20 minute read
Inspired Artists
A trip into the increasingly vibrant, dynamic and diverse Winter Garden arts scene through seven original voices.
Heather Anne Lee / Photos by Fred Lopez
THE IMAGINEER: Daniel Longman
It’s a shame that Buzz Lightyear stole the phrase, “To infinity and beyond!” because Daniel Longman may have uttered it first.
Or at least that’s easy to imagine after spending a few hours with the colorful, quirky, cut-paper artist whose obsession just happens to be The New Frontier.
“I love outer space. I always have, even as a kid. The Space Race, the Atomic Age, dinosaurs, they call captured my imagination. The concept of what earth is in relation to the entire universe, it’s fascinating. It’s always on my mind… I’m a huge fan of thinking about what’s outside of Earth,” Daniel says.
Though his parents pushed him toward a career in aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois, the allure of art was just too strong. “I muscled through physics and calculus, but the whole time I was thinking, I’m never going to have fun with this. So I switched majors to graphic design and never looked back.”
Like most artists, Daniel is a multi-passionate creative, inspired by painting and graphic design and sketching and water colors. By day, he works at Universal Creative, crafting award-winning graphic campaigns and physical creative for sets, props, and attractions. But his medium of choice, most days, is cut paper—a craft that transforms colorful paper into three-dimensional art with an x-acto knife and a steady hand. “What’s cool about paper art is that it brings shapes to life, taking a flat 2D drawing and turning it into 3D. Sure, there are other ways to do that with technology, but everyone can relate to paper. Who doesn’t have a memory of working with construction paper and scissors in school? It’s so simple, so basic, and yet so versatile. Plus, it’s just fun.”
Fun colored Daniel’s childhood, informed his college choices, and ultimately became a career. A passion that’s being passed down to his 8-yearold daughter, Avery.
“She’s my mini: same attitude, same quirk, same sense of humor. My wife, Erica, is like, ‘Who is the adult here?’ and she isn’t wrong!” Daniel laughs. “But I love seeing her imagination come to life. She has great instincts. I run all my work past her these days, and we’re even working on a book together. It’s about her and her best friend, and the games they play. Kids and their imagination right? Well, one day, they are playing tea and the dad says that they don’t have any honey for the tea because the bees have left the earth. So Avery and her friend go looking for the bees. They create a space ship and take it to the moon, but they overshoot it and crash land on Mars instead. The book follows their adventures, their imaginations getting wilder and wilder looking for the bees all over the galaxy, until an alien-monster comes after them. But it’s really just dad at the door, holding the honey, and he tells them he was kidding about the bees.”
There is already a publisher for the book, and Daniel envisions turning it into a series of Avery-inspired adventures. But right now, he’s still hard at work on the art, which will blend his unique spaceage aesthetic, cut paper
technique, drawing, and illustration with Avery’s youthful perspective. “She has some very strong opinions,” Daniel quips, “but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Crash land into Daniel Longman’s world via Instagram @minilongmania
FUN FACT: Cut-outs were the final chapter in Henri Matisse's career. In fact, Matisse dedicated the last decade of his life to two simple materials—white paper and gouache—to create works of color and complexity before using a pair of scissors to transform them into worlds of plants, animals, figures and shapes.
THE INGENUES: Aislyn Frazier & Alicia Kewharding
Aislyn Frazier, 8, and Alicia Kewharding, 14, are just like any other kids: they like playing with friends, listening to music, and watching YouTube. But at least five days a week, sometimes seven, Aislyn and Alicia are driven to The Dance Collective to train. Five grueling hours of practice that may include traditional forms of dance like ballet and jazz, as well as core stability, strength training, and flexibility. All in an effort to become world class acro dancers.
Fueled by the popularity of Cirque du Soleil, World of Dance, and Dance Moms, acro fuses the artistry of classical dance technique with the precision and athleticism of acrobatic elements. It’s a world where choreography and musicality play as much a role as balance, limbering, tumbling, partnering, flexibility, and contortion.
It also requires a certain body awareness that other dance forms don’t require.For example, while not ideally matched in size, Aislyn and Alicia work harder to overcome their differences. “Aislyn, being smaller, often has to slow her technique to match with Alicia, who taller and larger,” explains Hannah Tiemeyer, artistic director and co-owner of The Dance Collective. “It requires an incredibly amount of body awareness; the fact that they have done it in such a short time is a testament to their dedication and skill.”
But for Aislyn and Alicia, it’s just fun. They love bending and twisting, makeup and costumes; the thrill of learning a new skill, performing on stage, and dancing with their friends. But the girls both smile and giggle whenever they hear the inevitable, that gasp that comes as they splay their bodies into such a way to make your (adult) bones ache. It’s impossible not to feel emotionally involved. And therein lies the appeal.
