Black Friday – Miami

I did not head to the malls at 6AM like everyone else in the house. I was only convinced that I was missing a sketch opportunity late in the day by Margaret Nolan via facebook. I had already drawn The Miami Herald presses so I should have been satisfied. But when Terry and Elaine said they were going back for a second round of shopping, I decided to go. I thought I would be battling huge crowds but the mall was relatively quiet. The sound system piped in constant Christmas music like,”It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. I swear that song is haunting me.
When I started to sketch the sun had already started to set. Christmas lights started to light up on palm trees and on topiaries. Some shoppers looked exhausted while teens patrolled chatting on iPhones. Santa had set up shop in an outdoor booth behind me, but I wasn’t in a mood to face him just yet. Besides he looked nothing like the Macy’s Parade Santa so he must have been an impostor. A mall security guard came over and looked over my shoulder. My stomach muscles tensed. He said “Wow did you do that just now?” Part of me wanted to be a smart-ass, but I just replied “Yes, thanks.”

Trees – Core Line up

The night before I did this sketch, I saw the movie, Chorus Line, based on the long running Broadway play. In that show the dancers who are auditioning are asked to reveal intimate, sometime painful details of their life as a performer in order to stay in the show. When I entered the First baptist Church and saw the core group lined up, I instantly was reminded of those scenes where the cast waits in a Chorus Line as the mysterious director sits in the hall with a microphone calling the shots. Here the director, Aradhana, has the group lined up in order to decide if the winter costumes all in blue, gray and white, are working. Actors were asked to bring in whatever they had in those colors from home to save money on costuming costs. Sometimes they were asked to trade items with each other such as scarfs or coats. It was decided that some items would have to be purchased such as blue and white striped shirts. The actors are going to have to dance in these outfits and there was some concern about how hot they will get under the stage lights. When the costuming choices were made, the core group rehearsed the Winter Medley which is an energetic dance number. Joshua, who I believe has never lived in a cold climate didn’t have a coat or scarf. The director at one point asked if he could trade his shirt with another actor but then thought better of that idea.
I wandered behind the trees and found that work is still being done to wire them for the show. Jeff has just finished with the computer programming of the lights so the 45 foot high trees should be lighting up soon. Microphones are now mounted to the trees every few tiers. The orchestra pit now stands ready for the music to begin.

Thanksgiving in Miami

Terry and I spent Thanksgiving Day in Miami with Terry’s long time friend Elaine. The Macy’s Day parade was on TV as preparations were going on in the kitchen. Derrik made a fabulous appetizer with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, goat cheese and olive oil. He is working on that appetizer in the sketch.Terry as usual is fingering her iPhone. The turkey was in the oven being basted in ginger ale. Elaine’s sisters showed up as did friends. In all twelve people enjoyed an amazing Thanksgiving feast. The dinner conversations were loud and boisterous. This was in stark contrast to the Thanksgivings of my youth where the only sounds were of knives and forks scrapping on plates. After the feast, Terry and I joined Elaine’s daughter Hailey and Rebeka for a walk around the neighborhood. We walked along some beautiful canals and past many Suburban homes which had noisy celebrations still going on.
This morning I suspect I have been deserted as all the women invade the stores for Black Friday deals. Elaine has offered to let me sketch the huge presses for The Miami Herald so I should get an interesting sketch for today .

Libra Party

Every year Kathy and Eric have a Libra party because both their birthdays are on the same day. I work for Kathy at Full Sail helping teach traditional animation to a packed room full of new students every month. Eric’s hobby is home brewing and every year he experiments with new flavors of beer for the party. At the far end of this outdoor patio there is a gong and Eric gives it a resounding ring whenever a keg of beer bites the dust. Kathy and Eric also have an outdoor fire pit and they keep that fire burning bright for the duration of the party. I always meet interesting people at this party this year I met a ballet instructor and a fashion designer. Someone showed up with several homemade Didgeridoos and they were fun to try and play. The trick is to keep your lips vibrating but I never figured out how to circle breath to keep the note going indefinitely.
Later in the evening after I had a few beers I decided to try out the Jacuzzi which was fired up and ready to go. I sat on the ledge and removed my shoes and socks then dipped my feet into the soothing bubbles. I had a tall glass beside me and since no one else seemed to want to join me I decided to sketch. So if you have ever wondered what I might draw like when I am drunk, this is it.
The group seated in the foreground are mostly teachers and they talked for some time about students and university politics. I didn’t follow the conversation closely I was to busy relaxing with my beer, sketchbook and watercolors.

