"Saving Namou, If Only Temporarily!"

I'm told it is an English Bulldog!

 Good "windswept" Saturday Morning, y'all.

A few years back, there was a home off Pat O'Brian Road where, standing on a concrete pedestal on the front lawn, was a three foot walking "Patty Playmate" type doll circa 1960's.

The owner, on special occasions and seasonal holidays, would bring the doll out in all sorts of fashions like summertime bikinis, festive Christmas costumes, an Easter ensemble, Mardi Gras regalia, and Catholic "back to school" uniforms. At times, I'd take the long way home just to see how the doll was decorated.

As they say in these parts, "It Ain't Dere No More!"

Fast forward to the Covid years and lo and behold, a neighbor here in Merrywood decided to brighten the lives of all that drove by her home with a smiling, wooden English bulldog head peaking behind the driveway fence.

I noticed, when the owner of the home took down a Mardi Gras colored boa from around the dog's plywood head, that it needed a bit of TLC. One morning en route from my home to "Giddy Up" in downtown Folsom, I spotted the lady of the manor walking her dog. I introduced myself and proposed, with her permission, to give the peekin' pup a well deserved makeover.

At first, she was a bit skeptical, but I won her over by assuring her that I was a professional artist and could help to restore it.

So, yesterday, with an hour to spare between my wife's hair appointment and the coming rains, I grabbed a tube of acrylic titanium white and a tube of ivory black and went after the restoration.

In the process of completing the project, the owner, Christiane Mummectheu, drove up with her pup,"Doodlebug". We had a good conversation about the history and condition of her "Namou." She told me how nice it was for me to help save her welcoming doggie decoration. I told her the story about the three foot doll off of Pat O'Brian Road and how much I enjoyed seeing it from time to time. I hoped to continue to see Namou everyday as a I drive by.

 A work in progress...

A bit later, I apologized for having to end the "chit-chat" as I was up against the clock to finish. She said she looked forward to seeing the finished product, told me that she had errands to run, thanked me again and took off.

I finished up with the dog's eye lashes as it started to drizzle...

Good Timing!

Copyright 2022/Ben Bensen III

"A New Kinda No Fly Zone!"

One of the seven panels in a brochure...

Good Saturday Morning, y'all.

From 1978 to 1981 I was employed at the electronics division of General Dynamics. Jack Leynnwood got me connected with a head hunter named, Helen Edwards after I complained to him about my struggles to make any head way with my Art Center degree.

Two weeks before my interview, Helen Edwards instructed me to get a haircut and purchase a suit. I told her that I had just purchased a three piece suit for a job working as an editorial illustrator at a local bank.

In less than one month, I was hired as a graphics designer and tech illustrator. Fast forward to 2022 and my world of realities past have resurfaced in the form of the Javelin and Stinger weapons system.

At GD, another designer and I, created ads and brochures advertising the merits of the shoulder held surface to air weapon.

Although Stinger has been provided to the many insurgent groups fighting in civil wars, when we were creating the ads, both weapons, the Viper ( later the Javelin ) and the Stinger were considered a potent defense for NATO against the Russian buildup of tanks and the helicopter gunship, the MI-24 Hind.

If you look closely, senior GD illustrator, Ed Ramstead, who got all the juicy assignments, has a Russian gunship downed by the Stinger missile... And of course, the silhouette of another Russian aircraft is being targeted!

But, of course!

And now, several nations like Germany, Lithuania and the U.S. announced that they were providing the new and improved Stinger missiles to the Ukrainian forces defending against the Russian invasion.

A new kinda "No Fly Zone" deterrent. Hopefully, shipments will arrive there in time, but honest, "is this trip really necessary!"

Second cup!

Copyright 2022/Ben Bensen III

"Messin' with Mother Nature!"

I know, I know... Bad timing!

 Good Wednesday Morning, all bodies.

We've been having some incredibly beautiful weather these past couple of days and yesterday evening after Tee's painting class was cancelled, I decided to finally trim the last azalea bush for a trash pickup today.

