ART DECO WEEKEND SKETCHWALK

SKETCH-TOUR THROUGH THE ART DECO ERA 

as captured in pens and colors by the Orlando and Miami 
Urban Sketchers chapters  

Breakwater Hotel -by Thomas Thorspecken

Beach Patrol HQ - by Elena Montijo Capetillo

Being relatively new chapters to the Urban Sketchers organization the two Florida's groups from Orlando and Miami has teamed up in mid-January for the first time to sketch together. The Miami-Beach ART DECO Weekend festival was the perfect occasion for such gathering to capture in our sketchbooks the essence of the 1920's & 30's architecture, the retro lifestyle and jazz vibes of time as presented in a weekend packed with events by the MDPL. 

Art Deco Weekend was created nearly 41 years ago by the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) to showcase the beautiful Art Deco buildings of South Beach, saving it for future generations. MDPL’s early work was the catalyst that created the vibrant, world-class city we documented in sketches this weekend. 

On a two sunny Florida winter days and one evening, we gathered together on a sketch-walk exploration along the famous Ocean Drive and Collins Ave strips. 

Rows of Art Deco hotels splashed with vibrant colors, bold design, geometric shapes and intense color schemes welcomed us. Classic cars, retro fashion, street performers and Jazz Age bands were showcasing the lifestyle of the 1920's and 1930's along the Miami Beach's beautiful Lummus Park with the world-famous Art Deco skyline of Ocean Drive as the background. 

We were there to capture moments and times in our sketchbooks. 

We also deepened our feet in the beautiful warm South-Beach sands to sketch the unique candy-colored Lifeguards towers dotting the shore in an array of bright colors.



Presenting our story here we choose to focus on the different angles and views of same sketching objects as captured by the individual sketchers. This is where the personality and style of each individual come to life. The Sketchbooks throwdown ceremony as practiced by urban sketchers around the world gives us the opportunity to share our work, to discuss sketching methods, the point of views as seen by each sketcher and to inspire each other. Our joint art deco sketchwalk group included people of all ages, all levels of experience and skills, all share the same passion for sketching on location, from observation and sharing quality time with like-minded people.  

ESSEX HOUSE - 1001 Collins Ave

Designed by Architect Henry Hohaser and built in 1937 in the Art Deco style with Streamlined Moderne influences of that era. Its signage tower plays a repeated motif in other buildings along Miami Beach.

Stuart Taft - Miami

Noga Grosman - Orlando

Federico Giraldo - Miami

Robin Katz - Orlando

Mary Hense - Orlando

BEACH PATROL HEADQUARTERS - 1001-b Ocean Drive

Designed by Architect Robert A. Taylor in 1934. The backside of the building is a prime example of Tropical Deco - a style that mimics the lines of 1920's era oceanliners. 

Elena Montijo Capetillo - Miami

Qais Hack - Miami

Al Carro - Miami

DECO FESTIVAL
eyes on the street 

 

BREAKWATER HOTEL - 940 Ocean Drive

Designed by Architect Anton Skislewicz and built in 1939. 

With its cruise liner-like center tower the Breakwater hotel reflects the nautical aesthetic of the Streamline Moderne style that was popular during the Art Deco era. 

The Breakwater hotel has been sketched by many of us during daytime, sunset, and night.

Thomas Thorspecken - Orlando

                                                                            

Qais Hack - Miami 

Elena Montijo Capetillo - Miami

               

Jackson Chu - Miami

Norberto Trobo - Buenos Aires 

Pam Schwartz - Orlando

Al Carro - Miami

Noga Grosman - Orlando

Nina Benavidez - Buenos Aires

Capt Barry - Virginia

DECO FESTIVAL

eyes on the street 

   ART DECO at the BEACH

Miami's Candy-colored Lifeguard Towers and a Tropical Deco Vibe

Designed by architect William Lane, who began working on them more than 20 years ago.

