Shifting Focal Point

Janet and I draw a crowd wherever we are and especially if we are stationary for more than a minute. Groups of men and children will gather and just openly stare at us. Sense of space equals ‘up close and personal’ with not a quarter inch to spare. Self-conscious? Forget it, when we are out we are public property. I have really gotten good at sketching as the crowd swarms around me sometimes totally obscuring the subject matter. Actually it is also a great way to stop the beggars and touts from bugging us, they suddenly become fans. Then it is us who are working them! I sketch and Janet photographs the gathering crowd. The whole scene becomes more than a snapshot but a story.

One morning in our travels we were early for a train and I decided to brave it and started sketching the staring faces. Slowly the energy shifted and the crowd of children and men soon quadrupled for their portraits. The focal point shifted and once again the ‘us and them’ barrier was broken. The real bonus was seeing how each person beamed with pride over feeling so important and special. Me? I felt like I was having a one woman show surrounded by adoring fans. Fantastic!