"Just A Spot Of Tea"...

Taking a break from my larger painting, I decided to go ahead and sit in a comfortable chair and sketch something different since today is the day I try to get something new drawn.  The ellipses were many but I didn't obsess over them. It was just for fun. This is a sketch of a miniature tea set that bought when I was in San Francisco working for Saturn.

I had been away for about a week and thought it’d be a cute gift to give to Therese who, at that time, was really into different kinds of tea.

Copyright2025/BenBensenIII

"Sketching A Toy Model"

 Good "westful wetweet" Sunday Morning, all bodies.

It was a real stressful time getting one painting on the wall of the Abita En Plein Air show, so I decided to cool it for the morning at Giddy Up, yesterday.

Tee, having little stomach distress like the night before, decided to have a good time the Car Show at Magnolia Park with her Kiwanis crowd most of the day.

Later, in the afternoon, after attempting to replenish the hummingbird feeder and breaking it, I went to the "Backyard Birds" in Covington to buy a new one and stock up on some mealworms. I always find a good time there.

https://www.facebook.com/BackyardBirdsandGardens/store

It was a good day for a drive so we decided to get some of the best ice cream on the Northshore at, what used to be, "Just Chillin'". Therese did the driving!

Yum!

One of the three sketches I did yesterday was of a closeup of my P-38 model that hangs on the studio wall. It turned out quite nicely. I don't know why I haven't yet drawn the entire collection after all these years.

Copyright2025/BenBensenIII

"WidowMaker!"

 Good Wednesday Morning, all bodies.

This is my entry for Monday's sketch group at Giddy Up. It is a pinecone from the three we brought home here in Folsom from SoCal half a decade ago. It is from the Coulter pine tree.

Coulter pines produce the largest cones of any pine species, and people are advised to wear hardhats when working in Coulter pine groves. The large size of the cones, combined with the claw-like scales, has earned them the nickname "widowmakers" among locals.

The pines prefer higher elevations along the California Coastal Range like the Los Padres National Forest, and the San Bernardino Mountains. I found a grove of these trees on Mt. Wilson in and around the Mt. Wilson Observatory while biking up there and decided to bring a few home with me!

First cup reheated!

Copyright 2025/BenBensenIII

"Behind The Glass"

 

Good "sketchie" Thursday Morning, all bodies.

Yesterday, while attempting to coordinate our schedules, we had to drive thirty miles or so back from Mandeville to Folsom for an appointment that we both thought would take fifteen or twenty minutes.

It took over an hour and I ended up cancelling a later doctor's appt. in the process. But, I made the best use of my time by sketching the woman behind the glass with the many reflections of the admit window. I couldn't get as involved as what my eyes saw because I didn't know when Tee would be finished with her doctor.

Cutting corners actually made it a more interesting piece!

Copyright 2025/BenBensenIII

"As She Poured Me A Second Cup"...

 Well, good TBT Thursday Morning, y'all.

I arrived at GiddyUp first thing to get an early start on the day and spend some time creating a post about my storyboard days, but I didn't expect Badass to show up a day after the funeral of his wife.

"Hey Ben, you here kinda early, he said.

"My daughter and I really appreciate the card, man!"

I bought a sympathy card and was gonna mail it to Larry, but Therese suggested we just bring to the funeral... I'm glad we did!

Larry introduced Tee and me to two of his three kids. It was good to put the faces on to the many conversations Larry and I had about his family. I felt it necessary to apologize for not staying very long. Tee had a conflicting doctor's appointment, but he was just thankful that we decided to make it.

I was very surprised to see him at Giddy Up

I didn't want to say something like "What the hell are doing here today" but instead asked him what his plans were for the morning.

"I planned to have a cinnamon roll and some coffee, take it to the cemetery, and visit my Peggy," he said.

"Well, that's not a bad idea, man! Why don't you grab a seat while you're waiting for the cinnamon roll?"

He sat with me for a little over an hour, eating, staring and talking about the funeral service. He seemed at peace with it all. With a big sigh, he looked at his watch, got up and moseyed out the front door.

Mary, "don't call me a barista," O'Day, asked me where I've been as she poured me a second cup.

Well, lately, lots of early morning doctor appointments, but yesterday, I said, Tee and I went to Larry's wife's funeral!"

WHAT? When did all this happen? Why didn't Larry tell someone? Ya know his wife's been sick for years," she announced.

"Oh that's so sad," she said.

Luckily, Badass was long gone and just the way he'd probably prefer it... Montana beckons?

Second cup!

Copyright 2025/Ben Bensen III

"Memoirs?"

On site sketch...

 Good cloudy Friday Morning, all bodies.

A few days ago, I got to the coffeehouse late kinda on purpose. I just wanted to sit outside, catch some sun and have a late morning dark roast.

As I walked toward the door, I noticed a rather well dressed middle age woman sporting a pageboy hair style scribbling notes in a spiral bound notebook. I said hello and she looked up and replied. When I came back out with my coffee in hand, I noticed that there wasn't too many pages left to her notebook. It was almost time for another book.

"Memoirs?" I asked. It seems lately that many people, usually middle aged, are writing down their thoughts. I noticed four people doing it in the last couple of days. Interesting!

"No, she said. I belong to a self help group and writing down my thoughts is part of the therapy."

The woman told me the name of the group that she belongs to, but it went into one ear and out the other.

"You know, it's a group that helps people with their insecurities. Some need more help because of substance abuse, alcohol, oxycontin, and the like!"

"Some recuperating from childhood trauma, divorce, and spousal abuse!"

"I just jot down my thoughts about my perceptions," she continued.

As she put her head back down toward her thoughts she said, "I have lots of insecurities!

Trying to find my out of the conversation, I replied.

"I guess we all do, ma'am." I prefer to try to sketch them away!"

I grabbed a table, kicked up my feet and slowly sipped my coffee. It was a warm breezy morning with fluffy white clouds separating the blue. An unplugged outside fan's blades gently turned with the wind occasionally spinning faster as the speed of the wind changed.

Copyright 2025/ Ben Bensen III

"Because He Had An Interesting Face!"

A Giddy Up sketch

 Good "sunny" Sunday Morning, y'all.

Yesterday, I had a fun time with what I call, "The Demo Flyboys" very early in the morning. Besides talking about Boeing's vertical stabilizers in the early years, we also laughed about our teenage awkwardness with dating.

Three hours went by fast. So fast that I forgot to use my Giddy Up gift card to buy Tee's breakfast. (They sell a great Greek Frittata!) I felt bad returning home without breakfast, so I returned to the coffeehouse to pickup that frittata, and while waiting in my favorite "saddle" I noticed this very white haired man with an Andy Warhol hair cut scrolling madly on his iPhone.

His quiet intensity was just begging a sketch, and because I was sporting my briefcase, I had just the right tools to capture him, and the time to do it.

Tee enjoyed her frittata and I was happy with my time well spent.

First cup... old Giddy Up coffee from yesterday!

Copyright2025/Ben BensenIII