FACE 2019 Trip Report

The 2019 Figurative Art Convention and Expo was an amazing experience, and I am so glad that I went.  However, the final schedule I got just a few days before I was scheduled to leave threatened the entire trip.  I was down for costume modeling for three days, including both open studio sessions.  I was going to extraordinary effort and expense to get to this event in Williamsburg, Virginia, driving all the way from Fort Worth, Texas, and that effort just wasn't worth it to me if I had to remain in a costume the entire time.  I was going to be surrounded by some incredible figurative artists for this event, and to not have the opportunity for any of them to draw me as the real me, without any costumes or clothes, was not something I could fathom.

I did reach out to the person coordinating the models and those open studios, and the schedule was changed.  I would have to leave a day earlier than planned, but she offered me the chance to model for the first day of Daniel Maidman's pre-convention workshop.  Daniel Maidman was an artist I had followed for almost ten years, so I jumped at the chance to work with him.  She also changed one of my open studio nights to nude modeling rather than costumed.

I had everything packed for the trip Thursday morning when I went to work at my regular job.  I left work early to model for an afternoon class at the University of Texas at Arlington.  When that class ended, I drove straight from there to Little Rock, Arkansas, where I got a room for the night.

I left the hotel in Little Rock at just before six AM and drove through the rest of Arkansas, all of Tennessee, and most of Virginia until I reached Williamsburg.  My total miles driven that day was 1,018, which was a personal record for me, especially with no one else traveling with me.  That record wouldn't last long though.

The workshop with Daniel Maidman was a wonderful experience.  Not only is he an incredible artist, he is also a genuinely nice guy.  There were about fifteen students in the workshop, and I wound up doing no less than five different poses throughout the day.  Daniel's first drawing of me is my favorite.  I liked it so much that I wound up buying it after the trip.  I also got photos of me with Daniel Maidman and a photo of the entire class that day.

 I was fitted with a colonial costume for my second day at FACE and was one of two models at an outdoor painting session just prior to the opening ceremony.  Here are a few photos of that outdoor session:

On my third day, I didn't have any modeling scheduled until the evening studio session, so I drove out to Jamestown and saw the site of the original settlement.  There was even an archaeology team out there working while I was there.

I was to model in that costume during the first open studio night. It was as hot in that costume under the studio lights as I had feared.  The session lasted five hours, with breaks for the models every 20 minutes and a longer break for dinner about three-fifths of the way through the night.  All the models were on the same schedule.  There were five of us: a portrait, costumed male and female, and nude male and female.  I did a standing pose so that the artists could see the entire costume.  I wound up taking the heavy coat off during every break.  There were at least 100 people in the studio (which was normally a hotel ballroom), and the energy in the room was almost electric.  Here are some photos from that first studio night:

The second studio night was one of the most amazing experiences of my 35 year modeling career.  I got to model in my pure state rather than in costume, so the energy I had felt in the room the previous night was just heightened.  Joe, the other male model there and the nude male on the first studio night, had taken a seated pose that first session.  Many of the artists drawing and painting him had done portraits.  I wanted to encourage more figurative works, so I chose a standing pose.  Patricia Watwood, an amazing artist from New York, was the faculty person who helped mark and light my pose.  She would also act as mentor for the attendees drawing or painting me.  I was beyond thrilled when she sat down later in the night and did a quick sketch of me.  Here is that sketch:

The studio organizer, at my request, took several photos of me in the pose and texted them to me.  Some of these are suitable for posting on Facebook and Instagram, but some are not.  Since this is my blog and since I believe in the goodness and purity of the nude human form, I am including everything here, along with some shots of the paintings done of that pose.

That last painting was by San Francisco artist Eva Strauss-Rosen, and she surprised me by offering the painting to me as a gift.  She said that she couldn't get it on the plane while the paint was still wet, so I gladly accepted it.  I will be getting it framed soon.

The studio session ended at 11:00 PM.  Once I got dressed and got the check for the modeling work I had done throughout the convention, I bid everyone a fond farewell and went back to my hotel to try to get four hours of sleep.  I got up and was in my car at 4:04 AM (which was 3:04 AM Central time).  I drove a southerly route, through the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana and made a grand total of four stops along the way.  I arrived home in Fort Worth at 11:47 PM CST.  1,391 miles in 20 hours and 43 minutes.  I don't recommend that level of extreme driving, especially after only four hours of sleep, but I was out of vacation time and needed to be at work the next day.

