"My Name's Georgia… I Guess I Got The South Pretty Well Covered!"

A pencil sketch I did from my clamshell cell phone!

About one year ago, my wife and I had a nice experience with a waitress at a local Cracker Barrel. So often, waiters and waitresses just go through the motions with their customers rarely looking them in the eye as the serve. I guess it is a defense mechanism in the school of hard knocks, meager tips, and a management attitude of get 'em in, serve 'em and get 'em out.

But, that's not me!

I like to linger after a meal, be it breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. When I go out to eat, expensive as it is now getting, I want the whole experience which includes a thousand cups of coffee and conversing with… well, just about anyone. Unlike many New Orleanians who won't tolerate medicare grub, I will… as long as the coffee is flowing and I'm not eating with plastic ware.

"You are amazing," my sister once told me. "You'll speak to anyone!"

My wife, who is not one to linger for too long after eating, and would prefer to go shop while I suck my teeth, and bump my gums with people, concurs. But, she's learn to make the adjustment. Sometimes, she'll get in the car and go drive to shop, occasionally calling me on the cellphone to see if I'm finished… "eating".

And if I have my sketchbook, it is a "linger-a-thon,"which brings me back to this diminutive, white haired waitress with a quick, endearing smile that simultaneously hints at the mischievous. She doesn't stop moving, but is always ready to converse as she attends to your needs. On many visits, with my mom or my wife, I have attempted to capture the ever moving server with pen or pencil in hand, but not with any useful success.

Anyway, about a year ago, while being served, I asked about her name which is written across her apron. I suppose if you are employed at the Cracker Barrel for more than a few months, you get one of these personalized aprons. I assume youngsters working there don't stay long enough to earn one.

"Georgia," I say, as I read it from the apron…"That's a pretty name, is that where you're from?"

In a southern and mumbled drawl that is reminiscent of the Tex Avery cartoon character, "Droopy," she fills my coffee cup, peers over the top of her thick rimmed glasses with an impish grin and replies…

"I was born in Mississippi, went to school in Alabama, live and work in Louisiana, vacation in Florida and my name is Georgia. I guess I got the South pretty well covered!"

The other day, after my fasting mother had some blood tests taken, I took her to the Cracker Barrel and requested Georgia. As the meal when on, I inquired more about her life. Her full name is Georgia Wood and she graduated from the University of Alabama ( she would not tell me what year, which would have given me an idea of her age, and she's not sure Nick Saban is gonna stay, but Roll Tide! )

Georgia came to Louisiana to take care of her aging mother and just decided to stay. She told me where she vacations in Florida, probably to visit her children, but I forgot where that was. She's been employed there at the Cracker Barrel in Covington, LA for over three years.

"Hey Georgia, tell my mom about your background," I asked, trying to keep my mom engaged and entertained.

Georgia proudly repeats like it was her own personal "elevator speech,"

And, it is…

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"Little Yellow Truck"...

I sketch this little yellow truck many times before I decided to paint it...

"Making Her Poinsettia Point!...

Making a poinsettia statement...

Well, when all the eggnog is consumed and the spinach dip is dead and the conversation has turned to "Obamacare," then maybe, it is time to pull out the old, trusty sketchbook, hide, and find something to entertain myself with.

"What are you drawing?" she asked.

"That poinsettia over there," I replied.

"I guess you don't like people looking over your shoulders, huh?"

"No ma'am", I said. "I just don't like backseat drivers!"

There's was a minute or two of silence as I tried to concentrate in an conspicuous inconspicuous way. I understand that pulling out a sketchbook in any crowded space is like walking into a room with a professional camera or a guitar. It's pretty obvious what that person's intentions are.

I was trying to hide.

"Can I ask you a question?"she said.

"Sure," I replied, thinking she'd inquire about my talent, her inability to draw a straight line or, talk about a relative she has that is such a good artist, but no.

She continues,"Why are you drawing a plant, when there's so many beautiful women around here you could be drawing?"

Did I mention, I was trying to hide to avoid conversations about politics?

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"Just Another Comment From The Senior Center!"

And, she said, "What?"

On any given day at the Mandeville Senior Center, one can enter grumpy and escape laughing, hysterically. They say that kids say the darnedest things, but you haven't been as entertained as I have with the things my mother, and other octogenarians spurt out, mumble to themselves out loud, and comment to one another.

Today, as I was trying to say my goodbyes, not only to my mother, but to twenty or more of elderly folks, one diminutive oriental lady waved to me to come close. This kind of thing happens every day, so I have to allow about twenty or more minutes to my schedule, just to be on time for where ever I need to go!

I walked over to the lady as she invited me to get a little closer as if to whisper to me some deep, dark, and confidential secret. I leaned over to hear her say, shyly, and in broken English…

"Mr. Bensen, your mother funny! On her birthday, last day, I asked her, how old?"

"Oh yeh! What did she say this time?"I asked, never knowing what but simultaneously fearing what she just might blurt out.

"We just love your mother! The things she say, so funny!"

"She real comedian," the lady continued.

I'm thinking," Oh God, what did she say and who did she lambast, this time!

"I ask, how old, and she say, "I don't know… I have to ask MY MOTHER!"

"She real comedian. Bring joy to everyone!" she said.

Strangely enough, sometimes, my mom will ask me, in her dementia, when we drive up to the center, why are we going here? Sometimes, she just refuses to get out of the car until I tell her this.

And it works, every time...

"C'mon mom, you gotta go. You gotta go make everyone happy and put a smile on everyone's face!"

