Urban Sketching Symposium Day 1

Upon landing in Santo Domingo I had to get a $10 Tourist card and then navigate through customs. Orling “Arty” Dominguez had arranged for a ride to the hotel which was a blessing since I don’t know a lick of Spanish. This was the first time I’ve ever hoped to find someone holding a sign with my name on it. There was quite a crowd lining the entry to the airport. After much hunting and a quick call to Orling, I found a young woman with a sign that said, “Thor.”

The road from the airport to the hotel snaked along the black lava rock coastline.  There were occasional water blow holes.  The cinder block roadside shacks and bodegas reminded me of Panama. The local driver wasn’t that familiar with the one way roads throughout the historic district, so we got quite a tour as he drove a Nautilus shell pattern towards the hotel. Within an hour of getting settled in the air conditioned hotel room, I had to find my way to Centro Cultural de España for an instructors meeting.

There was a swag bag full of donated sketchbooks from Strathmore, Canson and Stillman & Birn. A map showing where each of the workshops would be held, was a major help. People would meet at the Centro Cultural and then hike out to the workshop locations.

After the meeting, Lapin pulled me aside and asked if he could draw me. I was surprised with how close he wanted to sit as he sketched. We sketched each other and I was surprised that he finished before me. Getting to watch him work was a major thrill. Later that evening there was a Portrait Party, Ice-breaker at Quintana Bar, (C/ Atarazana #13, Zona Colonial, In front of Plaza Espana.) We all sat in an outdoor courtyard, adding more chairs and tables as artists arrived. The waitress did a good job with the first round of drinks, but soon she couldn’t keep up with the demand. About one hundred artists were signed up for the Symposium and I swear they all tried to squeeze into that small courtyard. It was incredibly exciting to be around artists whose work I have admired for so long.

Airport Delay

Airport delays are always an opportunity to sketch. It seems that most people consider it an opportunity to stare at iPhones or iPads. I assume they are reading a good book. The semi-mirrored windows reflected the interior scene  when the tarmac was dark. One at a time, these Korean tourists scouted out something to eat. They returned with hot dogs and other meat-like products. Four people were waiting on stand by to get on the very crowded flight. One young girl was very anxious since she needed to get to a wedding.

When the plane finally started boarding, it was from the back rows to the front. I was in row six, so I was one of the last passengers on the plane. Flying over the Dominican Republic, I saw large organized grids of palm forests.  The island was lush and green. The plane was approaching the airport on the southern shore of the island so I got a closer view of the changing landscape. The air was hazy from human influence. Many cinder block buildings had rusty metal roofs, many of which were blown off probably from a hurricane. When the plane landed at the Santo Domingo Airport, everyone on board cheered. let the Urban Sketching Symposium begin!

Jet Blue Flight 1717

My wife Terry dropped me off at the Orlando International Airport two hours early to get through security and wait for my Jet Blue flight to Santo Domingo. 100 artists from around the world were gathering there for the Third International Urban Sketching Symposium. I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of the ten instructors. My workshop would be called “Capturing the Event.” All my course materials were tucked away in my carry on.

This is probably the calmest scene I sketched during the week of the symposium, as flight 1717 fueled up and prepared for boarding.  The flight took just about two hours flying south to the Dominican Republic. For the in flight snack, I grabbed a bag of animal crackers and I tried to identify each species before I bit off its head or legs. Each seat back had TV screens with 35 stations and three movies playing. I pushed the buttons on my arm rest and decided to watch The Lorax without sound. This Dr. Seuss animated feature was easy to follow even without the dialogue. Watching a film without sound let me focus on how scenes are composed, staged and lit. When I wasn’t watching the screen, I was watching the gorgeous cathedral like cloud formations.

Bark at the Park Night

Fans were encouraged to bring their dogs to the ball park for Bark at the Park Night Sunday July 21st sponsored by Pet Rescue by Judy. I went to Alfond Stadium, (801 Orange Avenue, Winter Park), where the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs played against the Sanford River Rats. This Collegiate Summer League game featured the most talented of the college players that could be drafted to the big leagues. Between the parking lot and the first base line, tents had been set up where vendors offered pet supplies for all the dogs that came out to the ball park. Dogs were everywhere. A retriever lounged in a kiddie pool wearing a red white and blue cardboard top hat. In ten minutes the game was going to start so I found a seat in the stands.