To meet the demand for Acro, The Dance Collective has expanded its offerings. Learn more at wintergardendance.com
THE ADVENTURER RT Lovatto
Here’s what you already know about RT Lovatto: He’s a Disney stuntman at Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. But when he’s not tumbling across the stage, he’s in a quiet corner of Winter Garden, filling a sketchbook with with pen and ink scenes. Sometimes hand painted, sometimes digitally manipulated, whatever he’s exploring at the time.
Here’s what you don’t know: RT is actually Nathanael Rolling Thunder Lovatto, one-quarter Native American, three-quarter self-described West Coast hippie kid. His life feels a bit like a Hollywood action movie… humble beginnings, epic twists and turns, meaningful encounters, and more than a few action-packed stunt sequences.
“The first four years of my life, I was known as Thunder. It’s what my grandmother called me. She was full-blooded Native American, when being Native American was something you hid. For most of her life, she passed as Hispanic, and she didn’t argue. It was safer for the family, which included my dad and six other siblings. It’s also why my family doesn’t have any formal ancestry or historical papers. I think we’re Navajo, but I can’t even tell you that for sure.”
Indeed, Thunder’s first years of life were a nomadic blur, wandering between Hollywood, Petaluma, a commune somewhere in Wisconsin, Seattle, back to California, “and who knows where else.” Until finally he and his mom moved to Oregon, upon the recommendation of his stepdad’s friend, who taught in Ashland and thought Thunder could use some stability.
It was in his fourth grade classroom that Thunder, sometimes Nathan, ultimately became RT. “My teacher did this awesome thing in class, he asked me what I wanted to be called. I remember he put my whole name, all four of them, on the projection board, and the whole class threw out suggestions. I’ve been RT ever since.”
RT’s passion for art was born in the in-betweens.“Wherever we lived there were artists, so I was always doodling or drawing. My stepmom, Donna, was going to community college for art, and whenever she was doing her art homework, I would copy what she did. My first drawing, an art bowl, is still hanging in their home. I took to it naturally, and in my family—school years with my mom and stepdad, summers with my dad and stepmom—art was always encouraged.”
Ashland also happens to be a cultural hot spot. Home to the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival and routinely ranked among the best small art towns in America.Ashland bursts at the seams with award-winning galleries and artists of every age, race, and genre. It’s no wonder RT fell in love with art.
“Once I got to high school, I excelled in art classes. Math and science, not so much,” he laughs. “In tenth grade, the drama department asked me to do a play poster. Then the school asked me for letterhead. Then the city asked me to design a poster. My best friend’s family owned a screen printing shop, so I made T-shirt art for them. There was never any doubt that I’d pursue art in college.”
Which he did, enrolling in the Laguna College of Art + Design in 1996. But that’s when life took its first turn.
“I was always an active kid, too. Skateboarding, rollerblading, tumbling. Typical west coast stuff. But in 1996, I just happened to be in a skate park in California — I was really good at rollerblading at the time — and someone asked me if I wanted to be in a show at Magic Mountain. That literally changed my life. I didn’t even know that world existed. Crazy, right? I fell into stuntman and acrobatic shows just by saying hi to someone at a skate park.” To anyone that meets him, it’s not far-fetched at all. Gregarious, friendly, chatty, curious, and extremely high-energy, there obviously needed to be an outlet for all that energy. Stunts certainly fit that bill, and it’s no coincidence that art and creativity play a dynamic role in acrobatics. But it was this seismic encounter in RT’s life that shifted his whole career trajectory.
He worked for Disney in 1997, returned to LCAD in 1998, then landed the opportunity to open Tarzan Rocks at Animal Kingdom, where he met his wife. Then back to LCAD to graduate cum laude in 2001 with a BFA in Illustration.
RT and his wife followed opportunity and adventure around the globe, taking every role Disney threw at them: California, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Europe, Florida, back to California. Between Disney assignments, there were Universal Studios stunt shows, and even a stint with the workshop cast for Cirque du Soleil’s “Love, The Beatles” in Canada and Vegas.
After a decade of nomadic living, the pair decided to settle down in Central Florida. Universal and Disney have continued to be RT’s bread and butter, keeping him tumbling, skating, jumping, fighting, and every other “ing” needed on set. But the goal was always to transition back to art.
“As a stunt person, you only have a certain lifespan,” RT says. “It’s not a career you can take into retirement. Your body usually gives out long before you’re 50, so there has to be a Plan B. Some people go into production or transition into media management. For me, the goal has been slowly transition into art full-time.”
