Occasionally I help out over at Sketch-it. I was asked to do a sketch of this little cutie whose name is Mavis.
Mavis hails from the great state of Texas.
If you ask me, Mavis is a great name for a lady from Texas. I bet she grows up to be a real winner and her name will help her make her mark in life.
Today I was leaving the parking lot at the local Walgreens/Starbucks. This guy on his chopper needed to cross in front of me to get in a parking space next to the building. Being a motorcycle rider myself, I stopped to let him cross.
The bike was a really nice, custom chopper. I thought “hey, that would make a good sketch”. After he went in the store, I came back and parked beside the bike. I could tell it was professionally built. It was well appointed and the paint was flawless.
I pondered whether to introduce myself and explain my intentions when he returned, or simply take a snapshot of the bike and sketch it, minus rider. I’m a bit hesitant to introduce myself to strangers for fear of annoying them. Introduce myself to a biker on a chopper…”Hi, I’m an artist”…hmmmmm…like I said, I pondered.
Anyway, I came to the conclusion that I needed to include the rider with his bike because frankly, it’s the rider that makes these things truly interesting. True, the bikes themselves are really works of art if built by a pro, but still…you’ve gotta plop a personality on the thing to make a complete statement.
Turns out I got lucky! The rider BUILT this beauty! In fact, he’s built a bunch of ‘em.
Unfortunately, I’m such a mindless dolt with names that I always forget a name the first time it’s stated to me. Something about the handshake distracts my brain and the person’s name goes in one ear and out the other. I REALLY have to fix that! It is my greatest flaw (At least in my opinion. My wife finds other flaws to be greater.) My sincere apologies to the gentleman. (If you read this Mr. Bike Builder, please leave a comment with your name and I’ll correct the post.)
UPDATE! Mr. Bike Builder responded to the post and his name is Tony. Thanks for the email Tony–Ride Safe!
And he WAS a gentleman by the way. I introduced myself, explained what I was up to, and found him to be enthusiastic about the whole idea of getting his bike sketched with him on it. He even suggested I should sketch bikes and sell the originals to the owners.
His buddy pulled up about that time and I learned that his bike too, was one of Mr. Bike Builder’s works of art. Plus, he’s got several other people wanting to buy one of his choppers. I can certainly understand why. He does a great job with them.
I took a quick digital photo for reference and we parted ways after a bit more conversation. At the red light, I snapped another from behind.
So folks, I’m proud to say that Marietta, Georgia, now has the equivalent of the famous “West Coast Choppers” right here in East Cobb County.
“East Cobb Choppers” . Order one today! They’re real beauties!
As I mentioned in the previous post, this is the original fruit stand in Hiawassee. Others have come up since but few have the management expertise and visionary thinking of this lady. The place is big as fruit stands go, with much to offer….
Fruits
Vegetables
The afore sketched flower division
Bird houses
Jams/jellies/sauces
Portable sheds delivered to your property
Outdoor furniture
Lake accessories such as float tubes, etc.
Assorted other nic-nacs
and of course…Hot Boiled Peanuts
She is the owner/manager of the Hiawassee Fruit Stand. There are some other fellows working there also, one of which is her significant other I believe. I suspect they manage the thing together but she seems to be the one in charge.
I can tell you one thing I’ve observed in visiting the place….it’s an all cash business and it’s always busy. There’s no telling how much moolah goes through this place in a week!
Good products, good service, practical management. The secrets of success.
Tucked away in the North Georgia Mountains is Hiawassee. A nice little town with a beautiful lake, lake Chatuge, surrounded by the highest mountains in Georgia. There are plenty of good restaurants, shopping, high end lake homes, rental cabins…and…The Hiawassee Fruit Stand.
There are several fruit stands now, but this one is the original and the largest.
Here we have the flower division as I call it. It sits to the side of the main structure and this nice elderly woman keeps it tidy. Or at least she was on this day. I can only assume it’s her job to do so.
Could be she just likes flowers, is an organization freak, and didn’t like the way the owners were keeping things. So she set about to fix it.
Things work that way in Hiawassee.
I watched her working for a while, moving flats here and there. She finally got a bit weary and sat down to rest amidst the Gerber Daisys, Dusty Millers, and tons of other flowers and plants I couldn’t name.
Her back to me, and still…I thought she made a fitting subject for a sketch…sitting there surrounded by flowers . She looked content enough to sit there the rest of the day.
Things work that way in Hiawassee too.
Pencil and watercolor. 3–1/2” x 5–1/2”. 30 minutes.
Memorial Day weekend we took a trip to the North Georgia Mountains. On the way up to Hiawassee, we had our evening meal at the Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris, GA.
Former Georgia Governor, and Senator, Zell Miller is from Young Harris. It’s a very small, rural mountain town.
A Georgia poet and writer named Byron Herbert Reece is from Young Harris as well. If you like to write or enjoy poetry, or are interested in the mountain culture of Appalachia, then learning about Byron Herbert Reece would be of interest to you. It’s a touching story. Some of his work is in the Young Harris College Collection.
As for our meal, the Brasstown Valley Resort is famous for their “Friday Night Seafood Buffet”. It’s a treat. That’s the best way to describe it. The dining room is tastefully done in a lodge style with Old Hickory furnishings. Old Hickory makes rustic furniture from hickory trees. It’s cool stuff.
The Brasstown Valley Resort is a real resort by the way. Replete with 18 hole golf course, cabin accommodations, hotel, large lounge with a massive stone fireplace, and a full service conference center. It’s a very nice, “casual upscale” facility.
It ended up in rural Young Harris primarily because Zell Miller was Governor when the idea was conceived. It’s owned by the State but privately managed. It has turned out to be a good thing for the State and the local Towns County economy too.
Back to the meal…
As usual, we over indulged and my wife wound up snoozing in the comfy leather recliner back at the cabin. I sat in my own recliner beside her and sketched her with a pencil.
I included the floor lamp standing between us because I didn’t want to wake her by moving around in my chair. Besides, I thought it was kind of interesting to include it…
When I finished the sketch, I jostled her awake and plopped it on her knee. She looked at it bleary eyed, blinked a couple of times, and said… “hehe”.
That’s art critic lingo for “I’m amused”.
More to come…
I was asked to sketch this fellow. I’m no portrait artist so you won’t hurt my feelings if you guess wrong.
So let ‘em rip…Leave a comment with your guess.
Today was oil change day for the Camry. I took it over to Carnett’s Car Wash because they top off the fluids and wash the car as part of the oil change package.
It’s a good deal! Same price as the other oil change boxes but you get a car wash too.
As I sat out in the sun, I began studying all the detailers buzzing around the various autos fresh out of the Maytag. These people never stop moving! I quick sketched the few that were intent on removing tough little bits of tar and bugs. At least with those, they stayed in position for 40 seconds or so.
It’s interesting about these folk…they all seemed to be fairly content in their jobs. Smiling here and there, competent, diligent, purposeful….not a slacker in the bunch as far as I could see.
My Grandfather always joked that I was “bad to lean on a hoe”. Hmmmm…I don’t suppose that would bode well on my resume were I looking to go to work at Carnett’s.
Later, I added notes and color.
