Nosferatu

Posted on by Thor

I met Steve Schubert at the Brutally Early Arts Meetup at City Arts Factory (39 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL). Steve founded Strange Machine Labs with the tag line: Because ordinary is boring. At the meetup Steve described a Halloween themed escape room party he hosted as his lakefront home. Another artist from FAVO was in the room, and he shouted out that he was the only person to escape. I talked to that artist later and he showed me several photos from inside the home, one of them being of Nosferatu.

I decided this was a sketch opportunity, and I talked to Steve about arranging to stop by at night. He also had skeletons on his lawn, which was another sketch opportunity, but when I got to the house it was still light out and it had started to rain. Watercolor and rain do not mix, so I decided I had to sketch inside. Giant spiderwebs and a huge Tiki sculpture welcomed be at the front door.

Since the sun was just setting none of the Halloween lights had been turned on yet. Steve walked me around as he lit candles and turned on the spectral effects around the living room. There was a ghostly mirror but it wasn’t working when I looked at myself in the glass. A video of a fire ignited in the fireplace along with haunting sound effects. Plastic bats hung from the fireplace damper. The head of a woman floated in a small greenhouse on a table. She was achieved through a peppers ghost effect, being a reflection of an iPhone video that was hidden above.

Nosferatu was in the corner of the Living room. He was about 9 feet tall, and his shadow made him look even taller. There was a place mat in front of him, and you had to step on the place mat and then back up which caused him to begin a welcome speech. Standing on the mat I felt uncomfortable since his fingernails were so long and his height became overbearing. I assumed he would animate and I might get clawed. It took a few tries, but eventually he gave his speech as he pivoted at the hips. His arms remained stiff but there was some overlapping action to his head, and his jaw clattered with a fair approximation of syncing to the dialogue.

A group of people arrived after I was deep into the sketch. One victim, or rather guest, was an Orlando Urban Sketcher and his wife. She approached Nosferatu and seemed genuinely frightened when he started to speak. I could hear that most people started to gather in the basement which was known as the lobotomy lab.

In the corner of the lab was a recreation of Zoltar, an animatronic that is based on the amusement park animatronic who granted a wish in the movie Big, starring Tom Hanks. The head was sculpted by Steve’s son and painted by his daughter. The costume and turban were hand sewn. AI allows Zoltar to listen to a question and formulate a response. Another item, the Spectral Hotline, was a red phone which would listen to a prompt and then build a story from the prompt. The prompt the guest offered was a Yeti and Cliffhanger, the character on the other end of the line began to tell a chilling story about a researcher venturing into the mountains in search of the elusive Yeti and setting up camp. After he settled in for the night a large furry hand reached for the entry to the tent. It was clear that the researcher and beast were about to meet face to face, but cliffhanger decided to let the story rest there. Cliffhanger doesn’t do endings.

Another device called the Memory Spark Station, had a glass skull and 16 color coded buttons. When a button was pressed, a sound bite from a movie clip would play. The goal was to identify where that sound bite came from. I heard one clip of the villain from Austin powers.

I wandered outside thinking I might sketch the skeletons who were busy on the lawn. The rain had stopped, but it was getting late and I decided to leave the home filled with strange and mysterious Halloween machines.

SECAC: Life Disruptions

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At SECAC in Winston Salem North Carolina, I attended Life Disruptions as Opportunities for Artistic Growth, Session I, organized by Stella P. Arbeláez Tascón. The first speaker at this session was Zoe Nestlie from the University of Central Florida whose art is influenced by an emotionally abusive relationship. Her talk was titled, Making the Invisible Visible: Giving Form to Emotional Abuse in Intimate Partner Relationships. The relationship had her questioning who she was as she faced unsteady ground with every interaction with her partner. At first she painted the eyes of her partner in front of an image of a wolf. She felt however that image empowered her abuser.

She switched to creating an alter ego character who navigated the uncertain world of healing after abuse. The character was cartoonish but, in each scene, there were visible hints of the abuse happening. Besides the digital paintings, she began sculpting plush sculptures that hinted at the process of recovering from abuse.

