Bastille Day

Bastille Day in the Audubon Garden District celebrated all things French. Falling on a weeknight this year, it was a much smaller event than last year. I went to Stardust Video & Coffee right after work to meet Terry. There was no hint of Bastille Day, or the romance of Paris, so I ordered a Coke and asked where the French might be found. I was told to look at a poster on the door. The poster offered no other clue. I was in the right neighborhood on the right day but other than that, I was lost. After Terry arrived we were finally directed to go across Corrine Drive to Bikes, Beans & Bordeaux. It was a hot muggy night. There were a few tents set up in the parking lot. In Brighton Boutique there was a black and white film being shown. Bonnie Sprung had a tent full of her French themed paintings. There was also chocolates and fine wines.

Amanda Chadwick, Sarah Austin and Wendy Wallenberg started chatting with Terry. When those women start talking, the conversation heats up like an episode of "Sex in the City." I wandered off to sketch. A live band caught my attention but they stopped playing the second I put a line to paper. I shifted my attention to the people sipping wine and talking at the tables. One woman wore a dark beret. Night settled in quickly. When I finished my sketch, I re-joined Terry. She was seated in a lone chair and I sat beside her in my camping stool. Amanda convinced me I had to try the wine. When I got to the wine table I glanced back and saw that she had decided to occupy my stool. The wine required tickets. The guy standing next to me offered me his ticket since he had to drive home. He offered me a second ticket and I told him to offer it to Amanda. I asked him to have her get up to accept it and I would steal my seat back. He offered her the ticket. She hesitated at first, then when she reached out, he backed up. She caught on fast shouting, "You're trying to get me out of this seat aren't you!" What is the world coming to when we can't accept the kindness of strangers?

The Skill Crane Kid

As part of ArtsFest, Brian Feldman purchased a skill crane machine, stuffed it full of plush toys and then crawled inside where he remained for 16 hours. The machine was set up in Stardust Video and Coffee. When I arrived with Terry, Brian had already been inside for over six hours. Children especially loved the performance, often begging their parents for more change so they could try the skill crane again. Some people took pleasure in dropping the metallic skill crane claws on Brian's head. For me the performance once again had a Kafkaesque quality reminding me of the Hunger Artist. Brian's presence also reminded me of carnival barkers at the fair whose main objective is to keep the rubes from winning a prize. Brian acted as a sort of anti-carnie, actually placing a plush toy in the claws of the feeble skill crane to satiate each child's greed and desire.

I seldom had an unobstructed view of the skill crane. More often than not families blocked my view as they took pictures and stuffed quarters in the machine. A friend of Brian's named Helen Henny was shooting photos the whole time I was sketching. Sultana Ali, Brian's girlfriend, was in the next room and she seemed to be updating Brian's Twitter and Facebook accounts as the performance progressed. I heard the performance was streamed live. Terry and Sultana had lunch while I sketched. Several hours later when the sketch was finished, I walked up to the skill crane to say goodbye to Brian. He gestured from inside saying I had to try my hand at the skill crane. I refused, until Terry lent me the dollar to play. Several people in the room egged me on so I gave in and decided to play. I maneuvered the crane over a small teddy bear right near the exit chute of the machine figuring that if the crane didn't grab the bear, it might just get knocked loose. I really didn't need a teddy bear, and I didn't want to play the game, but once the machine took the money, then the stakes were high. I had two tries and both times the poorly designed claw picked up nothing but air. With this failure I suddenly realized I was upset, not at the machine but at Brian. I had seen him coax the toys into the claw for child after child as I sketched. He even coaxed a toy out for Genevieve Bernard. Everyone was a winner but me! His passivity as I played made him just like any loud mouthed carnival barker who coaxed money from people at the fair using insults and dark sinister humor. I felt robbed.

