"Go Big Train" 9" x 12"
You meet many people when you are painting outside. Most people are great and very encouraging, but a select few can be very strange and even puzzling. I discovered a few of the "strange" ones the day I painted this train.
A couple walked past me not noticing or commenting on my progress. After reaching their car about twenty feet behind me, the woman carrying a half full plastic cup of water, asks me if I want her water. I turned and told her "No thanks, I have my own". She walked toward me anyway holding the glass straight out and looked me straight in the eyes and asked, "What should I do with it?". I paused and said "You could pour it out on the street" and she did. Then looking at me holding the cup straight out asks, "What should I do with this?" I looked around seeing a couple different trash cans well within walking distance, paused and told her "I can take it from you". She seemed satisfied with my answer and turned and walked off.
What was that?
A very large truck was sitting and just idling behind me. After a while the truck pulls right up beside me and stops. A man behind the wheel and his two kids sitting beside him start waving and telling me how great I was doing. I thanked them and smiled. After watching me paint for a few minutes the large truck pulled forward towards the train and stopped, almost completely blocking my subject. They 100% knew what I had been painting. Surely they would move? No reason to stop right there? During this time a man walked up and asked me what I was doing. I guess it looked kind of weird for me to be standing in a parking lot painting an unseen train while looking at the side of a diesel truck. Around fifteen minutes later the truck pulled away while the kids waved at me.
Not every outing is that weird, but it is almost always a challenge. At least I like the painting.
