Oddlando Sketch Kvlt puts a twist on model drawing

It’s a false impression that Orlando is a small town. In March, the Orlando Sentinel reported that the metro area has cracked 2.5 million people. We have thousands of unique businesses and arts organizations and nigh-infinite ways to entertain ourselves in these 4,000 square miles.

But, yeah, sometimes all of our worlds collide at once.

I’m at the Oddlando Sketch Kvlt monthly meetup. The event offers artists a chance to work with live models in costumes.

Due to the closing of Oddlando’s old headquarters, the night recently moved to Thirty Six Black Art Collective, a combination gallery and tattoo parlor on Orange Avenue south of downtown. I wrote about the place earlier this year in a story on businesses with art.

Oddlando is run by Vaughn Belak, who is the president of Orlando’s Turbojugend, a band’s fan club that I wrote about last year.

OK, so two people that I’ve written about before are collaborating on a project. Maybe I’ll just chat COMMENTARY with one of the people who came out to draw.

“I don’t get to do a lot of life drawing, so this night is helpful,” said Calvin Woodall, who just happens to be the host of Gods & Monsters’ Tipsy Tabletop, a game night I wrote about in March. “It’s fun to look at the different outfits people put together.”

Now my original column about original things to do just happens to include three people that I’ve talked about in the last year. And to top it all off, the model on this night (not every month, just the time that I’m here) is local burlesque performer Cabana Macabre, who (full disclosure) is my girlfriend.

Fortunately, I have never met artist Eddie Beis in my life, so I spend a while chatting with him while he sketches. The Orlando resident hits two or three other drawing groups around town, but says Oddlando is “by far the most interesting.”

“If I go to a nude figure drawing, it’s to work on shape,” says Beis. “This is about the layers, the bits of clothing and accessories I wouldn’t normally think to draw.”

“Artists need to be fed more,” says Belak, who is also an artist, about why he founded this night. “Finding people with character, that was important to me.”

This really was an accident. I planned on writing about Oddlando before I knew Belak ran it, or that it was moving to Thirty Six Black, or that my girlfriend was going to be the model. And running into Woodall was a complete surprise. Yes, this town has a lot to offer. But with all these paths, we shouldn’t be too shocked that a few of them cross.

Oddlando Sketch Kvlt takes place on the last Saturday of every month. Admission is $12 at the door.