I have been drawing in public for thirty years, and the most unusual comment I have ever heard occurred last month while in Palm Desert. I am usually offer what I call a "free demonstration pose." It is a low pressure way of getting people to try a portrait without feeling obligated to buy. It also allows me to be slightly aggressive towards the public, and attract their attention to my studio whereby they may otherwise not really notice.

I spoke the words "Would you like to pose for a free demonstration pose?" to a passing mother of two little girls. She quickly replied (almost as if she had planned it ahead of time) "No, I have the originals!"

I was stupified.

I'm actually a private person. I like to hide in my studio and fuss over a detail here and there. Painting in public hasn't worked for me so far. For one thing, from what I understand, I don't "look" like an artist.

One person told me the story (while here in Bellingham, Washington) of his brother who went to New York to be an artist and ended up starving and getting really sick. It was hard to get this man to stop going over the details. Uggh!

Another man came up and looked at a book with photos of my portraits, found a picture of an older woman and very thoughtfully pointed out that she was the ugliest woman he had ever seen. It was quite funny. I also had a marriage proposal.

I think I get better concentration in my studio with the door closed.

Lon, you must send that into "Readers Digest". It is perfect for their "Laughter in the USA" section! Still giggling. :)

Some days are much better than others. Yesterday this little 10 year old girl walked by with her mother and her mothers friend. Like so many children she was very curious and uninhibited. More often than not the parents will quickly realize that this guy is going to want some big bucks for this stuff and they quickly call the child away. This little girl would not budge. I was working on an oil painting and she was transfixed on what I was doing.

After several tries the mother coaxed her away and into the restaurant next door. About two minutes later the little girl appeared at my shoulder once again. She had decided to forgo lunch so that she could watch me paint. It is very exciting for me to see such enthusiasm for what I am doing.

After about 15-20 minutes the mother came back and told the little girl they must now leave. To this the girl suggested that they could continue to shop without her and could she stay with me.

The mother agreed and left. This little girl then asked me "If I wanted to start drawing, what would you suggest I start on?" I thought to myself, what an intelligent question coming from a ten year old! I explained to her how she could set up a still life near a window in her house. It then dawned on me that I had a drawing pad and pencil and I could set one up right now for her. And so I did and the following pictures are what followed.

This is my new friend Paige, on the floor drawing:

This was her mission:

Very cool, Mike. I hope her mother realizes what a special girl she is and gets her into some GOOD art classes asap! Tim, Marvin, Peggy et al... what's your minimum age for workshop participants? ;)

Here are her results after about 15 minutes. I thought that I might give her some assistance but I ended up just watching her. She was in a trance, she never asked for help or direction and I didn't feel the need to interrupt her.

I especially appreciate her placement of the subject on the paper, and how purposefully she worked.

What a delightful story!
 

Thanks Mike,

You gave me a big smile all over while I read this. What a gift for you! These are the experiences that make it all worthwhile.

Jean

Mike,

I've had a summer art camp in my studio this summer for 2 different aged groups of children. One group is 9-12 year-olds. I have 13 kids in that class. The first thing they did at the begining of the summer was a still life. None were half as good as that little girl.

Mike,

Wow, that must be one determined girl, and one trusting mother. There's no way I would leave my child with a stranger while I went off to shop. But that's the mom in me speaking, not the artist. I'm impressed with her drawing too.