Twenty-three skidoo… and with a spring in her step, reminiscent of Jackie Gleason, as he exited stage right…

"On-n-n-n-n, with the Show!

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"Mandy's Psychedelic Fish Maitre 'd…."

The papier mâche maitre' d that resembles Ed Volker…

So, what does these pictures have to do with a "toof cleaning sketch," you may ask. A few weeks ago, I posted this sketch on my blog.

My interpretation...

A couple of friends from SoCal thought, jokingly, that I was hallucinating since I normally don't sketch fantasy or science fiction subject matter and this "fish" is rather "out there." So, in order to prove that what I was sketching was real, I thought I would provide my skeptical friends with some hard pictorial evidence. Here's  an excerpt from that original blog spot at: 

http://sketchiethoughts.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-toof-cleaning-sketch-and-comfort-food.html

… It is a large brightly colored fish that resembles one of the members of the now retired bar band, The Radiators. Probably, at the time this seven foot sculpture was created, the band's writer and piano player, Ed Voelker, wore a gray, slightly tattered beret on his balding dome. If you are at all familiar with the band and Ed's facial features, you cannot deny that the sculptor was inspired to create this "fish head" maitre'd with Ed in mind. Having finished my lunch, while sipping another loving cup of Mandy's strong coffee, I sketched the monster.

It is not one of my better pieces, but I was still feeling sorry for myself. It really should be sketched in vibrant, almost psychedelic colors, which I did not bring with me. If you are ever in the area, check out their menu for breakfast or lunch and be greeted by a very imposing, colorful fish head.

By the way, another clue to my theory of its origin is that the restauranteur is Frank Bua, the Radiators' long time drummer!

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

Three Rivers, "The Birdhouse Man!"

Birdhouses for every occasion!

Birdhouses with pitchfork perches, birdhouses with golf club perches… perches of Jimmy Durante noses attached to long, tall abodes for our feathery friends. Houses made of tin and assorted wood combinations, colored in various designs and textures. Stripes, polka dots, fancy filigreed entrance holes, LSU colored and logo-ed homes and, of course, the ubiquitous fleur-de-lis laden houses for all those fine, feathered fans of the New Orleans Saints.

Well, you name it, this guy had it… it seemed.

He was one of few booths in my block, at the Three Rivers festival,  that was selling items late in the afternoon, which was why this sketch isn't as nice as the first one. It's not bad, just not as good. He only sat still for about a minute or two, which was just enough for me to think I could capture him with his varied products.

I never did get to show him my finished product because he slipped behind his tent and was never seen again until we all were in our disassembly mode at the end of the day. Let me tell you, building your tented booth in anticipation is a hell of a lot more fun than disassembling it at the end of a long weekend!

And, I wonder if his sales would have been even better if his tent was actually... a giant birdhouse!

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"Three Rivers, Some People Read and Some People Sketch!"

Allan's down time in between sales!

I'm told Sundays at art festivals are usually pretty slow. There are lots of people strolling, but seldom looking to buy. It is even worse, in the fall, if you favorite football team is playing that Sunday afternoon. Well, the New Orleans Saints and the LSU Tigers played night games last weekend, and the weather was conducive for an outdoor event like an arts and crafts festival, so the Three Rivers Art Festival was fairly crowded.

Be that, as it may, by early afternoon Sunday, things were slow enough for someone like me to make the best use of my time by pulling out the sketchbook. This is one of three sketches I finished on that Sunday afternoon. It is, as well, the better of the three because the vendor, who sat in the booth directly across from me, was entranced with the New York Times business section and barely moved a muscle.

At least, that's what he told me when I showed him this sketch and complimented him on being a great model to draw from.

I started the drawing from the top carefully dissecting the straw fedora on his head and patiently worked my way down from there. I hoped that he would remain still as I was beginning to feel good about the direction of the sketch. Sometimes, you work fast, complete the drawing only to have it look horrible, and sometimes you take your time and concentrate, only to have the subject walk away.

An earlier sketch of another vendor I call, "The Birdhouse Man" was not as successful as it could have been because the subject squirmed all through the time that I started sketching him. Eventually, I had to fake the seated pose because he disappeared completely behind his tent.

Anyway, this vendor, whose name was Allan, approved of the ten minute sketch!

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"Okay, So I Eat Out Alone... A Lot!"

Leftovers... for the little lady!

When I finished my breakfast at Russell's Marina Grill, I still had about one hour to kill before I met up with an old friend. I decided to get to New Orleans early and run a few errands before breakfast. It's all boringly convoluted, so I won't expatiate.

I kinda was hoping a friend to join me, but she had a previous gig and couldn't fit me in. I read the entire USAToday, which I always enjoy, while eating an oyster and artichoke omelet topped with a mustard remoulade sauce. As yet, I haven't had a bad meal there.

It is very New Orleans and the waitresses are nice.

I ordered some toast or a biscuit with my meal and told the waitresses that it was for my wife because I was allergic to wheat.

She said," Oh honey, you don't want the biscuit! The blueberry muffins are to die for! Let me bring one out for you!"

I had no biscuit to compared the muffin with, but she was definitely right, and later, my wife thought so too!

Anyway, this sketch is how I spent a portion of the hour.

Fifth cup!

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III 

"A Gullseye View Of Opulence!"

Ahoy...

Four stories up above the Savannah river, in Savannah, GA, I spotted this immense white yacht sitting below my hotel window. Further up the river, beyond the span bridge that takes you across the state line into South Carolina, is the Port of Savannah, where wharfs are filled with container ships and more  heavy freighters. I had a great view of the river, but couldn't help focusing on that yacht just below me which later in the day actually hoisted the Union Jack flag.