For the last five or six years, RT’s been steadily producing art, showing pieces at SoBo Gallery, judging shows, participating in community events. There’s a mural he did at Main House Market along with other pieces he has for sale. There are freelance art, photography, and graphic design projects in the pipeline, and a slew of projects he does with some local artist friends (“Freelance can be incredibly lonely. So whenever possible, I always try to work friends into my projects. It’s more fun that way!”) Yet, in the end, it’s the pen-and-ink method that captures the most attention.
Perhaps it’s the simplicity of sketching paired with the subtle wash of watercolor. Or that it’s where RT feels most like himself, a rolling thunder channeling its energy into a beautiful new chapter. A place where tumbling ever-so-slowly makes way for art. The pen being mightier then the sword, if you will.
Find RT’s artwork for sale at Main House Market in Winter Garden or visit @rollingthunderimagery on Instagram
THE CLASSICIST Nina Swope
Before he was “B.B. King,” Riley King was just a kid playing guitar on the streets of Mississippi for change. With her own guitar (and a skinning knife for protection), Jewel took her music alfresco from Alaska to Mexico. Even Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran used busking as launching pad to greatness.
And so hopes 29-yearold Nina Swope, the dynamic violinist you’ve most likely seen busking on Plant Street every weekend.
“I feel very connected to Winter Garden, energetically,” Nina says. “The local history, the overall feel. There’s emotion baked into the streets, and I can feel the energy from the people passing by. That’s what makes it so fun!”
Indeed, street musicians produce the soundtrack of our cities. There is a unique relationship between buskers and fans that only occurs in the streets, with no security staff or ticket prices. “Every time, it’s a totally different experience, and I enjoy that,” says Nina. “You never know what people will ask for: Jazz and pop, hip-hop, country. I’ve had people show up with sheet music for me.”
The weirdest request? “Wu-Tang Clan,” she laughs. “It was a good time. I didn’t even know the song, so they played it for me. Then I did it by ear.”
Here’s the thing: Nina busks for pure pleasure. The tips are nice; the applause even better; but Nina has been making a living as a professional violinist for decades. “I got my first paycheck at 7 years old!”
She’s played with Mannheim Steamroller, STYX, OneRepublic, Andrea Bocelli, Johnny Mathis, and most recently, Jackie Evancho. There’s any number of Walt Disney World projects, seasons with the Orlando Philharmonic, and the opportunity to play with touring opera, ballet, and theater companies.
All because her grandfather, a professional violinist from Republic of Maldova, who spoke little English, gave Nina her first violin and showed her that music could transcend boundaries, no matter the location or the language.
When she’s not booked on Saturday evenings, you can find Nina Swope busking on Plant Street in front of the NY Deli, and all other times via www.ninaviolinist.com
THE ILLUMINATOR Ian McDaniel
Light in art is typically seen as little more than an accent—spotlights, mood lights, and strobe lights illuminate or augment the thing you’re actually supposed to see. Yet, it raises the question: what happens when the light is the focus of the art—or when light is the art itself?
It’s in this crosshair that Ian McDaniel finds himself on a daily basis. Indeed, visual and lighting designers such as him hail from a wide variety of different backgrounds—from engineering and architecture, to theatre lighting and product design—makes it all the more compelling as an art form. But radio?
“Waveforms are waveforms, whether it’s video or audio, right?” Ian says of his former career with a smile and a shrug. It was that kind of thinking paired with his sure-whynot attitude that forged this incredibly artistic career path.
What he does isn’t technically lighting design. It isn’t technically visual design either. Visual installation design, perhaps? “It’s really a hybrid of art and engineering,” Ian explains. “We blend things like show-system automation, LED wall mapping, pixel mapping, and 3D projection mapping to create a unique, immersive experience.”
In layman’s terms, that looks like jaw-dropping experiences for big names like Avicii, Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, the American County Music Awards, Apple, Microsoft, Disney, and the Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show.
Not bad for a radio guy from Kansas City who formed Good Theory Studios with his friend, Mark Argenti, 25 years ago. And who still, on occasion, DJs at Thursday all-vinyl night at The Local in College Park.
Still, his favorite projects are always right here in Winter Garden. “They aren’t the highest paying, but they deliver the highest dividend,” Ians says. “When the giant spider drops across City Hall during the Halloween Experience and everyone gasps… I always smile. We love helping orchestrate the annual Christmas holiday experience in downtown. And this year, we’re taking what we did last year at SoBo Gallery for Arts In April over to City Hall. Instead of just going up and down on a flat wall, we’re going to be able to use the whole building. Our content can wrap around edges and corners; it can bounce and move in three dimensions, the kind of experiences we able to give at concert venues with bigger budgets. I’m so excited to be a part of it, and for everyone to see it.”