It might be too late to expect the plant to rebound before the floral season arrives, but it is the only bush that didn't get pruned for the Christmas holidays. It is also the one bush that in the late Spring time gets frequented by our resident blue runner.

A timely pruning discourages the snake from decimating a brown thrasher's nest that, in the past three years, insists on building its residence into the bush.

I love messin' wit Mother Nature!

Last year, to the chagrin of the snake, if a snake can have chagrin, I discouraged the bird's choice of location by repeatedly visiting the progress of the nest.

I think the couple finally got the message...

First homemade CDM cup!

Copyright 2022/ Ben Bensen III

"You'll Get Lots Of Exposure!"

Gotta Brand New Bag!

 Good "It'll be a great portfolio piece for you" Saturday Morning, y'all.

Well, I decided it was time to give away my three remaining portfolios. I could have done it two decades ago, or so. I sure get attached to stupid things!

How many times have we heard that phrase before?

"We can't afford to pay you, but it's for a big company and sure to get you lots of exposure!" Sadly, too many artists still fall for that "opportunity!"

At one time, when it was important to have them, I owned five portfolio cases. Some of my bags traveled, but they seldom traveled well. Many times, they returned with missing or crumpled acetate sheets. Sometimes, the zippers were so jammed that it refused to open without a struggle and would rip. Many times, the internal rings that bound the acetate cover sheets had to be wrenched back in line with the binder.

One owner of an art agency in Chicago still has one of my bags... somewhere. We had a contract dispute. I don't remember if not returning one's art was a negotiable part of the contract.

It was one of those "exclusive" clauses, ya know?

I shouldn't complain, though. A good friend from the Air Force Art Program and a Chicagoan, Jim Conahan, warned me about the owner, who he considered a rather shifty person. It didn't really matter though because I had little dealings with him.

The actual rep that got me the most work, I think her name was Antonio Dunbar, was incredible to work with, and she got me lots of work at "East Coast" prices.

It all lasted about one year. I considered losing that brand new portfolio, for any reason manufactured, a part of doing business. C'est la vie!

So many stories to tell. I do miss showing my work to new clients. Back then, it was an excuse to get out of the studio. Nowadays people scroll through your samples faster than they turned pages in your portfolio.

So funny. Inside one of the bags I gave away was a note that's gotta be thirty years old. The note, on company stationery, was from an art buyer apologizing for losing one of my samples and promising to find it and return it to me.

I believe she is currently, one of my Facebook friends.

Yeh... it's my third cup, ha. Badass Larry was his usual verbose self!

Copyright 2022/ Ben Bensen III

"A Garage Band Reunion"...

A garage band reunion...

 Good “mundane Monday Morning, y’all.

Well, at least, it does seem that way!

It was a nice way to momentarily put away the grief of losing and burying our little pup on Thursday. On Friday, we were invited to a Memorial Mass at St. Ann’s in Metairie to celebrate the life of Patti Smith Cook, M.D. who passed away at 89 years old. For those who are interested in all of her incredible accomplishments, for instance, she was a judge for the US Figure Skating association for Pairs, Freestyle, Moves, and Ice Dancing until her death, and actively skated those disciplines until 2009,

check out: https://www.mourning.com/obituaries/Patricia-Cook-M-D/....

Therese’s brother Jimmy asked us to join him and his wife, Wanda, for a lunch at a small Italian restaurant called, “Sandros.” Tee and I had not been there in quite some time, and it was just what we needed. Good food and great conversation… One on one!

When we came home that evening, we reluctantly began the process of taking down and putting away the Christmas decorations… I know, I know. It's about time, right?

Therese had planned weeks ago, to share her gingerbread “expertise” with our sister-in-law, Laura Bensen, Saturday afternoon. It certainly wasn’t what I had in mind. So, I took the chance of calling my musician buddy, Reggie Scanlan, in the hopes that he was in town and willing to share a lunch with his desperate old pal.

Lo and behold, he was available for that eventuality. I then decided to give my cousin, Glenn Fortier, a call to once again join us for lunch. For whatever “insipid” reason, he always turned me down, but…

But, this time, Glenn agreed to join me.

