memoirs

I went through a huge pile of files recently and came across a lot of old sketches. Here are some of them.

These days I'm usually doodling cartoons in my sketchbooks, but I used to spend more time sketching people and places. It is kind of interesting to look back on these sketches, of places and times I might never have remembered if they weren't drawn.

These are from when I had various jobs helping elderly people. The guy in the top drawing is from the "senior class," a group of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Another Senior Class member... I remember this guy was always flirting with the ladies.

I spent many long hours as a "companion." I had the idea that this job would consist of playing checkers with old folks, chatting about the good old days. Not quite, these were all people who were very angry that their families wanted someone to stay with them, and very very uninterested in me being there. These are sketches from Mrs. Waasdorp's apartment. She would watch TV all day, either the news or golf. It's a good thing I had my sketchbook.




I cleaned house and did laundry for a lady named Grace. I was sitting outside waiting for laundry to dry when I drew this. I still can't draw cars.
Grace was my favorite... she always appreciated my help. I even did some grocery shopping for her. She liked to eat sardines. Her apartment was jammed full of things ordered from the home shopping network, and piles of magazines of all kinds, all unread. All this, she claimed, was the work of the evil "lady upstairs," who ordered these things and had them all sent to Grace's apartment.

Grace said this sketch does not look like her, but actually it does. Except I made her nose too big.


Here's a sketch of the lobby in the main retirement home. I was sitting with a woman after chasing her all over the building, and she finally gave up. After I came to her apartment and said I would be with her that evening, she made a dash for it. After ten years, I can finally see the humor in this.