I took one copy of my "I (heart) Sunny Days" VW bug drawing, and went to Laguna Beach for it's First Thursday Art Walk last night. This is the first time I've hung out in Laguna Beach during the Art Walk, and I wanted to show off my work, and see what people thought.
I learned years ago that people don't really buy original art for the beauty or look of it, for the most part. People tend to buy the artist, and the artist's story, as much as the work of art itself. So I had no idea how people in a city full of all kinds of very good (and some not so good) artwork, would react to the Sharpie drawings of an unknown, homeless guy.
To my surprise, this simple drawing of a convertible VW bug stopped a lot of people in their tracks. That's hard to do, and that's pretty freakin' cool. Most seemed to think it was a painting of some kind as they walked up and saw my drawing at a distance. When they got closer, quite a few people seemed to realize (because I wrote "Sharpie drawings" next to it), that it wasn't a painting, and it was done with Sharpies. While most of the people walking by didn't notice, busy with their own stuff, two or three dozen people stopped, looked closer, and gave me really positive comments. Two or three people said they'd never seen anything like this (with Sharpies), and a couple called it "amazing." I said, "Thank you," and told them no one else in the world draws in this style, it's my creation. So while no one wanted to buy a drawing, or commission one to be done, the reaction from Laguna Beach passers by was really good.
I posted up on a bench on the corner of PCH and Forest, in front of an ice cream shop, and this gate hangs on a pole there, about 8 feet out of the ground. I'm sure there's a story to it, but I don't know that story.
This guy, who looked a lot like a pre-heart attack Kevin Smith, poured a little water on the ground and busted some dance moves. Crazy as it sounds, he had some really good footwork, aided by the wet bricks. He also had some print on canvas he was trying to sell, and showed me a video he edited for some rapper, who was having an online contest to make a video to his song. Not epic, but quite creative. There are a lot of weird characters wandering around Laguna Beach, and that's always a good sign. There's also a lot of really boring rich people. Gotta take the good with the bad.
A lot of people walked their dogs around during Art Walk. This St. Bernard was the big guy, and the mellowest, of the four-legged bunch. Remember, St. Bernards were some of the first "service dogs," they carried casks of brandy around their necks, seeking out people who were lost in the snow, in the French Alps, if I remember correctly. Something like that.
My little art portfolio sitting below the dog waiter statue beside the ice cream shop, in downtown Laguna Beach.
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