Mystery Sketch Theater at Falcon Bar.

Mystery Sketch Theater is a live figure drawing session that
takes place once a month, on the first Thursday of the month at an
awesome artsy bar and gallery called The Falcon (819 E. Washington
Street, Orlando, FL 32801).
The cost is just $5 which goes to the model. The models are superheroes, burlesque performers, retro housewives, belly dancers, drag queens! It’s a hoot! About a dozen artists will show to sketch quick one minute poses to start and gradually work up to longer 20 minute poses. I like to sketch the artists at work as well as the model. One artist brought in his dog, and they sketched from their spot on the floor.

The next Mystery Sketch Theater Presents, Sunny Cummings. She is a yoga instructor so expect to see some super human flexibility.

We provide you the most ravishing, exotic and fascinating models our
fair city and beyond can provide. Elaborate costumes, fabulous makeup,
and amazing personalities. On that note…if you have a pair of fishnets
or a sequined bra, you might want to contact us for modeling
opportunities. We’ll pamper and worship you.

Artists of all
skill levels and occupations are welcome to come. Even non-artists who
just want to hang out, get their geek on and have a good time with good
people are more than welcome too. Artists are asked to pay a small fee
of $5 for the evening to help cover costs for running the event. Oh, did
I mention we have contests? Silly! Ridiculous contests! With prizes!

First Thursday of the month, every month from 8-10 PM! Come early to
get a great seat and snag a drawing table before they’re all spoken for!

The Corsets and Cuties 2nd Annual Amateur Contest & Holiday Kick Off.

 I was invited to a Corsets and Cuties dress rehearsal on Wednesday 8-17 at The Venue (511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803) from 8pm to 10pm. It was three months since the Pulse shooting, and the venue was richly decorated with rainbows, and an Orlando Rising banner. Even as performers stripped, the banner reminded one, to never forget.

The Corsets and Cuties performers always bring lively tongue in cheek humor to their performances. Laughter, set them apart from other burlesque troops I have sketched. Rainbow skirts flew off of hips and fluttered to the floor. This see me an appropriate way to honor the spirits  of the young men and women who were dancing and celebrating life when insanity cut their lives short.

The next Corsets and Cuties performance is the 2nd Annual Amateur Contest & Holiday Kick Off, on November 18th. Doors open at 9 pm. Tickets are $18 in advance, and $20 at the door. The Cuties are opening the show, and then inviting contestants to the stage for audience votes. The audience chooses the winner who
earns their place as the Cuties guest star in our Spring Show! Then the Cuties
take over to kick off the holiday season!

There will be Madness # 5 – A Flash Fiction Slam.

There will be Madness  # 5 – A Flash Fiction Slam was held at The Gallery at Avalon Island (37 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, Florida 32801). Eight writers faced off head to head in three rounds and there was only one winner.

Jessie Bradley was the MC. What does it take to compete?

1 – No greater than 250 word story for the first round

2 – No greater than 500 word story for the second round

3 – No greater than 1000 word story for the final round

The last writer standing will received a copy of both There Will Be Words chapbooks for 2016.

In this town where poetry readings are a dime a dozen, it is nice to let some prose develop characters and plot. The best part: the audience decided who wins each round (which means, feel free to bring as many friends as possible to help rig the competition in your favor). I felt that my vote counted. Only take eight writers could compete. To sign up, e-mail twbwsubmissions@gmail.com or on the invite page. The show started around 7:00. Connie Cassia Heinz took home the grand prize.

Jim Helsinger discusses Angel Action Wings

In Abraham Lincoln‘s Inauguration speech, he said   “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”This quote inspired Jim Helsinger to create Angel Action Wings after the Pulse tragedy. As he said, “Moises Kaufman wrote ‘The Laramie Project’, about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, what could I do?” When members of a Baptist hate group said they would protest at funerals of the victims of the Pulse shooting, here in Orlando, Jim had to act.

The Orlando Shakespeare Theater and
the Angel Action Wings Project teamed up to create
massive PVC frame, and white linen angel wings in the hopes of blocking the 40-member
“church” group and their hate-filled signs, the dumbest being “God Hates Fags.” Thanks to donations, the
Orlando Shakespeare Theater built each of the angel ensembles in
their costume shop.  There was much confusion on social media about weather the hate group would actually show up, but Jim went with a gut feeling and had the wings built anyway. At a funeral, singing and the angel wings blocked the protesters who did get a permit to protest.