As a child I once dreamed of getting a huge balloon that was for sale on an ice cream truck that wandered my neighborhood. Inflated, the balloon was larger than me . By the time I had convinced my mom to give me the change needed, the truck was long gone. I ran down the street for many blocks before finally giving up. I was devastated. The next day the balloon was forgotten. I had new obsessions. The night after Brian exited the skill crane, I met him in Stardust video and coffee to get my video camera back which had recorded most of his performance. Brian took me out to Sultana's truck and presented me with the palm sized bear I had tried to win. I refused at first, but he insisted. At home my pet cockatoo was scared of the little stuffed bear at first, his crest rose in surprise, but then he ripped out its eyes and eviscerated its stomach playfully.

Best Bets

Voting continues through February 28th for the Orlando Sentinel's Best Bets. I hope you will vote for Analog Artist Digital World in the Best Local Blogger category. They encourage people to nominate in as many categories as possible. Since the list is dauntingly large, I thought I would share my votes. I voted for places I have sketched, and spots that I return to often. This sketch is of Stardust Video and Coffee which I nominated as the Best Local Bar and the Best Local Restaurant to bring clients. This list should give you a running start. Of course mold this list to suit your tastes. For instance you might actually know who the best cosmetic surgeon is in town. If you disagree with any of my Best Bets, let me know!

Best Chain Restaurant..........Firehouse
Best Local Bar........................Stardust Video & Coffee
Best Local Nightclub .............I-Bar
Best Local Bar/Restaurant to see Live Music .....Tanqueray's
Best Local Wine Bar...............Cavanagh's Fine Wine
Best Local Beer Selection......Redlight Redlight
Best Local Martini Bar...........Bone Fish Grill
Best Local Hole in the Wall....Back Booth
Best Local Happy Hour..........Will's Pub
Best Local Brunch...................Dandelion Communitea Cafe
Best Local Burger....................Hamburger Mary's
Best Local Steak......................Dexter's
Best Local Seafood..................Bonefish Grill
Best Local Pizza.......................Mellow Mushroom
Best Local BBQ.........................Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ
Best Local Frozen Desert........Tutti Frutti
Best Local Sushi........................Amura
Most Local Romantic................Social Chameleon
Best Local Thai..........................Viet Garden
Best Local Cuban.......................Cuban Sandwiches to go
Best Local Mexican....................De La Vega's
Best Local Italian.......................Antonio's La Fiamma
Best Local Indian......................Spice Cafe
Best Local Chinese....................Ming Court
Best Local Sub Sandwich.........Publix
Best Local Wings........................Buffalo Bill's Wild Wings
Best Local Vegetarian................Loving Hut
Best Local Dessert......................Rhapsodic Bakery
Best Local Outdoor Dinning.......310 Park South
Best Local Place to Bring Fido...Doggie Door, Winter Park
Best Local Coffee..........................Austin's Coffee
Best Local Caterer.......................Bubbalou's BBQ
Best Local Restaurant to take Clients.....Stardust Video and Coffee
Best Local Bachelor/bachelorette....Brian Feldman, Hannah Miller
Best Local Gay/Lesbian Bar.........The Parliament House
Best Local Radio Personality.......Jim Phillips
Best Orlando Sentinel Columnist.....Matthew Palm
Best Local TV Personality...........Peter Murphy
Best Meteorologist......................I don't have time for TV
Best Local Celebrity...................Mark Baratelli
Best Local Blogger............Analog Artist Digital World
Best Local Band.........................Kaleigh Rose Baker and the Absinthe Trio
Best Theme Park Ride..............Carousel of Progress
Best Water Park........................Wet and Wild
Best Live Show...........................Orlando Live
Best Annual Event at Theme Park.....Food and Wine Festival Epcot
Best Local Resort......................Wilderness Lodge
Best Wildlife Encounter............Manatee Festival Blue Spring State Park
Best Community Festival.........Fringe Festival
Best Museum.............................Orlando Museum of Art
Best Weekend Getaway...........DeLeon Springs
Best Wedding Venue................Orlando Shakespeare Theater
Best Golf Course.......................Bay Hill
Best Movie Theatre..................Enzian Theater
Best Concert Venue..................Plaza Theater
Best Video Gaming Spot..........Aloma Bowl
Best Shopping Mall....................Mall at Millenia
Best Arts and Crafts Store.......Michael's
Best Sporting Goods Store.......Bass Pro Shops
Best Home Furnishing Store...Rob and Stucky's
Best Local Bookstore................Bookworm
Best Specialty Food Store........Rhapsodic Bakery
Best Local Wine/Liquor Store.....Eola Wine Room
Best Day Spa..................................Baden Baden Germany
Best Local Hair Salon....................I cut my own hair
Best Cosmetic Surgeon.................You are kidding, right?
Best Mens Clothing Store.............The Gap
Best Womens Clothing Store........The Gap
Best Jewelry Store .........................P.J. Abramson Inc
Best Department Store..................Stein Mart
Best Discount Department store.....K Mart
Best Shoe Store..............................The Track Shack
Best Fitness Facility......................Anytime Fitness
Best Tattoo Parlor.........................Black Chapel