The second speaker, Hallie Bahn from the University of Massachusetts Amherst gave a talk titled, Sand Through My Fingers: The Negotiation of Time, Labor and Control as an Artist-Mother. She was an animator and had given birth. She got a grant to work on an animated film using sand. She wanted to collaborate with her child in the process, but her child was not interested in any form of linear storytelling. Hallie would animate a scene usually with an animal and then she would film her child destroying the final image. The film became a process of creation and destruction. It was displayed in a sand box which encouraged children to interact. The resulting spears of sand she would then reform and use to animate another scene. Having come from a Disney Feature Animation background I had multiple questions, as did Stella. The film is still in production.

Sally Brown from West Virginia University gave a zoom talk titled, The Architecture of Absence: Grief, the “Empty Nest,” and the Generative Power of the Archival Pivot. Sally is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores womanhood, motherhood, and the physical body through drawing, painting, and mixed media. Some of her pieces integrated drawings by her child along with her own drawings, many of which were expressionist self-portraits depicting her own body. Some paintings had breast prints along with drawings of the nude.  She had to deal with an empty nest she was making a major pivot inn her work moving forward.

The last speaker, Paige L Morris from Tyler School of Art and Architecture gave a talk titled, Tending the Rupture: The Politics of Care and Slowing Down.  I identified with her talk on a deep level. Paige is an interdisciplinary artist and educator in Philadelphia, PA. Building upon her foundation in glass, Morris utilizes material poetics, sound, and video performances to examine language, the complexities of love, and the human search for truth and meaning. Her practice actively investigates agency and desire as a method for unlearning her patriarchal conditioning.

She expressed the idea that a resume or CV should list things like overcoming grief among the achievements. A CV tends to only focus on achievements like shows. and job titles but life experience and resiliency plays into making someone a desirable hire. Page lost a sister and that grief at first made producing art seem meaningless. The demands of making enough money to survive tended to crush any hopes of creation. She has since become a beacon of creativity in her community by opening a shared art space with other artists which hosts shows. The space isn’t a non-profit, it is just a bunch of artists coming together to split the rent and mount amazing exhibitions. Her story was inspiring. All of the presentations tied together nicely being about motherhood and finding oneself in a patriarchal society while growing as an artist.

SECAC: 1 Painter, 1 Painting Session II

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The first SECAC session I wandered into was by mistake. I had intended to go to 1 Painter 1 Painting Session 1 but I wrote the room number down wrong. Regardless I was pleasantly surprised at the In Situ Session I did attend. For the second session I attended, I decided to correct my mistake and go to 1 Painter, 1 Painting Session II run by Amanda Lechner.

The first speaker was Donna Woodley from Tennessee State University. Her talk was titled, Restoring the Innocence of our Grands. Donna explained the steps she took in doing a painting of her grandmother. Her grandmother was deceased, so Donna used photo reference to complete the posthumous portrait.

She knew she wanted to have the portrait use orange and blue colors. She found the color scheme in an outdoor seating arrangement at a restaurant. She then showed the photos of her grandmother that she used for reference. She wanted to break away from strictly following the photo reference so she considered putting a golden comb in her grandmother’s hair. That idea was abandoned since her grandmother never wore such a crown like hair comb. What followed was then a series of photos of the painting in progress. Donna liked the result, but when she showed the painting to her parents, they felt it didn’t look quite right.  A comment from a member of the audience eluded to the idea that the portrait might have some similarities to the painter who painted it. Donna admitted the her grandmother had a great influence on her, but as far a physical attributes she was very distinct.

The next presenter was Emily Ezell from Grambling State University with her presentation titled, Compulsion and Expulsion: A Psycho-Chromatic Trip into the Deep End of Postmodern Figurative Painting. She showed every stage of the research and painting progress of a big painting about the relationship between mothers and sons. She referenced many paintings from art history as she developed the complex composition. I liked how she used the digital program, Procreate to make a composite image that she referenced but then deviated from.

During the height of the pandemic, I used a similar digital approach to develop concepts for paintings, so I was pleased to see another artist using the same approach. Emily manipulated the image extensively changing colors and moving elements around until it came close to what she wanted.