Michelle Shocked at the Plaza

Michelle Shocked had a concert at the Plaza Theater on Bumby. My wife bought front row seats for the show knowing I would want to sketch. The event did not sell out and after Michelle started singing, Terry moved back a couple of rows because she couldn’t stand being right on top of the action. The concert was great. The poster behind Michelle was painted by her artist husband on her wedding day. They are now collaborating on a series of paintings and songs about famous women. He is doing the paintings and she is writing songs for them. She explained that most of these women are so famous that you do not have to hear their last name to know who they are. For instance Georgia ________, Audrey ________, and Vanessa ________. He is working on a painting of Ann Frank right now. I love this collaborative idea and can’t wait to hear the music.
When Michelle was called back for an encore, she took out her iPhone and called her husband who she missed and had the audience shout out “Hi Dave!” She then insisted that he tell a story about his youth when he delivered newspapers. He said he was a very reliable newspaper delivery boy. He won an award as the best local newspaper boy in town. But one day a young girl propositioned him before he finished his route. She said if you come over right now you will get “it”. He was quite torn but in the end he left the pile of papers on the street corner and went over the girls house. He never did get “it” and when he returned to the street corner, his manager was there and he was fired. Michelle said she instantly fell in love when Dave simply sat behind her at a party and wrapped his arms around her waste.
Michelle said she is tired of divisive politics and I was surprised to find out she doesn’t have medical insurance. She stressed that music is an important way to bring people together and build a feeling of community.

Max Howard at the Orlando Film Festival

Max Howard gave a talk at the Orlando Film Festival held at the Plaza Cinema downtown about the marketing potential to be found in independent animated films. Max was running the Disney Feature Animation Studio when I was hired there more than a decade ago. He helped found and build the Florida Studio. he left the studio shortly after I started to work on the Disney Films. I remember him as a straight shooter so I couldn’t resist going to hear what he had to say. It turns out that many other former Disney artists living in Orlando had the same idea.

Max began by showing clips from many of the animated films he helped create some of them being films I had worked on. He began with a history lesson in the finances behind many of those films. In terms of traditional hand drawn films Disney earned 80% of the market share and other studios divided up only 20% of the market share. This showed that back in the 80s the Disney name carried clout. If you look at computer animated films however, Disney – Pixar earned just 55% of the marked share while other studios share 45% of the market. This means that computer films are judged not just by a company name but by story. Animation has proven to be very profitable compared to live action films.

After the talk the former Disney folks went to Urban Flats for some food and drink. There I got to catch up with some old friends. When Max was asked if he remembered everyone, he said “Well there seems to have been some squash and stretch over the years. The shapes seem to have changed.”

The 3 Puppeteers

It turns out that Jack, one of the 3 puppeteers from Pinocchio’s Puppet Theater in the Altamonte Mall, had written a comment on my blog that he had been at a number of events that I had sketched, but he was always on the opposite side of the room and so he wasn’t in any of those sketches. In the first sketch of the puppeteers I didn’t sketch Jack because he was the furthers away and he might have been out of view because he was working the curtains or getting a puppet. April told me about how disappointed Jack would be so I had to do another sketch to be sure I caught Jack. He is usually on the platform at stage left so I walked backstage to draw on that side.
Jack is the puppeteer who worked Frosty. Frosty has the amazing ability to separate all his body parts during his dance number. In the sketch Frosty is off in the wings at stage left watching the dancing reindeer’s who do a lively can can number.
The final show is a bit over an hour long but with fits and starts the rehearsal was well over 4 hours. Much of this is because the lighting had to be figured out for each number. Endurance, patience and a playful spirit seem to be the attributes needed to be a good puppeteer. The cast affectionately referred to April as stumpy which implies that long arms are also a plus. She got to perform as the acrobatic monkey which is one of the more challenging and fun puppets to work. She can swing through the air with the greatest of ease and she is able to flip up and sit on the cross bar.
Space backstage is very cramped. Sometimes the puppeteers have to crawl under the platforms in order to untangle puppets or work the back stage curtains. It is easy for a puppeteer to bump their head on all the exposed beams. April who works the MC of the show had him stand and look up at the huge puppeteers looming above him. he made a comment as if this were the first time he had realized that they were there. It was quite funny.
The true magic comes from hearing the reactions from the children. The puppeteers can hear the audience response and they feed off of that energy. April was saying that the last audience was screaming for more of the dancing panda. She also wrote me that in a recent performance of Holly’s Follies the arms fell off of several characters. The children screams not in horror but delight.
One of the final acts was set to the music of “Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. I had heard this music over and over again at the Trees rehearsals. It seems the most wonderful time of the year is fast approaching. Brace yourself. Santa’s Holly Follies runs through November 29th check the website for show times.

