Valentine’s Concert at Leu Gardens.

Pam Schwartz and I went to Harry P. Leu Gardens, (1920 N Forest Ave, Orlando, FL 32803) to see a concert featuring  Ricky and the Buzzcatz. We packed a picnic basket and a couple off lawn chairs along with a sparkling red wine. Although members, we found out that the members parking lot was blocked off from use. Street parking was packed and we ended up parking a few blocks away on Iowa Place. Pam is from Iowa so that seemed a happy accident.

The stage was set up in front of a small hill which is usually set up as a botanical clock. Two red hearts made from illuminated tubes defined the heart shapes. Most of the stage lighting was red for the first set, and I stayed with the limited palette since I could barely see the sketch page. The songs in the first set were mostly mobster ballads by crooners like Frank Sinatra and  Tony Bennett. Between songs the musicians would occasionally break into the Godfather theme song and everyone was supposed to take a drink. The wine we had was sweet, bubbly and delicious so I looked forward to the Pavlovian Godfather theme.

I finished this sketch in the first set and when done, we broke open the picnic basket. It was an old school basket with the two hoop handles and a flip open hinged top. Those two handles however aren’t comfortable to hold. They pinch the palm as you carry it. We ended up lamenting not bringing the roller cooler (as it seems less romantic than a woven basket). Regardless we had a handsome feast of sandwiches and fruit.

The second set was far more lively with contemporary songs that got us up and dancing. Theatrical smoke billowed out from behind the stage and stage hands ran around with fans trying to contain and direct it. The evening’s billowing breezes had other plans and being close to the stage, we were engulfed. The sidewalks leading to the stage became the dance floor. Only occasionally would someone dance on the grass. One lady just darted around on the lawn, she was comical to watch. It was a very cool night, and I felt bad for the women who decided to dress in tight skirts and high heels. Pam and I tried a few spins and danced traditionally for the slow songs. We joked that we might knock another couple out with our gesturing. If I wasn’t  graceful, at least I was having fun.

A female singer sang “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. It was announced as an anthem for women but any man experiencing separation and a new life can be equally inspired to dance with abandon and conviction. When the music ended we all walked out of the gardens in formation. It was a fun night and Ricky and the Buzzcatz must be a very popular wedding band.

Juggling Spaghettti in Box 10.

27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking is possible only during day light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street performers must be confined to the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Using a map of the Downtown Core District, I am documenting each blue box with some of Orlando’s most unique performers.

Blue Box 10 on the corner of Orange Avenue and Robinson Street no longer show any signs of the original blue dotted lines that define the boxes. It must have been spray washed clean. The city ordinance however states that a performer can use the blue box even if the lines can not be seen.

Jeff Ferree who works at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater volunteered to juggle. He deftly juggled bowling pins but the crowning act came when he juggled spaghetti. He placed a message on Facebook announcing his performance and several of his friends showed up to watch. Drivers passing by also got to witness this spectacular performance. Juggling cooked spaghetti is a challenge, because you can wad the noodles up into balls to start, but those balls break apart in mid-flight becoming a sloppy mess of wet strands. Jeff tried wrapping the noodles around juggling balls but the same chaos ensued. The joy in the performance wasn’t his success, but the chaos and slop in the attempts.

This area where Jeff juggled has a nice grass covered empty lot and I have heard that food trucks might be able to set up shop there soon.This is only rumor however. I looked up the City’s policies on food trucks downtown, and it is not likely downtown workers will be offered the variety that food truck vendors would offer.

Which areas prohibit mobile food vending?

The City of Orlando cannot approve vending along International Drive or Semoran Boulevard; there are special zoning overlays that prohibit vendors.

The City prohibits the selling food or merchandise on city streets and sidewalks (Sec. 54.27).

The City prohibits sales of food and drink within public parks, recreation areas and facilities, except under concession agreement approved by the city council; these are requested at the City’s discretion.

The City prohibits vending, services and sales of goods on any public or private street, public parking lot or public property.

Special events with an 18A permit approved by the Police Department may include food vendors ancillary to events.

I did not find any city ordinance that prohibits the juggling of spaghetti.

The Inbetween Series at Avalon Island.

Elizabeth Baker presented “Headspace/I Found a Pearl in the Wall This Morning” at The Gallery at Avalon Island, (39 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801). This was a new work by new renaissance artist Elizabeth A. Baker, which
unfolded as a sonic and movement ritual exploring the meditative state of
opening the mind and vulnerable action of opening one’s heart. The work
incorporated interactive electronics, fixed media, lighting, dance,
Indian harmonium, toy piano, and found objects.