She showed a painting titled, Spoils of the Hunt, by Keller Ferdinand which had a woman near a dead stag. She then showed a painting of Madonna and Christ and pointed out that the body of Christ and the dead stage were very similar. That was the realization that lead to her wanting to do the painting. The initial laying down of colors to block in the painting happened rather fast but once the detail work needed to be done the painting process slowed down. Seeing the process behind this large figurative work left me wanting to do large paintings myself.

The final presenter was Adam Eddy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His piece was titled, Still Life with Cantaloupe and Picture Frame. Adam got real geeky with the oil painting mediums used and how a painting is constructed. He went over painting techniques that have been around since the time of Jan van Eich. Since I have just recently started oil painting again, I was fascinated by every geeky detail. Adams painting was done from life with a simple still life of a cantaloupe. He did a monochrome under painting to find the correct values and then applied thin glazes to add color. He talked about seeing paintings he loved in text books and then going to a museum to see the paintings in person. Seeing the painting in the museum was an experience that surprised him. The paintings were covered in glass and so He saw his own reflection and the reflection notice others in the room. It was distracting and he felt he had a better view of the art in the book. He went back to his own still life painting and added this strange reflection to the final painting. When I saw the final painting as a photo in his presentation, I at first thought the reflection was just a result of a poorly lit photo, but it was painted and intricately planned. Hearing about his old master techniques left me wanting to try those techniques out for myself. Overall the 1 painter, 1 painting presentations were inspiring and made me want to get my hands dirty by covering a large canvas or panel.

SECAC: Art Book Sales

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At SECAC in Winston Salem North Carolina, the Winston Ballroom in the Conference Center had many small tables set up so people could relax between sessions. Long tables were set up down the center aisle of the room which had a wide array of art books for sale. Stella Alberaéz Tascón found a book that showed how to mix your own pigments by finding the natural plants and crushing pigments using a mortar and pedestal. It took a Herculean amount of self control for me to resist getting some more art books to fill out my art book library. I walked down this aisle multiple times between session flipping through the selections.

On the far wall of the room away from the entrance doors were long tables full of coffee’s, Teas and pasties. Since my hotel didn’t have any breakfast options, I came in here each morning to grab a power bar. I resisted caffeine.

Here and the main entrance hall were the min social areas. Many professors researchers and artists had clearly been her at SECAC many times before and they would shout out in joy and hug when they spotted a friend from past years. This was all new to me and it was an uncharted adventure to learn what I could from as many lectures as possible.

I would enter this central conference room between sessions and sit down to figure out what I needed to see next. The titles of the sessions could be long and esoteric so choosing just the right talks was a guessing game. Sessions were organized into categories such as, Studio Art, Art History, Studio and Art History, Graphic Design, Art Education, and Interdisciplinary. I tended to want to see sessions relating to studio art, but almost all of the sessions were also related to art education.

Towards the end of the conference, I just started wandering into sessions with no preconceptions and I was never disappointed. Since I am endlessly curious and rushing to complete a sketch, there was never a moment to slow down and be bored. I honestly can’t imagine anyone being bored with so much research and artistic expression being shared.

Their Eyes Were Watching GOD Rehearsal

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I went to a rehearsal of Their Eyes Were Watching GOD in the black box theater in the Orlando Shakes (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL). The play is based on the book by Zora Neale Hurston. The play was being written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright James Ijames, and involved a collaboration with the Arden Theater Company. A reading of the play will be presented during PlayFest and a full production is planned for the 2027–28 season.  I contacted the director, Roberta Emerson about getting the sketch.

Zora Neale Hurston’s novel was first published in 1937. The story follows the life of a black woman named Janie Crawford who is recounting her story to her best friend Phoeby. The play largely takes place in Eatonville, just north of Orlando Florida which is the first African American incorporated town in America.

Janie had 3 marriages. When her mother catches her flirting with, and kissing a young man who the mom considered a no-good low life, she set up an arranged marriage. That marriage was to the OLDEST man in the cast. He was hard-working and treated Janie well, but their marriage was loveless. The hope for love was crushed by endless chores for survival. Janie met and ran off with Joe Stark who was an ambition man who became the mayor of Eatonville. When townspeople asked to hear from the mayor’s wife, Joe cut her off and stifled her voice. His cutting her off ended any hope of mutual respect between the two. He wanted her as arm candy and dressed her is fine clothing that wasn’t to her taste.

