Audubon Market

The Audubon Market has returned to the parking lot at Stardust Video and Coffee 1842 East Winter Park Road. This market opens every Wednesday night and runs from 5 PM to 9 PM. This is a small local market with live music, a massage station, a fortune teller, a table of delectables like candied apples and other sweets, hand crafted jewelry and clothing, plants, the list is endless. Most importantly it is a place where friends can mingle and talk.
I bumped into Karrie Brown who was selling some of her hand made feather hair pieces. Karrie introduced me to the caricature artist at the event named Marie Bolton – Joubert. Marie is a whirlwind of constant activity. She introduced me to a cause she is backing which involves the shooting of 2 dogs here in sunny Central Florida. She showed me a courtroom sketch she did of an early hearing in this case and now I am planning to go to the court to see if the shooter is acquitted. I should post about this hearing in early November. Then she insisted I sit down and she whipped out a caricature of me in a matter of minutes while talking the whole time. The caricature is great!
I neglected to mention that the reason I went to Stardust Video and Coffee was to attend Dr. Sketchy’s but once I discovered all the activity in the nighttime market I had to sketch the market and I never went inside. It was boiling hot outside as well and I had to wipe the sweat off my hands several times to keep from smearing the watercolors.

Russian Masters – Rehearsal

After an Orlando Philharmonic Board meeting, board members and friends of the Philharmonic were invited to sit on stage during a rehearsal for a concert of Russian Masters on October 30th at 8 PM at the Bob Carr. Christopher Wilkins who has just signed a five year contract to conduct the Philharmonic, talked for a while about the concert and introduced the pianist for the evening, William Wolfram. Christopher explained that Shostakovitch’s Symphony No 5 in D minor is one of the iconic symphonies. The other piece to be performed was to be Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No 2 in C Major. When the Pianist William Wolfram was out of the room, Christopher explained that he and the pianist had worked together several times but this was the first time the pianist would have performed in Orlando. Chris also said that in the past the Pianist had played a practical joke on him and that tonight he hoped to play a practical joke in return. In the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto, Chris asked the whole orchestra to play their parts a quarter note higher than it is written in the sheet music. That way when the pianist, began to play his part, it would sound all wrong. The practical joke worked as planned. When William Wolfram began to play the piano part, the conductor had to stop everyone and he said to the pianist, “Well these things happen”. What was fun was that the rehearsal came to a screeching halt a second time before the pianist realized he was being toyed with. He and the conductor shook hands and had a good laugh as did the whole orchestra. The pianist then stood up and began jokingly walking off stage saying “Well goodnight everyone.”
There were 3 rehearsals for this concert. One rehearsal was canceled in order to save money. The Philharmonic is proud to have balanced it’s budget as of June 30th of 2009. Next year the Phil will be staging several partially staged operas to help keep opera alive as an art form and to nurture the community’s passion for opera. Carmen and Porgy and Bess will be staged with the orchestra being placed on the stage rather than hidden in the pit.
As the orchestra began to perform the Second Concerto, Christopher Wilkins interrupted and shouted out” You have to be more forceful. You have to punch it in the face!”

Music Meets Art

I went to 1st Thursdays at the Orlando Museum of Art to see “Rach”-tober: Music Meets Art. From Rachmaninoff to Rockabilly. How do sound and vision unite in our world? The focus of the show was on music, musicians and art influenced by music. Considering the theme of the show I felt I had to draw the musicians, Orlando-based gypsy jazz band, The Cook Trio, who were hired to play during the event. In the sketch you can see the large Dale Chihuly glass sculpture which rises up to a skylight.
In the front gallery of the museum there were 18 artists whose work was on display. I was most impressed by the work of Plinio Pinto who had large watercolor portrait paintings of rock stars. Food at the event was available from Infusion Tea and there was a cash bar. Most of this evening was spent watching Brian Feldman “Under the Covers“. I didn’t linger too long at the event. Once my sketch was done and I had seen all the art on display for the evening, I headed home.

The Pumpkin Patch

Saint Luke’s Methodist Church at 4851 Apapka Vineland Roda at Conroy Road has a huge pumpkin patch for the month of October. Saturday was fairly cool so I decided it was time to sketch outside again! I leaned back against a tree and started to sketch. There were more pumpkins than I could count so the task of sketching them all was daunting at first. I also faced the challenge that parents and children were constantly roaming around looking for the perfect pumpkin to take home. Every pumpkin has an individaul personality. Some are short and squat while others are tall and bumpy. The kids tended to like picking out the miniature pumpkins and most parents were focused on getting shots of their children next to the pumpkins.
“Look at Mommy, look at the camera. Give me a big smile, come on let me see those chompers!”
“Sit over here and I will take your picture with the scarecrow OK?”
One child was on a quest to find the saddest pumpkin in the patch, while most others sought out the blemish free perfectly round orbs. As for myself I simply enjoyed the the challenge of sketching the constant parade of young families in the pumpkin patch.