After that initial success some one suggested that 49 Angel wings should be built. Although he as in Colorado, he spearheaded the effort from there. Volunteers from Disney filled the Shakespeare scenic shop completing the wings with incredible speed. After a Pulse theater community event at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts the 49 Angels marched outside the theater surrounding the large memorial that was in the plaza. A light drizzle accompanied their somber candle light march, but when they stood in silent vigil the rain stopped and a light breeze aired their wings. People exiting the theater where overwhelmed be the sight.

Theater has a way of framing grief. When in a dark theater surrounded by an audience, we realize that we are not alone. If others survive then I can as well. We do not live in a vacuum. 20 years ago Orlando was a conglomerate of corporations. In the last fire years, little theaters and restaurants have found a home here. Orlando’s reaction and response to the Pulse tragedy is something to be proud of. We as a community will embrace gays, Latinos, and immigrants.

Jim grew up in Ohio and has shot guns. He believes in the second amendment, but if an individual is on a watch list, or has been denied a flight license, then why can he buy an assault rifle? In Newtown a young boy could walk into an alimentary school and shoot children. Nothing has changed. People need to accept their differences. There needs to be religious and racial tolerance. We need to change the culture of violence to a culture of love.

The 49 wings were just transferred to the Center which will decide how and when the wings will be used in the future. This will allow Jim to refocus his energies on running the Shakespeare Theater. They were just worn in the recent gay pride parade, where thousands
cheered as the angels glided down Orlando’s downtown streets. The angel wings need to keep flying.

Weekend Top 6 Picks January 28th and 29th.

Saturday January 28, 2017

9am to 5pm. Free. Renningers Steampunk and Industrial Show. Renningers.Mount Dora FL. ARE YOU READY……5th Year for
Renninger’s Steampunk & Industrial Show…time flies when you
travel….we are planning the best Steampunk Show for our Time Travelers
October 15 & 16, 2016 from 9AM – 5PM Admission is FREE, Parking is
FREE…over 100 vendors with fabulous finds created and specially
collected for this event….music performed by some of the best
“Steampunk” musicians, Cog is Dead, Clockwork Knotwork, Sideshow
Drummer, Florida Tribal Dance, Jig to a Milestone, John Babcock, all
hosted by Phantasmagoria….delicious
food including “High Tea”…and the 3rd Annual Splendid Teapot
Race…steampunk horse & carriage rides, magic, giant kaleidoscope,
Best Dressed Award, and all the special sights and sounds when Victoria
and Albert collide with the Industrial Age!

Noon to 3pm Free.  USk Chinese New Year Sketchcrawl. Wat Florida Dhammaram of Kissimmee,FL 2421 Old Vineland Rd, Kissimmee, Florida 34746. Urban Sketchers International is going global on January 28th in celebrating the Chinese New year, Lunar year and highlighting the Asian culture.
We – the Orlando Urban Sketchers – are going to be there too! taking part in this Worldwide sketchcrawl Event! The participating USk chapters so far are: São Paulo; Singapore; Boston; Orlando; Japan; Hong Kong; Melbourne; Sydney; Beijing; Seattle ; Canberra; Los Angeles; Kuala Lumpur; Taiwan; Austin; Gran Canaria; Fredericksburg, VA; Raleigh; Cleveland; Charleston, SC; Cairns, AUS; Ilocos; Kuching, Malaysia; Waterloo Region, Canada and NYC.

We checked around town for local celebrations or the best location to highlight this amazing culture and found this gem nestled among Kissimmee countryside not too far from Lake Buena Vista.

The Wat Florida Dharmmaram Buddhist Temple will provide an exciting challenge to us sketchers. Bring on your gold and red paints, markers, pens or pencils, your sketchbook and your curiosity.
Gather your sketching friends to make this a terrific Worldwide sketchcrawl event!

Let us share with the World our take of this global event.
Post your sketches on Facebook at;
Urban Sketchers (group)
and at
Orlando Urban Sketchers (group)
or Instagram at #urbansketchers and
Instagram at #urbansketchersorlando

If you will be busy celebrating the holiday with friends and family, any sketch reflecting your special traditions would be a lovely way to share art about the beginning of a New Year! 

There is a meditation class at the Temple right after our sketching session if any of you wish to join. 3:00 to 5:00 pm directed by Than Chao Khun Sunan, Abbot of the Wat Florida Dhammaram.

8:30am to Midnight $25 DRIP 80’s Night. DRIP 8747 International Dr Suite 102 (Behind Denny’s and Senor Frogs), Orlando, Florida. Grab your legwarmers and head over to DRIP! We’re taking it back to the raddest decade in history – the 80s! Come re/discover some of the greatest fashion statements and musical influences of the time. Neon Paint Bar, 80s themed drink specials, dance party, Tye-Dye station, full DRIP show, classic movies, and a Thriller dance along! Squeeze into spandex and layer on that aquanet for a special discount ticket ($25)!