 Dotting the shore in vivid contrast to the sparkling blue ocean stands an array of bright colored lifeguard towers, each with a very unique art deco design and its own piece of history.  

We might say our sketches here are just the beginning of sketch collection we hope more urban sketchers will love adding to this story when visiting the South Beach, Miami Shores. 

Noga Grosman - Orlando

Elena Montijo Capetillo - Miami 

Jackson Chu - Miami

Margaret Gibson - Orlando

Elena  Montijo Capetillo - Miami

Robin Katz - Orlando 

Noga Grosman - Orlando

DECO FESTIVAL

eyes on the street

 Norberto Trobo - Buenos Aires

Greg Bryla - Orlando

EDISON HOTEL - 960 Ocean Drive
a gem among the Art Deco
Designed by Architect Henry Hohaser in 1935.
The urge to create medieval Spain was popularized in the 1920's and persisted into the 1930'. Carrying out this Hispanic myth, Hohauser dressed up this concrete facade with Romanesque motifs, such as the twisted columnettes.

Margaret Gibson - Orlando

Tommy Gonzale - Miami

Greg Bryla - Orlando

Thomas Thorspecken - Orlando

DECO FESTIVAL

eyes on the street  

 Federico Geraldo

Capt Barry

Thomas Thorspecken

CASA CASUARINA - 1114 Ocean Drive

Designed by Henry La Pointe, 1930

Was the former home of Gianni Versace

This building was created in the full measure of the Mediterranean Style, with an open courtyard just inside the entrance. The facade has a medieval flavor with its two stories splayed “Gothic” archway. Typical of the Mediterranean Style, the building’s design is asymmetrical. Stop long enough to view the kneeling nude statue which graces the entrance of the building. The statue was cast in Los Angeles in 1928 and sculpted by V.K. Vuchinich.

  

Elena  Montijo Capetillo - Miami

Noga Grosman - Orlando

Qais Hack - Miami

Nina Benavidez - Buenos Aires

Norberto Trobo - Buenos Aires

THE SHERBROOKE and THE WALDORF 

and the list of the Art Decos goes on and on as much as the eye can see

Adolfo Montalvo - Miami

 Qais Hack - Miami

Pam Schwartz - Orlando

Capt Barry - Virginia 

Magaret Gibson - Orlando

LUMMUS PARK

 Lummus Park was sold to the city in 1915 to be used as a public park. The beach is one of the nicest on Miami Beach.

A R T   D E C O   F A C T S

The era where the Art Deco flourished throughout Miami Beach was known as 'Miami Beach Spring to Life'.

The new Tropical Playground developed by Carl Fisher, a far sight developer, attracted millionaires to invest and live there. Next came a wave of upper-middle-class snowbirds, but the big "block-party" and the "boom" had ended when World War 2 erupted.

Facts about the Art Deco movement:

• Born in Europe
• First introduced in 1925 at the "Exposition des Arts Decoratifs" in Paris.
• It has been flourished internationally through the 20's and 30's.
• Has influenced not only architecture but many other areas of design such as; Commercial Art; Fine Art; Home furnishing; Fashion design.
• Its pastel colors, streamlined rectilinear forms, and airbrush idealism developed out of the French Art Nouveau that preceded the Art Deco.
• Art Deco has been influenced by the ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Mayan decorative motifs. Also by Cubist painting and Machine age sensibilities.

The Orlando Urban Sketchers Logo reveal at Lake Eola Sketchcrawl

What defines your City?

This is where our minds were set on when it came to design our own Orlando Urban Sketchers Logo.

So what define us Orlandoers…?

When one thinks "Orlando", first comes to mind are those famous ears - Mickey Mouse Ears!, Disney Theme Parks symbol known to the entire world. Second to mind comes; Florida sun, white sand beaches, forever green, palm trees, beautiful weather year round. Haaa, so beautiful!

