"Seems An Extremely Appropriate Nickname!"

Administrators, the Senior Center cannot do without!

I sketched these two women as they both stood in the doorway of their offices overseeing the party festivities at the Mandeville Senior Center. What festivities, I've no idea because there is always some gala event going on there and on certain occasions, I sit in the background, or with my mother, and sketch away.

Arnita is usually parked in her office behind a glass partition and her desktop computer. I assume she is the person to handle the business portion of the center while "Mellow" is more hands on, making sure all the senior's many needs are met. I don't know what came first, Mellow's name or her disposition.

If, it is not her real first name, it seems an extremely appropriate nickname.

I think I captured her in this sketch quite well. Her eyes tell the story better than any words can, at least, any words I can conjure up. I've seen Mellow sit many times alone with my mom when I'm late picking her up and everyone else is gone. Mellow's there, if mom needs reassurance that she won't be forgotten, and doesn't seem to mind listening to, ad nauseum, all of my mother's heroic stories of days long gone. Also, she's not one to shy away from a good line dance in the dance exercise sessions that happen every Monday. I can't tell if she is just there in case one of the members gets dizzy or whether she's really there to get her exercise. With those early morning moves, it probably is Mellow just "gettin' on a good foot!"

Regardless, she's just always "there"… Taken care!

Copyright 2014/Ben Bensen III

"Grown Man's Tonka Toys... A CASE Tractor!"

Forgotten Junk or a Storefront Icon?

About six months ago, someone decided to park this old tractor in front of a supply store on LA Highway 59 just aside of Abita Springs. Two days ago, someone moved it from the left of the building to the center which means the store owner or manager either wants it to put out to pasture somewhere else, or they are centering it as an attention getting icon.

Well, the move got my attention.

Ever since its first appearance, I've been wanting to stop and sketch the red, rusted "Tonka Toy." But, I'm never, it seems, in the right frame of mine to give it the justice it deserves. It seems my "muse" isn't lately and so days, weeks and months go by and still, I haven't taken the time.

Well, two days ago, on Sunday, I decided to sit in my parked car and sketch this baby. I "sumized"that there would be no traffic in the store's parking lot which gave me time to do some kind of justice to the tractor.

Well, this is a nice edition to my "Grown Man's Tonka Toy" series and now, whenever I drive by, I will no longer suffer that irritating feeling that comes to artists when they have sense they have missed a rare and monumental moment.

If you're an artist, you know what I mean.

Copyright 2014/ Ben Bensen III

"Man With The Sculptured Hair."

I am not sure I quite captured this man's face, but I know I captured his beard because it seems to be well manicured… almost sculptured! His name is Malcomb and is a part of the card playing group.

Copyright 2014/Ben Bensen III

"Rose, The Benevolent Kind."

The cool, calm, collective Rose!

It is just my opinion. I really don't' have any right saying this, although it is not such a bad thing. This lady's name is Rose. Many people gravitate towards her, and confide in her, maybe, because she is such a good listener. She always seems so calm and collected. She reminds me of a few nuns that I have had in grammar school. Maybe, Rose is a retired nun. She's got that "saved composure," ya know?

I wonder, how do you ask someone if they are a retired Catholic clergy... especially if they are female? I wonder...

Anyway, if Rose was, at one time, a nun ( not intimating that she is or was! ) I bet she wasnt 't the kind that patrolled the isles with a yardstick or weighted rosaries… She'd have been one of  the benevolent kind.

Like the "Good Witch from the West."

Copyright 2014/ Ben Bensen III

"I Like It Except For The Double Chin!"

Amy, the COAST representative for Mandeville...

This is Amy. I don't know her last name though she has told me many times. We kinda had a rocky start, at first, because I'd forget to call her if my mom decided to not go to the senior center. Amy is responsible for and manages the lunch menu each day of each week of each month for the last ten years or so. She hates wasting food!

She told me how long she's been the COAST representative ( Council On Aging for Saint Tammany ), but I've forgotten that also. But, I didn't forget to include her portrait about a month ago when I spent the lunch hour hanging with the seniors.

When I showed my sketch to her, she asked, "When did you do that?"

"I caught you about a month ago. You had a pensive moment or two between lunch and the cleanup,"
I replied.

"I like it, she said. That's really me… except for the double chin!"

I apologized!

Copyright 2014/Ben Bensen III

"Lucinda, Portrait Of A Land Baroness!"

It's a cold, wet Starbuck's staring 'da window day, but I probably won't do it. Got too much other stuff to take care of. Carl, a chubby, gruff, bear of a guy at the Senior Center wants me to bring one of my sketchbooks to show some other friends there. I guess he's tired of watching people play cards, Bunco and scuffle over the Bingo winnings. Anyway, I tried to consolidate four books into one last night. I kinda hate tearing out pages, but I am not sure I can trust the seniors with all four of my sketchbooks.

Carl's gonna be my new agent, ha!

He's promised to tell me the seniors' reaction to my portraits. But, ya gotta love 'em. I dropped off the sketchbook and showed a few of the sketches to some staff members. Three of the staff decided to make a game out of looking at the portraits. They were going to cover, with opaque tape, the names of the people I drew, and have the seniors guess who's who! When I was making my escape, I overheard one staff member trying to decide what the winner would get…

Oh, I certainly don't wanna be a part of that scene, ha!

Here's one of the newer sketches I've yet to show!

This lady's name is Lucinda, but she goes by "Cynda."Amongst the many, Cynda watches over my mom at the senior center. Whenever possible, she admonishes me to take good care of my mom and I always retort with some sarcastic quip. After about a year of this, it has become kind of a running joke we utilize to start the morning.

She is not always at the senior center because she has five, count 'em, five homes around the country. Every now and then, she has visit and care for. She is always pining for her condo in Playa del Rey. By her own admission, Cynda also is a crackerjack gambler and will proudly show you the Lexus LS 300 should won on a twenty dollar lottery ticket.

Today, Cynda was not at the center today when I dropped off my sketches, so she probably won't get the chance to see her portrait.

Maybe, another time, if she behaves!

Copyright 2014/ Ben Bensen III

"It's Just Me And A Room Full Of Chairs!"

A foreshortening nightmare...

Well, this is another doctor and another waiting opportunity to incorporate an **electric eraser. I thought it was really cruel for the doctor to make me wait until I finished this on site foreshortening exercise. He was probably sitting behind some mirrored one way window, laughing his "stethoscope" off watching me struggle through this unmusical set of chairs.

My comment atop in the left hand portion of the sketch refers to a "privacy issue" I had with a little old lady in a waiting room earlier in the day. For the details of that sketch and my personal encounter, go to:
GraphicGumbo...Daily: "Granny Hangs Ten On The Internet!"

sketchiethoughts.blogspot.com

** Just a technical note… an electric eraser would not have helped…

Copyright 2014/ Ben Bensen III