Celebrity status? Well, I'm wondering - what degree of papparazzi does a person have to have in order to claim Celebrity status? How many times need we be written up in the media both with and without our knowledge (all for free). There must be some sort of degree of Celebrity status - like some people are Over-the-top, but others are still 'in the limelight'.

What got me thinking about that was because I was called by a writer from the New Rochelle Review this morning. He had seen me drawing at last night's First Night Celebrations, and he wanted a little more information. So I guess he's writing about me.

And I was on the radio during that event last night.

And I remember one time about 15 years ago when I was drawing at a Father's Day Event at a very exclusive club in East Hampton when somebody took pictures and said they would be printed in some paper that's distributed out there.

And there was the time when I was drawing at a Harry Potter Opening at a Borders Book Store in NJ - I was subsequently sent a newspaper clipping which had a very big picture of a child holding up the Caricature I had drawn of her.

And the Baldwin Public Library - I draw there every year for a special Library Day - at least one year I remember someone saying that they wanted information about me because they write for a paper out there.

All sorts of vague references to things like this pass me by. These are just the ones I'm recalling just now -

Oh yeah - I just remembered about wishing I had stopped to talk to the guy from the radio one year when I was rushing to get set up at Dan's Kitefly (Bridgehampton) - another event that I work at every year - - - He wanted me to stop, but I don't remember if I came back to him or not.....

So I was saying - these are just some of the instances that I can recall off the top of my head - I'm sure there are plenty more, and there are even more than that which I never even know about.

So does that give me Celebrity Status? Well, is there such a thing as a 'Small Celebrity'? I've been 'in the news' for many years already.

Oh yeah - I'm remembering a time when I was drawing at Mitch Modell's (owner of Modell's Sporting Goods) older daughter's party. And she asked if I was famous.... apparently had the idea that I was.....

And on. And on.

It's not unusual for newspapers to do stories at my gigs. But it is unusual for me to get to see them.

I was so lucky that my client from the Harry Potter gig sent me the section of the Morris County (NJ) Daily Record that showed a picture of my work:

Barnes & Noble had hired me for first night that the new Harry Potter book would be available. And the line of people wanting Caricatures to remember this special night - it started in the middle of the huge store where I was stationed, extended back to one wall, and then continued all around the store! They were in costumes. The excitement was contagious. Wow!

Sometimes guests are inspired to draw when they see me drawing.

Today, I worked at a 40-year-old's Birthday Party. Some of the guests stationed themselves with me - watching, talking .... and they wanted to draw also.

Two of the younger girls gave me their pictures. I want to post them because I was really impressed.

Lisa drew the whole scene - that's me drawing. I was very impressed with her choice of what to include and her ability to draw depth - she was only nine years old!

Ashley drew some beautifully diverse faces. And I could see that she was free - playing with what came out. Ashley was 10 or 11 years old.

I can really appreciate their talent. Young and undeveloped of course, but still raw and honest.

I meet so many neat people at these parties. Just within the past month, some of the people I remember meeting include:

a young mother of a one-year-old who keeps extended family together - actually managed to have something like Nine Grandmothers at the party (long story I guess - it wasn't explained to me, but everybody was very happy to fawn over this little girl - what a beautiful gift of family this mother was giving her baby).

an older mother who set up a beautiful life for her learning-disabled 40-year-old son. in an assisted living situation with other learning-disabled adults.

a mother of an autistic boy who was able to handle all those extra demands while still keeping a beautiful home (and the autistic boy himself who has been encouraged enough that he was able to smile and relate to me and the picture I drew of him).

an extremely tattooed he-man who's been hiring me a couple of times each year - because he makes family/friendly parties regularly - he's the one who keeps the group together - it's because of extroverted people like him that children can grow up 'belonging'.

a woman who has a fundraiser once per year to honor her father who passed away from Alzheimer's about 7 years ago.

people of all ages - the young boys with the comic books, the young girls who liked to look like Bratz-dolls, the (70 year old? 80 year old?) woman who claimed to be the oldest one here - and then turned with gyrating hips encouraging the 11-year old to Go!.

the 'Beach Mayor' out east who helps me set up every year that I do the Kitefly. I end up knowing all about him, his daughter (just got married this year), his wife who passed away 14-years-ago from breast cancer, his special house.

the litle girl that I call 'the strawberry girl' - she's now about 5 or 6 years old, but I always remember the first time I drew her - she had been about one-year-old at that time and her mother had had her dressed up in the cutest little hat that had strawberries on it.

the dark-eyed family (I think they might have been of Spanish background) that hired me to draw Clownicatures (Caricatures that are decorated to make each guest look like a Clown) last year. This year they had me back, but this time they had me draw Piratecatures (Great Pirate theme decorated their yard)

Oh! The Barnes and Noble crowd - all those people who followed the series. Most of them came dressed up like the Harry Potter characters. Or at least had a scar and a pair of round glasses on.

The delightfully appreciative woman who was talking to me with Yiddish. She was telling me how important it is to keep that old language alive because of the descriptive expressions in it. Things like fadrei-a-cup, and foreist-a-hemp-and-kratzach. The first one has to do with a worrying head. The second one is something about 'tear your undershirt (hemp) and scratch (kratzach)'. She so appreciated words, pictures, songs, dances, and the people around us.

And and the nine-year old who finally taught me how to stick my neck out like a pigeon! She described it as bringing the top bone of the back of my neck together with the bottom bone of the back of my neck. I'm so happy to finally know that! It will help keep my neck loose.

I love my clients. I love their guests. I love to draw. I love Life! Even with all the other stresses and excitements that it includes.