A Sea of Green

On Facebook, Doug Rhodehamel left a message saying he would be hanging green fish at Stardust Video and Coffee all afternoon. I immediately jumped in my truck and headed over. The show he was preparing for was called "Sea of Green." When I got to Stardust, sure enough there was Doug high up on a ladder hanging green cardboard fish. Each fish is made from green corrugated cardboard with drink lids for eyes. Inside each lid was a green or blue disk which was painted with day glow paint. He had a small pile of fishes on a speaker and he would string each one with a fishing line and then climb back up the ladder to hand it from one of the steel beams overhead. It must have been back breaking work and I was there just seeing the first fish as they were hung. When he was finished, the entire room was filled with fish from floor to ceiling and wall to wall.

At the opening, Doug explained that he had gotten the idea from the Beetles song "Yellow Submarine", where the lyrics mention swimming in a Sea of Green. The room was dark and the eyes glowed eerily in the darkness. The small fish can be bought for just $5. I know this because Rachel, a ceramics artist, lifted a fish up from inside her leather jacket. The fish eye glowed even through the paper bag it was enclosed in. She took the fish out of the bag and pointed to the reason she had bought it, the fish had a light spattering of day glow paint on its body. It was this imperfection that had caught her eye and sealed the deal.

Author Rachel Kapitan was there having just come from her reading at Neon Forest. She pointed out how she loved the purity of the color. I wanted to talk to Rachel about her writing and "Synthetic Fiction", a literary style she seems to be spearheading. I never got the chance. Jessica Pawli pushed up and said hello to me. She asked if I was still without a computer and I had to relate the painful tale of living six days with no computer. It is odd that people know what is happening in my life thanks to Facebook. It certainly makes starting conversations in a crowded room so much easier. Stardust was packed. A band was setting up in the next room and every table was filled. In a crowded room I always get lost in the ambient noise of the space. I find it difficult to hear a person even when they are right in front of me. I tried lip reading. When the band started playing, I moved towards them considering a sketch. A fellow who looked like a native American Indian was playing a fiddle and the drums were pounding. It could have been my 5th sketch of the day, but I was tired and Terry was at home waiting for me. I went outside, sent her a text, and headed home. You have to go down to stardust some evening and see this amazing display yourself. You will be glad you did.

Zombietoberfest

You know Halloween is approaching when zombies roam the streets of the Audubon Garden district. As Terry and I approached late that night we noticed a few zombies stumbling down Corrine Drive. There was a large crowd of zombies outside Park Avenue CD. We arrived at Stardust Video and Coffee around 11pm. When we opened the door, a loud pulsing rhythm shook us as a band played angrily. Decomposing bodies around us writhed to the beat. Terry clutched my hand as I searched for the right sketching vantage point. Rather than committing to a sketch of the band, I decided to search the other rooms for zombies.
The food and drink order counter had a line of zombies that stretched out the door. Chad Bruce and Dana VanZandt were seated at a small corner table and they waved us over. Chad's sweatshirt was thickly spattered with blood. Dana was dressed as a huntress. When asked about their outfits, they demonstrated their method of hunting zombies. Dana had a human brain that she dangled from a fishing line off the end of a stick. Her job was to lure a zombie close using the brain as bait. Then Chad would unholster the golf club at his hip and strike the zombie down with swift blows to the head.
A zombie was checking his iPhone as he waited in line. A female zombie held a human brain on a plate. When she turned to me I noticed the bullet hole in the center of her forehead. She said she was one of the models at a Boudoir Bombshells photo shoot I sketched several months ago her name is Tamarie Lang. I tried to recognize her but couldn't get past the blood and bruising. When the quiet demure woman in the red kimono finally turned around, her face wash ashen and blood was dripping from her lips. It was hard to notice if there was blood on her red kimono. Doug Rhodehamel stopped in front of me, frozen mid-stride in his walk. It took a few seconds for me to notice him and I laughed out loud at his attempt to get in the sketch.
When the sketch was done I considered going in the loud room full of writhing zombies, but Terry was tired so I decided it was a one sketch night . My zombie hunting was complete. The event was supposed to end at midnight anyway so I didn't have time for another sketch.