Music stands were set up throughout the space and there was minor staging where actors could move closer together by moving their stands. I learned that the union requires very stiff staging for a reading of a play.   All the townspeople were standing when I first started the sketch, but they later sat down ad Janie and Joe Starks began their relationship. For this sketch I watched the full run through of Act 1.

The staged reading of Their Eyes Were Watching GOD is set to happen on October 30, 2026 and it already sold out. Carra Patterson was magnificently cast as Janie. Amitria Fanae was thrilling as Phoebe. She played with the dialect with absolute joy and a sassy attitude. Carl Hendrick Louis was authoritative and charismatic as Joe Starks.

The cast sang an uplifting spiritual, after the town of Eatonville first lit a streetlamp. The energy filled the small black box theater and I felt inspired. The people who were lucky enough to get a ticket to the show, are in for a rare treat. I am glad I got a glimpse at the creative process before the play opened to a live audience.

SECAC: In Situ

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In Situ was the first panel discussion I attended at SECAC. When I entered and started sketching, Rebakah Radke Associate Professor in the School of Interiors at the University of Kentucky College of Design was giving a presentation titled From Stitch to Site: Place-Based Learning Across Appalachian and French Post-Mining Landscapes. Her scholarship centers on design pathways for sustainable climatic futures in post‑mining territories of Appalachia, using community‑centric collaborative design processes to support climate aware and proactive communities. Radtke’s work is rooted in place‑based design research — engaging local communities in co‑creating solutions that respond to both ecological and social conditions. In Appalachia, this means addressing the legacies of coal mining, energy transition challenges, and climate resilience, while integrating local knowledge and expertise into design outcomes.

Kentucky has a long history of coal mining as does France. Her further research involving French post‑mining landscapes, involves similar socio‑ecologic transitions and community engagement strategies that need to be adapted. Rebekah had an inspired way of introducing mining to her students and then having them go to France to see how similar the mining history was there.

In my trip to Europe following the footsteps of my father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken, I went to may mines in the Ruhr Pocket industrial area of Germany. Germany used forced labor to mine the coal. The coal was used to produce a crude diesel fuel which was needed to fuel thanks. I know that hundreds of Polish and Russian forced laborers died in the mines. They were literally worked to death, being starved to death. All the mines I visited were closed for many years. Some were converted into museums while others were abandoned and surrounded with security fencing. I sketched all the coal mines I could find in my travels through Germany.

The use of forced labor in German-occupied Europe during World War II took place on an unprecedented scale. It was a vital part of the German economic exploitation of conquered territories. It also contributed to the mass extermination of populations in occupied Europe. The Germans abducted approximately 12 million people from almost twenty European countries; about two thirds came from Central Europe and Eastern Europe.

In the teaching I do, I always work to get the students out of the classroom and out in the field sketching on location. Rebekah’s research and work with her students was a real inspiration.

SECAC: Opening Reception

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I drove to Winston Salem, North Carolina to attend a SECAC Conference with Stella Arbelaéz Tascón. SECAC stands for Southeastern College Art Conference. I was brought in as an illustrative journalist to cover the convention with sketches. Since I was offered a press pass, I felt I had to sketch every session I attended.

The drive to North Carolina was 10 hours, which was divided into two driving sessions. By the time we arrived at the Conference we were both exhausted. Stella’s world traveling mini poodle named Boo Boo came along for the Conference. Since we arrived late, there was no time to get him into a doggie day care. So, Stella brought him into the Conference in her shoulder bag. There is a hole in the shoulder bag which allows just Boo’s head to stick out. Most people never notice him or they think he is a plush stuffed animal.