Twistee Treat

Twistee Treat at 1500 Maguire Road near Colonial does a hopping business every night I drive by. I got a Banana Sundae hear on the night I went to Parkin Lot Picking and it was delicious. The place reminds me of the Dairy Queen my little league baseball team used to go to when we won a game.
This evening I had gone out to Winter Garden to sketch a dress rehearsal for “Crimes of the Heart“. Unfortunately the doors to the theater were locked. I called the director and producer of the show with my cell phone, and with no response I left. It was on the drive home from the theater that I once again saw the Twistee Treat and I felt a nostalgic desire to sketch it. The flag is at half mast because of a shooting that occurred downtown the other day. A former employee of Reynolds Smith and Hills named Jason Rodiguez walked into the offices and he just started shooting people. Five people were injured and one died. It is hard to understand such extreme and pointless anger.
As I was sketching the director finally did call me back but I was now committed to this sketch. I had perched myself on a small parking lot island and twice large SUVs parked in a spot which blocked the billboard signage that I was using as light to see by. When one of them pulled away the driver leaned out the window and shouted at me “Weirdo!!” The folks out her on the west side sure know how to support the arts. I am proud to be a bit weird, and Orlando could use more eccentricity.

Trees – Oh Holy Night

I arrived late to a Trees rehearsal on Sunday after a sketching assignment for Orlando Home and Leisure. As I walked in the worship center, “Oh Holy Night” was playing and the core company was on stage with their arms raised in reverence towards Mary and Joseph who were perched on top of a monolithic stage platform which had been erected on stage. Since I last saw this stage set piece, it had been painted black. The core group slowly lowered their arms which had an amazing dramatic effect with the music playing. Later a choreographer said she got goose bumps at this moment.
Then the actors approached each other as if discussing the wonders of what they had just witnessed. Aradhana the director got on the stage to show them how to push or exaggerate the action so it would play to the back of the worship center. She approached an actor with so much energy and enthusiasm, that the actor, caught off guard, had to take a step back. She wanted everyone to act with conviction and certainty. The point made in a humerus way is certain to never be forgotten by the cast.
So many things go on simultaneously in this show and yet the emotional focus is never lost. For instance during a number when the core group is dancing on the stage, a large group of teenagers is lined up along the edges of the worship center and they swing to the beat. During another dance number the choreographer shouted out “This is about Jesus, so I want major smiles!” Sometimes surprised when I see a number I had seen rehearsed before. As an artist I am always trying to catch quick isolated moments while the bulk of the show rolls forward. I always feel I am trying to catch up to the action.

Walking Impossible

Orlando had been named the worst city for pedestrians in cities of at least a million residents according to a report issued by Transportation of America called Dangerous by Design. To focus attention on this problem, Brian Feldman plans to walk across the 12 most dangerous intersection in Orlando.
When I arrived at the corner of West Colonial Drive and Pine Hills Road, Brian was at a crossroads, literally. I could see his bright yellow reflective vest from a block away, and as I approached Brian was on his iPhone and walking away from the intersection. When he saw me, he started walking towards me. We spoke and he was considering giving up the project which would involve his walking across this intersection 51 times which is the number of people who had been hit at the intersection in the past two years, 5 people died crossing the intersection. He plans to walk across 12 other intersections over the next week. The number of people hit in the intersections culminates on December 1st with 110 people hit at the corner of Silver Star Road and North Pine Hills Road, with 11 people killed.
By the time I arrived, Brian had already walked the four corners of this intersection 12 times and now he was considering scaling back the project. He said, “This is what happens when you don’t have a girlfriend. She might have talked me out of this, or at least talked me into a more scaled back performance.” I told him I thought it was a fantastic concept but it is certainly very dangerous. He said to me, “I need a mask, I didn’t consider all the fumes.” I explained that a medical mask really wouldn’t cut back on the fumes. Then again, they wear masks in Japan. Maybe I was wrong. Does anyone have a mask to lend Brian? He had to make a call. He walked over to the intersection and started talking on his iPhone. Then without another word he started to walk the intersection again. I began to sketch.
There was a near collision between 2 cars at one point and there was the periodic honking of annoyed drivers in a rush to get somewhere. Brian noticed several cars that ran the red lights. One recreational vehicle took a sharp turn onto Colonial and a huge forearm sized chunk of metal flew off of it onto the street. As he crossed the street on foot Brian paused at the center median thinking he would remove the metal object from the road. Before he could however, a truck ran the object over sending it flying into the air as so much shrapnel. Another car ran it over and it flew to the far side of the road with a loud clang. A frail emaciated woman came strolling across the road ignoring the signals and I was sure she would get hit but she survived.
I began this sketch by drawing Brian on his iPhone and later I decided to draw him out crossing the intersection as well. Some driver on the far side of the road started yelling at me, “Hey!! Hey!” I looked at him and waited for him to yell something intelligent, but no intelligent comment was forthcoming. I lost interest and continued to sketch. When I finished, Brian told me he had crossed the intersections four corners 30 times. He is twittering his experiences and shooting photos on his iPhone. This is without a doubt the most dangerous project Brian has ever attempted. He needs some intervention. Someone please go out there and talk him out of this performance. It is far too dangerous.
P.S. A short video was made about the project.