As stated in past blog posts, I started modeling in November 1984.  This trip was my 35th anniversary gift to myself, and it was just an amazing experience.  It was so amazing that I just had to share all of these photos of the event with everyone who visits this blog.  And in addition to the amazing modeling experience, I was able to sell several copies of my novel Life Models at the convention (at least double what I had expected when I planned the trip). 

FACE 2019

Next month, November 6th to be exact, will mark 35 years since I first modeled for a figure drawing session.  It's still difficult for me to believe that I am old enough to have done anything professionally that long.  And honestly, I am only 53 now since I got such an early start modeling.

To celebrate those 35 years, I will be traveling to Williamsburg, Virginia to model at the Figurative Art Convention and Expo.  FACE 2019 runs from November 10th through the 13th, and on the evenings of the 11th and 12th, they have what they are calling the "world's largest art studio" with up to a dozen models posing on different platforms, some clothed and some nude.  The whole thing sounds like so much fun that I just had to apply to be one of those models.  Yes, I will almost definitely spend more on the trip than I will make at the convention, but I'll also be able to write off as business expenses a lot more than I spend on my taxes thanks to the standard rate of mileage expenses on Schedule C.  All in all, there were just too many reasons for me to do this than there were to skip it.

Check out the FACE 2019 website at:  https://figurativeartconvention.com/

And check out this promotional video here:

Life Models

My novel Life Models has been live and for sale in paperback and Kindle editions for about a month now.  I was very pleased that the artist Katy Hamilton allowed me to use her incredible drawing of me as the "author photo" on the back cover of the paperback edition.  The book is available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733090800

And here is the full paperback cover:

New book "Life Models" Cover Reveal

My novel Life Models is finally coming in early July, and I wanted to reveal the cover here in my long neglected art modeling blog.  So here it is...

Audio Book is On Sale!

It has been awhile since I updated this blog.  I am still modeling, but it seems as if the modeling work has slowed down lately.  I've also switched careers in my full time work, which may make taking more modeling gigs difficult, but I can never give up modeling.

The good news now is that the audio edition of The "Volunteer" is now out.  Danielle, the main character in the novel, takes up modeling for art classes during the story.  Here are the links to purchase the audiobook:

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/The-Volunteer-A-Novel/dp/B077YR8NSY/

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Erotica-Sexuality/The-Volunteer-Audiobook/B0785NJCZN/

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/the-volunteer-a-novel-unabridged/id1322630342

Upcoming Audiobook

I am very happy to announce that the audio book edition of The “Volunteer” is now in production.  It is being narrated by the talented voice actor Loral Miller, who sounds like I envisioned Dani’s voice sounding.  We hope to have the audio book live on Amazon and Audible.com some time in March.  The “Volunteer” continues to be available in paperback and Kindle editions, of course.  In the meantime, here is the cover for the upcoming audio edition…

Carrie Fisher (from my author blog)

I posted this on my author blog at http://dhjonathan.com but I thought I would post it here too...

Like most people my age, I grew up watching the Star Wars movies.  The original was released the summer before I turned eleven years old.  Six years later, I was better able to appreciate that slave girl outfit that Princess Leia was forced to wear by Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi.  She looked stunning, but then again, she had always looked stunning in the Star Wars movies in spite of the strange other-worldly hairstyles.

I never had serious aspirations to act, although I did participate in my high school theater club.  Writing was always my passion and my goal in life.  I started countless novels while finishing only a few, but everything I wrote was part of my education as a writer.  Four years after Return of the Jedi, Carrie Fisher published her first novel, Postcards from the Edge.  I remember picking it up in the bookstore and looking at the author photo, realizing that the person who had played Princess Leia was so much more than that character, and that that person had some of the same dreams that I had.  That she had persevered long enough to finish a novel and see its publication while also continuing an acting career was a great inspiration to me.

