Caricature Express

Some people’s lives are so interesting. This group of people included adults who’d known my hosts since Grade-School - some even since Kindergarten! They’d kept in touch with one another. Followed their whole lives together. Everybody knowing ‘who they were back then’…. I wonder how that affects a person’s growth

To Hire this Artist:
(516) 579-4706
optidust@gmail.com

I’ll frequently have people ask me - “Sooo, what you do is….
to take one feature and make it real big……”

“Yes, yes”, I mindlessly say ~ because I’m busy drawing and I can’t really interrupt my experience to start teaching and explaining ~ or else I wouldn’t be doing it anymore. I would be talking instead.

When I’m really in my game, when I’m really ‘in the zone’, I’m imitating the expression that I’m seeing with my own face. I’m feeling it. So I know what the different ‘parts’ are doing. I might be ‘dancing with the long curly hair’. Or scrunching up my nose. Or or puppy-dogging my eyes. Or nervously looking around (I don’t like when my subject does that ~ It doesn’t feel good for me to have to imitate it) ~ that sort of thing. And this is imposed upon the shapes that initially Wow me as the person approaches. My first impression of what the person looks like.

Here are some simple pictures that I drew at a child’s party. I’ll try to remember my main impression of what I saw:

It was the narrow triangle on the bottom of the face
which repeated the shape of the smiling mouth ~
……..
……………

Oooh ~ I felt scared to do this one ~
The girl’s mother told me how they’re both professional models
because she’s so pretty and all…….
………..
………..

Smooth sleek hair ~
‘Tut-tut-now’ lips
…………..
…………..

Aaaah ! that debonair glance ~ Those luscious lips …………..
…………

I wish I could touch that haircut
………….
………

wide-eyes, led around as a little girl ~
reminded me of myself when I was little and
didn’t have a clue as to what was going on
……………
………….

those teeeth.
not aware of that suggestive look in his young eyes.
Boys.
……………
…………..

To Hire this Artist:
(516) 579-4706
optidust@gmail.com

Decisions ~ It’s always about making decisions.
I feel like Artwork helps me to exercise the ability to make decisions.
Especially when working at Parties ~ where there’s no time to 2nd guess myself, no time to think it over (which really means Not making a decision yet).

At Parties. In the Studio. And even in the Office. Like now.

Which photo to post ~
the one in which the subject is animated, but the photo is blurry?
Or the one in which the subject is posing, but the photo is clearer?

I usually choose the clear photo. Because I figure that Your eyes (my Dear Viewers) wouldn’t feel good if they just looked through pages and pages of blurry photos. I want you to feel good.

But this time……… to illustrate what I’ve learned about making decisions…………

People frequently pose and smile as soon as I take out the camera. I’m not a professional photographer ~ I feel like it’s much easier to put my reaction into a Drawing than a photograph,
but sometimes
I manage to capture personality in a photo too.

Decisions ~ How to make Decisions ~ How to Represent Yourself on Your Blog ~ What to emphasize in a Drawing ~ When to snap the Photo ~

Decisions ~ What to Draw first ~ How to interact with my subject ~ Which Marker to use ~ Which Color ~

Decisions ~ Where to send your Children to School ~ What to wear to the meeting ~
Decisions ~ Who to spend time with ~ How to spend your money ~ What to say ~

whattobelieve~howtospendyourtime~whattoeat~religioneconomymarriagelovedisdainpoliticsvotingdoesanythingmakeadifferenceanywaytakingcareofagingrelatives

ornotwhotoinvitewhichcartobuyhowtospendmytimeexerciseorcleanthehouseoreatorrelax orvisitorprepareforworkdrawthestudiocaricatureansweremailsbecomeanagenthowto displaysamplesshouldipaintmatsorgotothepostofficeineedanewphoneordontibutcameraand ipodshouldilistentomyownmusic????

Whew ~ I’m so glad I have to produce approximately 10 good pictures per hour. It’s excellent training.

To Hire this Artist:
(516) 579-4706
optidust@gmail.com

Culling through the photos photos photos that I take here.
And I came upon these. Why did I take these?

I remember. Driving along Manhattan. What life is like from a city perspective.

I thought how much excellent Artwork there is
all around us. How they had an Artist working
at this store - creating This for us - while some people think they have to go to a museum or gallery to find Real art.

This is it. This is an Artist’s statement. Whether it be a Caricature Artist
or a ‘Real’ Artist or someone who makes Storefront Displays,
if the Artist is making a Statement,
creating something to express her interpretation, her response to what s/he sees (visual artist), then it is Art.

Want to be a Connoisseur of the Arts? Then you have to learn how to see. How to understand what a Real Artist is Doing.

I felt that this Artist was making a Statement about people’s separate hearts yearning for each other - something like that. It’s hard to put it into words because
it needed a picture. It needed This display.
I couldn’t just go right by without hearing the Artist’s lonely(?) voice.

To Hire Alison (the Artist who Interpreted this Scene for you):
(516) 579-4706
optidust@gmail.com

Did you know that I’m also a Face-Painter?
I did a Face-Painting event hosted by Christie Brinkley today. It reminded me of the section of this Caricature blog in which I tell you about the Celebrities I work for. I caught this one, and it reminded me that I think I forgot to mention - and it was over a year ago that I worked for him - that I had drawn Caricatures at an event hosted by Montel Williams also. I try to remember to blog, but so much is always going on.

Still, I consider myself quite fortunate that my Artwork brings me in person to some people who seem Larger than Life - brings me into situations in which I can meet, (even if only briefly), the SuperStars. I am impressed that they really are Super Stars for a reason. There really is a
Quality
something
about them that feels impressive. Even though both Christie Brinkley and Montel Williams were very comfortable people.

You can read more about today’s experience at my face-painting blog: facepaintingexpress.blogspot.com

Why I was reminded of the Montel Williams event was because they were both Celebrities, and they were both Fundraising Events. Made me feel like the Big People have Big Hearts. They get involved in important causes. And it made me realize that I too could be a ‘Big Person’. I could behave that way too. I was paid to be at both events, but sometimes I can choose to donate my time, services, supplies. My life could have meaning like a Super Star’s life. This is what we can do.

The event I handled today was a Fundraiser to help find a cure for Breast Cancer. It was setting up for the big day on Sunday - culminating in Ellen’s Run for the Ellen P Hermanson Foundation.

To Hire this Artist:
(516) 579-4706
optidust@gmail.com