I am stoked to be drawing caricatures at GulfQuest Maritime museum for Budweiser-Busch distributors of mobile.
I love drawing caricatures at museums. We are big into Museums in my family and visit them often.
So I get there and set up inside a large room that I didn’t know existed even though I’ve been to this museum at least twenty times.
And immediately my caricatures draw a crowd.
I start early because I’m ready and why not?
I draw Todd who is a corporate chaplain. He has a very interesting job of going to different corporations and giving spiritual support no matter what the religion of the people there.
He hands me his business card. Coastal chaplains. I save it to give my husband later.
A little later I draw caricatures of “the big boss” Chris & his wife. His wife Bonnie sits first. Thankfully Todd the chaplain tips me off that this is the owner because I never would have guessed.
Chris is mischievous and fun and not the boss type at all. We have a lot of fun and they leave saying They’ll hang their drawing in their house.
Then A couple of young teenaged girls sit for me. One of them starts asking me tons of questions about what I do. How I got started. What I like best about my job. Where I’ve gone. Who I’ve drawn. She asks some pretty insightful questions and I answer as best I can. I get an inkling and I ask
“Are you an artist?”
“My sister is.” She motions to her older sister who is very quietly sitting there awaiting her turn.
Someone says over my shoulder “These are my daughters. The one had to do a report for school and had to interview people with different occupations.”
“That’s pretty cool,” I say .”Looks like you learned how to interview pretty well.”
I turn to the older more quiet girl. The artist.
“Can I ask how old you are?”
“14,” she says.
“I thought so. I was about your age when I got my first caricature drawn. I was 13 in a place called old town in Florida. My parents had it framed and I looked at it every single day as I went up and down the stairs. I think that’s a big factor in why I became a caricature artist. So you never know. This could change your life.”
She smiles.
Mom, who was the voice behind me, says something about her needing encouragement.
Now I say what I just said to a lot of people. Anyone who I think is artistic - and I can usually tell.
But I don’t always add this part that I say next.
“So there’s this misinformation going around that you can’t make a living making art. And I need to tell you that it’s simply not true. I’m making a living at it and so are plenty of other people. In fact,”
I say, pausing and gesturing around the room
“Look around you. Everything that exists was made or designed by an artist. Your house. Your car. Your furniture. Your clothes. Everything you see was either made by a human artist, or it was designed by the greatest artist of them all.”
I I think I was probably safe saying that. They have a work chaplain after all. But I’m not sure. I look at mom for reassurance but she’s making a strange face I can’t quite read. I hope she’s not offended.
The girls smile and are delighted when I turned the drawing around. And off they go.
I draw caricatures the rest of the evening and even go a little over my time in order to accommodate someone who wanted a drawing. Since I draw very fast it isn’t a big deal.
Afterwards I am given a nice cash tip by prisicilla who hired me. She thanks me for staying late.
Priscilla mentions dinner and I say I need to go get some, and she says There’s some left. Go get it!
The only people left are the organizers, so I grabbsome still- hot food from Carrabbas.my favorite! We always go there for Mother’s Day.
The caterers and wait staff give excellent customer service.
While I sit at a table and eat my delicious garlic mashed potatoes, someone comes up behind me and touches my shoulder.
It’s the mom from earlier.
“I just want to thank you for taking the time to talk to my girls like that,” she says. The look on her face said it all. She is genuinely touched. Oh. I understand the look on her face from earlier now. Wow.
Ah. This is why I do what I do. I get to give encouragement to the next generation of artists. And I never know when I’m going to get to do it.
A great privilege indeed.
Thanks so much to Priscilla, Chris, and Budweiser-Busch distributors for having me out to your employee festival.
May you be blessed with a wonderful and prosperous new Year, by the greatest Artist of them all.
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If you’d like me to come to your corporate event, wedding or private party and help make it more FUN, contact me now! Spots on my calendar don’t last long!
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