But when you live in Greater Orlando, Florida, your mind and focus are always set on the quality of life surrounding you - your rich community life, leisure time, nature, blue skies, torques color water, that comes as a package  - how not - with Florida's summer extreme heat and summer thunderstorms.

Orlando, a young city, is also a big hub for arts - all sorts of Art. Disney and Universal Studios raised generations of artists locally here. Our city is like a magnet to artists and as such, art defines us greatly. Art surrounds us and shapes us  and therefore creates the best environment to build and develop a dedicated community of Urban Sketchers.  

As individual Urban Sketcher who lives in Orlando you are always on the hunt for special moments and locations that define your life as a resident of Central Florida. Your sketchbook and pen are most likely in your car, in your bag, ready to be pulled out and capture in sketch a moment, a place, an art piece, an architectural gem or event you go to.

Therefore, when it came for us, the Orlando Urban Sketchers Chapter, to design our own logo in celebration of a one year to our chapter establishment anniversary, we brainstormed all the above factors searching for our true identity and decided…, It is not going to be the easy catchy Mickey Mouse ears!

Viviana Castro, a local young landscape architecture designer volunteered to take on this task. In her design of Usk Orlando Logo she was inspired by the elements that define Orlando - "The City Beautiful" and focused on Lake Eola located in downtown Orlando;

Urban skyline, blue water lines, ever green land that stretches to the horizon, lakes, nature and wildlife. 

Lake Eola is like a navel in the heart of Downtown Orlando. It's surrounded by lashed greens, Cypress trees and Florida Palms, sculptures and art displays, the Rainbow amphitheater, the vibrant green fountain, swans, birds and other wildlife, and people; Orlandoers and visitors as one who all come for a stroll and a leisure time around the lake. Farmer markets on the weekends, art and craft events, concerts and performance by the people - for the people!

That's really who we are, a loving and hugging Floridian community who always unites in good or bad time. We are a community. We are the people.

For all these good reasons we at Urban Sketchers Orlando chose Lake Eola as our May Sketchcrawl event that we combined with the reveal of our Usk chapter LOGO!

The map and information we prepared for this event defines landmarks of interest around Lake Eola and we committed to include in our sketches the people, the birds, the atmosphere, as much as possible and with each individual sketcher's comfort zone.

So we went on a small scavenger hunt... :-) and then met together to present our finding.

Here's Orlando's Urban Sketchers collection as seen and captured by each individual sketcher at the Logo reveal Sketchcrawl event. 

Centered

sculpture by C.J. Rench

Centered is a bold monumental sculpture made of eight individual forms arching in perfect balance with a kinetic yellow center able to spin in the wind. Because each piece of this sculpture is fabricated in various widths and colors, Centered seems to change its shape from every angle it is viewed. Centered makes reference to how Orlando is the center of family fun, experiences and memories. The yellow form in the center also pays tribute to Orlando’s clear and sunny weather.

Walt Disney Amphitheater / aka The Rainbow.
The Walt Disney Amphitheater was donated to the City of Orlando by the Walt Disney Company in 1989. An outdoor venue and stage, it’s an excellent site for public events, community plays, dance performances, outdoor movie showings, and free concerts. The look of the theatre reflects the beach scene of 1950s Florida. The bandshell was built in a retro design with a scallop-shaped facade, and from above, the amphitheater seating also fans out from the bandshell in a scallop shape.

Muse of Discovery

Sculpture by Meg White

The Muse of Discovery is a monumental sculpture made from earthwork and limestone that portrays a reclining woman gazing at her opened hand, which is large enough for a child or adult to sit allowing its visitors to be part of the sculpture. The Muse of Discovery is a fanciful and interactive piece that excites the imagination of all its viewers. You are invited to sit in the hand of the Muse and discover your hidden potential as she whispers to you.

Ducks boat rides are popular among families at the Orlando community.

