Sette Italian

By Pam Schwartz

Tom and I love to cook at home, but there are some nights I can’t
handle the thought of having to stop for groceries for something fun and
then cook and clean up. By 9:30 PM all we have accomplished is to have
dinner, albeit delicious.

This random weekday night I was feeling something hearty and just made
the executive decision we should go out. Its never too hard to convince
Tom, so we settled on Sette (1407 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32804) having heard good things about it. We both
love Italian food but rarely eat it out because
we often feel we can do it better at home.

With Sette this was NOT the case. It was *I think* the first time
stateside I’ve ever felt I COULDN’T make something on the same par (at
least not on my first try!) The place has a nice vibe with an open
kitchen layout. I beat Tom there and so we had to do-si-do
seats once he arrived so he could have his preferred view on things for
this sketch.

Tom and I are rarely food compatible. For goodness sakes, the man’s
favorite food is hot dogs. I eat most of what he eats but he rarely
likes to get too adventurous, though he’s gotten much better. I relented
from my wish list appetizer and let Tom get us the
Italian sausage and grapes. I couldn’t quite get behind the idea of hot
grapes and was concerned about the general levels of fennel involved.
The excellent waiter assured me that if I got a bit of each ingredient
in every bite, I’d be pleased, and I was. Surprisingly
so.

For our entrees Tom ordered the Clam Linguini (forgetting he’s not a
huge fan of anything lemony) but he still really liked it, and I had the
Amatriciana Paccheri, the rigatoni gigante was so perfectly al dente,
exquisite, and the dish seasoned so I could only
shake my head to keep myself from crying into the beautiful bowl of
noodles.  Meanwhile, we had waiters, hostesses, and the owner of the
restaurant swing by our table multiple times to check on us and have
small chat. Something I always appreciate, I like
getting to know folks and enjoy the conversation while Tom sketches. 



Trina Gregory-Propst, one of the owners, and I chatted about making ice cream and
flavor profiles, given my recent obsession with it. Tom gets homemade
vanilla chocolate chip (it is all he ever wants), which she laughed
about, while I experiment with honey lavender,
coffee, or sweet corn profiles.

Perhaps not surprisingly, she managed to talk us into dessert. I,
the lemon cake of which I’d heard rumors as to its greatness and Tom the
special chocolate hazelnut creation. They were both really excellent
desserts and enormous in portion.

It is safe to say that Tom and I will definitely be repeat visitors to
Sette, there are more scrumptious sounding items for us to sample.
Definitely the type of place to take your friends and family to for a
nice night out when they are in town.

“Breakfast in Baghdad”

Vet Voices was launched in 2017 by Scott A. Cook for military veterans, giving them a chance to tell their stories in a theater setting. It is part of the highly successful community outreach program called TheatreCares. Scott stumbled across the idea when he Googles Arts + Military and he found out that arts and health for veterans is a growing national movement. The program was launched when they got a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. What followed was an astounding experience as 10 veterans who knew nothing about creative writing began  developing a play based entirely of their experiences in the military. Over the course of 10 months the vets grew as a team building their self confidence as they uncovered and relayed the stories that were  once only distant and hidden memories.

This sketch was done at their first performance back  in 2018. This production entirely written and performed buy the vets was called Breakfast in Bagdad directed by Mark S. Graham. The theater was a safe space for healing and the raw emotions bubbled to the surface mixed with humor and humanity. A simple American flag acted as the backdrop for the performers. A military doctor was overwhelmed by the carnage he faced when he was dropped into battle. An injured vet recounted with humor his decision to talk to a military recruiter. A woman relived the danger of being in a mans army. Every vet also had the common experience of trying to adjust to life after war and hoping to achieve some degree of normalcy. Bob Skillman spoke about the importance of the 4th of July for him and his family.

The 2019-20 sessions will now focus on music and theatre, whether it be
singing, song writing, playing an instrument or just being behind the
scenes to produce the Final Presentation in June of 2020. TheatreWorks Florida announced that the State of Florida Division of
Cultural Affairs has approved an NEA Partnership Grant in the amount of
$10,000 to continue the company’s highly acclaimed community outreach
branch. Recruitment for the Vet Voices 2019-20 program is already in progress
until Oct 10, 2019. The program does have a participant cutoff
so sign up early. For more information and to register for the program,
please visit TheatreWorks Florida’s website at TheatreWorksFL.org or
contact Abel Gonzales, TWF Company Manager, at:
vetvoices@theatreworksfl.org | 407.340.0473.