For the first half of the performance the artist, dressed in what appeared to be a bathrobe moved from instrument to instrument.I  sketched her in the various locations incorporating her multiple times into the sketch. The audience sat in two rows of chairs on either side of the open performance space. As it grew dark outside, the dozen or so candles on the floor were the only illumination. Sounds were recorded and repeated to achieve hypnotic effects. 

The program described the
performance of an “Autonomous Controller” who prompted  the Automaton range from musical
instructions to movement instructions to interaction with the audience
and performance space. The Automaton constantly carried a tablet to see the prompts from the Anonymous Controller.
I can’t claim to understand what was happening, but it was visually fascinating to sketch. Pam Schwartz and several other members of the audience were given drum sticks to tap a beat on the floor. I passed on the interactive opportunity since my hands were occupied.

There was a short intermission and then Elizabeth came out dressed head to toe in a golden jump suit with a Mexican wrestler style golden hooded mask. She performed on the tiny piano like the one used by Schroeder in the Peanuts cartoon strip. Red lights projected patterns on the walls. Wires snaked everywhere on the floor. I left scratching my head, but, perhaps that was the point.

12th Night at the Shakes.

At the opening night performance of 12th Night by William Shakespeare, the director, Carolyn Howarth and the costume designer Jack Smith sat on stage for a pre-show chat. Carolyn explained that what we were about to see was an effort to present as historically accurate a production of the play as is possible. In Shakespeare’s day there was no stage lighting, so the house lights never went dark. As an artist this was a real blessing. Electric candles hung from the ceiling to illuminate the space. They seemed to float magically as if in Harry Potter’s Wizarding School.

In the day, a play could be seen for a penning which was also enough to buy an ale and some bread. For that price they would be a groundling, standing in front of the stage. More expensive cushioned seats were of course more. The church did not allow women to perform on stage, so this production is as well performed by all male actors.

The costumes by Jack smith were absolutely gorgeous. He spent time hand embroidering things right until the curtain opened. He did however praise the entire costume shop staff. Pink was a popular color for men in Shakespeare’s day and the women preferred blues and teals. All of the costumes were lush, with highly researched detail. This has to be the most well crafted production I have seen in Orlando for a long time. In Shakespeare’s day there were no sets, just a few benches and the expanses of the wooden stage. Most of the architectural elements of the previous production “Shakespeare in Love” like the arching ceiling joists, were left in place. At the end of Shakespeare in Love, Queen Elizabeth asked the young author to come up with something new “for 12th Night”. It is believed that this play was first performed for Queen Elizabeth in 1602.

The play began with a foppish Shakespearean actor pounding his walking stick to the floor. The buzz of the audience silenced and the magic began. Shakespearean accents were a melting pot of Irish, Scottish, West Country and American and the actors were carefully coached to recreate the sound and flavor. The director joked that we might catch a flash of pirate in the accents as well. The acting was over the top and comical which seemed odd at first but then I grew to love each character.

The plot involves two shipwrecked twins who both believe the other to be dead. Viola (Thomas Leverton) dressed as her brother Sebastian (Austin Larkin). As a man, Viola is caught in a rather awkward love triangle. To avoid any spoiler alert, I’ll just say that love finds a way in the end. Olivia (John P. Keller) who is mourning the death of her brother becomes infatuated with Viola who was sent by Orsino (Timothy Williams) with a message of love. Olivia’s steward Malvolio (Jim Helsinger) had a hilarious performance. He was tricked into thinking that his Olivia was in love with him and his attempts at appearing happy were endearing and over the top hilarious. Sword fights were foppish and comical. honor being served by who surrendered first in terror. Throughout the show I was laughing out loud.

This show highly deserved the standing ovation. This is one of the most polished productions I have had the honor to enjoy and sketch. We left the theater glowing. Shakespeare’s genius still shines bright 416 years later. For several hours we were magically transported back in time.

12th Night runs through March 23, 2018.

Twelfth Night runs approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.

Something Fishy Seafood Restaurant.

Pam Schwartz and I went to a media tasting at Something Fishy (2107 E Semorian Blvd, Apopka, Fl 32703) organized by Ilene Lieber of Passion PR. This small restaurant is a family affair organized by the team of chef Terence Phillips and his wife Patrice Phillips. Their niece created the logo and handles the marketing. The chef grew up in New York and used to travel often to the Hampton’s and Montauk where he got the idea for the theme for the restaurant. The restaurant is celebrating its two year anniversary and the staff that started on day one is still helping the restaurant grow today. There will be a block party at the restaurant this weekend Saturday, February 24th from noon to 4PM in celebration and all are welcome!