The invitation said that the Opening Reception would happen in Salem 2, which was a large conference room. Outside that room there was plenty of small bites on tables, and each attendee got two drink tickets. Since I was waiting for the Salem 2 doors to open, I decided to get a plate of food and a white wine. I was feeling a bit tipsy from the single wine since I never drink. When I had finished the veggies, I had picked out for my dinner, I found that the Salem 2 Conference doors had still not opened. I opened one door and peaked inside to find a vast space filled with chairs. I decided to get a sweet slice of pie since I still had time to kill before I started my sketch.

When I finished my pie, I realized that the Salem 2 Conference room doors would never open. This informal gathering in the hallway was the event. I quickly whipped out my artist stool and sat down to sketch. Staff noticed me setting up and they complimented my on bringing along my own chair.

Then I dug into my art bag and pulled out my sketchbook. I had two sketchbooks to document the Conference. The small sketchbook I had used in the hotel room to write down the Conference Center address. I had then placed the sketchbook on my bed and forgot about it. At least I had the large hardbound sketchbook to work with. Then I realized I forgot my pen and pencil travel case. How on earth was I going to do a sketch, I didn’t have my art pencils, pens or watercolor brushes. Digging through my pockets I discovered I had a single yellow Ticonderoga pencil. I also had my watercolor palette but no brushes to apply the paint.

I had to put something on the page, so I started doing a very rough sketch with my pencil. Then I started applying watercolor with my finger and a rag. I wasn’t about to apply many colors I just needed to get something on the page.

While struggling with my sketch, I met Mina Rezghian. Mina is a University of South Carolina MFA candidate, She had three pieces on exhibit in the Annual SECAC Juried Exhibition. Thanks to exchanging Instagram information, I got to see some of her work. I briefly got to learn a little about her childhood in Iran. She mentioned a flood that washed away her collection of plush rabbits. My little sister had a plush rabbit that she held so often that it started to fall apart. She held the rabbit by its long partly detached ear and the rabbits butt dragged on the ground as my sister dragged it around. Mina’s childhood was washed away in a flash. Her father came to America feeling he could find a better life. Mina’s work reflects memories of a life that was tender and sweet and yet she came from a country that our President decided to bomb. On February 28, 2026 a U.S. Tomahawk missile struck an elementary school in Minab Iran, killing at least 156 people including 120 children and 26 teachers. After the brief conversation with Mina, I had a million more questions, but this is just an example of the amazing people that can be met at such an inspiring Conference.

In the Juried exhibition, Mina had two wooden pieces that had weathered photographs and that felt like antique momentous. A tiny photo of her cat walking in Mina’s grandmother’s courtyard was faded and yet evoked tender memories. The wooden panels were cut by Mina and she said the wood panels she had assembled stained and varnished held memories. I was lucky to meet this artist as I struggled with my sketch and at her opening at the juried group art show at Emerson Fine Arts Center at Salem College.

 

Betsy Ross & Friends; History as it Never Happened! Rehearsal

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I went to a rehearsal for a Betsy Ross & Friends; History as it Never Happened! rehearsal at the Methodist church at 1600 Orange Ave, Winter Park, FL. I was invited to the rehearsal by Candy Dawson, a member of the cast. This was a fun original production written by members of the cast. If you don’t know, Betsy Ross was the woman who sewed the first American Flag. With that historical background, it was clear that this would be a patriotic production mixed with pop cultural references that would ring true with the Baby Boom generation. I am a baby boomer so it hit my funny bone hard.

As with many rehearsals, it felt like the director and stage manager were not entirely sure that all the pieces could fall in place in time for opening night. There is a certain magic that happens on opening night where any doubts disappear and the production happens without a glitch. Of course all in the cast are award of the subtle details that most members of an audience are oblivious to.

When I got to the church the doors were locked but luckily a father who was dropping off a child for the church school let me in and I happened across the church auditorium. All the actors were in the back of the auditorium getting set up with microphones and making sure make up and costumes looked good.

One skit involved Whistler’s mother and I was told the actress was well over 80 years old. She was a fire cracker and held her own acting in the part.  Though Betsy Ross acted as the host for the variety show each act was unique and hilarious. Being a small community production, everyone was excited but also relaxed since the stakes were not too high. Everyone just had fun and it showed.

Candy Dawson was playing the part of Lucille Ball and at first sight she clearly fit the part. She was getting help with her hair as she welcomed me to the rehearsal. Candy was also the author of one of the bits in the show and I was impressed.