Doors Open at 8 PM
Age Requirement: 18+


January 29, 2017

10am to 4pm Free. Lake Eola Farmers Market. South East corner of Lake Eola Park, Orlando, FL, United States. 

Noon to 3pm Donation. Music at the Casa Violinist Lisa Ferrigno & Friends. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789.

2pm to 4pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, 195 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL near red pagoda. Every week.

Mary Tyler Moore died at age 80.

Mary Tyler Moore was born on Dec. 29, 1936, in Brooklyn Heights. After
living in Queens and Brooklyn, her family moved to California when she
was 8. Her father, George Tyler Moore, a clerk, and her mother, the
former Margery Hackett, were both alcoholics and, Ms. Moore often said,
imperfect parents. The eldest of their three children, Mary would
outlive both her sister, Elizabeth Moore, who died of a drug and alcohol
overdose in 1978, and her brother, John Hackett Moore, who

died of
cancer in 1992 after Ms. Moore had assisted him in an unsuccessful
suicide attempt. died at the age of 80 on January 25, 2017, Greenwich, Connecticut. Her family said her death, at Greenwich Hospital, was caused by cardiopulmonary arrest after she had contracted pneumonia.

Back in art school, I arranged to get a press pass to Beverly Sills retirement dinner. I followed the flock of reporters shooting photos which I later used to complete a series of sketches about the evening. Held in a hotel in Central Park South) the evening was glamorous. For a student illustrative journalist, it was pure magic.

I loved Mary Tyler Moore. I knew her mostly as the spunky female reporter on her signature show, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” broadcast from 1970 to 1977, it was produced by both Ms. Moore and her second husband, Grant Tinker, who later ran NBC and who died on Nov. 28, 2017. She went on to more serious fare, including an Oscar-nominated role in
the 1980 film “Ordinary People” as a frosty, resentful mother whose son
has died.I always admired that performance that reminded me of people in my own life.

When I landed a dream job while in NYC, I threw my hat up in the air just as Mary did at the  intro to every show. There was always a poised quality to Mary. During the gala she wore a gorgeous dark gown with huge billowing sheaves. I had never seen or sketched anything like it.

Ugly Beauty at the Morse Museum.

 

The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, (445 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) hosted a documentary film series at lunch times once every few weeks about Art. This particular screening was about Ugly Beauty. Art critic Waldemar Januszczak argued that beauty is still to be found in modern art. Modern artist Damien Hurst made headlines and tons of money selling a great white shark in a glass case full of formaldehyde to a wealthy stock broker in the 1980’s. This was considered ugly and tasteless by many. Waldemar pointed out that such art depicting death have occurred throughout art history. In the sketch depicted a still life done by Rembrandt of a cow carcass.

Has beauty disappeared from modern art? Several influential modern
thinkers insist that it has. And this belief has inspired them to
publish a clutch of recent books which claim that modern art is no
longer capable of capturing true beauty: that beauty has gone from art. 
Art critic Waldemar Januszczak fiercely disagreed, believing that great art is as interested in beauty as ever.

Beauty in modern art often has to do with the sterile and pristine open spaces where the art is exhibited. The museum itself becomes the source of calming reflection instead of the art. The world today needs beauty more than it has ever needed it, and modern art is one of its few suppliers.

Kraft Azalea Gardens

Kraft Azalea Gardens is a gorgeous place to sketch as the sun sets. This 5.22-acre public garden is located on the shore of Lake Maitland
and is open all year from 8 a.m. until dusk. Lakefront, secluded and
unique, this is Winter Park’s secret garden! This beautiful park
is shaded by enormous cypress trees that add to the old Florida charm
of the 13-acre property.

This gnarly old tree with light bark lights up a bright orange in that golden moment before the sun slips behind the luxury homes on the far shore. The winding bark seemed to hint at hidden female forms which glowed in the fading light.

I returned several times wanting to catch the colors and forms in oils as well as watercolor. Right next to this tree is a rare Banyan Tree which is native to India, Siri Lanka and Pakistan. It is often planted around temples and is considered sacred by Hindus and Buddhists. The free is not cold tolerant and usually only grows in an area south of Miami. A deep freeze in 1989 devastated many of these trees, so the tree in Kraft Azalea is quite rare. A Banyan in Saint Augustine was thought to be the most northern Banyan in the state but it died in the 1989 freeze. Some therefor believe this to be the northern most Banyan in the state. It is believed that the tree was first planted here in 1938 when Kraft Azalea Gardens was first developed by Notable

nurseryman Martin Daetwyler who was hired to

design the garden by well-known residents,
George and Maud Kraft, Mayor Frederick Cady,

Forney Shepard, Leonard Hackney and Mrs. C. F.
Ward
.