The evening started off with a cup of red wine as we waited for the appetizer to arrive. The opening course was a light and subtle Lobster Bisque. There were a few chunks of lobster on top. I happen to be a fan of bisque so I sampled it as I started the sketch. Patrice kindly offered Pam a vegetarian taco since she is not a fan of sea food or cilantro (both prevalent in the menu). The second course was a fried fish slider with cilantro mayo, hush puppies, and fries. The sandwich was light and crispy. The hush puppies were sweet and delicious with actual sweet corn inside, some of the best Pam said she had ever had. I let Pam eat most of the hush puppies and fries since her main course hadn’t come out yet.

The next course was a pan seared shrimp taco with house slaw, back beans, corn salsa and avocado aioli. This was my favorite item from the night. I sampled a couple of the shrimp separately and they were delicious. Tthen I ate the soft shell taco as it should be eaten and the flavors blended nicely. The next item was a mini crab cake with slaw. They offered wasabi slaw but I didn’t want the heat, so they substituted a more tame slaw. The crab cake was sweet and flavorful. Pam’s spicy cauliflower taco with aleppo pepper arrived and she let me have the avocado slices that were on top. This was her favorite item from the night. The cauliflower tasted perfectly spicy, adding a nice warm crunch to the taco.

The one item that I didn’t manage to finish eating was a seared Ahi tuna bowl over a bed of jasmine cilantro lime rice. The tuna was spicier than I can handle so I let the dish sit. The evening was capped off with cupcakes which came in carrot, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. I sampled the carrot and got a surprise when I bit into it. The center was hollowed out and filled with a light cool frosting. Apparently there were, in fact, carrots and even raisins in the cupcake, but I ate it so fast I didn’t see them.

The bottom line is that Something Fishy is a restaurant that I would return to.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for February 24th and 25th.

Saturday February 24, 2018

8 AM to 1 PM Free. Parramore Farmers Market. the east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View. The Parramore Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 8
a.m. to 1 p.m., on the east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across
from City View.Purchase quality, fresh and healthy food grown in your
own neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet Farming, Growing
Orlando, and other community growers.

11 AM to 5 PM Free. Sanford Porch Fest. Sanford Residential Historic District.

Sanford PorchFest is a grassroots festival built to unify
neighbors and friends through music. Set up within walking, biking or
golf cart distance, six porches throughout the Sanford residential
historic district will transform into stages and front yards take on the
meaning of “concert lawn seating”.
A diverse mix of bands and
artists will perform. Load up your bikes, pack a picnic, and join us as we
transform the historic district into an artistic gathering space!
SCHEDULE AND MAP COMING SOON! Make sure to like our Facebook page (Sanford Porchfest) to keep up to date on all festival information.

7 PM to 10 PM Free. Vanishing Points: A Glitch Art Show. Digital Collective 1225-B N Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida 32804. GLITCH ART // DIGITAL PRINTS // IMMERSIVE VISUALS and SOUND // PROJECTION MAPPING.

Sunday February 25, 2018

11 AM to 4 PM Free. Dragon Parade. starts at the corner of N Thornton Ave and Oregon St and will end at N. Thornton Ave and Colonial Drive.

Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival in Orlando to celebrate the Year of the Dog on February 25, 2018

The Year of the Dog marks the 7th annual Central Florida
Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival held in Orlando, Florida. This
event has received overwhelming response from local and distant
communities alike.

The festival parade starts at
the corner of N Thornton Ave and Oregon St and will end at N. Thornton
Ave and Colonial Drive. The parade will be followed by five hours of the
Lunar Festival that will take place at 728 N. Thornton Ave., Orlando,
FL 32803. The Lunar New Year Festival will feature Asian entertainment
including Dragon dancing, Lion Dancing, cultural dances, martial arts,
taiko drummers, arts and crafts and Asian food. In 2017, over 8,500
patrons attended the event. We would like to invite you or your
organization to be part of this community event by becoming a sponsor, a
vendor, or a participant. Join businesses like Amerasia Bank, Florida
Hospital, Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), Payas Payas Payas LLP,
Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce Greater Orlando, City of Orlando Families,
Parks and Recreation and Universal Orlando and become one of our event
sponsors.

