"Hey Mister, You Wanna Buy Some Popcorn?"

It's for a good cause!

This is a sketch I drew while waiting for my wife to finish shopping at a local thrift store. Therese is always looking for bargains for her class, either for projects, gifts or supplies. So a few weeks ago we drove up to Franklinton, LA, which is only about ten or twelve miles north from "downtown" Folsom to checkout the deals going down. A friend, at Gus's restaurant, suggested she go there if she was looking for some inexpensive spiral bound notebooks for the class.

With our crazy schedule, if I want to spend some quality time with my teacher/wife, I have to occasionally go hunting for bargains with her, but I can only "circle" the tasty tidbits so long and then I get really bored... especially if I'm not buying, but looking.

I, begrudgingly, moseyed from the parking lot to the thrift store where I was intercepted by the young, cute as a button, but rather scruffy nine or ten year old Cub scout. He was being chaperoned by his grandmother, who looked very thin, weather beaten and world weary with a few missing teeth, wearing a rather worn and disheveled "hoodie." With a "ciggie" in her hand, she guided the rather elf like Cubbie in my direction.

"Go ahead, go ahead, ask the man if he'd like some popcorn." Tell him, it is for a very good cause!" she said, encouraging the boy to put his best salesman act on.

It was a very cold Saturday morning, dark, damp and cold, and therefore,  the little guy was so wrapped up that I really couldn't tell if indeed he was a true Cub scout. Therese, who was on a mission, continued towards the door since the budding salesman had singled me out.

"Hey Mister, you wanna buy some popcorn for free?"

"Free?" I inquired. "Now, how much is the free popcorn?"

He stopped in his tracks, looked back at his managing partner, and mumbled something to himself, as I smiled and waited for an answer.

"Well son, said his grandmother, That's not exactly how we practiced it, is it?"

Now, grandmother, every now and then, taking a toke on her cigarette, explained to me in a rather raspy voice about how we are letting down our younger generation and losing them to the devil.

Oh boy, I thought to myself, as the little lost soul was trying his best to remember his sales pitch amongst his chaperone's preaching. I decided to intercept her oncoming Bible recitation by asking the little guy, how much are you selling that big can of candied popcorn... with the nuts!

"Uh, um... twenty dollars, sir," he said, looking for approval from "management."

As the grandmother backed away from her "hell in a hand basket" sermon, I turned to the Cubby and told him, that I'd give him another try when I come out from shopping at the thrift store. Thirty minutes that seemed to go on forever, I decided to go the car to snooze and listen to sports talk radio,  since my wife was still on her mission, but before I got past the exit door, the little guy hit me again.

"Hey Mister, you wanna buy some holiday popcorn... for free?

I spent the next hour, in my car, sketching and chowing down on a tin canister full of candied popcorn with nuts as I observed the little capitalist raking in the dough...  and, all for a good cause, ya know?

And, it's free!

Copyright 2014/ Ben Bensen III

" My Veteran's Day Finale... A Sketch!"

My Veteran's Day sketch...

On Veteran's Day, November 11th, I decided to paint a static display of a Vietnam era aircraft, the McDonnell/ Douglas F-4N Phantom. The aircraft is a two-place, twin engine, all-weather jet, with top speeds more than twice the speed of sound, It was one of the most versatile, multi-role fighters ever built and served those roles in the Marines, Navy and Air Force. It also served in the first line of more Western air forces than any other jet. Just thirty-one months after its debut flight, the F-4 was the U.S. Navy's fastest, highest-flying and longest-range fighter. It first flew May 27, 1958, and entered service in 1961.

This particular Phantom is situated off I-12 just east of a Louisiana town called Walker, which is about ten miles from the state capitol of Louisiana, Baton Rouge. In an attempt to paint the plane, one of the three days I visited the site, it was cold, dreary and wet. It was supposed to eventually clear up, but it never happened. This sketch is the opposite side of painted aircraft I was rendering En Plein Air.

I stayed long enough to sketch this piece and then went to a local Mexican restaurant for some warmth... and some margaritas, chips, guacamole and salsa. 

I eventually completed the on-site painting about one week later. You can see the finished piece and read about all the visitors that came by while I was painting this beautifully restored monument to all those who flew and all those vets who served in Vietnam as well as everywhere else to preserve our freedom at: http://graphicgumbo3.blogspot.com/2014/11/painting-some-veterans-day-conversations.html

Copyright 2014/ Ben Bensen III

"Sketching, A Part Of Your Nutritious Breakfast!"

