Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Portrait in Poughkeepsie


Whenever I meet an interesting stranger, I try to work up the courage to ask them to pose for an impromptu portrait. I was standing next to a pool table in Poughkeepsie when this guy from Northern Ireland named “Pockets” came up and challenged me to a game. It wasn’t long before he saw what a lousy player I am.

He took pity on me and gave me a few pointers on pool and on life. “My daddy always told me before he left this stinkin’world,” he said, “Always chalk the stick!”

After the game he agreed to pose, standing stock-still just two feet away, staring like a cobra. The tattoos around his eyes were a little unnerving.

3 comments:

skyking said...

Mr. Gurney,as i look at your sketch, i can feel the unnerving feeling you described from your encounter; the dark bursts from around the eye. Your words and picture go hand in hand. I'm impressed, rather admiring how precisely you captured that moment in time.

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Obat Asam Urat said...

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