Hagerstown, Indiana

We were celebrating the town of Hagerstown.  No anniversary, no particular heroic deed, just the resourceful, enduring folks of Hagerstown.  Love it!

I drew seventeen people in probably an hour.  I say “probably” because for a while there were drops and we made adjustments under our tents and umbrellas, reminding ourselves that real rain was scheduled for much later.  Errr, not so.  The clouds moved in forthwith and everybody had to close shop.

Still, I value the drawing opportunity and I enjoyed the people watching.

Thank you Robin!

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More Goodkind Street Festival

I had a tent to myself, with extra chairs so that people waiting in line didn’t have to stand, and I drew steadily for six hours with only one short break.  Wentworth Street was jammed with people. http://milwaukeerecord.com/city-life/relive-beet-street-harvest-festival-with-these-photos/

One of the pictures on this site shows a red tractor and you can see it in the background of my photos of the people I drew.  This was my first year participating in this event. The Goodkind organizers said I’d be invited back. So next year you may see pictures of me in The Milwaukee Record.  Yeah!  I’ll be famous in Milwaukee.

The sponsor of my tent, btw, was Jim Beam Apple.  Not being much of a bar hopper, I thought Jim Beam had progressed to making  wholesome apple juice.  Had to look it up: it’s whiskey made from apples. http://www.jimbeam.com/en-us/bourbons/apple.  Next year at this event,  I hope to get a sip. Just a sip; takes concentration to draw caricatures.

What’s particularly interesting to me is that the donations made in my tent all went to a charitable organization that teaches city people how to grow their own food in the city. That’s wonderful.  We need more Growing Power. http://www.growingpower.org

Thanks Lindsey and Katie!

Too many drawings to post from that afternoon.  Here’s a sampling.

  

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Beet Street Harvest Festival in Milwaukee

The caption for this drawing could be, “We made up at the Beet Street Fair.”  When they first sat down in front of me they were nasty, nasty-funny.  About nothing in particular, it was a general stand off, as in “are we breaking up or are we getting together again.”  They told me that this on-and-off is how it goes with them, they love each other but always fight.  You can see, I got some of the growl and the I’m-not-talkin’-to-you in the drawing.  By the time the drawing was done, in about eight or ten minutes, their mood had warmed up to something close to happy.   What is it about caricatures?  Or was it the October sweetness in the air?  Or just plain Milwaukee?

In mid-October Goodkind and two other bar/eateries put together this big street fair in the Bayview neighborhood of Milwaukee.  It was a delight!  What is it about Milwaukee?  Every time I drive up there for a gig I come back wondering why I like those people so much.  They’re at ease, funny, self-confident and good-looking.  They can be stylish-edgy; when they show up in un-repentant hippie overalls, they come across as ironic, still stylish-edgy.  Mind you, I’m not fishing for more gigs up in Milwaukee…it’s a long drive.  But still, what is it about Milwaukee?

I enjoyed everyone who sat for me that glowing October afternoon.  I have the pictures to prove that the pleasure was mutual. Here’s documentation of a few of the more riotous moments. More in the next post.

http://goodkindbayview.com/beet-street-harvest-festival/http://goodkindbayview.com/#six

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Biggest Block Party in North Riverside

Big!  Two city blocks, including a street.  The place to be and to be seen.  All very casual and enthusiastic.  I drew fast in those two hours. Here’s a sampling.

This was a repeat performance.  It’s always gratifying to be called back year after year. Thank you, Teresa!

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Duncan Kids Block Party

Duncan Kids Academy opened another center, the one on West Madison, and celebrated the occasion with a block party and open house. I had done two of their events before and was delighted to be asked back for this major expansion. The very little kids get fidgety as they sit on mom’s lap while I draw them, but it only takes about a minute for me to get the features down on paper. So, the child doesn’t appreciate what I do, but the parents absolutely love having these drawings for the child’s room. I drew forty-four children in three-and-a-half hours. Here are some of them. Thank you, Rich and Christine.
http://www.duncankidsacademy.com/
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The Blockheads in Naperville

That’s what they call themselves, “The Blockheads.” They all live on the same up-scale block, are all successful in business, are all above-average good looking , and own big dogs. They are intensely sociable. When one couple was retiring and planning to move to their country house in (where was that?) Kentucky, something had to be done. A party had to be thrown and a caricaturist had to be called in to draw everybody.
So that’s what I did. I came to the party and sketched everybody very quickly. I took notes on color of eyes, etc, and on their interests. Then, back in my studio, I assembled the heads on a large piece of paper and finished the drawing in color. It’s a well-practiced process, works very well.
When Jeanne, the organizer of The Blockheads, got the finished drawing in the mail, she emailed me: “…we can’t stop laughing.” A pretty nice going-away present, if I say so myself.
So that’s what I do!
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Birthday Party in Round Lake

At Journee’s birthday party yesterday only seven friends were able to make it:  snow, too much snow, and the plows couldn’t keep up.  But I’m glad I found this cozy, neat town house in the winding roads because these  girls were very excited.  The theme of this super well organized party was art. Journee loves art.  The girls, wearing their new party-favor aprons, painted at the kitchen table.  I was set up in the living room, where, as you can see, I drew every one of them as artists.  They loved it.  Happy Birthday, Journee!————————

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Block Party in Schiller Park

This is the moment!  When the drawing is done I hold it in my left hand and in my right hand I position my little Canon ELPH 330 with index finger poised on the shutter.  I turn the drawing around.  People throw their heads back, jaws drop, a shriek of laughter…click!  A moment of pure spontaneity!  I love this.

(Click for enlargement.)

The block party was in Schiller Park, in one of the cul-de-sacs at the edge of O’Hare.  I never heard a plane that Saturday afternoon, just giggles of anticipation from the kids and then that wonderful laughter I work for.

At block parties, people tend to arrive later in the afternoon.  My caricatures rewarded the few that came early.  Next year the anticipation will bring them in earlier—just you watch and see.

Thank you, Jennifer!——————————————

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Going Away Party in Libertyville

The kids in the neighborhood had played together and the parents had socialized with common interests for years.  When one family was relocating to Denver, there had to be a party to send them off.  What  can we add that will be special and  memorable?  Call that famous artist Whatsername!I drew nineteen people– in full color–in two hours.

Thank you, Kevin!

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9.24.12 Block Party in Waukegan

This year’s organizer found me through a friend who’s with the Park Ridge Art League, where—years ago—I gave a talk and demo on the Art of Caricature.

If you’ve never had a block party where you live because nobody knows anybody anyway—good reason to organize a block party.  If you’ve never had a block party where you live because everybody knows everybody anyway—ditto.

As I was packing up at the end of this wonderful summer evening, Carolyn helped me with my stuff and said, in the past they’ve had face painters, balloon twisters, magicians, clowns, all that, but this was the best.  I was delighted to hear that but not at all surprised.  When I draw, people stand around to watch and suggest how I should draw the person in the hot seat.  There’s running commentary, a line by line report to the person being drawn, comforting remarks, delightful outcries when I’ve done something nobody expected, hilarity when the finished drawing is turned around for them to see.  Clearly, the drawing functions as a bonding agent, ice breaker and social glue.

Moral:  we need more block parties in this world!

Thank you, Carolyn, Linda and Andreas!

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