East End Art

On Wednesday May 14th many of the pieces from my retrospective show were moved to East End Market (3201 Corrine Dr, Orlando, FL.) I was on hand to make sure all the labels were with the right sketches. Most of the hanging was done by volunteers, Halee Sommer, Livia Morgane, and Emily Jourdan.

It started to rain heavily just as we all removed the art from Patrick Kahn‘s SUV. We all made a mad dash to the stairwell and found cover just before the deluge. The artwork made it inside without getting wet.

 22 original sketches were hung upstairs in the Community room.  Each was leaned up against the wall where it would be hung. Someone didn’t lean one of the frames back enough, and it crashed forward to the floor. The glass didn’t break, so no harm done. Some sort of morning Brunch had just ended so all the tables were set up. We decided to hang one piece over each stud in a sort of rural woodwork that covers the lower half of the wall. This resulted in even spacing between each piece and an airy well curated look to the whole room. Halee and Emily worked closely together to get all the measurements right. Emily held the hammer choked up by the hammer head.  Part of me wanted to coach her on how to hold the hammer right, but she got the job done so I let it go.  Every measurement was accurate and level. Even when mathematically accurate, each piece was checked by eye to be sure it looked level. The show was hung incredibly fast.

John Rife, East End’s owner showed us how to aim the spot lights onto the art, and then Halee took on the fearless task of sitting on top of the ladder and aiming each light. I wanted to sketch her high wire act, but aiming each light took only a few minutes. Instead I sketched downstairs in a narrow hallway where the 30 by 24 inch prints were hung. There was constant foot traffic so it was hard to find a spot where I wouldn’t block traffic. I sat near a water fountain across from the woman’s room to get the sketch.

Patrick  offered us all lunch on him. Livia speaks French, so we all ordered Parisian sandwiches. There was only one Parisian left, so I ordered a Tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. These three simple ingredients with a light touch of olive oil makes an absolutely sumptuous meal. Livia is going west on a road trip soon, so the lunch conversation turned to travel. Emily is a photographer, so we discussed the challenges of travel when you want to pause and take in the scene while the tours rush on by.  I related the details of my cross country road trip that I took from Colorado to Florida on the day after 9-11. Amazingly everyone knows where they were on that day. Livia in Europe remembered first hearing the news and Emily had just finished an exam in school when the school intercom told the teachers to turn on the TV. Her instructor disregarded the announcement at first but was eventually swayed. A strange day that few ever forget.

Stop by the East End market to see my art on display. Check out the many events held upstairs in the community room to see 22 of my originals on display.