Maybe, she was on a goodwill tour or celebrating something special, in Savannah, that weekend.

One afternoon, after gouging ourselves on some great seafood, we waddled back up to digest our feast with a power nap. I woke up about an hour or so later, still a bit goofy from one two many beers. I decided to let my partner in the culinary crime continue to snooze.

It was now or never to sit at the window and sketch the ship, for who knows what tomorrow would bring. She could slip away in the night and I'd never get the chance to sketch something so incredible from such a rare vantage point.

Looking at the sketch, I think I did Union Jack proud!

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"No Fountain Of Youth, But..."

Fountain of Youth?

A two or three hour drive, I forget, and we were in Charleston, South Carolina and staying at the Mills House/ Windham hotel in the downtown area. My wife is so good at getting great hotels and getting them with incredible rates.

No thanks to Priceline, Orbitz or AAA. Just the best from an Irish Channel girl who hates paying more for anything...

I am truly "blessed".

Charleston's a great city. A different old South from other southern towns that claim to have old South roots. Like New Orleans, there's a lot of courtyards to lounge around in and have a knosh or two! We were here at the hotel for four days and I used all but one to get up early and have breakfast in the cool, but humid mornings. I broke my gluten free diet and enjoyed all this stomach could handle for breakfast.

And then, I'd sketch a little. This is the main courtyard with large wooden doors leading back into the air conditioned bar and tables. To the other side of the courtyard were arched walkways that lead one into a garden and then out into the street.

This is my first courtyard sketch from under a canvas parasol and facing a gorgeous, babbling fountain. I could not tell if it was an heirloom from the Civil War or one that was recently purchased at Costco, but the wonderful waterfall sight and sound had me transfixed for hours. I could have been totally happy to have spent the rest of our vacation right there. You can't tell from my sketch, but the area was covered in ferns, banana leaf plants, small magnolia trees and flowers.

I ended up using a large black Pentel because the fine line Pentel I had in my computer bag had died on me in Savannah, and I was too lazy to go back to the car to find a more suitable tool. But all things considered, I think I captured the feel pretty well.

All in all, it was a great four days in Charleston made all the better with my courtyard breakfast and sketching foray!

Copyright 2113/ Ben Bensen III

"Nothing Like A Window Seat!"

No Seats, No Problem...

This is a sketch that I did, impromptu and behind the magazine rack, of a girl taken charge with the best seat in the house. The sketch was done standing up. I don't think much of the drawing, but when a friend of mine told me how Barnes and Noble decided to replace comfy chairs to relax and read in with hard stools and chairs in the coffee shop, it was given new life.

I don't frequent our local bookstores like I used to and therefore never noticed the change, but this little lady had to have the best seat in the house!

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"A Southern Breakfast Without Ellipse Guides"...

An eliptical breakfast...

This is one of a series of sketches I did while on vacation in mid June. It was a very relaxing ten days away from all the troubles and domestic headaches that come with the day to day. This is one sketch that I intended to expand on and eventually did. The breakfasts were delightful and the early morning cool courtyard was a great nearest faraway place.

As you may or may not know, my wife loves to sleep in on vacations, so I get to have a quiet and reflective morning retreat with lots of coffee from Starbucks, a USAToday, and my sketchbook. Little did I realize, at this time, how reflective life was going to be on our return, but that's a story for another time.

I, also, didn't realize how circular my drawing would become until I actually started to put pen to paper!

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

A "Toof Cleaning" Sketch... and Comfort Food!

A "Fishhead" Sculpture of a Radiator, I'm sure...

It's been a while since I've done a "daily sketch." I'm doing some paintings for a show, and that has been taking up most of my time, but I had to go get my teeth cleaned the other day and I hate having it done to me.

No need to go psychological on this subject. I'm lucky to still have all my teeth, even my wisdom teeth, and it all comes together to give me a charming smile, but I just don't like the process. 

So, what does this sketch have to do with a "toof cleaning," you may ask. The answer is, comfort food!

Whenever I get my cleaning, I have to go to some restaurant, and eat to quell that violated feeling I always get.

I know it is wussy. I've had quite a bit of dental work, and I don't like that either, but I usually am advised to not eat anything after a root canal or other dental excavations!

So, I don't.

Anyway, I went to a local restaurant called Mandy's appropriately named for its location... Mandeville, LA. The food is great New Orleans home cooking and their etouffee omelets are to die for. It was a Monday, and so I decided to have the ubiquitous "Who Dat" luncheon special on the menu on this day...

Red beans and rice with hot Italian sausage... yum!

So, again, what does that have to do with this sketch? It is a large brightly colored fish that resembles one of the members of the now retired bar band, The Radiators. Probably, at the time this seven foot sculpture was created, the band's writer and piano player, Ed Voelker, wore a gray, slightly tattered beret on his balding dome. If you are at all familiar with the band and Ed's facial features, you cannot deny that the sculptor was inspired to create this "fish head" maitre'd with Ed in mind. Having finished my lunch, while sipping another loving cup of Mandy's strong coffee, I sketched the monster.

It is not one of my better pieces, but I was still feeling sorry for myself. It really should be sketched in vibrant, almost psychedelic colors, which I did not bring with me. So, if you are ever in the area, check out their menu for breakfast or lunch and be greeted by a very imposing, colorful fish head.

By the way, another clue to my theory of its origin is that the restauranteur is Frank Bua, the Radiators' long time drummer!