VIP Opening of Accidental Historian

The evening of September 21, 2019 was the VIP reception for Accidental Historian at the Orange County Regional History Center (65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801). This is the first exhibit to feature sketches from the Orlando Urban Sketchers group. 

The premise of the exhibit is that artists,
bloggers, urban sketchers, photographers, and more could be historians
without even realizing it. In this exhibition, created patrons, learn how individuals who are
absorbed in documenting the world of today accidentally become some of
Central Florida’s finest historians for the future. You can catch a glimpse into
some of the museum’s favorite collections that were created capturing the moments more
than 100 years ago.

The Accidental Historian features both historic and
contemporary work and collections, including drawings by the renowned
artist and teacher Ralph Bagley, Urban Sketchers Orlando, poetry by
Orlando’s inaugural poet laureate Susan Lilley, audiovisual work by food
blogger Ricky Ly, historic images by photographer T.P. Robinson, and
more.

A pillar of my sketchbooks from eight years of my daily sketching are in a glass case in the center of the room. The corner of the room is designed to look like an open spiral bound sketchbook and reproductions of sketches done by members of Orlando Urban Sketchers are scattered across the spread along with biographies and information about the artists.

I knew going into the reception that I wanted to sketch the huge transparencies that had been printed of a shuttle launch. They were framed in light boxes which made them glow as bright as an actual launch. A wall was dedicated to the people of central Florida over the years and a sketch I did of a flea market blues performer fit in snugly.

This exhibit is on display through January 19, 2020. Be sure to stop by the History Center and check it out.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for September 28 and 29, 2019

Saturday September 28, 2019 

10am to 5pm. Adults $8. Accidental Historian. Orange County Regional History Center 65 E. Central Blvd. Orlando, Florida 32801. You might be a historian without even realizing it! That’s certainly
true of many bloggers, urban sketchers, photographers, and more. In this
engaging exhibition, created at the History Center, learn how
individuals who are absorbed in documenting the world of today
accidentally become some of Central Florida’s finest historians for the
future. Catch a glimpse into some of our favorite collections that were
created for the now – more than 100 years ago.

The Accidental Historian features both historic and
contemporary work and collections, including drawings by the renowned
artist and teacher Ralph Bagley and Urban Sketchers Orlando, poetry by
Orlando’s inaugural poet laureate Susan Lilley, audiovisual work by food
blogger Ricky Ly, historic images by photographer T.P. Robinson, and
more. Also on display is a tower of my sketchbooks from documenting Orlando Arts and Culture over the last 8 years.

7pm to 9pm  Free. Brewery Tour. Orlando Brewing, 1301 Atlanta Ave, Orlando, FL.

10:30pm to Midnight. Free but get food and or drink. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL 32801. 

Sunday September 29, 2019

11am to Noon. $5 Yoga. Lake Eola near red gazebo. 

Noon to 2pm Free. Bobby Koelble Presents Jazz in the Garden. 1300 S Denning Dr, Winter Park, FL 32789.  Join
us as we enjoy an afternoon of electric Jazz music, tasty food, craft
cocktails, and shopping in a beautiful, serene setting all while helping
to benefit Mead Botanical Garden.

Bobby Koelble Presents Jazz in
the garden, is a series of Jazz concerts that will be hosted by Mead
Botanical Garden. The shows, that will fall on the last Sunday of the
month from September thru November, will consist of world class
musicians performing a collection of your favorite Jazz standards with a
twist. 

There will be food and beverages available for purchase,
a shopping area curated by Suzette’s One Of A Kind Finds, as well as a
limited number of VIP passes which will include a brunch buffet catered
by Bites and Bubbles, beer or cocktail and a VIP viewing area.

7:30pm to 9:30pm $10-$20 suggested donation. Please also bring food or wine to share.  CF2’s 7th Annual Composer DIY Salon Concert.  Timucua 2000 S Summerlin Ave, Orlando, Florida 32806. For
seven years, Central Florida Composers Forum (CF2) has been offering
its members a first-come, first-on, get-er-done yerself opportunity to
present work to the Orlando/Central Florida public. The composers
themselves perform or arrange for the performers. That always means a
wider variety of sonic possibilities than a more typical, curated CF2
concert featuring a unified instrumentation.

