Orlando Philharmonic presents Puccini’s Tosca at the Bob Carr.

Opera is very much alive in Orlando. I went to a rehearsal of the A fully-staged performance presented by Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at the Bob Carr Theater. This was the first time the singers got to block their scenes using the set, which was still under construction. Actors walked the stage, getting used to the many steps that hadn’t been present in prior rehearsals.

Mario Cavaradossi, (Adam Diegel) worked on a large portrait of the Madonna that he based on a woman in the churches congregation that he never met. As he paints, he compares the Madonna’s blonde beauty to the beauty of his dark haired lover, Tosca (Keri Alkema). Tosca is a full figured fiery Prima Donna who loves the artist, but she suspects his love of art. She recognizes the face in the painting as the beauty in the congregation and accuses the artist of being unfaithful. He assures her of his love but jealousy still tears at her. Since I was sketching, I seldom had time to look up at the sub titles projected above the stage. I discovered the emotional context of every scene by watching Keri’s facial expressions. Her performance acted as my translator.

The artist gives refuge to a political prisoner essentially making him an enemy of the state. Baron Scarpia, (Todd Thomas) chief of the secret police, is searching for the political prisoner. His investigation leads him to the artist’s studio. There he finds Tosca and he is smitten. He shows her a red fan he found which she realizes as belonging to the beautiful woman in the painting. Her worst fears seem confirmed and she bursts into tears. She becomes trapped between her allegiance
to her rebel artist lover and the scheming of Scarpia, who
will stop at nothing in his unquenchable lust for her. The artist is imprisoned and Scarpia claims he will free him if Tosca surrenders to his sexual advances. The explosive
triangle comes to a hair-raising conclusion in one of opera’s bloodiest,
most intense dramas.

Joel Revzen is the guest conductor for the Philharmonic although at this rehearsal only the piano was on stage. Henry Akida is the stage director. He worked diligently during the rehearsal to keep the staging clear. At one point, the whole chorus came on stage in a processional with candles and one large red banner. Henry realized that the banner blocked some audience members view of Scarpia who stood elevated on the platform. To resolve the issue, the banner holder was moved far to stage right. These are the kind of issues that are only discovered as staging and props come into use. Lisa Buck created the stunning projections that depicted huge domed ceilings. The images lap dissolved between scenes giving the story an added depth. So many elements have to work together to make such a big production a reality. Amazing productions are truly miracles.
 

This is Central Florida’s biggest opera event of the
season. Don’t miss it.

Friday, May 1, 2015 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 2:00 PM
Bob Carr Theater
401 W Livingston St, Orlando, Florida 3280

Tickets starting at $22

A quick flight back to Sydney.

Getting too and from Ayers Rock is exhausting in and of itself since Australia is so large. Virgin Airways always served a decent meal for each flight and the stewardesses had tight little buns in their hair that made them seem like they stepped off of a 1960’s airplane.  Back in Sydney, we walked the streets and explored the parks and historic museums. There was gorgeous architecture from the gold rush era and then modern skyscrapers going up everywhere.

By this time, I was getting a little tired of sketching the view down the length of the airplane. I’d love it if I could swivel my seat and sketch the view looking back. Perhaps someday I’ll set up my artist stool in the aisle looking back. It would be just my luck to then get run over by a rogue snack cart. I think this digital sketch is the first one I wrote a date on. It is a good practice and I’ve continued the practice moving forward. I’ve recently been seeing tons of ancient ruins and the only thing that remains from centuries past are rocks. A library was empty and the few sculptures found have been moved to museums. What will become of digital art in the future? Will there be an Internet a thousand years from now? I keep pouring my sketches and thoughts into this new digital medium, but will it last?

Emerald Creek Falls offers bird watching for experts and novices.

Terry and I tagged along on a day trip with two expert birders. Our destination was Emerald Creek because there was some internet buzz that a rare Australian bird had been spotted there. We stopped quite often on the drive over since birds were being spotted left and right. When we got to the creek, I started to sketch while they explored with binoculars and spotting scopes. The last time I was on an outing like this it was with a group looking for a rare elusive three toed woodpecker. The pack went off into the woods and I decided to stay in the parking lot in the warm car. A three toed woodpecker flew right into the parking lot giving me a front row seat. When the pack of birders returned they were upset since all their calls and high tech equipment had failed to yield a single sighting.

In Australia I wasn’t as lucky but I got a fine sketch of the creek and the poor tree that had been scared by the love affair of Roy and Kat. Perhaps these two got matching tattoos as well. Perhaps in a decade the tree’s scar will heal but they could take their tattoos to their graves. I worked quickly on the sketch and finished just as the birders returned.

Morning at Jabiru Safari Lodge.

Terry went on an early morning jeep safari with the other avid birders at Jabiru Safari Lodge in Australia. That left my morning open to sketch the lodge. I was seated right next to the lake as I sketched. I started hearing splashing noises behind me and was surprised to see a wild boar skinny dipping in the lake. He would dip his head under the water and let it roll off his back. He splashed around for a good ten minutes or so before he got out shook off his coat and started walking down the trail towards me. When he finally noticed me sitting there, he took off with a grunt and darted into the woods with a few nimble bounds. I’m glad he was more startled than I was because if he chose to charge, I would have been screwed. I was wide awake and thrilled. What a way to start the day!

