Yes ~ Just walking around the city in this area near Steinway Piano, you can be intrigued to actually See Original Pictures drawn by the Artists that are read about in 'Art History Class'. You can see the sensitivity and the confidence with which they drew. Here, for example are some photos that I took just standing on the street in front of a store. Before I even went in, I was able to see originals of Keith Haring, Felix the Cat, Dick Tracy, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picaso, Roy Lichtenstein, and Salvadore Dali. It's Real. And I'm part of it.

I'm on a Path.

Here are some of the Caricatures that I drew at Steinway Piano as per my post of December 29, 2013. Can you tell which drawings felt like I was drawing in a strait-jacket and which were my freer renditions?

Luckily I had arrived early ~ I needed the time to accommodate my liason's instructions. She surprised me with a last-minute request to include a reference of the building in each picture. Oh. I wanted to create, I wanted to fly, I wanted to keep the event moving, but now each picture was going to include lag-time while I adapted the unique faces into the building reference. That not only affects the time it takes to draw each person, it also affects the way the people feel when they're standing there, hence affecting the flow of the Party Entertainment. Drawing extras on the spot ~ Not the best idea for Party Entertainment, but I did understand why my client would want memories of the building. Still, wouldn't they remember the building just by seeing the pictures that were drawn here with their coworkers?

And what to draw for the building reference? Everywhere I turned, it was a different scene, and I would have to know what I was going to be doing before I started the Party. When you want to draw approximately 10 likenesses per hour, there really isn't time to Caricature a different background for each one also. So before the event actually started, I drew one scene for my reference. I felt okay about keeping the scene simple because their hallway was filled with original Art from the New Yorker Magazine. Still, it limited my freedom to 'dance' with each picture. I felt so happy half way through the party when the boss changed the instructions and let me draw just the faces, as I usually do. That's why some of these Caricatures are stiffer than the ones that are great. Pictures have a life of their own, and when we try to Control them, we're falling into a non-Artist's trap.

BTW, sometimes references naturally flow into my pictures anyway ~ even when I'm not forcing it to happen. For example, the 'piano keys' in the beard on the 'Best Men' picture. That happened After I was relieved of the extra instruction. and the reason they were labeled 'Best Men' is because they told me that one of them was the Best Man at the other's wedding References happen naturally. And they find their way into a picture naturally. It's part of the Real Experience.

Ah yes. One couple getting engaged, and then a 30th Anniversary Party. I feel just right about posting some pictures from this 30th Anniversary Party right after posting an Engagement Caricature. Especially because the picture that says "together" on it was a picture of a newleywed couple who just happened to be at the 30th Anniversary Party. Life Passages.

I feel so fortunate to be involved with people at all stages of their lives, from Birth through to the Nursing Homes.

Quote "Alison, Thank You so much for such an amazing job. We could not be happier! ___(Girl's Name)___ is still shocked and all of our family and friends love the caricature and the proposal! It could not have gone any better. Thanks for sending over the pictures. We will keep you in mind for our future caricature needs!" Unquote