This program
features Rebekah Todia’s Crossing The Bar, for piano and voice; Melody
Cook’s For Two Voices, No. 2, for clarinet and piano; Holly Cordero’s
Personified Bliss, for string quartet, Bob Jr.’s Conjure the Storm, for
piano, guitar, bass, and drums; Paul Austin Sanders’ electronic
compositions Danze Africanne, Spirit of the East, and Bop Latinesque;
and premieres of Alex Burtzos’ X Codes, for violin, clarinet, and piano,
and also his Perforation, for solo piano.

All ears are welcome.

Everyone Can Code at Full Sail

This free workshop at Full Sail University was based on the premise that coding is an essential skill for helping students thrive in a technology-driven future. Learning to code unlocks creativity, develops problem-solving skills, and opens career paths.

Everyone Can Code, is a free comprehensive curriculum that makes it easy to teach coding to students from kindergarten to college. With teacher guides and lessons, you can introduce coding concepts visually on iPad in elementary school, move to writing code with the Swift Playgrounds app in middle school, and support students in building iOS apps on Mac with Xcode in high school and beyond.

Whether your students are first-time coders or aspiring app developers, youʼll have all the tools you need to teach coding in your classroom.

In the workshop, we learned why Swift is the best language for teaching and learning coding, as well as for developing powerful apps.
Swift Playgrounds, is a revolutionary app for iPad that makes getting started with coding fun and interactive.
Hear about App Development with Swift, a high school and college curriculum for Mac that shows students how to create apps from start to finish. I seemed a bit like the odd duck in the room since I didn’t have an open laptop in front of me.

After the seminar I returned to my studio and played the Swift Playgrounds game and actually found I was  learning coding skills fast. After several weeks of coding to solve puzzles I hit a road block that I could not solve. The coding was put on the back burner as I focused on my main passion which is creating art. Perhaps there is a middle ground and I may start playing with code again. Even in the workshop they said that learning code on your own is a real challenge. But after this workshop I realized I could get young students started on learning code. I would be a fun course to teach if I stayed ahead of the learning curve of the students.

Accidental Launch

The Accidental Historian will be on exhibit at the Orange County Regional History Center (65 Central Boulevard Orlando FL) from September 21, 2019 to January 19, 2020. I accidentally did this sketch because it made no sense to drive all  the way home just to drive back downtown to meet a friend for a drink. Rather than burn gas, I decided to sketch as this huge transparency was framed and installed. A custom frame had to be made which was also a light box. Sliding everything into place was a team effort.

When the framed piece was plugged in the rocket laugh glowed blindingly bright. The framing was inspected and a few spots were found where wires touched the transparency creating awkward puckering effects. Everything had to be taken apart again to resolve the issue. Two people held the frame while a third pulled out the plexiglass. I thought I had found a spot where I was out of the way but the plexiglass had to pulled out in my direction and I got up to  get out of the way. Once it was dismantled I sat back down.

The space launch photos going on display are by Red Huber and Klaus Wilkins. Besides these bold images there will also be pitch place panels on the wall with holes punched in it which will look like stars when illuminated from behind. It is going to be an impressive display and I can’t wait to see it all in place. There is an amazing amount of work that goes into the install of a temporary exhibit like this an the small staff at the History Center are all flexing new muscles to go the extra mile to create such an amazing display. Just as in theater there is much chaos in the rush to open the show.There is excitement and uncertainty in the creative chaos. I am happy I got to be a witness if only for a moment.

Accidental Historian Events

Stay tuned for details

  • Accidental Historian Youth and Family Days

    September 21, 2019 and November 16, 2019

  • Cuisine Corner: Cross Creek Cookery

    September 28, 2019 (At the Orlando Public Library)

  • Accidental Historian Panel Discussion

    October 20, 2019

  • Urban Sketchers Workshops exact times and more details to come.

    Workshop 1: Saturday, October 12, 2019 – Instructors; Gay Geiger and Art Esteban will have artists sketch the brutalist architecture of the public library using Chinese ink and twigs.

