Bagel Shop Meet-ups

The coffee is good, the bagels great, and the people most welcoming. It is what makes Jake's so special. Old friends, neighbors sharing tables, and the possibility of new friends are what draws people to Jake's. It’s also an ideal place for artists to meet and share ideas and experiences. Jake's is where George and I shaped our friendship. It is a great place to sketch people on the sly, and also where I developed my skills of sneakiness…

Meeting there three times a week, we discussed art and the business of art. It wasn't long before Joe, the owner, invited us to hang our art at Jake's. From there it became a meeting place for local artists. At first, one or two artists would join us. I think our gray hair led other artists to believe we had the answer to questions they might have.

Before long we had a scheduled day for artists to meet and share thoughts on each other's works. Though George and I were supposed to be the masters with the answers, we found we were learning as much as those coming with the questions. Other patrons were soon pausing to listen to what our group of artists had to say. I remember one girl, about seven, joining our tables to see and hear better. Seven to ten artists came every Saturday to have their work critiqued. Once, 21 artists showed up for advice. There were times those who came blew us away with their art. There were times we were lectured too, once by an artist from Iraq who had done a painting of her homeland being bombed. What she had to say had nothing to do with the art but rather politics. Art can express so much .

Champagne & Diet Coke

Some days I'm sitting on a bench talking with Danny, a homeless gent who sleeps in plastic trash bags to keep out of the rain. The next day I listened to a man with eight polo horses explain the need for his eight horses, and just which ones he wants paintings of.

Danny, I pay to sketch him. Mr. Polo, I charge to draw and paint his horses. Never really think about what I do as an artist, just do what I need to, to get by. For ten or more years I spent my mornings sketching people in the different parks along the Fox River. I wasn't looking for possible paintings, just honing my drawing skills. Two men sharing a picnic table and sharing stories of grandchildren, perhaps… As I sketch people, I have always added my own story to each drawing.

A 12-year-old pushes her 5-year-old brother on a swing as her mother sits chatting with another mother, who is nursing a baby. For this one I break out the paints. Panic sets in as I lay all the colors out. “Calm down, just get what I can,” I tell myself. My entire body is into getting this painting done. “Keep sitting there please,” I whisper to myself, placing the first stroke.

Speed painting is something I practice a lot, but will it pay off here. With paint on the steering wheel, turpentine splashes , my paper towel loaded with paint falls to the gas pedal. My only concern is getting the one nursing’s, blouse just right - using one correct stroke. “Oh my goodness! A little girl has joined them! With a deep breath I add the little girl. The background I'll leave and finish later. The figures are my goal here. “What great legs, I must get them,” I think. My mind is racing now as I see my painting taking shape. The prize is mine now, and I even have time to put a tree in and some grass.

The next day I'm off to a polo match, to sketch horses and saddles and whatnot. This is what I do, This is what a lot of artists do. We drive noisy old cars that scare horses, stop polo matches and cause people to stop sipping their champagne. Women in beautiful summer dresses with big sun hats, stare at me. Men who stepped out from Esquire next to me with my diet Coke and paint splattered pants. A rider checks me out from the top of his handsome steed. He isn't pleased with my 13-year-old Cutlass, it needs work. The wood box in the back seat keeps the front seat up right. The struts and shocks beat out a nice cadence as I drive. It gets me to where I'm going. Then my host comes running with a smile and leads me to his horses. He runs and gets me some champagne. With champagne and Diet Coke, I am ready for some work.