Free Beer!

At the Audubon Park Community Market, Shipyard Brewing Company had a small SUV set up with beer taps sticking out of its side. Allison Stevens and master brewer Ron Raike were at the taps busily filling small plastic cups full of FREE beer samples. I walked around the truck several times trying to find a comfortable vantage point from which to do a sketch. Terry had come down to the market to meet me but I didn't see her anywhere. Distracted, I gave her a call. She was across the street at an Italian restaurant having a salad. A bit of a power struggle ensued. She wanting me to sit and have dinner with her, while I wanted to get started on the sketch with the few hours of daylight remaining.
When I got back outside, the sun had just set. As I sketched, the scene grew progressively darker. Terry joined me for a bit and then Craig Marris walked up to talk. The two of them talked as I rushed to get some watercolor washes down. Across the street, Kevian Acosta began singing to the crowd. When my sketch was finished I decided it was time to get a beer sample. I went up to the Shipyard booth and asked Allison for a sample. She poured me two and thanked me for a blog post I had written about the Shipyard Brewery and a fun conversation we had when we first met. Terry walked up beside me and announced, "I am Mrs. Thor!" She and Allison had a quick exchange and bumped fists.
The beer was smooth and light. I sipped it with my pinky in the air and sat down to watch Flammable Babylon Percussion perform. The pounding and rhythmic drum beats helped calm my nerves. I simply sat and watched the first piece. Then the urge to sketch took over again and I rushed to get something down. I knew they wouldn't be performing much longer but I had to get something. I liked the way the belly dancers would relax, off stage with their belly fat proudly overlapping the waste line of the dress. When they danced, others in the crowd would join in; some worked their hips with the hula hoops.