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"A Sketch From A Deli Window"...

Biker checks his iPhone while waiting for another client.

My wife and I took a two week vacation up the east coast in late June. I didn't spend as much time sketching in my sketchbook as I normally would do because there wasn't a whole lot of down time. Most of the sketches revolve around eateries because I like to linger after a meal, and Therese doesn't. In Charleston, South Carolina, I would get up early, mosey down to the hotel's beautiful courtyard and  have breakfast while reading the complimentary "multicolored fish wrap."After about the third or fourth cup of coffee, I would start sketching. I only have one or two really good sketches from that "courtyard session."

This sketch from a deli window in Georgia is about the same.Therese got antsy and went walking and window shopping in downtown Savannah, and I sat and made this sketch with another cup or two of coffee.

Both of us enjoyed our own time away and in our own way. It was time well spent.

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"It Was Good To See Rita Again"...

My "Octo-Friend" Rita was back at it!

Admittedly, this is not a very good sketch. Sometimes, you just gotta humble yourself to remind the train to stay on track! But, I'm not posting this to prove to anyone that I can draw poorly. I have a fair bit of sketches in my books that I would never want to admit to as being mine. No, that's not my intention here.

Rita ( see an earlier blog post about her and a better portrait of her at, "She Goes By Rita!" http://sketchiethoughts.blogspot.com/2013/07/she-goes-by-rita.html" ) had a few melanomas that had to be removed and one on her face was gonna be a dousie to remove. It was supposed to be one of those inpatient surgery, but, day after day and week after week passed and there was no Rita at the senior center.

Apparently, she had a reaction to the medication the hospital gave her which created a urinary infection that would not go away. Test after test, were taken and all kinds of solutions to her complications were suggested. The replacement antibiotic made her dizzy and disoriented. She said that after the doctor decided she might need a brain scan, Rita told him to forget about it and didn't return. And, she said she just stopped with all the medications.

When I asked her about the ordeal, she said, as she continued walking on the treadmill,
"If you want to stay healthy, stay out of hospitals!"

Amen, Sister!

Copyright 2013//Ben Bensen III

"Oh, The Embarrassment Of Sketching Friends!"

So, do a sketch of me...

A while back, I met a friend for lunch, and we had a really nice time just catching up with each other. We decided to take our coffee and desert outside to continue our conversation without hogging a table inside.

Somewhere in the conversation, she saw my sketchbook and asked if I would do a sketch of her. I was flattered that she asked and felt quite confident in my ability to do a reputable rendition... as long as she kept still.

She was just being kind when she asked how come I didn't make her smiling! And, she didn't asked for  the sketch to take with her.

Sometimes... you know?

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"Momma's Hands Don't Do Like They Used To!"

She'll stare at her hands for a long while.

My mom is 89 years old and many times I'll catch her just staring at her hands, occasionally massaging them. Sometimes, she twiddles her thumbs calmly as see stares out from the kitchen window, with that vacant look, at the many birds feeding outside. Sometimes, she sighs and shakes her head in frustration and wonderment of how her hands "won't do like they used to!"

I've always admired my mother's hands. They were simultaneously big and strong and yet, graceful and refined. They were beautiful whether holding a demitasse cup of coffee or pitching a softball at a company picnic. I remember her almost always wearing bright red fingernail polish, which only accentuated their size and strength. Only once, in my athletic career, was I given a better massage after an athletic event. Many times, as I aged, I'd just cancel an appointment with a physical therapist because their hands looked like mine... small. It just seemed a waste of their time and my money.

I've drawn this scene a couple of times already in the past year or so, and this latest seems the better of the bunch. It is, if only because, nowadays, mom sits still longer, intermittently flexing her tired and well worn, boney hands.

It's one thing to grow older and another to witness the rapid decline in one's physical and mental abilities. My mom and I have had our share of disagreements and it would be very hypocritical for me to say that I truly love her in the same way that most people use that term.

We still don't really get along very well. But, since she's been in my care for a couple of years, I can better understand her motives for things she's done in the past. Having said that, I can't help but respect and admire her, or anyone, who can wake up each day and struggle to not only survive, but thrive.

I can only hope to do as well when I'm older!

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"A Victoria Secret Sketch..."

No, I didn't pose for this comp!

While paging through a file to find a particular piece of art for a client, I ran into this sketch I did before going to a final colored piece for an agency that was pitching the Victoria Secret account. Some of the drawing isn't quite right, but it was done in haste, as most things are done in the ad world. Besides, it was considered, at the time, a throwaway idea. Still, it was a fun idea to do.

I haven't been in a Victoria Secret in quite some time, so tell me, are they actually now selling "men's intimate apparel?"

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"Just Another Coffee Shop Sniper Sketch"...

Reading in the jungle...

Just a sketch of a man in a camo shirt reading like a sniper in the bushes. I did I color sketch from this sketch, but I like the black and white version better. I don't know what exactly he was reading, but it sure made him squirmy.

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"Little Computer Girl...

I drew her older than she is, but so intense...

Well, yesterday I missed my doctor's appointment, again, and was stuck in Mandeville till 3 pm, so I decided to wait it out at Starbucks. A little waif of a girl with blonde hair and pretty blue eyes sat next to her father trying to get to his iPhone to, I guess, play a game online. Twice he told her to leave it on the table because it was loading up some program. On her third try, the father scolded her in front of me and one of his cohorts, who he was trying to conduct some kind of business with.

Twenty minutes later, the father arrives back at the same table we all were sharing, but this time he brought with him his laptop with a pair of pink and blue earphones.

