Drawing The Everyday: A street vendor puts me in a trance

Wherever I go– even in my favorite city of New York where I live– I like to live draw. 

 

 

 

How many times have I passed by people just doing their jobs and don’t notice them? Hundreds of thousands of times. 

While waiting for a meeting, I sat in a coffee shop and drew what was in my line of vision. What sat squarely in front of me and my cappucino happened to be this man in his magazine stand. There was a few feet of sidewalk and glass between us, so I could draw him unoticed. The man seemed very happy to be doing what he was doing: selling candy, chips, water, soda, gum, lottery tickets, perhaps a newspaper (there were only a few offered), and rearranging his merchandise.

I enjoyed watching his smile as he greeted the people who stopped to buy something. For the nine minutes it took me to draw him and his wares, I was in a sort of trance, focusing on the colors and shapes, his smile and his hat. I was momentarily oblivious to my emails, the news of the day and world events.

The above video was done with video screen capture. Here is the finished product.

 

It was a lovely few moments of noticing the everyday.

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