Vegan Bake Sale at Stardust

On my first day back in Orlando I headed out to Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 East Winter Park Road) for the Audubon Market where I knew there was going to be a vegan bake sale benefiting animal rights. I arrived at about 6:30PM and some of the vendors were still setting out their wares. The sun was getting low on the horizon but it was still baking hot so I was immediately on the look out for a shady spot to sit and start sketching. I looked at the goods in all the booths and then was stopped in my tracks by a tall man with a flowing gray beard who was selling poetry. I was fascinated by his strong features and I know I need to seek him out some day to sketch. He handed me a slip of paper with a poem about Independent American Patriots. I started reading as I walked away. I heard him shouting behind me something about buying American Savings Bonds. I later found out that he kind of expects some payment if you read his work. Whoops, I thought it was a free sample.
It is hard to settle on a definite spot to sit down and start a sketch when you are faced with a space filled with tents. I didn't want to just sit in the midst of what might later be a high traffic area. I found myself standing near the music staging area and noticed a woman diligently writing texts on her iPhone. She was sitting on a retaining wall which looked like a comfy spot to sit and the spot offered a view of the whole outdoor market. I sat down beside her and started sketching. She seemed very focused so I didn't want to interrupt her. She looked up while I was sketching and commented on how cute the dogs were. I glanced over at a large poodle that had been recently shorn and put him in my sketch. We introduced ourselves and she was kind enough to compliment me on the early stages of this sketch as I was still blocking things in.
Her name was Allison Stevens and we talked as I continued to sketch. It turns out she was there to sort of survey the event since she would be setting up a booth the following week. She works for Shipyard Brewing Company of Portland, Maine. She informed me that Shipyard is going to set up a brewery right here in Orlando and next week she will be offering free beer samples at the Audubon Market. Her job seems to be to market and help spearhead this new brewery. She said the brewery will offer many local jobs and it is also inviting local brewers a chance to use the facility to craft new tastes. I had tried several glasses of Shipyard beer several weeks ago at a late night comedy club. I had picked the beer for the simple reason that I liked the color of the tap handle. Craig Marris walked up with his hair ablaze. He and Allison spoke for a while while I continued the sketch. When he discovered what she did, he shouted out that he loved Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale which comes out in October. I perked up since I had tasted this beer last year and really liked it. Allison got out her iPhone and pulled up a photo of all the Pumpkinhead Ale that was sitting stacked high on pallets in a warehouse like the final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Allison started telling us a story about a student named Taskar Divine, who used to sit outside the girls dorm every day with a sketchbook. He had a mad crush on a girl and he sat there every day hoping she might notice him. All the students thought he must know everything that went on in that dorm and his sketchbook must have been full. It was later discovered that he never once did a sketch nor did he jot down a single note. He had sat idle and never got the girl. The story made me wonder what strange thoughts might be running through people's heads about me as I sketch them every day.
Then Travis Blaise stopped over. He said he was going to get a beer and Allison waited with baited breath to find out if he was getting a Shipyard beer. He ended up getting an impossible to pronounce German beer that came in a tall beer stein. Alison made a comment about how some people pick a beer based on how tall the beer stein is.
It turns out Travis and Craig are working on character designs for a film they are working on. Travis and Craig both pulled out their sketchbooks and started whipping out amazing sketches of demonic beasts for the film. They would show each other what they had worked on and then they discussed which features worked best for the film.
Robert Johnson took to the stage and warmed the crowd up as the sun set and the night grew a bit cooler. I quickly worked him into my sketch. Craig Marris talked nonstop so this sketch took much longer than expected. It was nice however to find out about how some of my fellow Disney artists had fared over the years. As I was dashing color onto the sketch the second musician took to the stage named Matt Kenyon. His cover songs of Simon and Garfunkel and the Beetles were familiar and comforting. As he sang "I am a Rock" I felt my own sense of isolation. It was a solemn way to end the night, but Terry called and told me I had been sketching for too long, and I should come home. I had spent too much time talking and laughing. She missed me, because we had just been on vacation. To finish my sketch, I put a leash on the dog, packed up my supplies and left.

House Warming

For the past month artist Doug Rhodehamel has been living in a cardboard box which he sets up in peoples homes so they might have a "Artist in Residence ". Six different Orlando residents opened their homes and allowed Doug to set up his makeshift home. Doug always wanted to build his own home and he finally did so on a somewhat small scale. What did this artist in residence do? He made art! He constructed little cardboard bewilderbeasts for the homes. He just needed a spot in the house to set up his 6′ x 3′ home. The home can be folded up and transported to the next residence in his car.
On July 21st Doug set up his home on the red stage at Stardust Video and Coffee. When I got to Stardust I found a seat at a table up near the stage and then wandered off to find a beer. Carl Knickerbocker, a painter of primitive folk art, was also looking for a beer. He was studying the many bottles and I chose to go for what was on tap. We discussed our tastes in beer and found some common ground.
The sketch was a challenge since the place people tended to congregate and stand was right in my line of sight. It took nerves of steel and much patience to sketch areas I could see when I was blocked. On the loudspeakers, piano music from the Charlie Brown cartoons was playing setting a playful mood. So many beautiful people kept walking in to see. Doug would offer guided tours to select VIPs and they would crawl inside. I never went inside up I did take a look to see how the walls were decorated. A black hairy spider was perched on the roof above the entry and horse photos were galloping above the door. Window boxes held paper flowers and a small donate box was stationed near the entry.