Unity and Harmony – Celebration of Diversity

For more vendor and parade information, please visit http://www.centralfloridadragonparade.org

2:30 PM to 4:30 PM Winter Barlympics.  The Other Bar 18 Wall St, Orlando, Florida 32801. Do you and your drinking crew think that you have what it
takes to win the 6th Annual Winter BARLYMICS? Join us Sunday, February
25th as we crown the champions of the ultimate winter drinking party!
Registration starts at 12:30pm day of. The games kick off at 2:30pm.
Teams of 4 are $40. Cash and prizes for 1st place: $500. Drink specials
and more! Sign up now, contact chandler.theotherbar@gmail.com

7:30 PM to 9:30 PM Free. Georgio Valentino. Timucua Arts Foundation 2000 S Summerlin Ave, Orlando, Florida 32806. Final live performance by nomadic art-rock singer.
www.georgiothedovevalentino.com 

Ghost and Funeral Party at ME Theater.

Producer Jeremy Seghers presents Ghost and Funeral Party which are two one act plays by Ashleigh Ann Gardner When the audience enters the theater,  Petra (Monica Mulder) is asleep on her couch while music fills the space. She woke and started to tidy up her art studio until she finally started working on a  painting. I admired all the sketchbooks, and the loose references strewn about the studio. For me it was a familiar scene. Monica confided to me before the show that the painting on the easel was by her mother and the photos around the studio are her own. Her quiet moment of creation is interrupted by a loud knock on her door which caused her to spill coffee all over her blouse. A
strange coincidence of fate brought neurotic postal courier Lyle (Ricardo Soltero-Brown) to her
apartment door.

In the awkward exchange that followed, it became clear that these two knew each other. It turned out that they had been friends who had had a spontaneous sexual encounter in a closet at a wedding, though Petra was engaged to be married to Lyle’s friend. After that Petra ghosted Lyle. Ghosting wasn’t a term I was familiar with, but it means leading somebody on before cutting off all contact rather than explaining why the relationship might not work. Lyle stayed to demand an
apology from Petra, using every avenue available to him, including relating their story to a
male model named Sebastian (Jamie Roy). Sebastian turned out to be a self-indulgent prick, dignity is lost, and
Lyle and Petra find themselves wondering if two impossibly flawed people
might actually be good together. I of course felt a warm glow hoping that an artist might actually find happiness in this flawed world.

The second play, Funeral Party, actually starred the playwright, Ashleigh Ann Gardner as Gwen. She and Trip (Jon Robert Kress) sneak into a crematorium to mourn the death of their best friend, Clay (Jamie Roy on the gurney.) Clay’s
sudden suicide has Trip reeling with guilt, but has left Gwen detached
and distracted. What was meant as a playful night’s adventure turned into a night of personal regrets and revelations. 

They turn to a list they’ve compiled to keep them on
track for the evening: drinks, Chinese food, dancing, coffee. To  lighten the mood, the two put on birthday caps and even put a cap on the lifeless Clay. When Gwen becomes
reluctant to proceed with the evening’s planned events, a dark secret
about her relationship with Clay is brought to light.

This play was hard hitting and unexpected. When Gwen was forced by Trip to touch the lifeless body, she broke down with such a wail of sorrow that cut me to the core. She fell to the floor. I have heard so many stories of the sorrow that filled the Beardall Center after families were told of the loss of sons and daughters after the Pulse Nightclub massacre. Ashley’s performance brought that flood of sorrow back. Guilt always follows a suicide but Gwen’s guilt had deeper roots. In an emotional exchange Gwen confessed that she loved Trip and that offered some hope and solace in their darkest hour.


I left the theater feeling a sense of pride and joy at getting to see these two plays by a talented local playwright. The second play truly struck me to the core and the first gave me the voyeuristic satisfaction of seeing an artist open herself to find happiness.


Ghost and Funeral Party runs:

February 22-24, 8:00 p.m.
February 25, 3 p.m.
at ME Theatre
1300 La Quinta Dr #3, Orlando, FL 32809

Tickets are $18

The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh is definitely not for the faint of heart. This is the 15th and final production by Beth Marshal Presents at the Winter Garden Theater (160 W Plant St, Winter Garden, FL 34787.) The play is a very dark comedy about extreme Irish nationalists who are willing to spill blood for the smallest cause. The playwright said of this play, “I was trying to write a play that would get me killed.” The program lists a blood specialist and a blood director, so I knew going in that things might get messy.

Padraic (Zack Lane) was a street smart and violent Lieutenant of the Irish Republican Army. His one love in life is his black cat named Wee Thomas. The cat was in the care of Davey (Joseph Fabian) and Donny (Don Fowler), two innocent well meaning fools who open act one as they inspect the mangled body of a dead black cat. Davey brought the cat back to their place on his bicycle and they both realize they are in very big trouble because of Padraic’s violent temper. In the next scene Padraic is torturing a suspected drug dealer so his ill temper is confirmed. It was quite uncomfortable watching an actor hang upside down while he is threatened with having a nipple cut off.

