Public commentary

[Mike McCarty]

I have just spent my second week painting in public. The things that come out of people's mouths will just knock you off your feet.

I have a portrait of my daughter presented on an easel right up front where people see it first. If I see someone taking more than a casual interest I usually stop painting and approach them. Such was the case with this couple.

I approached and said proudly "This is a portrait I did of my daughter when she was two years old, she's almost eighteen now." The woman takes her finger and points to the painting and says to her male companion "You see this, she says matter of factly, this is called [****] (she spoke some medical term that I had never heard and don't remember) this is caused when the mother drinks heavily during pregnancy." The man then said to me "good job" and they walked off.

I just stood there trying to figure out on which of the multiple levels I should be most offended.

Feel free to post your experiences. I'll come back here with any other worthy examples but I hope I don't top that for a while.