The Second Annual Bastille Day

On Saturday Terry and I drove to the Audubon Park Garden District to find out what Bastille Day was all about. Of course in France Bastille day is a celebration of French independence from the rule of monarchs. When we drove past Stardust Video and Coffee there were one or two tents in the parking lot and a water tank set up to dunk a mime. We almost left since it looked like nothing was happening. I expected to see waving flags, a huge crowd and plenty of French costumes. We wandered the side streets looking for a parking spot and braved the heat to walk over to Stardust. A thermometer in Terry's car indicated it was 101 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
The door I usually use to enter Stardust was locked. We entered the door right in front of the food counter. I could hear a trumpet wailing in the room to my right so we walked that way. We were stopped and told that it would cost $10 to see the concert. I was annoyed since the event page said nothing about a $10 entry fee. He went on to explain that we would get 2 free drink tickets with the price of admission. I was ready to leave but Terry said, "Well, we are already here. Lets go in." She obviously has a higher entertainment budget that I do. So we paid and got orange wrist bands (not red, white and blue?).
The Benoit Glazer Quartet was on stage. Terry and I sat in an empty booth close to the stage and I got to work on my sketch. The last time I had seem Benoit playing trumpet was at a concert at his home where he played with his kids. Once a month Benoit opens his home, referred to as the White House or Timucua, to musicians and artists. The quartet was really good and Benoit would end each song with some independence themed riff. The fact that he would introduce each song with his authentic french accent added to the days Bastille theme.
Between sets Darlyn Finch came over with her fiance Brad Kuhn and Beverly Browning, an author who had been on Yo Soy Latino a radio show with Darlyn that morning. Darlyn broadcasts a show called Scribblers Corner which talks all about literary events in and around Orlando. I was still rushing to finish my sketch. I was in a panic since Benoit and the other musicians were getting off the stage so I was quickly noting the colors of their clothing. I quickly threw down washes on the performers even as they packed away their instruments. I might have seemed rude but I couldn't stop just because the music had stopped.
The next performers were Serina Jung and Lisa Firestone. Both are performing moms and their children were in the audience. Serina's beautiful voice and acoustic guitar playing set the tone of the performance. Lisa offered back up on several of the songs on the piano but later she got off stage to let Serina serenade the audience on her own. The whole time she sang I was finishing up my sketch of Benoit adding delicate layers of watercolor washes. When she finished my sketch was complete.
Terry and I left Stardust in search of other events that were going on such as a Waiter race, a fencing demonstration and a dog show to see which mutts could best look like a french poodle. We walked over to Park Avenue CD's and looked around the air conditioned store. The Moulin Rouge stage was still under construction. A few more craft vendor tents were set up. The Orlando Sentinel had a tent and table but no one was there. I joked with Terry that they must have all been fired as soon as the tent had been set up. We never did find any of the other scheduled events. We decided to get back in the air conditioned car and head off to hear some jazz.

Woman Playwrights' Initiative

Sarah Lockhart told about a performance of the Women Playwright's Initiative that was going to happen at Stardust Video and Coffee as part of Arts Fest. I had another commitment at the time of the actual performance, but the director, Aradhana Tiwari told me I could stop in when the cast first got to Stardust and rehearsed just before the nights performance. I arrived early because I had gotten out of class at Full Sail a bit early. I ordered a Coke and sat in the room facing the tiny stage with its red metal streamers and red Christmas lights for illumination. Although not planned, this small stage with it's red atmosphere offered a womb like feeling of intimacy and enclosure. The play, or monologues, I had been told, was about women and how they faced pregnancy.
When the whole cast arrived, they went in the other room with the bar and large tables made from doors, to go over lines. The tables and chairs were then moved to make room for an audience. I started a sketch lightly in pencil of the cast going over lines at the table, but I couldn't bring myself to commit to the sketch. Aradhana only had the cast go over lines for maybe 15 minutes and then she moved everybody back to the stage. I was thankful I had held back on this first sketch. It is always hardest to know when to strike. Aradhana was constantly using the camera she got for Christmas to document this intimate show.
On the stage all 5 actresses paced nervously on a grid each of them lost in thought. A loud ticking of a clock filled the space. I only got to see small sections of the performance but I left wishing I had seem more. In the sketch Sarah Lockhard is coaching a woman, curled up in a fetal position, who has just given birth and refused to hold her new born child. Sarah said," You just have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps." Of course nothing Sarah says consoles the woman.
In another scene Lindsay Cohen and Sarah slowly walk to the front of the stage, each stopping in their own corner. Both of them are holding a pregnancy test strips and they kneel down to read them. Sarah's face lit up with joy when she saw the reading on the strip. She was quietly overjoyed and radiant. Lindsey on the other hand remained stone faced. The finding caused her hand to simply go limp and she dropped the test strip as her world turned black.
There was a mad rush to find a light to help illuminate the stage. Someone went home and grabbed a floor lamp. Then it turns out that the outlets around the stage didn't work. Finally an outlet was found and the stage was perfectly illuminated. I had to step out just as the performance was about to start. The room was packed. I am certain this was a hell of a show.