I could hear the announcer behind me and seconds later his delayed voice boomed and sizzled through the muffled sound system. A few fans had taken their dogs into the stands. As I sketched, the sun burst out from behind some clouds and I cursed myself for not having my baseball cap. I shielded my eyes with my left hand. The sun slowly set behind the left field fence with the clouds rimmed in orange. Then the outfield lights flickered on. There were several home runs and the score was much higher than most pro games. I paid close attention to the pitcher’s wind up. A Pomeranian yipped in his owners lap.

I enjoyed the silly kids games between innings. Two boys had to place their foreheads on the end of a bat and spin around it 5 times then run to the finish line. One boy fell as he spun and they both stumbled off balance towards the finish line. Then there was the chicken toss, where rubber chickens had to be tossed into baskets. And of course the sixth inning stretch where all the fans stood and sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game.  The announcer asked trivia questions like, What breed of dog do you get if you cross a Golden Retriever with a Poodle. The answer was Golden Doodle. The winner of the evenings raffle would win half the money from raffle ticket sales and a Winter Park Team autographed baseball.

Heat lightning flashed on the horizon in the clouds behind the outfield fences as the teams entered the 9th inning. A dog barked loudly when the catcher had to leap to catch a stray ball. The Diamond Dawgs won easily 12 to 7 against the River Rats. Peanut shells littered the stands as everyone filed out of the stadium. It’s been a long time since I enjoyed the church of baseball.

Jazz at the White House

The Civic Minded 5 presented reed player Trevor Watts and pianist Veryan Weston, a longtime duo and storied members of the British improv scene at the Timucua White House, (
2000 South Summerlin).  This free concert presented cutting edge new jazz, where mastery met sensibility and the joy of the moment. The visual artist for the evening was going to be Martha Jo Mahoney, but she couldn’t make it. Bernie Martin was working on a watercolor at stage right and I was sketching in the balcony so the visual arts were represented. I was surrounded  by a family who took some interest in what I was doing. I recognized the husband but couldn’t quite place him. Finally after a short conversation, I realized it was Mark Simon, who wrote a book called Storyboards, Motion in Art. I have that book in my art library and refer to it anytime I get a storyboard assignment. What a small world. This was the first time Mark and his family attended a Timucua concert. They were in for an explosive, experimental treat.

The music was edgy and on the verge of  pure cacophony. As I worked, I realized I didn’t have a rag to wipe off my brushes. I used the sketch itself to wipe clean the brush. I worked in a frenzy driven by the music and the panic of the moment. Both performers had thick grey hair that swept around the back of their skulls reminiscent of friendly poltergeist clowns. I’m considering growing my own grey  lion’s mane to duplicate this bohemian look.

After the concert people socialized around snacks and wines in the entry foyer. I caught up with Wendy Wallenburg, who helps out at the social hour, and her friends, Sarah Austin and Nikki Mier.  Nikki suggested I should start wearing outlandish clothes as a fashion statement so people can spot me at events.  I still prefer to blend in with the wallpaper. Elaine Corriveu, who is Benoit Glazer‘s wife, and the hostess for the evening, wanted to see my sketch. I honestly believe she appreciates what I do. If you haven’t been to the White House, then you are missing out on a gem of the local music scene.

Take Your Blinders Off

Julie Gros let me know that a Vegan Outreach organization was showing a documentary about the horrors of meat production facilities. I stumbled across the pickup truck mobile theater as I was walking around Lake Eola on my way to another event. I had to sketch. Julie was there along with five or six other people who handed out fliers and offered people passing by vegan fudge. The mobile video truck was parked across the street from Publix Supermarket.

The Meat Video showed actual footage from factory farms. It was narrated by James Cromwell. I warn you that the video is brutal and hard to watch. Also, there were clips from Earthlings Film, set to music by local musician, Dani Shay. I must have watched the films like ten times as I worked on the sketch. It made me think I should consider a vegan diet. I’m considering starting another blog called, Vegan Artist in a Carnivorous World.