I saw Carrie Fisher last year at a Comic Con in Dallas.  The line to get her autograph was ridiculously long, and we had already spent way too much money at the event.  So we didn’t wait in that line.  Now, after her passing, I wish we had.  So long Carrie.  May the force be with you…

Author Blog

I have long been absent from this blog, and for that, I apologize.  I haven't modeled anywhere since the end of April, but I've been busy with an epic family vacation to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, a political campaign (I'm the Libertarian Party candidate for state representative in my district), and the publication of my debut novel.  My novel is published under my pen name, D.H. Jonathan, and is called The "Volunteer".  It is available in both paperback and Kindle editions here: https://www.amazon.com/Volunteer-Novel-D-H-Jonathan/dp/1534635246/

I've also started a new author blog for that pen name, which can be found here: http://dhjonathan.com.  It's registered via Wordpress, and I'm still trying to work my way through creating content on that platform.

The novel had its debut less than three weeks ago and has gotten a good response from readers (two five-star ratings on Goodreads.com and two reviews on Amazon, one a five-star and the other a four-star).  Because I posted a few months ago about my ongoing novel called Life Models, I do want to make it clear that The "Volunteer" is a totally different project (in fact, I wrote it while suffering writer's block on Life Models).  Life Models is still a work in progress...

I hope you'll visit me at dhjonthan.com and that you will give The "Volunteer" a try...

Life Drawing: a Novel

I have finally begun editing and rewriting the novel, called Life Models, that I started back in October 2013.  I never actually finished that first draft since the story had taken a turn that I knew would have to be drastically changed.  Because of this, my motivation just kind of petered out without putting an ending on the 84,000 word manuscript.

I retrieved the manuscript after it had lain dormant for over a year and started over at page one, revising and re-writing.  My female main character, Lydia, has undergone some radical changes from how I had written her in the first draft, which has necessitated changes throughout the story.  The plot also needed a lot more conflict to make it interesting, and these changes to Lydia help provide that.  I’m hoping to finish this draft in October so that I can start on a new project for 2015’s National Novel Writing Month.  I’ll pick up Life Models again in December for a third draft and a polish and hopefully have it ready to submit by February.

In the meantime, I’ve got a short story or two that I plan on submitting to magazines and literary journals.  To prepare for this, I bought the newly released 2016 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market.  In one of the articles about outlining in the early part of that book, a novel called Life Drawing by Robin Black was referenced.  I was immediately intrigued since the first title for my novel was Life Drawing (I changed it to Life Models in December of 2013).  In fact, I was so intrigued that I ordered a copy from Amazon and read it in about two days this past week.

I will say that Robin Black’s Life Drawing is not the type of novel I normally read, but there are similarities to Life Models.  Both are told in first person and both involve (sort of) recently widowed spouses.  Infertility also plays a part in both stories.  When I received Life Drawing in the mail, I was surprised to find a full nine pages of quotes from reviews, which made it seem to me like the publisher was trying too hard to sell the book.

Ms. Black’s novel deals with an artist who is married to a writer.  The writer’s death is alluded to in the opening pages, but the rest of the novel deals with the two of them trying to maintain their marriage after a previous infidelity.  It is the type of family drama that I normally don’t enjoy, and I didn’t think I would like Life Drawing until late in the story, when the couple takes a trip to Cape Cod.  It was their exchange on the drive there that really sucked me into the story (finally).  When the writer’s death does come, it is shocking and jarring and would have been far too much if it hadn’t been alluded to in those first pages.  The story is, ultimately, a tragedy, but it is one that I did enjoy.  I’m glad the title prompted me to buy it, although there were no scenes in an actual life drawing class, nor were there any references to drawing the nude (in spite of the woman in what appears to be a robe on the cover).

I did notice that one of the review quotes in the opening pages of Life Drawing was from author Alice Sebold, the author of The Lovely Bones.  In 2007 Ms. Sebold did write and publish a novel called The Almost Moon which features an artist’s model as the central character.  I read it a number of years ago and had mixed feelings about it.  I do recommend it, however.

