Caricature Express

Oh ~ You never know what to expect. Got to be ready for every contingency.
After last Saturday’s snow-storm, I was happy to remember this warm outdoor
event at a local school:

Last Saturday, October 29, 2011, I had an event up in Mount Kisco, NY.
I planned on getting there by 5:30 pm because I was supposed to draw
a big event for a big agent starting 6:30 pm.

Last minute job, so I was up til 4:30 a.m. putting the papers into the mats,
getting travel directions, stuff like that. So when to sleep, when to rest?
I slept for a few hours, but left Wantagh at 12:30 that afternoon.
Since mapquest said it would take less than 1 1/2 hours travel time,
I figured I would have time to sleep in the car just before going in -
so I’d be both rested And sure to be there on time.

But it
Snowed. Big.
After handling Hutchinson River Parkway Traffic (if you know what I mean), it was sloooow-going. When I got near Pleasantville, the highway was even Closed. My gps routed me onto a little highway that had one lane going in each direction. Winding road. Little hills. And

Traffic. Including one point where we all just put our cars into park. Only 10 minutes away from the venue, and I had to stay awake on the road with my car. Apparently, cars kept skidding as they tried to get up a hill. Including a Penske Truck. People were trying to move it. I was the 2nd car in line that was asked to Just Wait. Just being glad that we weren’t having accidents……

Traffic finally moved when some cars from way behind, who didn’t know what was happening, had the nerve to swing into the opposing-traffic-lane, drive up to our hard workers, and insist, like say, hey, what ….
Now they let us through when there was a little space to maneuver by.

Okay. Still time. Driving carefully. In the snow. I still think I’ll get a Little time to rest. But

But
2 miles from the venue, a yellow ribbon tied across the entrance to a deep snowy road.
I have a Lot of heavy supplies to bring. Including lights, and easel, and Lots of Paper. In Mats…..
I’m wearing Shoes - not boots. It’s still October. In New York.

My gps reroutes me to get back onto that closed parkway. It worked. It was right beyond the closure that had rerouted me so long ago. Gps brings me passed the venue and back down the other side. And I’m there! Actually in the Grand Prix parking lot at 5:25 pm. Perfectly on time for 5:30 arrival. And maybe I’d rather Stand at the easel than rest, anyway. I’d been sitting in the car for Five Hours!

Oh what a day.
Back at the Computer now ~ back in my Studio, and I see photos taken at a recent outdoor sunny weather event for a local school…..

AND I have a brand new shovel for the winter too! I had bought one at a CVS that I passed when I was rerouted to come back down to the venue. Figured that I’d need it if I might have to dig my car out of the parking lot after the event. So now I’m ready for the winter. Bring it on ~ Let’s Party!

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

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

Corporate Events are fun. I feel like they’re a good idea for encouraging comeraderie at work ~ I’m sure that many of the Caricatures find their way onto Office walls. Even at the events themselves, it feels like the people who are working together want to be friends:

BTW, this happens to be a Sample of what I do when Black/White Caricatures are ordered. Unless the client is very strict about it, I prefer to use at least a Little bit of Color when necessary.

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

This guy was hilarious - . I thought I had drawn a rather tame picture of him, but he just laughed happy wow when he saw it. I could barely get a straight photo of him:

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

Do you ever wonder about what causes those Traffic Jams - What causes Traffic to seize up - sometimes suddenly, sometimes gently - but still, why does the traffic

stop? On a parkway - speed limit 55 - and we’re stopped. 5-miles per hour, stop, gently inching up….. nobody likes it. So why does it happen?

I drew at a Party up in Cortlandt Manor last weekend.
maps.google.com says it takes about 1 1/2 hours. But as usual, I left myself FOUR HOURS for travel. To make sure I can arrive early and relaxed. To allow for the Unlikely, doesn’t usually happen, that I might get lost. And mostly to allow for the Probably will happen at least once - getting stuck in traffic.

And as usual, getting on to the Hutchinson River Parkway and at the beginning of the Hutchinson River Parkway, the Hutchinson River Parkway, so beautiful, named after Anne Hutchinson, with the very big high-arched bridge that we drive under, the beautiful scenery….. As usual, there I was. Stuck. What should take 10 minutes of travel…… I don’t even count any more. I just go slowly. Stop. Like I just felt like waking up early to sit around or something.

Ooops - So many words and thoughts here. I feel like taking break from all this uncomfortable Thinking. Here are some pictures - grabbed from a few parties. My Caricatures:

back to my soap-box - -
This time, I thought about all those Parking Tickets that the police give out. Speeding tickets. Whatever other things they’re involved in. I’m sure it’s all important, keeps us safe and keeps our world moving along cleanly - even though we don’t like it if we’re the ones who are ‘cut back’, we don’t like it if we’re the ones who are reminded of The Limits. And sometimes seems unnecessary. Sometimes is Seems (I could be wrong), but it Seems like nobody would have been badly affected if I was allowed to park
There.
This time, I thought that it would be a good use, a good thing for some police car(s) to do, to coordinate with each other, to Find Out What Is Causing This Traffic Jam.

Sometimes, it’s a very unfortunate situation. Sometimes it’s caused by a car accident that occludes the road, a jack-knifed tractor-trailer, or something like that. A few years ago, I think I was even involved in stopped traffic on the Wantagh Parkway in which a friend later told me that there had been an escaped Bear from the Bronx Zoo? Could that have been?

Anyway, Sometimes there’s a bona-fide reason Why. Why are so many people Stopped. But I imagine that most of the time that’s not the case. I don’t know what it is that is causing the stopped traffic. I’ve even, oh, this is ridiculous, but I’ve even toyed with the idea that our government officials might be purposely driving slowly together at the ‘front’ of the line to keep the proletariat in it’s place…. Oh, that’s silly. But what is it? Perhaps some nervous helpless person driving back and forth between the lanes at 10 miles per hour? And that person Always goes on Route 695 passing Pelham Manor on the way to the Hutchinson River Parkway? And there are more of them out there - that there are people who are afraid to step on the gas pedal. Always. Yeow, my guesses seem unrealistic. But I can’t come up with anything else. Why does it happen???

Wouldn’t it be a good idea, actually a Good reason for government finally - to coordinate police-cars with their police-radios - to have them get on the Parkway to check out the situation - to Find what’s causing the Traffic Jam - so they could either be Helpful if someone is having trouble or they could give out tickets if someone is being rude? Wouldn’t that be a good reason to police the area? Couldn’t they use helicopters to help with this type of police-work?

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