    Workshop 2: Sunday, November 10, 2019 – Instructor; Thomas Thorspecken. Sunday in the Park with Thor. At this workshop we will sketch the historic Sperry Fountain at Lake Eola
    which is actually the second fountain on site. Students will have a historic 1920s photo by T.P. Robinson for inspiration.

    Workshop 3: Saturday, December 14, 2019 Instructor; Greg Bryla

  • Historically Poetic

    November 7, 2019

  • Coffee with a Curator

    November 17, 2019

First Friday Lunch and Learn Series

History Center staff offer a behind-the-scenes look at the museum and share their research.

Crooked Can

The Orlando Urban Sketchers went to Crooked Can (426 W Plant St, Winter Garden, FL 34787). On this sunny mid morning, people were gathering in the grass covered play area to do yoga. Our group of sketchers ordered drinks and bites and started sketching.

Crooked can is in the Plant Street Market which is a local community market located in historic downtown Winter Garden, with 20 vendors featuring natural, organic food
and handmade products all inside of one building.

The Market is open 7 days a week, and they are a community of quality
and diverse farm fresh products, artisan specialties and local products. There is often Live Entertainment and the patio is pet friendly.

As an added bonus, Eddie Pittman, an amazing artist from my former Disney Feature Animation  days joined  us to document the occasion. Greg Bryla pulled together an interesting composite sketch that takes different elements from various times and locations to build a story in one sketch. What is so great about Urban Sketching is that every artist has their own style and no two sketches ever look the same. In this digital age where many are trying to showcase their life as a glamorous but homogenized selfie, getting to see life through spontaneous sketches can be a breath of fresh air.

If you would like to meet the Orlando Urban Sketchers, stop out on September 28, 2019 for the free Accidental Historian Exhibit Tour and Sketch Walk. Artists will meet at the Orange County Regional History Center (65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, Florida 32801) at 10am and the event runs through 1pm. Join us as we tour the Accidental Historian Exhibition, featuring the Orlando Urban Sketchers’ art. Group Sketch walk will follow the tour.

The Orlando Urban Sketchers is proud to be included in the exhibition; The Accidental Historian, at the Orange County Regional History Center in Downtown Orlando. You can tour the exhibit, sketch inside the History Center, and join this unique group of artists for a Short Sketch-Walk on Saturday, September 28th 10am-1pm. – Registration is required – Entry to the History Center is free to urban sketchers participating in the Sept. 28th event.

SCHEDULE:

MEET UP:
10:00 am – at the Orange County Regional History Center main entrance (65 E. Central Blvd, Orlando, FL)

EXHIBIT TOUR:
(optional sketch-in the-museum): 10:00 am to 11:00 am

SKETCH WALK: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm – Sketch walk begins at the History Center front garden and continues down Magnolia Ave towards CityArts building(10 min walk from the History Center)

SKETCHBOOKS THROW-DOWN:
1:00 PM We will gather for our traditional Sketchbook-throw down (Show and Tell) and lunch at Harp and Celt Irish Pub at 25 S. Magnolia (next to City Arts)
All drawing levels and skills are welcome. Bring your sketchbook and sketching supplies of your choice, drinking water, a hat and appropriate clothes for the weather.
The event is FREE

PARKING:
Parking is available in the garage located across from the public library at 112 E Central Blvd. Also, the Lymmo bus service provides free public transportation from many spots in downtown Orlando. The History Center is handicapped accessible with elevators on every floor. Two handicapped parking spaces are available on the north side of the building on E. Washington Street.
Contact us: uskorlando@gmail.com

What is The Accidental Historian exhibit?
You might be a historian without even realizing it! That’s certainly true of many bloggers, urban sketchers, photographers, and more. In this engaging exhibition, created at the History Center, learn how individuals who are absorbed in documenting the world of today accidentally become some of Central Florida’s finest historians for the future. Catch a glimpse into some of our favorite collections that were created for the now – more than 100 years ago.

The Accidental Historian features both historic and contemporary work and collections, including drawings by the renowned artist and teacher Ralph Bagley and Urban Sketchers Orlando, poetry by Orlando’s inaugural poet laureate Susan Lilley, audiovisual work by food blogger Ricky Ly, historic images by photographer T.P. Robinson, and more.

Visitors to the exhibit can create 19th-century “tweets” and step into a larger-than-life,

Instagrammable photo station, along with other fun features. The exhibit is fully bilingual, presented in both English and Spanish. Related programs range from preservation workshops to poetry readings and a historical food-based demonstration.

