"Hindu Elephant" Ride Sally, Ride"

Cherried up his ride!

Tuesday Morning, y'all. It's gonna be another wet one... Seemed to be a pretty wet in Omaha last night... Did they ever resume playing?

I call this sketch, because I couldn't find any other influence and the saddle adornment doodily-wops didn't look Oriental.

Anyway, it was getting pretty intense for a sketch, and I was losing interest in finishing it, FAST... but, I did. I actually started the sketch with a Razor Point Pentel... the shading with cross hatching would have drove me crazy.

This was one of the six pieces I did from our Hawaiian stay. All were done from photos I took.

Second cup...old coffee!

Copyright2025/ BenBensen III

 

"Measuring Up!"

Feets Don't Fail Me Now!

 Good "not quite measuring up" Sunday Morning, y'all.

We took, once again, our GPS guy to find our way to a friend's house and found ourselves creeping ever so slowly toward our own stomping grounds, South Pasadena. So, we decided to visit a few stores, make a few calls to friends that apparently no longer live there, and eat.

Naturally, we had to drive by our SoCal home to make sure everything was still in great shape... the way we recreated it. That great orange tree is still there pumping out incredible juice.

It was time well spent.

One of those places was a shoe store that's been a fixture for as long as I can remember. "Lucha's Comfort Footwear" https://www.comfortfootwear.com/ is right on Fair Oaks Avenue in downtown. I went there to see if they had a shoe I was looking for. They did, but not in my size and that's when I saw that foot measuring tool called, I later found out, a Brannock Device. Maybe, I shop at all the wrong shoe stores, but I have not seen one of those devices in years. As a kid, I always found the tool fun to mess with.

Well, I may never see one again, so I took a photo of it to later sketch...And, I did.

While there in the booming metropolis of South Pasadena, we stopped at one of our favorite late night or early morning haunts. The Salt Shaker, which is now called The Shaker (for obvious marketing reasons) had one of the best chili with eggs ever. You could ask for extra chili at no cost once upon a time.

When Art Center moved from West Hollywood to Pasadena, we late night procrastinators had to replace Canter's with another venue. I believe Linda Harris (Sellheim) first sampled and loved The Salt Shaker if for no other reason because it stayed open till 2am.

When I checked out the menu, the dish was no longer advertised as, "The Great Eggs Incognito... A local favorite!"

I believe I was that "local" they were talking about... ha!

Second home brewed...

Copyright2025/BenBensenIII

"Hard To Find Polynesian Art Here!"

Ancient Carousel Horse?

 Good”TBT” Thursday morning, all bodies!

Had a nice welcoming back to the Monday-Wednesday- Friday gang yesterday at Giddy Up. Nothing quite like laughter to chase away those "jet lag" blues.

This horsey sketch is one of a few I did from our trip to Hawaii. I found that there were more icons and statues displayed from the Pacific Rim than there was art from the Polynesian area. Anyway, this is a sketch, like the many I drew from, had no plates with a description, a title or origin. For all I know, it could very well be a copy of the original.

No matter, it was still a fun drawing to do.

Apple pie and home brewed CDM...

Copyright2025/BenBensenIII

"Just Sit and Sketch!"

A view from the balcony out of our window.

Good flying home Saturday morning y’all.

Lately, I don’t do so well cramped up in an airplane for 4 to 5 hours so the flight from Hawaii to San Diego was less than stellar.

On Thursday we were supposed to go on a boating tour but the boat had mechanical problems and they called to tell us that they could set up a new dinner cruise, but Therese and I decided to not go.

So, yesterday I decided with a cup of coffee while Therese was snoozing and do a sketch of the view from our balcony window. Obviously it’s not technically correct. It was an emotional thing more than anything else, and I’m glad I did it…

On to San Diego and some good fish!

First “weak sauce” dark roast! 

Copyright2025/BenBensenIII

 

"Just A Spot Of Tea"...

Taking a break from my larger painting, I decided to go ahead and sit in a comfortable chair and sketch something different since today is the day I try to get something new drawn.  The ellipses were many but I didn't obsess over them. It was just for fun. This is a sketch of a miniature tea set that bought when I was in San Francisco working for Saturn.

I had been away for about a week and thought it’d be a cute gift to give to Therese who, at that time, was really into different kinds of tea.

Copyright2025/BenBensenIII

"Sketching A Toy Model"

 Good "westful wetweet" Sunday Morning, all bodies.

It was a real stressful time getting one painting on the wall of the Abita En Plein Air show, so I decided to cool it for the morning at Giddy Up, yesterday.

Tee, having little stomach distress like the night before, decided to have a good time the Car Show at Magnolia Park with her Kiwanis crowd most of the day.

Later, in the afternoon, after attempting to replenish the hummingbird feeder and breaking it, I went to the "Backyard Birds" in Covington to buy a new one and stock up on some mealworms. I always find a good time there.

https://www.facebook.com/BackyardBirdsandGardens/store

It was a good day for a drive so we decided to get some of the best ice cream on the Northshore at, what used to be, "Just Chillin'". Therese did the driving!

Yum!

One of the three sketches I did yesterday was of a closeup of my P-38 model that hangs on the studio wall. It turned out quite nicely. I don't know why I haven't yet drawn the entire collection after all these years.

Copyright2025/BenBensenIII

"WidowMaker!"

 Good Wednesday Morning, all bodies.

This is my entry for Monday's sketch group at Giddy Up. It is a pinecone from the three we brought home here in Folsom from SoCal half a decade ago. It is from the Coulter pine tree.

Coulter pines produce the largest cones of any pine species, and people are advised to wear hardhats when working in Coulter pine groves. The large size of the cones, combined with the claw-like scales, has earned them the nickname "widowmakers" among locals.

The pines prefer higher elevations along the California Coastal Range like the Los Padres National Forest, and the San Bernardino Mountains. I found a grove of these trees on Mt. Wilson in and around the Mt. Wilson Observatory while biking up there and decided to bring a few home with me!

First cup reheated!

Copyright 2025/BenBensenIII