“The feeling of collaborating with creative people and bringing production technologies together to put on an incredible show never gets old.”
Experience Ian McDaniel’s work on April 30 during Arts In April VIP Experience, or visit goodtheorystudios.com
THE TEACHER Stephen Cable-Grove
We have all had that special teacher, haven’t we? The one who inspired and encouraged us to be more and dream bigger. Stephen M. Cable-Grove met his in seventh or eighth grade. “She was my art teacher and inspired me to stick with art. She had an amazing way of making class fun, like you were hanging out with an aunt or uncle, and she kept you engaged.”
Previously employed as a flight attendant, Stephen started looking around for a new opportunity after being furloughed a couple years ago. “I needed a change from being in an airplane all day and—who knew?—I found it ten minutes from home.” Now, he teaches art at Dillard Street Elementary School.
This is his first year there, and by all accounts, he’s pretty good at it. If you’ve been in the Winter Garden Branch Library lately, you’ll have seen the proof of his influence hanging in various rooms. What started as a school project for his kids is now a revolving art exhibit there.
“I had seen another teacher do something very similar online and I really liked the idea. So, I started with my younger kids drawing with pencil and paper, school supplies for art being what they are. Then I took the idea to my fifth graders this past September. They were supposed to create abstract artworks like the younger kids, but then my fifth graders started to put more of themselves into their work, they became more like self-portraits.”
How his students’ evolving art projects evolved into their own exhibit was a matter of timing. “A rep from the library reached out to my principal to ask if our school had any art she could exhibit. She was interested in displaying artwork from the local community, and my kids were already a week or so into their initial art projects. We thought this might be a perfect fit.”
The exhibit features dozens of portraits composed with crayons and markers—er, I mean, oil pastel and watercolor—and are interesting enough to make you want to stop and move in closer for a better look. You’ll be even more impressed when you start reading the names and ages of the artists. Not mom-and-dad-and-grandma impressed, but genuinely touched by the thoughtful creativity on display.
The initial showing was predominantly from Stephen’s fifth grade class, but that is evolving, too, as his younger students show interest and get more involved. “We have third, fourth and fifth graders represented now. I change up their assignments to challenge them and keep them interested. They learn different lessons. We’ve done paintings and collages and I try to keep the subjects fresh. For example, we’ve worked on everything from Valentine’s Day to Black History Month.”
Each of these master works takes around twoand-a-half weeks to finish. “I can spot those students who may be a little further along than the rest of the class,” Stephen says. “When they’re working, I walk around and point things out. I try to get them to think about what they’re doing. ‘Why this color?’ ‘Why did you choose this image?’ ‘How would you make better use of the space there?’”
There are many adults who couldn’t compose the kind of artwork that this classroom has bursting at the seams. “Granted, the first go-round I hand-selected paintings from the kids who were trying hard to do their very best. They were already inspired by some of the art we’d seen and learned about in class.
Plus, these were really focused kids,” Stephen says. “Are they more creative? I wouldn’t necessarily say that. But if you think about it, kids these days receive so much more creative input compared to how it used to be. They have iPads, cellphones. They have access to online, videos, TV. They’re constantly seeing more and taking in more every minute of every day.”
The question remains: how were these young artists able to channel their own creativity so well?
According to Stephen, the answer has very little to do with “talent,” and a lot to do with motivation. “I believe art, this art or any art, is simply a great outlet for the kids. It provides a wonderful break from their other instruction and the periodic testing that they have to prep for. It helps them deal with what’s going on in the world,” Stephen says. “I am also very careful to tell them how well they’re doing. That’s important. I want to support them and be their cheerleader in the corner. If they’re interested, I’ll be sure and ask them if there is something else, something specific they might want to learn more about.”
Having their art displayed and celebrated by their community is another pretty great motivator. “It’s an honor to have their achievements chosen for display. It’s something they should be proud of—and boy are they,” Stephen says. “They tell all their families, their friends, I hear them bragging to each other all the time. They remind each other whose work was in there. They talk about how they made the exhibit and where their paintings are hanging. They are so proud of what they’ve done and I believe that is a good and healthy feeling. It’s also something kids may not get a lot of lately.”
Stephen plans to continue recognizing his young artists’ creations for as long as he’s allowed to keep updating the exhibits—and is also scoping out other venues that would be willing to let them display even more art.
“I want to keep things fresh by switching up the selection and singling out different kids the next time if I can. I take every opportunity to give as many students as possible the experience and the thrill of being recognized for their work,” he says. “These sorts of projects go a long way toward building self-confidence in these young kids. They start getting a sense that what they do, matters. And that right there? Hands down, that is what I am most proud of.”
