I went to a Drink and Draw in the Milk District and parked on a side street. When I left the event I noticed a bright orange glow and decided to change my route home and drive towards the light. On Kilgore between Primrose and Graham I found this lawn littered with graves and a skeletal dragon. Since I had already done a sketch for the night I wanted to get home but I made a mental note to return the next night.
On Hallows Eve I returned and parked a short distance away, not wanting to block the view. I considered sketching from across the street but a neighbor had on a bright light which I considered a distraction. Instead, I sat right on the curb and started to catch as much of the scene as I could. Fairly early in the sketch, I noticed the owner of the home walk out looking at his cell phone. I figured he must have seen me from inside and wanted to see what I was up to.
He later related that his cat had been acting strange and so he wanted to see why. He then noticed birds chirping which was strange since it was nighttime. When he got to the end of his driveway I decided to say hello. He nearly jumped out of his skin, a reaction I hadn’t expected. He hadn’t seen me until I spoke up. He later said that he thought I was seated in a wheel chair. I must have been a ghostly apparition. Then we joked and talked for a while. I told him about my childhood memories of carving hundreds of pumpkins each Halloween for my families annual display.
Most of the figures on his lawn are action motivated. The dragon’s eyes light up and he opens his mouth to hiss. The skeletal cat and skeleton leaning against a gravestone do much the same. Neighbor walked by to check out the display, and Pam Schwartz joined me to check out the display. She chatted to people as I sketched. It was a friendly relaxing neighborhood gathering.
Love the sketch!