"I've Suddenly Become The Victor Borg Of The Art World"...

Comedian Pianist, Victor Borge

Good Throwback Thursday, y'all.

Gonna throw it back all the way to last night... that's right!
I had a great time with the Jefferson Art Guild demoing at Lafrieniere Park. As part of my color theory, I mentioned the inimitable Keith Ferris, the aviation illustrator well known for his Smithsonian Air and Space murals, and for his penchant of only using the primaries and black and white.

When I realized that I only had two of those primaries to demo with, well, let's just say that's when the fun began. 

"So, I guess I'll just have to one up good, ole Keith," I said, "and do this with one hand tied behind my back."

I did not realize I was but one aspect of the guild's monthly meetings. I arrived twenty minutes ahead of schedule in order to prepare, but the spotlight didn't shine on me until well into the second hour. I had about 40 minutes to "explain myself" and convince the raucous crowd that I actually can paint. It was not going so well, so I pulled out my iPad to show a picture of the sailboat I had painted a few weeks earlier. 

Lucky for me, the group was impressed with the exception of one woman who thought the piece I was working on was better than the completed version I passed around... with a few minor adjustments. 

With my iPad in her possession, she pointed to a section that she felt needed to be changed. I turned to the audience smiling incredulously and mumbled...

"Art Directors. Everyone wants to be an art director!"

As the laughter died down, I attempted to mix a bit of golden tan with copious amounts of white to match the tone on the canvas that the diminutive art analyst decided needed to be changed.

Once again, laughter exploded when she said,"No, that's not it!" 

I turned to the audience and as I feigned my disgust, I handed the paint brush to her as to invite her with the continuation of my demo. With ten minutes left and cognizant that I've suddenly become the Victor Borg of the art world, I decided to just give it all up and have some fun. I dutifully corrected the tone, appled it on the canvas, and Mrs. A.D. was elated... as well as vindicated!

As I was cleaning and packing up, many came over to introduce themselves and thank me for an informative and entertaining evening. One woman told me that she was the featured artist to demo next month and asked if I could offer some suggestions for her presentation.

"Well, I said, I'm a pretty hard act to follow. Just don't forget to bring your yellow!"

Copyright 2016/ Ben Bensen III