Smart move. The little girl was transfixed and totally involved for the next half hour or so, as Dad continued his conversation with his friend.

I took the time to sketch her a few times. She was a little Tinkerbell waif of a girl. I expected to find little dragonfly wings behind her back. This is my best attempt at capturing her childlike beauty and budding computer whiz intensity. It was a fun way to spend an hour!

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"She Just Goes As Rita"...

I had five good minutes for her portrait, then she was gone.

She just goes as Rita. And she goes and goes and goes.

It has been about six or seven months since I took my mother's complaints seriously and left one senior center in Abita Springs to join another one in Mandeville, LA. The group there is pretty active, and they all look after and care for each other, though many just prefer to sit and talk, eat and play cards.

My mom's no different. But Rita is!

If we arrive at 8:30, as the doors are opened, Rita is stretching and preparing her body for a good time. If we arrive between 8:45 am and 9 am, Rita can be found waving at you from the gym treadmill or the stationary bike or the rowing machine. By 9:30, she is sharing coffee with the group, laughing and talking with that squeaky, almost fingernail against the blackboard, voice of hers. She doesn't laugh, she cackles. When she speaks, she's waving those long, thin and bony hands everywhere. And, she likes to point her fingers at you for effect. By 10 am or so, Rita hops into her car and drives to the nursing home to visit her younger sister.

She reminds me of my father, who would always reply when asked about his condition, "I'm doing great!"

Not just fine, not okay and certainly not one of the maudlin, self-pitying, "I'll be okay" in a voice that trails off into some dramatic silent oblivion. No...

"I'm doing GREAT!"

"Well, okay Rita. What's on your schedule for today? How's your younger sister doing, still up and down? What's her prognosis, girl?"

"Lay some on me," I say, as I raise my hand up for a high five.

She gives me an eager five as well as a boney hug, and as she does, she squeaks that she has to go to the dermatologist to have a cancerous mole cut out from her cheek.

"When we were young, we used to spend a long time sunning ourselves on the beach,"she said, with a wrinkled wink of the eye. "You know back then, getting a tan was how we attracted the boys!"

"I guess I'm paying for it now!"

"Hey," I replied, in a sympathetically squeaky voice, "You ain't doing so bad for ninety-four years on earth!"

"Oh, did I tell you I was ninety-four?"

"I'm sorry, sometimes I lie and sometimes, I just forget!"

"I'm actually only... eighty-nine!"

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"And Now, With More Reasons To Stare and Sketch"...

A mindless study of ellipses...

With the myriad of life altering occurrences that have descended on me and my wife, I find it ever more  pleasant to stare out of a window, or sketch. After being an artist all of my life, and having the knowledge that I've broken more than two dozen chairs as well as fried countless electric erasers, I am constantly amazed at the difference between mindless doodles and doodles with a purpose. It just seems that by now, I should be able to doodle mindlessly and get it right.

This is obviously... a mindless doodle... and it is not right!

Drawing something as simple as a vinegar and oil rack suddenly becomes a study of ellipses in perspective. Beautiful painted illustrations of cars, aircraft, bicycles, place settings and so forth, are wrecked if the oval is wacked out in perspective. And I should know. Many an electric eraser has been trashed attempting to correctly get type or an insignia attached on a curved surface. Ellipse guides do help, if you understand the concept of a circle in perspective. If you don't, they won't help at all!

There was a time in my life, when I'd go for a jog, and within four or five minutes, my body would stop complaining, and my mind would just go any and every where.

Nowadays, my jogging is replaced by my sketching and my body doesn't mind it at all.

If only, I could get it right... mindlessly!

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"Luau Sketches... The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!" Number Four!

You just know she's disapproving of something someone's said!

I've sketched this woman here before, but this one is my best of her. She always looks a bit "painted." She hasn't any eye brows, so she has them drawn on very dark with eye liner, I suppose. Though she is always well groomed, her makeup tells of one that demands to be seen. I like this sketch because I captured her personality better than I have captured anyone else in this group.

She has tight thin lips and deep set eyes that, to me, portray a woman who has her own standards and wishes ( or demands! ) everyone else live up to hers. I think everyone keeps their distance for good reason, and it confuses her when she gets ostracized. But being left out only forces her to sticking her nose in everyone's business. She can become quite catty, and when she does get too pushy, one of the men has to come in and assuage her hurt feelings. I don't know why the women of this generation seem to need a man's voice, to settle things down, but I rarely see any woman discipline each other in such a way unless they are kicking each other under the table. Maybe, they fear becoming catty.


Emotions can get pretty raw sometimes here. The group pretty much cares for each personality and embraces everyone like a great big family, so they accept her and her insecurities even though she can be a bit of a nuisance.

There's a distinct story being told here in this drawing, if one takes the time to look. It rarely occurs for me, but it did this time in this sketch. I'm happy with what I did... for a change!


Speaking of being catty. Sometimes, I have to escort my mom through the TV room where, at least, three or four, but sometimes, a dozen or so elderly men are watching Jerry Springer. Occasionally, there's a fight between two women that comes to fisticuffs, and I give the old guys a hard time about it. 

"Shame,"I chided them. "You guys just waiting to see two babes go at it!"

Then, one guy responds,"I wish they would put them in different colored trunks so I could see 'em better!"

As I started to chuckle at his comment, another gentlemen, who can best be described as an immobile, and rather mischievous little bulldog, replied as he pointed into the dining hall where mostly women play bingo and cards...

"Yeh, but it is safer in here, than in there!"

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"Luau Sketches... The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!" Number Three!