Take Flight

Sculpture by Douwe Blumberg

On the water’s edge of Lake Eola, Take Flight depicts a flock of birds ascending into the sky. The birds are made from cast alloy and welded together to create the sculpture which complements the Lake Eola walkways and shoreline. Capturing a fleeting moment of beauty and defying gravity, Take Flight embodies a spirit of freedom and transcendent joy.

Centered

sculpture by C.J. Rench

Centered is a bold monumental sculpture made of eight individual forms arching in perfect balance with a kinetic yellow center able to spin in the wind. Because each piece of this sculpture is fabricated in various widths and colors, Centered seems to change its shape from every angle it is viewed. Centered makes reference to how Orlando is the center of family fun, experiences and memories. The yellow form in the center also pays tribute to Orlando’s clear and sunny weather.

Centennial Fountain  

The fountain was built in 1957 and called the Centennial Fountain to mark the 100th anniversary of the naming of Orlando. In 1965, it was renamed the Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain in honor of the local banker who pushed for its construction after being inspired by fountains he'd seen in Europe.
When the fountain was switched on the crowd gasped as the main spout shot water 75 feet into the air, the multi-hued lights came on, and smaller spouts around the fountain's rim threw a fountain of water around the beautiful edifice.
From the beginning, the fountain has had its detractors. It may have been inspired by the great fountains of Europe, but none of those had a 1950s-chic seafoam-green plastic skin that glowed from lights within. Some joked that it looked like a flying saucer had splashed down in Lake Eola.
 

• We at USkO might be still a small body group of local urban sketchers in Greater Orlando but we know that as more we sketch, as more we share, most likely we will become a significant body of urban sketching artists, sharing the love and our city views with the entire global community of our Urban Sketchers peers around world.

*** Event Sponsor: DIXON TICONDEROGA art supply company, Lake Mary, FL 

Thank you #Dixonticonderoga - we loved the #Lyra Aquacolor crayons, the variety of #Canson watercolor and sketching paper and all the other art supply goodies you provided. 

Finger on the Pulse

Pulse Shooting Vigil at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

By Thor 

You must be aware of the horror by now. On Saturday night around 2am, a gunman shot and killed 49 people and injured 53 more people at Pulse Night club in Orlando. This is the largest single gunman terrorist attack in the history of the United States. This morning, I woke up and the first thing I did was search the Internet for the names of victims. Though none of the names were familiar, I was in tears. Through out the day friends and family from around the country checked in to see if I was alright. I had sketched events at Pulse five times before, so I am familiar with the venue.

At dusk, there was a vigil at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. I wondered how tight security might be. At security check points my art supplies are often suspect. I was pleased that the were no fences or barricades. The crowd was huge and growing. I decided to stop when I saw this large sheet of construction paper for memorial wishes. People knelled down to write and draw messages of hope love and pride. Half way down the scroll, a young girl was writing a message. She was interrupted by a friend who spoke to her. I saw her face contort in pain and sorrow as he spoke. Clearly she had lost a loved one. She hugged her friend for longest time and cried on his shoulder. My heart broke.

On stage, names of the victims were being read out loud. the list went on forever. A woman to my left was sobbing and I had to stop sketching to clear my eyes. I was thankful when another announcer suggested we hug the person beside us. I hugged the man beside me. A quote from Martin Luther King rang true... "Darkness cannot drive out hate; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." I picked up a stray crayon and used it on my sketch. Can creativity really comfort or heal? People wandered the crowd handing out snacks and water. Like a funeral, food is thought to bring comfort.

The little town where tourist dreams come true was center stage for a nightmare. There is no pixie dust that can heal such a tragedy. I don't understand love in the face of sorrow, hope in the face of pointless violence. Speakers called for strict gun control but legislation is never passed. The ever powerful social media sites don't have an automatic message to let you know a friend has been shot dead.  We all face our certain demise. Yet that field was full of love and community support. Someone complimented my sketch and I choked up in response. Such kindness despite everything. The gravity and scope of what happened washed over me fully for the first time.