I was ecstatic. You see Glenn was the drummer of our four piece garage band, but to my knowledge, had not seen Reggie play bass guitar with the band called The Radiators or even seen him in decades. Once we got passed New Orleans’s Covid requirements at the Hi Hat restaurant, we had a ball.

Reggie’s got so many stories from his past playing bass behind so many great musicians, I wanted Glenn to hear some of them and possibly share some of his musician days.

I think two years before Therese had her bout with pancreatic cancer, Reggie was diagnosed with the fourth stage version. So they also have that in common including the brilliant Doctor John Bolton as their surgeon. Returning to pick up my wife and some gingerbread cookies, I dropped off Christmas decorations and my older sister’s fake tree that we didn’t wanna keep though we still had not put away our own decorations.

On Sunday, we went to Gus’s for breakfast to see the old gang and thank Paula Alario for her love and care of Pierre all these years. Paula has had to have put down four dawgs and a few horses over time. Later that day we watched some great football with a roaring fire in the fireplace and attempted to reluctantly put away the rest of the Christmas decoration…

We did… First cup!

Copyright 2022/Ben Bensen III

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"Omicron and golf"...

Inside Lookin' Out...

Good Twofer Tuesday Morning, all bodies.
Well, wouldn't you know it. We've got about a week here in Kissimmee and I wind up sick. I've been working on it since I got a scratchy throat almost immediately after I pruned the night jasmine to hang Christmas lights up on the trellis. C'est la vie!

And, the only thing worse then laying in bed sick on vacation was watching another NFL playoff blowout on TV. Maybe, they should rethink this "Wildcard" games concept. Three of the six games stunk!

So my sister and Tee are out and about checking the amenities and perks and I'm sitting here with a third cup laughing my ass off at the goings on just outside the living room window.

The window overlooks a golf course and it is so entertaining. On the one side of the rough is the green and on the other side of the rough is another green. In between is a whole lotta lost golf balls because the rough is a swamp full of marsh grass, lily pads, and shore birds.

So funny to watch the myriad of golf swing styles not to mention the care with which they "address" the little white projectile!

An occasional buzzard circles looking for decayed balls. Two huge sandhill cranes landed on the narrow green and blithely turn their heads as two golf balls zoomed right past the patio window. A minute or two, two guys got out of their cart and started searching for those misguided golf balls. I think one was found!

Off in the distance, on the other side of the rough, a golfer gets out of his cart with club in hand searching left and right poking the marsh grass for his faux pas! So funny!

The dude tippy toes his way further toward the green's edge scattering a bunch of white egrets. I watched for over five minutes and never saw him bend over to retrieve the ball nor did I see a shrug of his shoulders before he climbed back in the cart to drive away!

No more cups... Might be time for some wine!
Copyright 2022/ Ben Bensen III

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"Get Off The Stick!"

Get Hip...

 Good "more than you wanna know" Wednesday Morning, y'all.

All I did was compliment this woman's turtleneck and the next thing I know, she telling all about her businesses, her children and their art, and her love for the city of Nashville.

To distract her "marketing mania" I made the mistake of showing her my new artwork hanging on the wall behind her. (That makes person number six that went up to "Bird Cage" in an attempt to touch the galvanized panels.)

"Yeh, said Eric with a smirk on his face. "That's Ben's work behind you and it's there because it helps him claim the sofa chair you're sitting in!"

"No, no, no, I said as she was prepared to change seats.

"That spot is first come, first serve, ma'am" I'm just late to the coffeehouse."

After twenty minutes of her marketing strategies, like an idiot, I opened my laptop to show her my work. She was incredulous, but all it did was to spur her onward preaching to me that I need to get off the stick and get on to Instagram and TicTock and "get yourself an agent or get on FASO to let everyone know who you are!"

Thankfully, she had to leave at 10am to meet her boyfriend who's doing something important somewhere here in Folsom. And, to think that I was debating what to write in today's post... Ha!

Let's see... Now, where was I?

First cup!

Copyright 2021/Ben Bensen III