When the jeep got back Terry and I had breakfast on the patio. Terry was excited by all the species of birds that had been spotted. The expert birders could pick out birds by their calls and knew how to spot them at great distances. Over breakfast Terry noted the birds she had seen on her Australian bird list. She had purchased a bird book in Sydney‘s Royal Botanical Gardens and already most of the birds pictures were checked off.

The Jabiru Safari Tents had all the comforts of home.

As the sun set, we settled into our Jabiru Safari Lodge Tents in the Australian outback. I tried to keep it zipped up to keep the bugs out. There were also Emu’s on property so I wanted to keep them out as well. The tent had two twin beds along with lights on the bed stands. I find it hard to fall asleep in a tent since you can hear every bug and animal. There was the sound of something prowling about but when I stuck my head out to look, I didn’t see anything in the dark. The shower behind the tent was open air and ants liked to stop by probably for the moisture.

Terry relaxed and read her Vogue magazine while I sketched.  Most of the day, Terry went on a birding trip with several birding experts who were staying in the tent next to ours. One of them had seen more birds in one year than anyone else. That title must be based on the honor system because sometimes birds are so far away that you couldn’t be 100% sure of its identity. I think birders should be required to sketch every bird they identify.  That would cut down on the numbers and guarantee that the birder took the time to look at every feature of plumage and structure. Perhaps I will sketch every bird I see in a year. Whatever the number, I have a good chance of seizing the title of the most birds sketched. I wouldn’t kill them like Audubon, but sketch them on location if they cooperate.

Glamping at Jabiru Safari Lodge in Australia.

Terry became quite obsessed about seeing as many of Australia‘s indigenous birds as she could. To beef up her bird list, we went to Jabiru Safari Lodge (Pickford Road | PO Box 1364, Mareeba, Queensland 4880, Australia ) where we camped in the outback. We as usual, got lost on the drive there. A wrong turn sent us into a herd of cattle. A few phone calls eventually got us to the site. There were two huge tents set up on permanent wooden platforms. By the time we arrived, the sun was setting making the trees light up a bright orange. I immediately sketched the new domicile while Terry went for a hike. The tent came complete with a working shower out back, and a small refrigerator and fans to cool us down. It was definitely a step up from the tiny pup tent I took on my cross country bike trek as a teen.

In this part of the country there are large round jar shaped structures found everywhere. They are the homes to termites and some are more than six feet high. There were several right in front of our tent. What makes this area unique is that a large man made lake has been created that is a magnate for tons of migrating and local birds.  There is a lodge right on the water where you can relax and have a drink as the sun sets. Barn swallows have nests in the rafters and the parents are always busy sweeping in to give food to the chirping chicks in the nests.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for April 25th and 26th.

Saturday April 25, 2015

10am to 6pm Free. Earth Day. Lake Eola Park.

10am to 7pm 47th World Wide Sketch Crawl.  “SketchCrawl” – a free drawing marathon with fellow
artists. Thor from Analog Artist Digital World is the Orlando host.
There is no instruction, just a chance to sketch with fellow artists on
location.

10am to 2pm Sketchers will sketch Earth Day at Lake Eola. Earth Day tends to
get very crowded, so if you want to find me, just text me. (407
760-2813). My plan will be to sketch for two hours or so and then get at
bite to eat at Panerra’s (North East corner of Lake Eola park across
the street) or the food Court under the huge Live Oaks at Lake Eola’s South East entrance..
The basic idea of a sketch crawl is to record nonstop everything around you with sketches. Then artists share their work at http://www.sketchcrawl.com/ and you can see sketches from around the globe.

7pm to 10pm Free.  Florida is Not a Vacation: a Poetry Reading. Kerouac House 1418 Clouser Ave, Orlando, Florida. Sandra Simonds, Erin Hoover, and current Kerouac House resident Ciara Shuttleworth will read their poems.

Sandra Simonds website.

Erin Hoover is a poet living in Tallahassee, Florida, with work published in Prairie Schooner, Gargoyle, Redivider, and Sugar House Review, and anthologized in Best New Poets 2013. Erin edits The Southeast Review in addition to volunteering for VIDA: Women in Literary Arts and is a PhD candidate in Florida State University’s Creative Writing Program. Before moving to Florida, she worked as a communications director in New York City and co-founded Late Night Library, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustaining book culture and supporting authors early in their careers. Her Twitter is @ErinHoover.

Ciara Shuttleworth was born in San Francisco and grew up in Nebraska, Nevada, and Washington state. Her poetry has been published in journals and anthologies, including Alaska Quarterly Review, Confrontation, The New Yorker, The Norton Introduction to Literature 11e, and The Southern Review. Shuttleworth received an MFA in poetry from University of Idaho, a BFA in painting/drawing from the San Francisco Art Institute, and a BA in studio art from Gustavus Adolphus College. She is currently in-residence at the Jack Kerouac House of Orlando. Her website.