WPRK 91.5 Front Porch Radio

I had met Jeremy Seghers at several events around town. I finally asked him if it would be alright to come in sometime and sketch the radio station he works at. WPRK is located in the basement of a Rollins College building. When I walked in there was no secretary, I just walked towards the conversation I heard in the next room. Jeremy was behind the mic. He and Julie Norris were talking to John Rife about Community and the Media. The topic of discussion is one that is fresh on my mind after covering IZEA Fest a few weeks ago. I started talking about how I, as a blogger, have a responsibility to support the artist community and through discussion, influence and improve the public’s view of the arts. I stressed that a blogger’s responsibility is to bring others into the spotlight. The discussion, which I am passionate about, was so natural that I didn’t even realize I was on the radio.
Also in the room were a photographer and writer from Winter Park Magazine who were doing a piece about the show. The photographer was everywhere getting shots of everyone from every angle. I sat back and relaxed into my sketch. I had to work fast since I had arrived late and was worried I might not finish. As it turns out I ended up having plenty of time to sketch since the next show’s host didn’t show. Jeremy had to head off to another job and Julie suggested that I sit in the hot seat and we started to talk. She was so gracious that I immediately felt at ease. She held her new born the whole time we talked which also had a soothing affect, like I was in her home. If you listen to the audio podcast I come in around 43 minutes and 40 seconds into the show. At first I was nowhere near a mic and later on Julie sat me down in front of the guests mic. I had no idea Analog Artist Digital World would become the topic of discussion but regardless I had a fun. I discovered it is possible to sketch and be interviewed at the same time. Oh and it looks like Jeremy and Julie cornered me into doing a show at Dandelion Communitea Cafe. I will certainly let you know when that happens.

10th Annual Winter Park Pet Costume Contest

On Sunday Winter Park held a Pet Costume Contest. The festivities started at 10 AM and I arrived early. This small section of Garfield Avenue was blocked off and tents lined both sides offering pet photo booths caricatures and many pet related items. At 11 Am the large and mid sized dogs started competing for the grand prize. I found a spot in the shade and leaned back against a dumpster. As I worked flies kept buzzing around and landing on my bare legs and arms. They became quite distracting at times. When the judging started, the dogs that were to go on the stage all lined up in front of me. I think the flies became more infatuated with the dogs and I was allowed to work in peace.
The winner of the prize for pet and owner costumes went to the lady who dressed up as the boy from “Where the Wild Things Are” and she dressed her dog up as a wild thing. You can see them in the center of the sketch she is in the bright yellow crown. Other dogs were dressed up as bumble bees, pirates, butterflies, Frogs, the imaginative list is endless.
Two large dogs dressed as aliens, kept wiggling out of their costumes. They had duck tape holding aluminum around their midsections but the take came loose and soon the dogs had tape on their paws and the aluminum “Suite” was riding half way off their butts. Sketching was a challenge since dogs were hyper to say the least. They were barking lunging and sniffing each others privates. I don’t think the dogs particularly cared about the competition, they were just glad to be around so many other dogs. The folks of Winter Park sure love their pets.

Costuming

Costume fittings were held during a shared rehearsal. The director broke the actors up into groups and one at a time those groups would go to try on costumes. At the same time Amy the choreographer was conducting a dance rehearsal in the same Hall and for this reason the director stressed that everyone had to remain quiet.
The first group to try on outfits was Egypt, then came the Germanic tribe, Britannia, Africa, the Shepherds and finally India. There was alot of mixing and matching that had to be done, and the director was actively involved in the process.
In another rehearsal the entrances of this whole entourage had to be timed and blocked out. The director had Egypt, Africa and India enter the theater from the back of the hall. The Germanic Tribe and Britannia entered from the halls directly next to the stage called “The Bombs”. She had different tribes start down the isles at different times trying to get a feeling for when each tribe should arrive at the main stage. Time and again the tribes had to restore and walk their entrances at different paces until their movements felt perfectly choreographed to the music which was “O Holy Night“. After many takes, the director said to herself, “I’m starting to feel something, it’s starting to get there, slowly.” Once again she shouted out “Restore!” The actors of the tribes shouted back “Thank you Restore!” as they rushed back to the back of the hall and the bombs. Then she said “Thank you, thank you.” I had to leave before the timing was finalized but with the music it was starting to feel reverent.