Knowing the history of this unlikely pair of trees, I plan to return for several more sunset sketches to watch them light up with a fiery glow. The twisted intertwining forms of the Banyan will be fun to draw.

Wedding of Nikole Cassandra McManus and Joshua Glenn Wilson

I was hired by Joshua Wilson to sketch his wedding at Wild Acres Villa in Paisley Florida. Joshua is a local pianist and I have sketched him performing at several Orlando events. Wild Acres Villa is locate far north of Orlando in the Ocalla National Forest. The paved road turned to dirt as dusk approached. The Villa is a gorgeous Swiss Chalet made of stone in the middle of nowhere. It sits on the shore of a huge lily pad covered lake. Folding chairs were lined up in rows in front of a half moon brick patio that had an ornate gazebo over it. Pine boughs were stuck into the ornate lattice. A loaf of braided bread sat on top of a cup of red wine. An easel held there ropes with a Celtic W emblazoned across the top of a wooden plank.

The ceremony began at 4pm. The pastor and Josh stood waiting for the bride. Bridesmaids walked the grassy lawn and lined up stage right. I had started my sketch, and miscalculated how many bridesmaids there might be. Each time a new brides maid came down the a is she would stand in front of me. I moved each time closer to the stage. The re were 8 bridesmaids in all, and 7 groomsmen. By the time vow we re exchanged, I we standing in a bed of vines. The bread was for a communion for the wedding couple. Josh and the pastor seemed to know one another and they smiled a each other when Cassandra stood at the back of the lawn for the processional,  Josh looked at her with adoration. He mouthed silent to someone in the front row, “I’m marrying her. . .” She began walking towards Josh to the sound of Balmorhea by Settler. Josh’s face told the whole story. He was overwhelmed and then teared up. This was clearly the happiest moment of his life. The coup faced each other and held hands. I wished I could see her face. Since I w sketching I could only experience this ceremony while watching Josh.

The ropes on the plank we re woven into a braid by the couple. This part of the ceremony was inspired by a bible verse in Ecclesiastes. . . “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A chord of there strands is not quick in broken.” The couple each had personal statements before the a ceremony. The tiny box was for notes that the couple wrote to one another. These notes explain why they were so in love and what they admired in their partner. The box could only be opened in five years or when the couple was experiencing irreconcilable differences.

When the ceremony was sealed with a kiss, the lawn chairs were quickly gathered and the photographers work began as they shot large family portraits. Child on ran and played tag, as the sun turned the the tops orange. I walked to the edge of the lake and admired the incredible colors.

Tables were already set up on the lawn for the reception. I decided to start a second sketch digitally to capture the illuminated lanterns and the dimly lit guests. I sketched the guests as they sat down for their BBQ pulled pork dinner. The one disadvantage of this wilderness retreat was mosquitoes. Every one was talking a b them at dinner. A photographer offered me bug spray and I slathered some in my ears to discourage the buzzing. Several days later, I discovered the mosquitoes had been having a feast at my ankles. My swollen ankles had never been sucked so dry of blood. With my nocturnal sketch done, I retired inside with the staff to have a bite to eat. I left as the dancing started.

Why Books Are a Crazy Business (and thank heaven for that).

I attended a lecture with Harold Augenbraum, the out-going Director of the National Book Awards, at the Jack Kerouac House, 1418 Clouser Ave, Orlando, Florida 32804. In partnership with Rollins College “Winter With the Writers” program, The Kerouac Project  hosted the guest lecture.

Harold Augenbraum is Executive Director of the National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards. He has published seven books on Latino literature of the United States and translated several books for Penguin Classics including two novels by the Filipino writer José Rizal. In 2012, he co-translated (with Ilan Stavans) The Plain in Flames by Juan Rulfo and in 2013 Penguin published his edition of the Collected Poems of Marcel Proust. Last year he was awarded an honorary doctorate (honoris causa) by Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota) and in September he will be a Franke Visiting Fellow at Yale University.

Harold’s talk was witty and light hearted. Some people might thin that the book publishing business would have shrunk because of the Internet, but the opposite is true, there are more books being published today than ever before. Making money in publishing is however tricky and as difficult as picking horses at the races.

As always there was wine and mingling after the lecture. There is always a creative excitement to these gatherings. If you want to experience the heart of the Orlando literary scene then get out to a Kerouac house event.