Davey and Donny try and gloss over the issue of the dead cat by finding another cat and using boot black to try and make the cat black. On his return, Padraic is met by Mairead (Rachel Comeau) who attracts him by being as violent and crazy as he is. When they argue he aims a gun at her and she aims her air gun right at his privates at close range. The stand off garners respect.

Davey and Donny are blindfolded and bound ready for execution by Padraic as they kneel on the living room floor. Violence is interrupted by more bloody violence. Three “splinter group” IRA foot soldiers are blinded and then shot in the head at point blank range. This was incredibly uncomfortable to watch especially after the recent high school shooting in Parkland Florida. I found myself lurching with each blast of the theatrical guns. It was surprising that many in the audience would laugh as someones brains were blown out. The death of the cat resulted in four other senseless murders. The loss of a pet is a harsh reminder of our mortality. In the last act Davey and Donny discover that Wee Tommy, was actually alive. They both point their guns at the cat ready to kill it after all the violence they had just witnessed. They can’t pull the triggers and they give Wee Thomas a nice big bowl of cat food.

The play clearly points to the futility and pointlessness of violence and killing. Yet its comedic tone is confusing. Change the Irish accents to southern drawls and the play could be set in our backyard. Perhaps only in America can we laugh at staged violence a week after 17 children are murdered in a south Florida school. The pointless violence in Ireland has been going on for decades and it is a harsh mirror to look in as we see how violent America is. Our love of guns is a joke to other nations of the world. The play resulted in a long discussion on the drive home followed by a radio broadcast about the gun legislation that died a senseless death. Among the bills that died were ones that would have banned assault weapons sales and expanded background checks.

The play runs through February 25, 2018.

Indie Folk Festival at the Mennello Museum.

Flynn Dobbs invited me to exhibit a few of my painting along with three other artists at the annual family-and pet-friendly event, the Indie Folk Festival on February 10, 2018. The fourth annual Indie-Folkfest was presented by PLR Florida at the Mennello Museum of American Art. Pam Schwartz and I got there around 11:30 AM to get set up. Flynn had the tent ready and there was just enough room for my 6 framed paintings. Sprout, who is Pam’s scruffy pup was excited to experience all the new smells.

The event showcased local, national and regional art, music and culinary talent.

Last past February, in 2017,  the event welcomed nearly 5,000 guests to the museum grounds. Guests enjoyed beautiful weather, local music, food, beverages and art.

This annual free event serves as a gift from the Museum’s City-Appointed Board of Trustees in an effort to promote local art and community. A portion of all proceeds benefit the Mennello Museum of American Art’s education and family-friendly programs.

Each artist in our tent was active painting at some point during the day. I sketched our tent to document the day. Loren Berry set up a table and started doing some marbling. She poured multiple colors on the panel and let the colors swim together as she rotated the panel letting the paint flow across the surface. Then she lay the panel flat and used her gloved fingers to create pointed divots in the flow. This was followed by blowing the paint to create even more pattern. It was a fun process to watch and I sketched frantically. Her results, resemble the cloud formations on the planet Jupiter.

Terri Binion opened up the main stage with her unique folk music styling. She was followed by Beemo who got the folks gathered on the lawn warmed up to dance away the afternoon. The musical afternoon was capped off by Eugene Snowden who brought the crowd to his moving gospel of song and a crowd gathered in front of the stage to dance.

Cypress Tree.

On rare occasions, I take time off from sketching events to seek out natural forms that are pleasing to my eye. This Cypress tree sweeps upward from the shore of Lake Virginia in Winter Park. Some of the branches are not round but instead shaped like streamlines surf boards. One of my Sketch Tours students, Louis Degni, recognized me and stopped to say hello.He had a painters easel under his arm and was off to sketch some scene lakeside as well.

The challenge in this sketch was to capture all the subtle warm greys and cool grays in the bark of the tree. Other than light pencil, I let go of any line work.

Out on the dock just beyond the tree I was painting was a musician just performing with no need for an audience. With my sketch done, I waded out into the water and enjoyed the unexpected concert. As often happens, I couldn’t stop from swaying to the beat. it was cloudy while I was painting the tree, but as the sun set to my right, the lake captured the orange golden glow and fractured it. Blue grey Spanish moss swayed in the breeze. Some bald cypress trees can grow to be up to one thousand years old. That makes my hot flash of a life seem rather short in comparison. That means I need to kick off my shoes more often and slow down to enjoy the natural beauty that is often ignored. I understand the attraction to working plein air, just finding natural beauty with no concern for mad rush of humanity, but I still find myself always drawn to crowds.