Some people walking past the screening averted their eyes. Others stood for a while to talk to volunteers. One man walking past with his family shouted out “You are all *ssh*lls!” A volunteer shouted back, “Nice language in front of your children!” I don’t know how many people were influenced by the screenings, but having taken the time to look, I am certainly considering making more compassionate choices when it comes to my diet.

Tablet Repair

My Motion Computing Tablet started running some diagnostic that kept me from writing. The ominous screen popped up every other time I booted up the computer. Naturally I panicked. I called Damon Natch Burke, who is the brother of local artist Tracy Burke. “Tracy got all the artistic talent and I got all the analytical abilities.” He said. Damon used to work, engineering rocket payloads. A poster in his workshop showed a schematic of one of those rockets.  He now works an Embry-Riddle as an Observatory engineer. He came across the same warning signs and decided to attack the issue from the inside out. First he researched on Google to see if any other people had the same issue. I did the same thing, but he always seems to find more in depth reports. Somehow he hooked his computer up to mine and he ran a barrage of tests.

He let me sit in and sketch as he took the tablet apart. The tiny screws were balanced on top of his own iPad. The pressure sensitive screen was popped off and he finally found a way to inspect the heart of the machine, a tiny hard drive. He approached the problem from all angles. If the hard drive was to blame, he wanted to be sure he ordered the right one. When he rebooted and the diagnostic screen came up again, he asked how long I had let the diagnostic run. I had let it run all night and when I saw it hadn’t finished by the next morning, I had assumed it was frozen. As we sat and talked, he let the diagnostic continue. He placed his ear to the machine and listened for movement in the hard drive. I joked that the doctor needed a stethoscope. He actually had one and he decided to use it. “You can’t draw me using the stethoscope however.” He insisted.

As the hard drive continued to click and whir, Damon suggested I go out and get some lunch.  When I returned, it was still working. I went back home to get all my software disks in case the hard drive had to be wiped clean. In the end, the machine fixed itself. I had just not been patient enough to let the program finish its work. The experience was a wake up call. I need to start backing up all my data. I’ll do that soon, when there is more time.

GOAT Actors Studio Annex

Dennis Neal was conducting his second three week intensive actors workshop at the GOAT Actors Studio Annex, (650 S. Northlake Blvd., Suite 430, Altmonte Springs). The Greater Orlando Actors Theatre class was offered two nights a week with four hour sessions. The invitation stressed that each person would be working on a play of their choosing, as well as
other work. This class was for those WILLING TO WORK and SERIOUS ABOUT
THEIR CRAFT!

About a dozen actors sat at tables edging the corporate training room. The first question Dennis would ask each student was, “Why are you taking this course.” The answers helped define where each artist was on their personal journey. There were far more women than men who wanted to learn. Each actor was asked to bring a monologue they could read. A young woman named Denise was the first at bat. Her mom sat beside her. Denise got up and sat in a lone chair in the center of the room facing Dennis. He stressed that the class wasn’t about judgement or winning his acceptance. Jokingly he warned Denise, “I will  break you down.”  The room grew quiet. There was tension in the air.

Denise confided that she was nervous. She had written her own monologue in which she confronted a boy making  unwanted advances. “You think I’m that kind of girl?” she said. Dennis interrupted her and asked her to delete all the inflections and flourishes. He wanted her to just say the lines like she was speaking. He would then use hand signals to indicate when he wanted her to slow down or speed up a line. She was flustered, thrown off balance. Her eyes welled up. She asked to be excused and ran to the bathroom. Dennis asked another actress to go in and see how she was doing.

Each actor got up in turn to work on their monologue. Alecia traveled two hours to get to the class. Dennis shouted out, “Lets take it to the wall!” He said, “Every scene goes back to love and fear.” The most important thing an actor must keep in mind is, “What do I want.” Even more important, “Nobody is perfect.” Sarah Lockhard had already memorized her monologue. She played the part of a manic receptionist talking at a break neck pace. She was quirky, quick witted and hilarious. When she was done, Dennis asked, “Do you drink coffee?” “Heck YEAH!” she shot back. Everyone laughed.

