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| Ink and watercolor in large moleskine |
Founders Day in Satellite Beach, a small town in central Florida.
The Rockies play I-Don't-Know-Who.
My nephew Jake has two runs!
Go Rockies!
I have a wonderful view. Aside from watching Jake, I can plainly see the spectators for the other team. They do not look well. They look rather bored. There is no jumping around. Hardly any movement at all.
Good for me.
Did I mention that in addition to my nephew Jake playing for the Rockies, my brother Neil coaches them?
Hmmmm?
Go Rockies!
It's fortunate that this was the off season. This means, of course, that no one was following the score. Luckily then, none of the spectators knew that it was 14 for the Rockies and 2 for I-Don't-Know-Who when they called the game. This means that the spectators that I drew above had no idea that the game was halted prematurely at only 4 innings so it wouldn't be a total slaughter/bloodbath/massacre. This means that when the poor spectators above took their young players on I-Don't-Know-Who home, they didn't have to call the kids' therapists. This saved them thousands of dollars.
Did I say, Go Rockies?! Yeah, I think so. Yeah!
It was a delightful day in Satellite Beach on the day I drew this picture. It was small town America in the place where I grew up. There was the Founder's Day parade with the mayor, the high school band, floats, the Army, the Navy, cheerleaders, and such, and most notably, the baton troupe with my niece Ashley tossing her baton into the air with style! Whoosh!
Happy Birthday Ashley and Jake, 11 years old!
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| Ink and watercolor in small moleskine |
Just the day before Founder's Day, there was great food and greater fun at the special education homecoming dance - Pirates of the Caribbean Theme - for my son Matthew's high school. Glorious happy spontaneous dancing - partners completely optional! And in celebration of this freedom, I whipped out my small moleskine and tried to capture the mood as best I could in a quick sketch. Not my best sketch ever, but I wanted to color and post it just the same. So there!
So go Rockies! Go Cobras! And Boo Hoo to I-Don't-Know-Who, but you know who you are, I am sure that you do. Don't you?
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Hooray..new sketches and thoughts from the inimitable Dan Kent! Well, number one...I think I told you that I lived in Florida for several years (and I was actually also born there; making the place special to me!) And even if I had not read the location of top sketch I would have known it was Florida. It's not just the motley looking people (home of Casey Anthony!)* ...there is something you captured about the light and the trees and big lights. Yeah...Florida! *I was born there, I am allowed to make a bit of fun of it! haha. Florida has got to be the best place ever for sketching. So few bad weather days! I am glad you documented both events. You do a good job on both the stationery folk and the moving ones. Fascinating sketches and narrative...as always.
ReplyDeleteoops...correction! stationary people not stationery people. What would stationery people be...those made of onion skin paper?
ReplyDeleteYour brother obviously has you as his biggest rooting section! Nice pieces and I'm glad for the other team that the game was called.
ReplyDeleteLove the tone of your post, its quiet sense of humor. Glad you had such a good time at all these latest events of your life.
ReplyDeleteGo Rockies! great sketches as usual Dan.
ReplyDeleteThe other team's spectators do look a bit fed up, but you captured their feelings and body language
ReplyDeleteperfectly.
Too funny, thank heavens they didnt do so well so they sat still for you ; ) Great sketches Dan!!!
ReplyDeleteHaha...this was a great post! I recently went to a few of my niece's softball games. It was in-season, so they did keep score. They were undefeated until the last game when finally they lost, by one point in overtime. I couldn't believe all the crying the girls did, my niece included! They took their 'game' seriously!
ReplyDeleteWonderful sketches, of happy times!
Wow--those spectators are really spectating, and I don't know how you captured all that movement on the bleachers.
ReplyDeleteBoth these drawings are really great. I like the sketchy lines in Cobra; the homecoming looks much livlier--more fun.
With that kind of 'cheering section' it's no wonder the other team was doing so poorly. Oh well, some teams don't travel well... But, your moleskin does! Wow, great job on both drawings! These could be shown in science text books as illustrations for the difference between kinetic and potential energies.
ReplyDelete-Don
I really like Founder's Day Dan. I've spent many hours on such bleachers watching my boys hit, run and catch. I particularly like the guy holding his hands over his eyes. My hand was over my eyes on many tense occasions--will he hit it? Will he catch it? Will he be safe? And when those bleachers were in the football field: Will he get up?
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post with your trademark sense of humour. Oh, and Dan, I hope you realize I harbour a secret envy of said humour. Your take on things is always a pleasure to read. In fact, why not honour us with a treatise on your favourite colour. Rumour has it that you labour intensively over your choices but in the end your ardour can't be suppressed.
ReplyDeleteGo Rockies! Wonderful sketches. And A happy birthday to Ashley and Jake :) Pirates are trendy-that must have been a fun dance!
ReplyDeleteNice sketches Dan, and as usual, very captivating story delivered alongside =) Happy turkey's day
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much - I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. And I am so grateful to all of you, and just a few more specifically:
ReplyDeleteCeleste - I am glad you think I captured Florida and all of its gnarly lookin' folk so accurately! Onion skinned or pig skinned, I do my best.
Thanks Don, a scientific analysis of my drawings are always appreciated.
Ruca - There are rumors about me? And rumours? Then I must be doing something right!
Thanks so much everyone!
Hi Dan, Your writing style is wonderfully humorous. It does remind me of watching small town baseball games. You've captured the gestures of the people so well (as usual!) sort of the patient, when is this going to be over look. Too much fun...and go Rockies! Go Cobras!
ReplyDeleteHi Dan, reading your post was like watching a piece of an American movie to me! You are great in observing and describing what you see in your experience, and your drawings are pleasantly colourful!
ReplyDeleteAmusing musings, Dan, and terrific sketches! The activities in your part of the world . . . in "small town U.S.A." . . . are very similar to those in mine. We celebrate our kids' activities and support them with vim and vigor. It makes for wonderful memories and for those terrific sketches with which to remember them!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I used to play in bands we had a gig at this rock club. When we got to the place, outside the posters had Gig Cancelled written on them. Someone had phoned the club and told them we couldn't make it (never found out who). We decided to still play as some people still turned up but not many. The crowd looked like this painting...lol.
ReplyDeleteFantastic sketching/drawing/painting.
Stew.
The people watching the game really seem bored, the drawing is very funny! Great contrast with the second one with the party people. It's funny how we find ourselves in all sorts of places for our kids, and sometimes even having fun from it!
ReplyDeleteDan! new sketches! new sketches!
ReplyDeleteHey Dan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your wonderful comment on my blog! Your sketchbook is gorgeous! You are obviously comfortable painting people so, I think a Life Drawing Class would be right up your alley! If you're in a big city like Miami, I'm surprised one of the local art schools or groups doesn't have a 'life drawing without instruction'/'drop in session'... Anyway, your work is absolutely lovely.
Happy Painting,
Nora