Free Fall Music Festival

The Free Fall Music Festival was held in Gaston Park on Lake Ivanhoe. Here Lost Time Accident performs. The event was small in size and family friendly with one of those inflatable kids slides. Two children were playing in the sand of the volleyball court while dad took pictures. Families were scattered about rather far from the stage. Perhaps the music was to loud for them. Right in front of the stage a homeless man sat totally wasted, often with his head drooped down semi unconscious. Several of his friends were better off but also had that glazed look and harsh emaciated skin. But these folks knew how to party. They were dancing most of the time and shouting with their fists in the air. Once in a while the woman in the red top would shake the wasted guy awake and he would listen for a while before fading back out and slumping into a stupor.
Half way through this sketch I realized that I was running out of water for my brushes. I went up to the beer tent to get a bottle of water, but realized I had no cash. I asked it they took a credit card which of course they didn’t. I had to finish up with some spit to smear the colors around. The girlfriend of one of the performers asked to take my picture while I as working and I agreed. The woman in red came up and looked over my shoulder. The children standing near me backed away. I was afraid she might get annoyed that I had drawn her and her wasted friend. Instead she told me I had a gift from God.
When the next act got up, it started to rain. I quickly ran to a small cement power bunker overhang. The crowd quickly disappeared. The singer on stage sang “I’m Singing in the Rain”. A hawk on a telephone pole took flight. The woman standing next to me started telling me that she and Jimmy were just recently homeless. They had been staying with a friend but the friend got evicted. All their stuff was at another friends house and she was hoping to get an apartment somehow on her own. Jimmy used to work downtown at a small coffee shop across from the library but he got laid off. When the rain stopped I said good by and stepped out onto the wet lawn. On the way out I bumped into Louis Bova an artist from Brooklyn now living in Orlando. She told me about several other events going on that day, but I had finished my sketch, and I suddenly felt a strong desire to relax at home rather than braving the elements to get another drawing.

Dr. G at the History Center

Doctor G has a reality TV show on the Discovery Channel in which she talks about her job as the Orlando Medical Examiner in FLorida’s District nine. I have never seen the show start to finish but I was still curious as to what she would have to say. She was a very entertaining speaker and she outlined how she eventually went on to become a reality TV star. She explained that her first boss was a bit of a male chauvinist so he seldom spoke to her. She also said she would return home each night and talk about her work with her husband but he would interrupt her saying “I know how this ends, they die right?” So she was left with no one to talk to about what she considered a fascinating job. The Discovery Channel called her and said they wanted to do a single program about her work. Suddenly she had an audience. That single program blossomed into a series. The TV program never shows the bodies instead focusing on the dialogue as Dr. G finds the cause of death. Families of the deceased began writing the doctor explaining that they only understood the cause of death of their loved one after watching the TV program. So the program was doing some good. A new medical building is under construction and Sr. G is looking forward to working in the new space.
While I was sketching, Bob Kealing local TV reporter for channel 6 came over to say hello. I have spoken to him before at the Kerouac House and he has written a book about Kerouac’s life in Florida. After he had finished interviewing Dr. G , he brought her over to where I was still sketching and introduced us. In my usual tactless fashion, I immediately asked her if there would ever be a chance for me to sketch in the Medical Examiners office. She simply and without hesitation said “No”. She probably assumed I have a morbid fascination with dead bodies, but all I am hoping for is the next great sketching opportunity.

Truth or Dare!

I was invited by Heidi Dog Productions to sketch Pepe and Miss Sammy as they performed Truth or Dare at the Peacock Room located at 1321 Mills Avenue. The twist in this strange sketching excursion is that I was to sketch the act from on the stage. After Pepe and Miss Sammy finished their introductions, (It turns out miss Sammy was in La Cage aux Folles on Broadway for 4 years) Pepe had the crowd summon me to the stage by shouting my last name 3 times, Thorspecken, Thorspecken, Thorspecken, just as Beetle Juice was summoned. I hopped up and gave Pepe exaggerated French cheek kisses. Then I sat in a stool at the back of the stage and started to get to work.
The first guest to be called up and the one I decided to draw was Jeff Horn. Jeff was fund raising for a charity project he co-founded with Daisy Lynum called Genesis Community Program. This program helps teach young aspiring tennis players the game in the Parramore neighborhood of Orlando. A large jar was passed around to see if anyone wanted to donate. Jeff is also a nationally recognized tennis professional. After Jeff, a politician named Todd Christian was given the Truth or Dare challenge and he ended up putting a condom on a banana with his mouth.
Things started to get crazy when Dewey Chaffee and Douglas McGeoch got on the stage. When confronted with the Truth or Dare challenge Dewey made a bold decision to tell the truth. Pepe asked him “If chew could have a one niiight stand with anyone in the room, who would chew peeeck?” Bet Marshall shouted out, “It would have to be the youngest boy in the room!” He chose a young man with very curly hair standing in the back of the room with his girlfriend. Pepe shouted for the young man to come up onto the stage. The fellow looked just like Frodo from the Lord of the Rings movies. He was given the Truth or Dare challenge and the audience gasped in anticipation. He chose a dare. Pepe held up a stack of playing cards and fanned them out. He told the victim, I mean contestant, to pick a card. The contestant was told to pick a card, any card. Before he did, Pepe threw away the 2 of hearts and said, Chew don’t need dees card”. Frodo picked a five of clubs. He was told that he must remove 5 items of clothing. He removed his shoes which as a pair made up the first item, then his socks, his tee shirt, shorts and finally his underwear which left him totally naked. Miss Sammy and Pepe actually shielded the audience from seeing everything with a leopard skin towel. I didn’t have time to sketch the towel, I don’t think it is needed in the sketch. I worked furiously to catch Frodo’s bottom knowing only the folks on stage could see what was actually going on behind the towel. I am so glad I got a chance to document this strange and fun theatrical experience. I had a blast with my first on stage experience.