Bruce Springsteen and Jann Wenner

They talked, I drew

On my walk in NYC yesterday, I stopped by Bryant Park, which is a lovely spot behind the main NYC library at 42nd St and Fifth Avenue. It’s my favorite park and I think I’m not alone in that feeling. People were everywhere, sitting and eating, having meetings, resting. I found a seat with a table and an extra chair to put my feet up on. I drew this couple. Here is the video of the drawing being made.

I was en route to the NYC venue known for culture and celebrity interview pairings, the 92 NY, to live draw Bruce Springsteen and Jann Wenner. All kidding aside, it’s a wonderful place and they have fascinating talks and I am thrilled that they like my live-drawing and give me a press pass for any event. (I’m also doing a virtual class there in the fall on the history of The New Yorker cartoon! More on that in another post…)

I got a seat in the middle of an aisle, near the front, which was fantastic. And off to the side, also important for drawing. It’s easier for me to draw people in profile. The place soon became packed with aging hippies (I am too young to have been a hippie, but I was on the cusp of it so I was well aware of them!). I drew these two having an animated conversation.

It’s always a little awkard for me, drawing people while in the midst of people. I tend to try to find a spot off to the side where no one can see what I’m doing, but when that’s not possible, I have to deal if I wanted to live draw. Next, to keep myself warmed up— and to sort of let my fellow row mates know that I was going to be doing something strange, like drawing on a mini-iPad all night— I did another drawing.

You’ll notice I am very rough in the drawing, in part because I am just doing the drawing as an impression of what I’m seeing and what’s going on, and not meant to be highly polished (not that my stuff is ever in that vein).

And then I drew the security guard, he was basically right in front of me and standing still. How could I not draw him?

Finally, Bruce and Jann walked onstage to the roar of the audience. And yes, some howled BRUUUUUCCCEE! Thankfully, Bruce was on the left, so I was in full view of his iconic profile. He was the interviewer, Jann the subject, because Wenner has a new book out about his life and the founding of Rolling Stone. The point of the event, actually.

I was not able to capture any words; it was so conversational, there were no real sound bites to speak of. But I did capture the one below—Bruce is a very funny guy, and regularly makes fun of himself.

It was a very enjoyable evening, exciting to see Bruce up close. I have been a huge fan for decades, ever since I saw him perform at the No Nukes Concert in Madison Square Garden in 1979! I had not heard of him before and fell in love with Bruce and Clarence Clemmons, the sax player.

Live-drawing gets me to such interesting places, and I am incredibly grateful. I have partnered with many clients-- news media, non-profits, business conferences. Small groups of 10 people at a board meeting, or 500+ people at a conference. Some of my clients include: CBS, The New Yorker, CNN, The New York Times, Fusion, Stanford U, Nextdoor, PenAmerica, Human Rights Foundation, ICFJ, Eurostat, Hindustan Times, Deutsche Bank, Georgetown U, etc. I have drawn the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, DNC, Inauguration, galas, festivals, marches, intimate meetings and I've even live-drawn weddings! It has taken me all over the world, and I hope it will again.

I like to describe it as quiet form of opinion journalism.