This man has a great face to sketch, but I don't think...

The elderly man who quietly sat across from me at the Luau table has a great face to draw, and because he always wants to be incognito most of the time, he is perfect to sketch. But, even though I captured his likeness pretty well, his face has so much more character than I had time to put in. He sat quietly, rather disengaged from the rest of the luau madness. He wasn't really off in another world, like so many folks here, but seemed to tolerate everyone long enough to get his lunch and then, like a ghost...

... he was gone!

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"Luau Sketches... The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!" Number Two!

Boss lady, Mrs. Lee, laughed when she saw this sketch...

Well, I started to cringed when the president of the club came by to see me sketching her... in all her Hawaiian regalia. The word had gotten around a couple of days before that the ever vivacious and witty woman from Brooklyn with the "yat"attitude" was gonna don on some "Don Ho." 

And did she ever!

From the flowered anklets up to a grass skirt that hid her ample waistline, but only highlighted the "D" sized coconut bra, Mrs. Lee posed and bowed for pictures as she glided through the aisles filled with her many adoring subjects! Her ever present microphone became a scepter, waving it high in the air, pretending she was blessing the congregation with "holy water!"

I think all those, dressed in colorful Hawaiian print shirts and Bermuda shorts, appreciated the fact that the "Queen of 'da Hula World" actually wore a pink tank top behind the ample and color filled leigh. Lee played it up in fine fashion, and all the members there, ate it up. And speaking of eating things up, when she arrived to the front of the stage, to read the minutes, take care of some business, then, say grace and address the red, white and blue, someone yelled out,"Okay Lee, when do we eat?"

She chuckled as she inquired,"Has everyone that wanted to take a picture of 'da pig wit the apple in its mout, done 'dat?"

"Okay, she said, beginning to speak the opening words of Grace Before Meals...

"Bless us, Oh Lord, and these Thy gifts...!"

"Indeed," I thought to myself... "Indeed!"

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"Luau Sketches...The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

She goes by Dolores, Doris, or Dot!

She looked very nice today at the Luau. Doris, had makeup on, a multicolored leigh and a Hawaiian shirt. Like a San Francisco, late-blooming, flower child, her daughter added two hibiscus in her hair. Doris is usually rather demure and soft spoken. An octogenarian who defers to other boisterous, flamboyant and aggressive women at her table across from where usually my mom sits.

And no, my mom is not the demure type!

But, at the Luau, she must have felt her real self having been "prissyed up"by her daughter.  She was tapping her feet and tapping the table to many of the songs that were being played. She actually was singing with my mom to Jimmy Buffet's, "Margaritaville!"

I didn't even know my mother knew that song!

Later, as the festivities started to wind down, I laughed, rather demurely, at Dolores telling her daughter, "I feel like I'm back in the dating game, again!"

Her daughter, who's name I have forgotten, is a nurse that comes every Wednesday to take and read the members' blood pressure. She requested I sketch her now known mother, Dot!

I requested that the daughter take a picture of Dot and email it to me, which she did, though, I have yet to receive any email.

I then, did this sketch of her... all three of her at the same time, Doris, Dolores, and Dot!

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"You Mind If I Take A Picture Of That?"

Studying students are even better to draw than sleeping people...

Especially, if they are actually studying, like this young high school student. I'd qualify her as a Catholic school student if I thought that, nowadays, only Catholic school students wear uniforms. But, I've been informed, by those who are in the know about these things, that some public and private schools have uniform requirements.

But, for the sake of this sketch, I will assume she is a Catholic high school student. This is the third sketch of three that I drew on a rainy day Wednesday instead of painting outdoors. I thought the sketch came out pretty good, but mainly because the teenager barely moved.

I could never have done that when I was in school. Nothing, in books, interested me enough to remain that focussed... and still.

The first person I sketched on this same, wet day, got up to get a refill "to go" and saw me drawing a second sketch. For the next twenty minutes, she talked about her artistic inabilities in a college course that took her to Italy. She was a biology major that needed crip courses like "PAINTING AND SKETCHING IN ITALY!" in order to finish her requirements for graduation.

I said," Gee, I've been a professional artist for most of my life and I've never been to Italy!"

Anyway, she saw my depiction of her at the computer and, amongst other things, ( like wanting me to draw homes for her real estate business. ) asked if she could take a picture of the sketch with her iPhone thingy!

When our conversation fizzled out, she gave me her card and asked for mine. I guess I really gotta get my business card designed and printed, though in my ad circles, it was considered, kind of silly, to present one to a client.

Everyone, here, seems to require a business card. But, I told her that I had a plethora of websites and would use her biz card with the email address printed on the card to send her more url's than she will ever have time peruse!

After she waved goodbye... I mean, "Chow!" I thought to myself that, by the weekend, my visual data will "go viral" all over the local real estate industry.

So, what does this impromptu "Italian fandango pseudo business and art seminar" have to do with the little teenage "Valley Girl" so diligently studying with her granita?

As I packed up to leave, I decided to break her concentration by showing her my sketch. I didn't give it any more thought than if one "model" wants to spread the word of my artistic prowess, two would be even better!

I said, in passing while showing my sketch of her, "I'm impressed with your diligence... you barely moved, and that makes it easier for someone like me, to complete a nicer drawing...

"Oh my god!" Is that me? Oh, that's awesome... That's really awesome!

"Thank you," I said, rather demurely, not wanting to come off like a dirty, old "arteest" waiting to lure young Catholic high school girls into my studio to see my... "etchings!"

