It was very hot again today, and I sketched this in the shade in Central Park, Davis (not the one in New York), looking over to where they hold the farmer’s market. But man, I got pissed off while doing it.
I had just finished the ink part and was working on the watercolour wash, headphones on and listening to pavement; i was getting a little irritated by the rising heat, and starting to get the uncomfortable impression that the bench I’d chosen had been previously slept in by someone very smelly, when a woman approached across the green and called out, “What are you drawing?”
“Eh?” I said as I looked up, thinking that was a pretty rude way of being nosey. “What are you drawing?” she repeated. I always hate that question because it’s usually obvious, I’m drawing what’s right in front of me. “That,” I replied, pointing ahead of me.
“Are you drawing the children?” she then demanded. This wasn’t the usual ‘I’m interested in art’ nosiness. She had apparently come from a group of mothers and babies sat across the park, and was referring to the young kids playing further across the park, about fifty yards from me. “Are you drawing the children?” she repeated. “No,” I replied, showing her my sketchbook (which I didn’t have to do). The only person in the picture was the back of some woman’s head, who’d happened to sit there for a bit while I was drawing, and I’d quickly included because of the great bike: very ‘Davis’.
“So you’re not drawing the children? What are you drawing?” I was a bit stunned, confused why I had to justify this to a complete stranger. “I’m drawing the park. I’m not drawing children, I don’t tend to draw moving things.”
“Are you drawing the play-structure?” she then said. “I’m drawing this” I repeated, showing her the picture. “So you’re not drawing the play structure?” I really didn’t like what she was getting at one little bit. And then she said: “It’s just you are making the mothers a bit nervous.”
And then she walked off, back to her group. I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to go up to this group and tell them just how offended I was, that they should think about the implications of what they are saying before making that sort of accusatory confrontation, and that they owe me an apology (because she did not apologize before). I decided there was no point. It did affect the rest of the wash to be honest, I could have done a better job of it. I mean, a sketcher sketching in the park, with his little paint set, who is not even sat anywhere near their children? Plus the fact that I was there first! I was sketching before they even got there! I felt victimized to be honest, and angry. It is one thing to be protective of your children; I have a six month old baby myself, I know. My wife meets with similar groups in this very park. It is something else entirely to go about confronting innocent strangers the way that woman did. The “you can’t be too careful” argument does not fit with this sort of “everyone’s a danger, I don’t care who I offend” attitude. If it was someone taking photos of a group of kids, yes, I’d say that’s justified. But a sketching artist in a park at lunchtime, minding his own business and sitting nowhere near them? If I’d been writing into a notebook, or had nothing there at all, would they have bothered me?
As someone who draws every day (not to mention someone who normally avoids adding people to my drawings), I’m pretty upset about this. It’s the sort of thing that makes you not want to draw at all.
petescully 
That’s crap, Pete – but most people aren’t that ridiculous. I hope.
Disgusting. Sorry you had to go through that!
I sometimes do sketch children in parks, and the possibility of this nonsense is always at the back of my mind.
Good job keeping your cool and not just whacking her in the face your book after she asked the third time.
Oh, and nice drawing! I really like the different layers going into the distance.
Pete: this makes me crazy. Davis parents are one notch above entitled and feel the need to shove their kids’ perceived needs (in this case, a spurious safety) above ANYTHING else going on around them. It’s not like you were taking photos of the kids running through the fountains with no clothes on, for God’s sake.
I’d write this entry, verbatim, as a letter to the local paper. (Well you’d have a better chance of getting it printed if it was shorter.)
I think some of your irritation did show up in that green, but I like it anyway.
I know this very park Pete, and Davis parents are just over the top. You should be offended because she was rude, without excuse. I agree with Pica that you should submit this post to the paper. Some people are just rude and we can’t change them. I’m sorry if affected your drawing, your outlet, your artistic expression. Karma in the end my friend, Karma in the end.
Infuriating.
But you absolutely cover it with the line….
“The “you can’t be too careful” argument does not fit with this sort of “everyone’s a danger, I don’t care who I offend” attitude.”
I know someone who has been verbally attacked for saying hello to a small child on the Tube in London. What kind of message does that pass on to the child?
Infuriating, small-minded, insulting, damaging. And infectious. (Oh, how I love the media).
cheers for your comments. i keep thinking of things i should have said back to her now, but i’m also glad i didn’t bother arguing. It just seems mental to me, I mean how could I even draw kids from that distance? I don’t think the telephoto moleskine sketchbook has been invented yet.
Rude people who think they own evrything around them and can control other people’s actions just piss me off too. I usually feel like I have to defend myself while I’m sketching in public. Like we are doing something wrong or we’re freaks because we carry a sketchbook.
What happened to you was wrong! But what would even be worse is if it caused you to quit drawing and sharing your wonderful sketches with those of us who are learning. Unknowing to you, you have inspired many, many days to keep drawing and to improve my skills. There will always be rude people in the world. Draw them too.
Oh Pete! I was on our local beach with my husband the other week. There were lots of people on the beach, mostly family groups. I was taking photos of the general scene, because I wanted some reference photos, but my husband asked me to put the camera away because I might offend people who may think I was photographing their children! It wasn’t like him to think like that, so he must have seen someone looking ‘askance’ and wanted to avoid a confrontation. I felt really uncomfortable and we went home shortly afterwards.
It is indeed a sad world…made so by impolite, ignorant people such as the one you encountered today.
You’ve done nothing wrong Pete, don’t allow her to make you feel as though you have. :)
Thank you all for your kind comments. Kay: sorry to hear that, that’s really sad, and ironic too, since most of the UK seems to be under permanent camera surveillance these days. You certainly shouldn’t be made to feel uncomfortable taking pictures on that most picture-worthy of things, a summer beach.
I guess you could have asked her for ID or taken a “who wants to know?”
response, but it would have been a losing battle anyway. Another self-appointed
guardian of the public welfare, another offshoot of our media and Washington-
driven fear & trembling popular culture.
That’s so ridiculous! To be honest, I’d like to see more people sketching on park benches! Kudos to you for staying put and not letting her drive you out.
I know, I always love seeing people out sketching the world. I should have asked to see an ID. OH there’s all sorts of things I should have said but yes, losing battle, glad I didn’t bother.