Art for Haiti at Stardust Video and Coffee

A fundraiser was held at Stardust Video and Coffee called Art for Haiti. A call for artists went up on Facebook and the response was amazing! I matted a sketch and headed to Stardust to drop it off. Greg Leibowitz was on hand to accept the work and then figure out how to hang it all. By the time I arrived, most of the wall space was covered and some work had to be propped up on chairs. After I dropped of my sketch, I lingered since I didn't have to be at another sketch location for a couple of hours. I sat back and started to draw the patrons who spend many hours working at laptops and holding long discussions about art and life. The group of men right in front of me were discussing their band and how much work still was needed to finish the album they were working on. The woman seated behind them was knitting a purple and pink scarf with diagonal bands. Others sat reading or writing for the entire time I sketched. A black and white high contrast film noir thriller was playing the whole time on the flat screen TV above the bar.
I ordered some food and watched as some final pieces were hung. Nails were hammered and a drill was used to try and anchor some photos but the wall cement refused to give in to the drill bit. I had to be somewhere else during the actual auction, but I found a photo online that shows my sketch of the broken down Lake Eola Fountain being held up, and a person in the crowd with his hand up, so I feel good knowing it must have sold. Proceeds from all the sales went to the following organizations: Doctors Without Borders, Yele Haiti, and Partners in Health. According to Greg Leibowitz, who organized the event, over $3,500 was raised thanks to the auction. It is inspiring to have been part of an event where so many artists gave so freely to help those in need. Should you still want to contribute a donation contact Greg Leibowitz.

Grandma Party

Stardust Video and Coffee was the host to the annual Grandma Party. The streets around Stardust were crammed full of parked cars. I had never seen such a crowd at the venue. The Grandma Party started several years ago as a place for local fashion designers, bookbinders, painters, knitters, silversmiths, vintage dealers, bakers and print makers to showcase and sell their work. Everything found here was hand crafted and original. There was a stage set up for local musicians to perform as well but they were not playing when I arrived. I wandered around and bumped into a few friends as I searched for my sketch of the day. Anna McCambridge's mom, Vicki was celebrating her birthday and she blew out a candle on a cupcake to celebrate.
I ultimately became infatuated with Alchemy, an outdoor hair cutting booth. The seats were always full as women and men rotated in to have their hair cut. It was a challenge to capture the hair stylists who were in constant motion but it was worth the effort.
When I finished this sketch I went to the stage to listen to the music. At the end of the final number a girl dresses in a red and white overalls stood next to the stage and threw confetti when the song ended. Although titled the Grandma Party, most of the crowd was hip and young. These were Orlando's true bohemians and they knew how to party.