"Thank you, I said again. "You were a great model!"

"What are you studying?" But, before I could continue to change the subject from that "dirty old man status," she blurted out...

"Mister, would you mind if I take a picture of it to show to my friends?"

"Of course not, I'm flattered that you approve!" I laughingly replied, waiting in the back of my mind, like Pavlov's dog, for the standard art director's qualification of, "But...!"

" I like it... But!"

But, as I folded close my sketchbook to quietly dismissed myself, I heard her say, "This is great!" and then something that sounded something like... "Everyone will be so totally...

"Jealous?"I thought.

As I walked across the parking lot to my car, a few other things crossed my mind. My first thought was that she's was gonna be grounded if her parents find out. The other was, with her back to me, the sketch couldn't be considered a portrait though that probably doesn't matter now because it already has "gone viral" with all of her classmates.

Talk about one stop advertising!

Oh, and another thought that bounced around in my head on that day...

I wonder how nice it would be if all art directors were Catholic High School Valley Girls?

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

"Another Rainy Starbucks Sketch"...

It has been a while since a sketched anything worthwhile posting... if I even sketched every day! But today, my planned plein air painting date got rained out, so setting here, watching the rain and sipping Starbucks, sketching soggy scenes is perfectly fine for now.

The woman in front of me has barely moved since I got here, which motivated me to "do her!"

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"I Never Actually Saw Him Smell The Glove"...

One of thirty inset marker comps for a client ( Brian's glove! ) 

Baseball gloves... I love 'em. Next to guitars and model airplanes, they're the best. I used to go to La Canada's Sport Chalet every spring and mess around with the gloves. I'd check out the fit of a third baseman's A2000 or the Rawling's pitcher's gloves or some Nekossa's, Mizuno's and other models.

Love the new car smell, too!

Apparently, I wasn't the only one! At least, once a year, in the middle of the day, I'd run into Kevin Costner, who fancies himself a ballplayer, trying on this year's model and poppin' it a few times too.

But, that's a story for another time. This is about the travels and travails of my kid's Wilson A2000 second baseman's glove. At the time, I paid a pretty penny for that glove, but it fit his hand so well, and it really was a great piece of leathered sculpture. I felt it was worth it. The glove, now, is over twenty years old and has been restrung three times, and oiled and coddled for most of those years. My wife and I witnessed many a put out at second base with that glove. Many a swipe tag! Occasionally, it received gouges from the cleats of sliding players attempting to take out the second baseman... our son!

Four to six to three, six to four to three!

Many times the glove was left at a friend's house or the baseball diamond, in the dugout, overnight in the grass, baking in the sun. It traveled to minor league ball games across the California landscape, to catch a foul ball at a Padres game, have Dodger dog juice and mustard accidentally slathered across it. It traveled to see Oakland play, enjoyed both Pac Bell and Candlestick park. On one road trip to Seattle, our son insisted on getting his ground balls everyday, so everyday from Pasadena to Victoria, BC, we searched for a baseball diamond to shag some baseballs. He took it to Mammoth when we went skiing, on hiking and fishing trips in the Sierras and to Bishop when we left during the LA riots. It shook during all those late night earthquakes which, a few times, was knocked off his bookshelf or unzipped bat bag.

It has seen some things!

Yesterday, I found it on the floor of my adult kid's closet. I really hadn't seen it since the time I used it to model a concept for a client, "Palm Source" and that was over eight years ago. Call me silly, but I got a little choked up about seeing it... especially on the floor.

I am one of those guys that gets attached to material things, especially, if the money I paid for it's performance, was well worth it. This glove could tell some stories, and it was, well worth it!

So, I had no choice, I had to sketched it...

An old friend...



Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

GraphicGumbo...Daily: A Senior Extravaganza With "Crawfish Conversations...

GraphicGumbo...Daily: A Senior Extravaganza With "Crawfish Conversations...: Portrait of a well satiated "Yat." I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but the satisfied look on these faces to...

A Senior Extravaganza With "Crawfish Conversations!"

Portrait of a well satiated "Yat."

I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but the satisfied look on these faces told me that it could not have been terribly controversial! While sketching, I had several seniors come over and talk to me about art. Talking about art amounted to the pride that someone in their family,"is so talented" or the disgust that a family member either chose another line of work or just didn't think much their talent to go to school or continue.

"Oh, it is such a waste," one woman said. "A God given talent like that just should not be wasted!"

"Well, I said, "I used to think that about my tall friends who never tried to play basketball."

"Of course, having the talent to be an artist and to actually make a living doing it, is two different things."

"I wish I could draw like that... I can't draw a straight line," he said.

"Well, check this out," I said, as I proceeded to draw a pretty darn straight line with the pencil using my pinky finger to align with the edge of the sketchbook.

"Emile, come see this," one man yelled. "You know how you say you can't draw a straight line to save your soul?"

"Do it again for my friend, please." He will get such a kick "outta dis!"

With a chuckle, I proceeded to draw another straight line and Emile was duly impressed.

"That's amazing... how do you do 'dat?" Emile inquired.

"Lotsa practice," I said rather glibly.

"See, 'dats why you'll never be an artist," the friend joked, as he gently elbowed the once aspiring artist!

"You can't even draw a straight line!"

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

Sketches from,"Seniors Do Crawfish Extravaganza!"

Dealing 'da Cards Out...

Nothing like a good game of cards for the digestive system. But, no stomach can settle when this gang gets the cards flying.

"Only eight, only eight," a small, but severe looking woman screeched.

"She's got ten cards... it is supposed to be only eight!"