The rehearsal was a good run through of the show with only a few pauses. Everyone seemed well rehearsed and they all knew their lines. It was great to sketch the rehearsal, but it would have been nice to see how the jokes landed with a live audience. I have no doubt that the auditorium was alight with laughter during the shows run.

Brooklyn’s Pizzaria and Italian Restaurant

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Brooklyn’s Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant (27405 US Highway 27, Leesburg, Florida) has to be the most sketched Pizza joints in Lake County Florida. When my food supply would run out I would head out one night to Brooklyn Pizza for some spaghetti or a small pizza pie. Both options offered comfort food before my next grocery run.

On this pizza run there was an older couple seated in the corner which offered my only hope for some figurative drawing. On past outings to Brooklyn Pizza there has been a large group of retirees from the Villages who would sit at the center tables and chat while waiting for their large orders to arrive. On this evening I arrived early before any major crowd.

In the corner of the room was the waitress station. In that corner they would talk and compare notes. That is where the soda machine is and the waitresses were always generous with the cup refills. Returning to a restaurant or venue time and again offers a chance to get to feel the ebb and flow of a place.  It would be nice to return to sketch the kitchen and back counter areas. All these everyday mundane moments are what makes for great sketches.

After getting my sketch for the day, I always liked returning to my roommate who at this time was involved in a magnificent creative project. Being in a collaborative open studio was new and exciting.  I was working on posters for the Orlando Shakespeare Theater at the time, but that work was all done one my iPad while sitting on the couch. My studio situation, was the definition of being an artist being a couch potato.

Thornton Park Air B&B

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I stayed at a really nice Air B&B in Thornton Park while I was looking for an apartment to rent. It was in the top floor of a 3 story building with a balcony that overlooked Washington Street. There was a bar next door with a UCF banner and I liked hearing all the conversations.

All of my belongings were in a storage container in Lake County Florida. My hope was to find a place in Downtown Orlando. The problem of course was that most places downtown cost a fortune. I know of a place near the Day Building that costs $5000 a month. The building looks like an old Spanish fortress church with the bells removed frm the bell tower, which was refurnished. It has really tall ceilings but I bet the apartments are not that big otherwise. $5000 a month is insane.

The place I was staying in in Thornton Park was right on Washington Avenue a block away from the Falcon Bar and Gallery. I have sketched at the Falcon Bar rather often so I was pleased to be so close. I sketched my view looking towards Lake Eola at night. A small outdoor street festival had just shut down, and the tents were being broken down.

There was a pause in the activity and a family with a dog was talking to a vendor. One block from the Air B&B was a 7-11 which I went to several times for basic supplies. By basic supplies, I mean junk food of course and battery acid Mountain Dew. A Publix was a few more blocks away and I went shopping there for the week’s groceries.

In a few weeks I would be sketching shows at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. I needed a place that was a short distance from the festival since I planned to sketch like a Tasmanian devil. I tried to re-book this Thornton Park place but it had already been booked.

While here I was also looking for apartments. There was a place for rent across the street, so I called to take a look at the place. It was a single room apartment with a kitchen and bath. It had an upstairs attic with a skylight  and I thought maybe I could use it as a studio space. When I got inside I found that the attic ceiling was only 5 feet high at the peak of the roof. I had to duck just to walk down the length of the room. The room was completely unusable and could only function as storage. I don’t have many belongings but this place was waaaaay to small.

From this Thornton Park Air B&B I had to move to a place in Azalia Park. That place was on the landing approach to the Orlando International Airport and the morning planes flying over were an unpleasant window rattling racket. I took a map of Orlando and drew the areas that had the loudest airplane landing noises. That map became my plan for the places I absolutely refused to live.

Prior to moving out to lake County I lived at the Chatsworth Lane house and it was also on a plane landing pattern for the airport. I used to wear ear plugs every morning to try and drown out the noise.

I really loved my stay in Thornton Park. Home process were through the roof and the few rentals I looked at were either too small or too expensive. Finding a place in Downtown Orlando was proving to be a challenge.