S

idewalk Artist Catches Gerry

 

July 3, 1999











French flag




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The Artist

For years it has been a tradition to get your sketch done in the Place du Tertre in the heights of Montmartre. Now there are so many tourists in Paris that enough artists can't possibly fit there and draw them all. That at least could be the explanation why poor and budding artists are now found all over the city.

On July 3rd we went with Sue and Phil Capstick to see the Palais de Chaillot. As we started to walk across the bridge to the Eiffel tower we saw six or seven of these artists at work. They must have been desperate because this is hardly the most crowded tourist site. We stopped to watch for a moment and got sucked in. The guy who got Gerry's ear seemed by looks to be a Korean. He spoke very little English or French but he kept up a good patter trying to get customers. Gerry hadn't had a drawing done of him since his Caltech days, so he was interested. Bargaining reduced the price from the asked 500 F ($80) to 100 F ($16). (Later, we overheard other bouts of bargaining going on. The final price always seemed to be 100F!)

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The Subject

Gerry sat down with the promise that it would only take ten minutes to do. About 40 minutes later the picture was done. During the forty minutes Gerry only saw the artist concentrating on his work, every once in a while looking up at Gerry. Gerry wanted to walk around to the other side and see how things were going. That wasn't on. The artist seemed to be pretty intent on his work. This represents less than the half way point.

Jan was watching and taking these pictures. She thought a pretty good likeness was developing. After the session was over a fellow who had been watching came over to Gerry and asked him what he'd paid. Gerry told him 100 F. The fellow made an offer of 100 F to the artist, it was immediately accepted, and before we were gone the artist was at work again.

We walked over to the Eiffel tower and found that the line was at least an hour long. Too bad that Jan, Sue, and Phil didn't spent their time in that line rather than waiting for Gerry







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Getting Started
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Lots done


he Result: Gerry In Charcoal
The Result: Gerry In Charcoal



February 26, 2003