"No, Lydia, said one elderly man, who seems to be overseeing this card game amongst the crawfish rubble,"We're now playing with ten!"

The little lady caught my eye as I was sketching their game from two tables across. She shrugged her shoulders in disgust as she attempted to drag me into their game for a second opinion.

"Look, that man over there saw her with the deck. Tell them what you saw," she hollered in a scratchy,  fingernails across the blackboard, voice.

"Sorry mam, I said,"I'm just an artist sketching that man over there ... I don't play cards and wouldn't know whether someone is playing by the rules or not!"

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"Lawdy Lord, Doctor ... Please Don't Tell Me I Have To Give Up Eating Too!"

Another "Crawfish Conversation"

It was a confusing, noisy and rather unruly group of seniors seated for the event of the day, which was only moments away. Many had already "scoffed up" lunch and was settling in for the desert. My mom occasionally visits the local Senior Center to socialize. Naturally, I have to be there if it is something different going on from the ordinary social scene.

And it was different alright!

It was an indoor crawfish boil that was supposed to be held outdoors across the street, but the inclement weather changed all that. On the menu with corn on the cob, seasoned Irish potatoes, jambalaya and banana pudding was crawfish!

The food fest was supposed to start at 1pm, but the very mature masses were getting too restless to ignore, so the president of the club rang a very familiar hand held brass bell to get the group to settle down. I remember this kind of bell on the school playground when teachers used it to announce the end of luncheon recess. The bell rang loud and true, but it didn't phase anyone from their chatter and jousting for position in a rather haphazard "bread line" reminiscent of those depression era newsreels of the thirties.  

The analogy to school children is quite poignant, I think!

A rather pragmatic board member suggested that the crawfish, which was put in individual bags ahead of time, would be delivered to each paying member at their table. It was a stroke of genius.

With some help from a few of the hearing populace, the president of the club, a big hearted, loud mouth  transplanted New Yawker yelled, "We can't get started until we say grace, and in ORDER to do that, I need silence. Still, no complete and reverent silence! So, the wise president, understanding her audience, began to tell a story.

"I... I was at 'da doctahs office 'de other day and 'da doc told me that I'd have to lose some weight. I couldn't believe he was tellin' me 'dis.!"( Yats, Chalmashuns and New Yawkers have a lot in common... They have their own "dictionary!" )

She continues,"I said, Doc... I don't drink, I gave up smokin' years ago. I don't gamble, and I've given up on the opposite sex!"

The crowd started to giggle... and pay a bit more attention!

"Lawdy Lord, she announced. Please don't tell me, now, I have to give up eating too!"

After a loud applause and lots of laughter, the gathering settled down. Grace Before Meals was followed by a very reverent "Pledge of Alliance." It was the "one nation under God" version with everyone's hand over the heart, standing at attention and facing the flag!

With the formalities dispensed with, it became, "Laissez les bon temps roulet!

"Lawdy Lord!"


                                                                    Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III


















Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"A Little Yellow Iconic Pickup Truck!"

Another view and a bit out of proportion...

Here's the second view I sketched of the little yellow pickup that couldn't! Or should I say, that I "couldn't"... get the proportions right. The hood was not long enough and the truck bed was also too small. The back tire on the passengers side was flat which kinda twisted that back end a little, but no excuses. I just didn't get it right! I edited out all of the elements in the background because I didn't really feel up to sketching a bunch of pine trees and storage buildings.

The little truck has become rather iconic, so if I can find another angle that pleases me, maybe I'll bring my paints and do a little "truck aire" painting outdoors!

                                                                          Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

"Another Catchy Eyesore... Or A Valuable Find!"

A rusty and dilapidated old yellow truck...

This old Ford ( I think! ) has been out in front of an auto body store for years. It is painted yellow and is really easy to spot from the highway in Covington. Like the old Plymouth that I sketched a few months back, I've been meaning to stop and sketch it for years, but once I am on that road sitting in traffic, all my energies are geared to just getting off that highway and back home!

I checked the interior, and it seems to be in fairly good condition, but the window on the drivers side is stuck halfway up and facing towards the south... where most of our weather comes from.

Walking around it to first decide what angle I would draw it by, I wondered...

I wondered how valuable this little rusty pickup would be in Southern California!

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III

Sketches From My Coffee Shop Getaway...No.3

Just sippin coffee...

Just two sketches of people drinking coffee. The small head I pretty much faked because the man moved too much for me to get too interested in making him look like anything other than a gestural thing. The hand actually looks better in this pic than in the other sketch of the woman.

Hands aren't easy, and they can ruin an otherwise beautiful drawing. I basically drew this woman's hand from past knowledge of how to not make it look like a claw. When I was drawing frames of hands holding product in my storyboard work, I always used reference because my frame style was more realistic than most storyboarder's art and beautiful hands always highlighted the product. I felt it was very important, especially with a woman's hand.

My mom and my wife both have really beautiful and expressive hands. Many times, in the wee hours of a deadline, I'd pose Therese's hands and photograph it with a Polaroid. She was so good at modeling I rarely had to direct her before I shot.

Anyway, this woman's hand works alone on it's own, but next to the rest of the pose, which I love, it fails.

Of course, I'll give myself a break by saying it is just a pencil sketch of a moving person expressing emotions during a conversation. If you look closely, I was rather timid with my lines which I purposely thought about before making a mark. Not so with the smaller sketch which is basically a mindless doodle.

I love her eyes which I felt I captured pretty well. I sort of idealize this person because she wasn't as pretty as my drawing depicted... truth be told.

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III