Latest Panhandler Paintings

I just came off 14 consecutive days at work without a break. Saturday I brought my paints in with me to work, then headed off afterwards to do another painting. When I stepped out of the office I saw Gary, the Desert Storm vet, whose wife Whitney is very ill with cancer. I’ve been trying to paint her for the past two years but something always comes up. I asked Gary if she was around and he asked to borrow my cell phone, called her and said I was looking to paint her. I bought some lunch and as I was sitting in the restaurant eating when Whitney called. She asked if I could paint her tomorrow (i.e., Sunday), which I was kind of reluctant to do because as I said, I had worked 14 days straight and was looking forward to doing absolutely nothing for a change. Anyway I told her I’d be in town around 1 and would call her. Then I went out to find a portrait subject.

Rosie and David were sitting on a blanket near the Coop. Their schtick was their three guinea pigs which got a lot of attention from passersby.

Note the one on David’s neck. I hadn’t budgeted for two models but Rosie was very grateful to get $15 from me. When I turned around I saw I was being watched by an older street person who had a sign: “Old Books / 19th Century Newspapers $5.” Naturally I went over to check out his wares. We had a little conversation about old coins and he forced a 1943 steel penny on me. Also had a chat with some guy from the local community TV station who asked if I wanted to do an interview. Recognition!

On Sunday I caught the 11:45 out of Mansfield and got to Harvard Square a little after 1. I called Whitney. She said “But that isn’t today.” I said “Oh yes it is.” She said she couldn’t do it because her apartment had been broken into and she was waiting to meet with the police. We agreed to touch base later. As a result I painted

Laurel.

Laurel was one of the saddest looking panhandlers I’ve seen. Her sign stated that she was the homeless mother of four and a victim of domestic violence. I gave her my little speech, which is designed to reassure my subject that I’m not planning anything creepy and establishes the financial basis for a transaction. In her case it went like this:

“Are you going to be here for a while?”

[wordless nod]

“Would you like to make ten dollars?”

[more vigorous but wordless nod]

“I am doing a series of portraits of panhandlers here in Harvard Square. I would like to set up my easel and paint you. It takes about two or three hours.”

Laurel become progressively more forthcoming as the painting session continued. She told me about her ex-husband, who beat her until she left. And her recent boyfriend whom she had known since childhood who suddenly became abusive after she moved in with him. At one point she mischievously flipped her sign around to show the message she displayed to guys who propositioned her:

“I am not a whore, asshole.”

At one point a passing woman said to her “If you’re homeless, why did you have four children?” then quickly scurried away. Laurel became, quite rightly, irate. Meanwhile more drama was going on across the street. A scruffy-looking white guy was screaming the N-word at a black guy at the bus stop. The black guy went after him and his wife/girlfriend grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back. Eventually the white guy took off.

I finished my painting of Laurel. She looked at it and said “Yep, that’s me.” I packed up my stuff and headed for Harvard Square T station. When I was going down the escalator I saw the scruffy-looking white guy sitting on the floor, hands cuffed behind his back, screaming obscenities at the three cops who were arresting him. There are a million stories in the naked city and this has been one of them.

Asking for Trouble

OK, I probably shouldn’t have done this. I was sitting on the trolley this morning on my way to work when I noticed the outfit of the guy in front of me exactly matched his cup of McDonald’s coffee. His shirt was the exact shade of orange of the coffee cup, he was wearing brown pants that matched the brown square with the logo in it and he was wearing a cream colored jacket that matched the McDonald’s M. Essentially he looked like this:

http://www.cssfirm.com/2011/09/30/the-hot-coffee-legacy/

I couldn’t help it. I said “I’m sorry, is today ‘dress like your cup of coffee’ day?” He looked at me blankly but his female companion looked him over and started to laugh. “Oh my God, he’s right, you’re dressed exactly like your cup of coffee! Who notices stuff like that?” The car cleared out a little and they started to move away, with her still laughing. “Sorry if I embarrassed you” I called after him. “That’s OK” he replied distantly.

Interesting Painting Day

Interesting painting day Saturday. I had started a landscape in Cambridge a few weeks ago but didn’t finish it that day, which is unusual for me. So I brought it and a blank canvas into town yesterday where I proceeded to wreck the painting (weak, unresolved). As I stood there at least half a dozen people asked me if I knew where Harvard University was. Each time I wordlessly pointed to my right, since I was standing across the street from Harvard Yard. The homeless people came and went, and at one point a young college-y looking fellow stopped, opened an abandoned free newspaper stand and put a large paperback book inside. Fifteen minutes later another college-y looking fellow showed up and took the book out and put it in his bag. I can’t help but wonder what that was about. Drugs? Plutonium? Plans for the next OWS protest? None of my business.

I went to grab some lunch and ran into a female panhandler I’ve been wanting to paint for quite a while. Unfortunately she was leaving so I’ll be on the lookout for her. Her cancer is in remission, which is good news. As I was walking down the street a guy stopped me and asked for directions to Fenway Park. I said “Take the Red Line to Park Street and…” He said “No, no, I mean by car.” I said I couldn’t help but that he was letting himself in for a world of trouble trying to drive from Harvard Square to Fenway Park. He said “OK, how about Faneuil Hall then?” I said “You’d really be better off parking your car and taking the T.” He said “Then can you recommend a good place to eat around here? Not a Panera, an authentic Cambridge eatery.” I said “Oh sure, try Grendel’s Den, it’s about a two block walk from here” and gave him directions. I started to walk away, glanced back and saw him and his friends getting into their car. I went back and said “It really is a short walk and you will get totally lost if you try to drive there. I’ll even walk you over there, since it’s on my way.” They got in their car and left.

I ended up doing a painting of Michael, a distinguished looking guy about my age who carries a “Seeking Human Kindness” sign. I’m always concerned that my being there is going to interfere with my subject’s panhandling activities but he assured me that business was booming thanks to my presence. One guy said “Let me look at your eyes,” reassured himself that Michael wasn’t on drugs, then gave him a twenty with the comment “I used to be homeless too.” Michael’s story is that he used to be a construction supervisor, had a slight stroke and when he recovered, his job, his money and his home were gone. His plan is to save his dough, then head out to Montana where the oil business is booming. Nice guy. I wish him luck.

Michael