Breakfast… the Aftermath!

A friend asked me why I don't sketch a full plate of food, and only sketch the damage done in the aftermath. Of course, the answer is basically because I'm hungry, and the food would be, if nothing else, cold, by the time I finish sketching it.

You'll notice that in the sketch, I still have a full cup of coffee. It is one of the things I love about a restaurant like,"Coffee Rani". The coffee is very New Orleans and comes in a variety of brews to satisfy most picky coffee drinkers, and although the waitresses don't usually come by to fill your cup, you can walk up to the counter and order as many refills as you bladder can handle.

I am kind of in a rut with my menu choices for breakfast because their veggie omelet is not only incredible, but it is incredible at a great price. Good stuff…

… and a good breakfast promotes great results in one's sketching ability, dont'cha agree, ha!

Copyright 2014/Ben Bensen III

"Happy 90th Birthday, Mom!"

• I've done about 7 or 8 portraits of mom. But, she likes this one best. I believe it is because it captures that," you rascal you" attitude she espouses. I don't remember, but I think I sketched this from a cellphone photo that I took while eating Chinese at a local restaurant in Gentilly. Classic New Orleans... It Ain't Dere No More! 
•   I do remember that she was angry because I took her to John Jay's Salon where they charged a  'Benjamin" to give her a "new look!" Nothing I could say, no compliment I could give to  assuage her anger...
•  Except dinner at a restaurant somewhere! 
•  Happy 90th Birthday, Mom!

Copyright 2014/Ben Bensen III

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"An Agrarian Sketch"...

A Harvester?

I have done sketches of people in the restaurant eating, chewing the fat, and hanging out. But, as some sort of ode to the farm world, the good natured, laconic Greek, has a couple of old rusted plowboy "objects d'art" situated as accent pieces around the premises. This is another of Gus's ode to something agrarianly artistic, but, generally, these "antiques" are mostly ignored, mainly because so many of these farms tools are so plentiful around here!

I drew this sketch, like I did with the other "ode," see the post at: 
 http://sketchiethoughts.blogspot.com/2014/09/guss-ode-to-farmtool.html  
seated in my car in the restaurant parking lot listening the Dan Patrick program on sportstalk radio after a long breakfast. 

I'm pretty happy with those wheels. I feel once I've decided what the degree the ellipse is in, I try not to pay attention to the subject matter until I complete it. It seems to come out much better than if I actually attempted to draw it from sight.

 I believe this to be another horse drawn harvester, of sorts. It seems like another very ineffectual way of gathering anything and the metal seat has got to chafe, ha!

Copyright 2014/Ben Bensen III

" In My Woody, I Will Take You... Everywhere I Go!"

For Sale...

The little yellow truck in front of St. Tammany Glass is gone. I saw a, "For Sale" sign on both sides of the door panel a few weeks ago, but I didn't think anyone would buy it. It would have taken a "whole lotta love" to restore this puppy, but...

An original sketch before I decided to paint it!

Another sketch, from another visit, at almost the same angle as the painted version.

I'll pretend some "SoCal surfer dude" bought it and will get it back in shape... Pappa-Ow-Mow-Mow!

Copyright 2014/ Ben Bensen III

"Jam Up and Jelly Tight!"

Where's the blackberry jam WITH seeds?

A tisket a tasket, I remember seeing this little basket!

A few months ago, a favorite restaurant was destroyed by an electrical fire that burned the classic house restaurant from the attic down to the dining area. As I drove by the old site, there was a banner spanning a portion of the parking lot encouraging patrons to share breakfast at another local restaurant. Apparently, the "Bear Cafe" was helping out until the Sunrise at Second became the Sunrise at Robert Street. Don't know how the helpful hand was worked out, but Sunrise's patrons were happy to be the beneficiaries.

The Sunrise omelet was as delicious as it ever was and along with the entree was their familiar wicker basket full of jams and jellies. In the classic Southern style, along with a couple of cups of coffee, and the morning newspaper, I decided to pull out the sketchbook and challenge myself to the folds, the weaves and the cane unravellings of the little wicker basket.

Maybe, I got a little carried away...

Copyright 2012/Ben Bensen III