Sunday April 26, 2015

10am to Noon Free. Super Joy Riders. Eastern entrance of the Lake Eola Farmers’ Market. Participants dress as superheroes and ride en mass around the city as they check off their scavenger hunt-like list of Do Gooder Duties; collecting litter, helping senior citizens cross the road, returning shopping carts, basically performing small acts of kindness for an hour and a half of hilarity and love.
The Super Joy Riders: Do Gooder Bike Ride is an exercise in community organizing and active engagement. We hope to use the ride as an opportunity to show how helping people can be simple, fun, and easy, especially while wearing a cape.

You + Superhero Costume + Bike = Best Sunday Ever

We are inviting Orlando to come with us on a fun filled bike ride of awesomeness on the last Sunday of the month. Dress like a superhero, hop on a bike, and follow our scavenger hunt list of Good Deeds as we all try to save the world with small acts of kindness.


Noon to 2pm Free but get some food. Florida Gospel Jam.  Fish on Fire 7937 Daetwyler Drive Belle Isle FL. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday. 


1pm to 3pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola East Lawn.

Thala Beach in Australia offered an intimate hike on the Fringing Reef.

While Terry went birding with an experienced guide in Thalia, Australia I took a hike down to the beach for a quick second sketch. As the trail opened up to the beach, I discovered a bee hive in a branch that crossed the trail. There were far more rocky outcrops than there was beach.

Being a pale white vampire, I decided that I needed to find shade before I started any attempt at putting the jagged landscape on paper. I found this narrow alleyway of sand between the rocks and I scrunched down and sat in the shade which was quickly disappearing as the sun rose in the sky. This sketch was done quickly and almost flippantly because I was racing the sun. When the sun crept onto the page, I was blinded by it’s whiteness. I darkened the page with washes to darken it up a bit. I got a text from Terry letting me know that she Was done with her birding for the day. I decided the sketch was done and I scrambled up on the rocks again to find my way back to the hotel. I love looking in the tide pools to see what life has been stranded as the ocean receded. Blue craps hid from my sight and tiny fish swam for what little cover they could find.

Terry and I drove up the coast to explore more rain forests and beach side resorts. It was a scenic and relaxing day with very little traffic on the road. We hiked up a gorge and got lost along the way. When it got too hot, we stripped down to our skivvies and waded into the freezing cold river. We didn’t actually get lost, but the trail went much further than we expected. We got more than our share of nature for one day.

Thala Beach Nature Reserve is a gorgeous retreat.

Terry and I drove up the Australian coast towards Port Douglas. We stopped at Thala Beach Lodge and Nature Reserve (5078 Captain Cook Highway, Oak Beach QLD 4877, Australia). The lodging consisted of a series of bungalow tree houses on stilts. Terry had purchased a book that identified all of Australia’s bird species. She was in heaven with her eyes in the tree branches. There are walking trails all throughout the 145 acre property and on one hike we saw wallaby’s grazing on the grass. A wallaby looks like a kangaroo, but is a bit smaller and cuter. Our room came with a gift basket and champagne, so as the sun set, we popped the cork and relaxed.

I had a leisurely breakfast alone while Terry took an early morning nature walk with the reserves birding expert. The deck of the restaurant overlooked the Daintree Rainforest‘s tree canopy towards the ocean. A tree branch had a hollow that was filled with water and colorful lorikeets would battle the other birds for a turn at the bird bath. Only one bird could fit into the notch at a time so there was a constant chirping negotiation as birds waited for a turn. There is a live web cam overlooking this bird bath. With time to myself, I decided to hike down to the beach and see if I could squeeze in a second sketch before starting another day of sight seeing. Terry returned very excited about all the rare species of birds she had seen. I was satisfied with the two species I had watched at the bird bath.

Kuranda’s Australian Butterfly Sanctuary was a quiet retreat.

Kuranda‘s Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is located right next to the Original Markets. Terry and I decided to go inside for a look. Unfortunately a whole school bus of local school children arrived shortly after us. All the school kids had on blue uniforms. The kids were actually pretty well behaved and it was nice to see the level of excitement and wonder on their faces.

The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is
home to over 1500 magnificent tropical butterflies that are hand reared on the premises.

All are local rain forest species, including an iconic Kuranda butterfly, the electric blue Ulysses Butterfly, and the majestic fluoro green and yellow Cairns Birdwing.

The aviary, set in the midst of Kuranda rain forest, was opened in 1987 and has been visited by over a
million people since. Guided tours through the aviary and laboratory are conducted throughout the day, detailing a butterfly’s life cycle and behavior.

The place is thick with colorful species and they will land on you.  Several landed on my sketch, perhaps thinking that the bright watercolor washes might be a delicious nectar. Terry and I ate lunch in town. She wanted to get meat pies anywhere we went. I ordered one as well, but I couldn’t stop thinking of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. That thought might have affected my taste buds.