Working Outside The Home
I work from home. I usually stay home unless I have a specific thing to do. When I travel afar I find myself gravitating towards coffee houses, and I have been thinking I really should do that more often when I am home, not just when I travel. Why not draw my napkin there instead of at home, right?
The ‘Boston Strong Chick’
That is what I did today. I had to go to downtown Tulsa to pick up some artwork I had in a recent group exhibition. Afterwards I decided to stop by the Phoenix Coffee House. I gathered up a humongous Mocha and a scone and settled into a chair where I thought I would have a good view of this woman with a ‘Boston Strong Chick‘ hat and shirt on. I figured she was likely a runner and that she might be there a while, long enough to start a drawing at least. I started to draw her and got through her head, shoulders and most of her arms when she got up to meet someone coming in the door.
OKC Marathon Connection
It turns out the friend she met was Michelle, a running friend of mine. We had just talked on Facebook earlier in the morning about running in the OKC Marathon in two days. We recognized each other and I got up to say hello. Turns out the person I had been drawing was the person she had told me about in our conversation, her more experienced running friend who is going to run the marathon with her. She introduced Brooke to me, explaining how we knew each other . I showed them the drawing in progress and after some talk about the marathon and our various strategies for the race they went off to get some coffee and I went back to drawing. When I was done with the line drawing I showed it to them again and Brooke was kind enough to let me take a photo of her with the napkin.
Brooke Martin (gotta love the cute bunny photo bombing on the TV in the background!)
It also turns out that she had come to the coffee house from being interviewed about her participation in the Marathon by the same reporter, Max Resnik, who interviewed me yesterday. Small world.
Here is the segment that includes me in it (Brooke was in a different segment).
Watching Me Drawing
In the meanwhile, while I was drawing Brooke, someone was watching me drawing. When I was done she came over and asked to see the drawing. She told me she had texted her husband while watching me draw that she was watching someone who could be him in another 20 years. You can see her on the far left (and Brooke on the couch) in this photo I took using my brand new wide angle lens (I am obsessed with it) when I first sat down.
The scene before me
Turns out good things, good connections and good people come from getting out and about. I shall have to do it more often.
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Drawing and story by Marty Coleman, who is running the last leg, (6.2 miles) in the marathon relay, not the entire race. But I do get to cross the finish line, which will be very cool.
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By the way, the Tee and Cap came from www.happyfirst.com and the profits are going to the One Fund Boston.
My son was an unsung hero of the Murrah bombing. He was a Juvenile Officer who was taking a juvenile offender to the building. He had to go back for some paperwork and was five minutes late, only to see the building bombed. He was then assigned to the day care to get the children (and parts of children) out. He did this for thirty-six hours. He had a mental and physical breakdown and ended up in the hospital. He never recovered and passed away at age 46.
Wow Eyrline, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I can only imagine what a trauma that was for your son to have to live with. He wasn’t a victim in the traditional sense, but he was just as much of a victim of that act of terror as all the others.
Thank you for your reply. I haven’t been able to go on since then, but we’re trying to piece everything together. I’ve used writing as therapy, but I find I love writing. I’m taking classes at WVU, and studying with Joe Bunting. Maybe someday —-