Audubon Market

The Audubon Market has returned to the parking lot at Stardust Video and Coffee 1842 East Winter Park Road. This market opens every Wednesday night and runs from 5 PM to 9 PM. This is a small local market with live music, a massage station, a fortune teller, a table of delectables like candied apples and other sweets, hand crafted jewelry and clothing, plants, the list is endless. Most importantly it is a place where friends can mingle and talk.
I bumped into Karrie Brown who was selling some of her hand made feather hair pieces. Karrie introduced me to the caricature artist at the event named Marie Bolton - Joubert. Marie is a whirlwind of constant activity. She introduced me to a cause she is backing which involves the shooting of 2 dogs here in sunny Central Florida. She showed me a courtroom sketch she did of an early hearing in this case and now I am planning to go to the court to see if the shooter is acquitted. I should post about this hearing in early November. Then she insisted I sit down and she whipped out a caricature of me in a matter of minutes while talking the whole time. The caricature is great!
I neglected to mention that the reason I went to Stardust Video and Coffee was to attend Dr. Sketchy's but once I discovered all the activity in the nighttime market I had to sketch the market and I never went inside. It was boiling hot outside as well and I had to wipe the sweat off my hands several times to keep from smearing the watercolors.

Lesley Silvia working at Stardust

I met Lesley Silvia and her husband Jared at a Kerouac House event. As I have been sketching more and more in Orlando's more artsy cafes, like Infusion Tea, Dandelion, Seven Sisters, and Stardust, I have become curious about all the people who sit and use their laptops for extended periods of time. Lesley works on her photos and graphic design work using a laptop and Photoshop or Illustrator, InDesign and on rare occasions Painter. She had arrived at Stardust before me and had just finished a dinner of nachos. She and her husband who is a writer, usually work together. Silvia enjoys working in Stardust because it has free WI FI and she feels Dandelion and Infusion have a more mature crowd. Stardust is a more comfortable fit for a young edgy artist. She also likes to work in Winter Park's Central Park sitting on a bench in the shade, or she goes to Borders and looks through a few magazines for inspiration before she gets to work on the laptop.
As I sketched, Silvia was working on a series of photos called Pinatas. This series resembles crime scene photos where people are shown injured or dead with candy in place of blood. It is a unique and somewhat unnerving series of photos. Her graphic design work is inspired by the Swiss, it is clean neat and tidy.
Silvia was just 10 years old when she took her first photography class. She and her brother learned to make the pinhole cameras at one of the art camps they attended. Her work to this day plays with photography's earliest forms. Her father helped her with a little bit of photo composition at an early age although at the time she didn't know photography would be her passion. I high school she discovered that photography was really fun and took every class offered. In college she got a BA in Studio art with a minor in philosophy and her independent study focused on photography. Like most artists she has many facets including an interest in sculpture and graphic design.
Silvia is a full time course director at Full Sail University teaching Digital Photography. She gets freelance work through word of mouth and serendipity. She has shot some weddings and portraits. She shot photos for an Australian Rock Band who was later signed by Columbia Records. The record company asked her to take the rock band pictures off of her web site. She just removed the groups name and the lawyers stopped hassling her. Past clients include Scottish Highland Games and Mega Con. Her favorite assignments are outdoor shoots using natural light and shot with film.

Stardust Video and Coffee

I drove to Stardust Video and Coffee thinking I would sketch the Audubon outdoor market but the market was nowhere to be found. Rather than call it quits, I went inside and ordered a Coke. Stardust is a quirky artsy hangout located at 1842 East Winter Park Road.
One room had a wall stacked with VHS videos and large tables made from old doors which have been varnished and smoothed. The room I sat in has a small stage area with red glittery curtains. A group of five or so people sat at tables busily tapping at their laptops. The central area of Stardust has the food counter which I sketched. I ordered a pita plate and I was handed a VHS video titled "Pushing Tin" starring John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton. The waiter used this to find out what table to deliver the food to. My plate arrived within minutes. The pita was warm and toasty and the humus delicious.
A woman who had been focused on her laptop walked by and noticed me sketching. She started to tell me about how as a child she used to draw with her left hand. Back in those days parents didn't want their children to be left handed so anytime she would pick a crayon up with her left hand her parents would slap her hand. Today she is right handed. She said she could still draw a bit with her left hand but if she tried to draw with her right hand, Nothing.
Oil paintings hung on the wall by Jennifer Payne. Exhibits seem to change fairly often. The light in the room slowly got darker as the sun set. By eight PM the place was getting packed. The core group of laptop users in my room were still at work when I left to go to Will's Pub.