on hand and it would have been nice to see him arrested. Turning the other cheek doesn’t always work but never throw the first punch.

McRae Open House

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I always like visiting other artist’s studios. Several times a year a McRrae artist Studios in Winter Park opens their doors to the public. This warehouse space is split up into sections to accommodate a variety of artists. Above the entry was a Christmas Reindeer decoration with two strategically placed red Christmas ornaments. Larry Moore‘s studio is right up front and he had some wonderful large oil paintings on display of other artists at work in their studios. They were absolutely inspiring.

I feel a little uncomfortable sketching when there is an open house. I decided to sit outside in a lawn chair that had been set out to keep people from blocking the entry. Julie Koran who I once mistook to be the curator at the Tiffany museum was waiting on some friends. A police woman asked if I was in charge. I had to explain that I was only sketching. She marched inside the studios to see if she could find someone who was in charge. The studio opening had drawn quite a crowd and people were parked up and down the side streets near the event. Julie trailed the officer, the trouble was that some of these cars were in no parking zones and others were parked with the wrong wheels towards the curb. Getting no answers inside, the police woman started writing tickets. It would be a banner day generating plenty of income for the city thanks to the arts. Thankfully I was fine where I parked, although I was ready to sprint ahead of the officer leaving my sketch if there was a need.

Don Sondag has been doing some wonderful nocturnes and he gave me information about a once a week plein air evening painting outing. I think I’d like to try that. Since Florida is so hot, painting at night makes plenty of sense. I explored all the studios and there was plenty of inspiring work. Outside, Bistro Babes food truck offered up dinner options. I ordered a “Mother Clucker” simply because it was fun to shout out. The lady taking my order feigned shock. The chicken sandwich tasted great. Food trucks rule.

Flamenco

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Inside Casa Feliz, I hear feet stomping and hot Spanish music. People were seated in the intricate old wooden chairs facing the dancers who were in front of a bay window facing the back. A large sheet of plywood had been dropped on top of the Casa’s floor boards. It was a full house, so I decided to slip through the kitchen to a side room. That looked in on the dancers. Unfortunately several other people had same Idea. This still offered the best view, so I started sketching.

The woman in the fiery red and black dress was performing a solo dance with castanets. Three of the dancers were students of Alborea Entertainment. The other man and woman were the teachers. Besides teaching flamenco, Alborea teaches, Bolivian Folkloric Carnival dances, Persian dances, Belly dance, Bollywood, African Rhythms, folkloric Mexican dance, Latin Rhythm and Fusion Rhythm. They perform at private parties, educational programs, theater productions, television programs, corporate events, and conventions.

Artist Bernie Martin stopped in and sat on the floor close to the stage. The man in front of me kept shooting photos and the woman seated at the same table did the same occasionally. Between performances, I was still splashing color on the page. A female artist introduced herself. I was still distracted, as I was getting close to finishing my sketch. She has been going to Casa Feliz every week and sketching the performers. She asked my advice on how she could improve her drawings. I took a sheet from her sketchbook and made suggestions on how she could use perspective to improve on what she was already doing. She knew of the Urban Sketchers site and of Analog Artist Digital World. As she left, she said E was her artist muse. That was definitely the best compliment I got in a long time. I feed good knowing that the next time she sketches, she will have the compositional tips I offered as a new spring board. I admire her tenacity in returning to the same place to sketch each week. Over time it could become a great series of sketches.

When my sketch was done, I went back outside to finish the sketch I started of Casa Feliz’s exterior.

Casa Feliz

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Every Sunday, from 12pm to 3pm, Casa Feliz in Winter Park hosts musical events. I’ve sketched here before and honestly it would be a worthy spot to sketch every week. I arrived early on this weekend when Alborea Dances was going to perform flamenco. It was a gorgeous, cool day, so I decided to walk around the old historic home. For the first time I slipped under an arch into the back of the building. The sun blazed bright on the brickwork and there was a large shady oak tree under which I decided to sketch. There was only half an hour or so before the flamenco dancing was to start inside, so there really wasn’t enough time to sketch. I couldn’t resist and I started anyway.

Several people approached me to see what I was working on and they were both artists. Is everyone in Winter Park an artist? One girl arrived early for a wedding that was going to happen at the Casa that afternoon. She took a multitude of photos of the building and garden for a painting she planned to do of the building. Her eye was drawn to the bright colors of the scene. I suspect the painting might be a wedding present. A tail stately woman let me know that she had painted almost an identical view to the sketch I was working on. She lived right across the street and she went back to her place to get the painting. She brought back a panoramic three foot wide canvas. The painting was done in oil with a Burnt Sienna under painting which she wiped away the lights. She said she had forgotten to paint one of the chimneys but a fellow painter pointed out the apparent flaw and she added it back in. I let her know that we were on the same page doing panoramas, since I am often bringing out the panoramic sketchbook. She let me know that there was a plein air painting group that got together every week in Winter Park. I wish I had written down the information. All I remember is that they meet at Panara’s. There is another Plein air group that meets once a week in the evenings, and they do nocturnes of the businesses on Park Avenue.

Before I could start adding color to my sketch, I heard the Flamenco Music flair up inside Case Feliz. I couldn’t resist the draw of the music. I quickly packed up my supplies and then slipped into a back door to see what was going on inside. After sketching the flamboyant flamenco dancers, I returned to my spot under the tree and I started splashing in colors.