Thank you to the Oranges County Regional History Center for including the Orlando Urban Sketchers in the amazing exhibition.

Escaping the confines of the artist studio

On Sundays I teach an Urban Sketching class at Crealde School of Art (600 Saint Andrews Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32792). I have some very talented students in this class and my goal is to just loosen them up so that they can capture a scene quickly and then focus on a few details to help sell the story behind the sketch. The temperatures have finally dropped to a reasonable degree so that we can sketch outside sometimes without baking while trying to finish the sketch.

One student showed me an absolutely gorgeous pencil rendering of some shells. It was photo real and highly detailed. The trouble with sketching on location is that a sketch must be done in the time allowed. I tend to judge when a sketch is complete based on how much by butt hurts. Perhaps that isn’t a great measure of good art but it is practical.

So many of my lessons are about how to put multiple  people into a sketch. I usually dash off a quick sketch like this to demonstrate the principle while also circulating around and doing individualized sketched that show how “the bones” of a composition might be strengthened. By the end of the course I hope that each student will learn how to manage their time so that a watercolor sketch is completed in the time we have. My tips and techniques are mostly about how to speed up the process and focus only on the details that tell a story.

Each of my students are unsatisfied with what they can capture n a sketch right now and I have to point out that that feeling never goes away if you really want to produce great art. As Michelangelo said, “The
greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and
falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our
mark.”

Panera and Urban Sketching

On Sundays for the next 6 weeks I am teaching an Urban Sketching class at Crealde School of Art. One of the first venues we explore with or sketchbooks is Panera Bread (2516 Aloma Ave, Winter Park, FL.) Each class begins with about an hour of instruction in the classroom along with some sketching exercises to apply the new principle taught. Then we head out to sketch on location. Paneras on a Sunday morning starts off rather slow and by the time the lunch hour approaches the place becomes packed.

This allows for a relaxed first hour to sketch the interior setting without worrying about the human element. Then as people file in we sketch people at the tables that were established in pencil. I teach the students to pay attention to how much food was ordered and how full peoples glasses are, to get a sense of how long the person might be at the table to be sketched. People come and go while the sketch is in progress and the goal is to make it seem like a moment in time had been captured. Catching fellow sketchers in the sketch is an advantage because they are on the same time table, lingering rather than rushing to finish eating and get out.

I don’t always take the time to do a sketch myself since I circulate and give each student notes that might help them with the composition or gestures that can be caught. I  have a very talented crew of students for the next six weeks and I am excited to share my thoughts on how to capture life in a sketch. One of my students showed me a fordable devise with magnets that can be used to hod a palette and water jar. It is a smart design and I might incorporate something similar into my work flow. By teaching I often find that I learn things  as well.

Seasons: The Musical

Seasons with music by Elaine Pechacek and lyrics by Katie Hammond was first presented at Fringe back in 2014 and I had a chance to sketch that production back then. I remember saying back then that this production deserved to grow and find its way into a much bigger venue. It is now being presented at the Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801.)

Helen (Megan Valle) was young and vibrant and a night on the town ends in a one night stand with Peter (Peter Heid.) Peter is enamored with her, head over heals in love. She has plans to go to medical school but those plans are dashed when she realizes that she is pregnant. Peter like a true gentleman proposes marriage on one knee. She agrees reluctantly to marry.

Hope (Gabriella Hockensmith) since a beautiful balled about fulfilling her dream of becoming a bride. Her mother Mrs. Jones (Rebecca Fisher) discovers around the same time that she has breast cancer. As she is struggling through chemo she sees a blue bird and takes it as a sign  that thing might be alright.

Helen had doubts about her new role as a mom and the newly wed struggled to make their new roles work. I have been researching ancestors lately and often wondered what difficulties they might have had to overcome. Helen and Peters struggles were very real. The play culminates in an overpowering lullaby sing at the beginning and end off life. It is at these extremes that love is pure and absolute. I doubt there was a dry eye in the house. It is impossible to experience this play and not be touched. The song performed by Rebecca Fisher about living each moment and seizing the day was stellar.

The final performance of Seasons: The Musical is tonight,  September 21, 2019. If you have a chance to go you should not miss it.

Tickets range from $15 to $20.