Dennis asked one actress to just speak to another actress about maturity. Everything she said came from the heart. There was no script. Authenticity flowed. Dennis used the exchange to point out that honesty is the best tool in any actor’s tool box. The young actress, Denise, had returned and she was the last to again take the center stage chair. Dennis said, “I may bark, but I don’t bite.” This time she performed admirably, working hard to accept advice and dig deep inside to express herself with absolute honesty. By the next class, each actor was expected to be “off book.” Then, the real work would begin.

Artists’ Critique & Conversation

The Art & History Museums of Maitland presented an exciting new initiative to assist in the professional development of local artists. A new series, titled Artists’ Critique & Conversation, will be held on the 4th Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m.
The critiques will be held in the Germaine Marvel Building, (210 W. Packwood Avenue, Maitland). The Critique is FREE and the public is encouraged to attend. A bar was available with beer, wine, water and soft drinks.

The critiques will be led by artist, arts writer, and instructor Josh Garrick, along with two additional panelists each month. Parker Sketch offered his insights at the first event. After the panel review, all attendees displayed their work and engaged in discussions and peer reviews.

Artists of every medium and skill level are encouraged to participate. Each critique will review up to 9 artists, and all artists MUST sign up in advance. Each artist can only sign up for one of the nine slots every three months.

Garrick, who has spent his career in the arts, discusses the judging and critique of art, “From my years as a teacher at New York City’s School of Visual Arts, it has always been important to me – when ‘judging’ art – to create an environment in which my students and colleagues may expand their abilities, and not to insist on a style, or change an individual’s personal voice,” he says. “Rather, the most important consideration for me, as an aesthetic judge, is to seek out those persons whose work exhibits a unique and personal form of creativity. “Other important considerations include: composition, use of color, technical ability, control of the medium, and use of light and shading. While judgments of aesthetic value may be linked to emotions or cultural conditioning, I’ve found that I have the ability to put those aside and find – when judging – that my initial response to a work is my finest barometer.

“Having ‘judged’ well over 1000 student portfolios and Art Festivals throughout the Eastern US, I put aside my personal ‘interpretations,’ and allow the work to ‘sweep over me,’ as I was taught by Silas Rhodes, founder of the School of Visual Arts. Meanings and symbols mean little to me in the judging process. My senses, emotions, and training – or some combination of these – mean much more.

“When I participate as a juror, I ‘see’ from an artist’s point-of-view, and from a teacher’s point-of-view, and as a person willing to be public with an honest opinion. Jurors must be willing to voice their opinion … and stand by it, with everyone understanding that it is one man’s opinion – no more and no less. When my considered opinion of a student’s work was negative, I would tell that person, ‘It is one man’s opinion. It is an educated opinion, but it is one opinion.’ If there is a constructive lesson to be learned, that point is worth remembering.

“Finally,” Garrick concludes, “it is up to each Artist to maintain his or her own choices and opinions. This is YOUR work, and the most important judgment is how YOU judge your work.”

The next Artist’s Critique is Tuesday July 24th starting at 6PM in the Maitland Art Center’s Germaine Marvel Building, 210 W. Packwood Avenue, Maitland.

Tango Dance Class

The dance class began in the Zebra Room (2609 Gower Street), at 2 A.M. Tango Productions run by Amy Allison, featured Victoria Sarquisse and Federico Jorquera, for the first time teaching workshops in Orlando. Victoria and Federico were both born and raised in Argentina and have been teaching Argentine tango in the Tampa area for the last 5 years.

Students arrived slowly, socializing and changing their shoes. The workshop began with Victoria leading everyone in warm up exercises. They all faced the mirrored wall stretching along with Victoria. I only had enough time to sketch Victoria with her hands stretched over her head. Men and women then separated into two groups. Frederico showed the men how to lead and the women were shown their embellishments.

Victoria explained that walking with dignified intention can be the most beautiful aspect of any Tango. The movement is initiated from the chest. She plucked the fabric of a participants blouse to demonstrate. Every step had deliberate confidence. The first important thing in Tango is a good embrace and the second is walking. There are many nuances built around every deliberate move. When men and women danced together, with volcadas in close embrace, they were instructed to feel the connection. In one exercise the men were instructed to take a small step back and the women would lean forward into his chest. Even though there was often space between them, every nuance needed to be communicated and felt. Victoria stressed that they needed to enjoy the journey. With the lessons complete, everyone danced with abandon, learning from each new partner.