On Nudity

I did a three hour standing pose last night (with breaks at regular intervals, of course), and I valued the time to just be alone in my head, letting the thoughts run through my sometimes overactive mind.  Given my physical state at the time, I started thinking about nudity in our society and how my job as an art model is perceived by the general public.  Society trains us into equating nudity with sex and that, because of this, we have to keep our bodies covered at virtually all times.  And for most people, this is a self-fulfilling condition; the sight of a nude body does generate a sexual response but only because they so rarely see it and because they expect such a response.  I have modeled nude with quite a few other models over the years (although not that often since most schools and art groups can’t afford to pay two models for the same session).  In each instance, I have taken just a very brief moment to admire my fellow model’s form and beauty (because all bodies are beautiful) before getting to work myself.  I have never felt that that admiration and appreciation of the human body has ever been sexual.  I’ve been doing this job for over 30 years, and I’ve seen quite a few other nude models and works of art created from those models.  I’ve been seen countless times myself, and at 48 years old and with a few fat layers from my full-time job sitting at a desk and looking at computer monitors, I still marvel at drawings done of me.

I do think that there is an allure to nudity because we as a society hide and cover it so much.  When people succumb to that allure, they turn to “adult” entertainment which keeps perpetuating the lie that naked bodies are only to be used for sex.  But then again, pornography itself is a lie, with atypical bodies saying and doing atypical things.  I’ve often thought that if we as a society were more open to nudity in everyday life (especially nudity of the average body and not the idealized bodies that our media almost exclusively presents us) that pornographers’ incomes would come crashing down.  But instead, our society has prohibited simple nudity from the public arena.  When singer Erykah Badu got nude on the spot where JFK was assassinated for one of her music videos, authorities in Dallas launched an investigation to find someone who witnessed it and who could be convinced to file a complaint.  Once that person was found and the complaint filed, Erykah was charged with disorderly conduct and fined.  Why go to all that trouble for a “crime” that had no victims?  It just saddens me.

30 Years!

I modeled for a figure drawing class for the very first time on November 6, 1984. Last night, at an anatomy class at the Texas Academy of Figurative Art, I finished my first 30 years of modeling. Tomorrow night, at the Friday Night Lights and Shadows painters group at Brookhaven College, I will start my second 30 years on the model stand. It is a job I love. With all the busy-ness going on in life, doing an art class is one of the few chances for me to just simply be. And when, after a long pose that causes cramping, pain, or the loss of feeling in a foot or leg, I question why I keep at it, I only have to look at the amazing and beautiful works of art that are produced.

About Modeling

It has been far too long since I added a blog post here, and for that, I apologize.  My full-time job has been taking more and more of my time, and the kids' activities even more.  Modeling jobs have seemed fewer and harder to come by with my current schedule, but I still take what I can get.

Two or three years ago, I was approached by a fellow model at the University of North Texas.  He wanted to produce a book for models detailing the profession and loaded with photos of sample poses.  I loved the idea and immediately signed on.  At first, the book was to be strictly for the models at UNT, but he also had ambitions for making it more widely available.

We did a photo shoot in one of the empty drawing studios at the university in mid-May, just after the spring semester had ended.  I did examples of short gesture poses and what would be longer ones while he snapped photos.  He had tried to get a rotating platform, but that idea had proven to be impractical.  Instead, I turned 45 degrees for each pose to get four different angles.  I did quite a few solo poses, poses with a female model, and poses with another male model.

For whatever reason, the university art department, which, according to this model/author/photographer, had at first seemed enthusiastic about the idea, soon seemed to lose interest in the project.  Still, this fellow model talked about producing a more widely available book.  Unfortunately, life intervened as it so often does, and he had to move a bit further away.  We still communicated sporadically via email, and he finally got a few spiral-bound copies of the book printed and sent to the models who had participated.

He had planned on retouching the photos to remove the backgrounds and put more highlight on the model and the poses, but he hadn't had time to do that yet.  The photos in the book I received were dark, grainy black and white images.

There were a total of seven models of various shapes and sizes photographed for the book, three males and four females.  I think I was, by quite a few years, the oldest model in the book.  When I look at my copy, I am struck by the pure beauty of the pure human form, the lines and shapes.  We are truly amazing creatures, and it sometimes makes me sad that society insists that we keep ourselves covered at virtually all times.

The book makes me proud of my almost 30 years as an art model, and it also makes me want to do my own book.  I envision a project that is part memoir, part how-to, and part photo-journal.  Rather than photos in an empty studio against a plain backdrop, I would love to illustrate it with color photos taken in an actual drawing class, with students and artists busy working.  Maybe one day...

Here's a sample page from the book I received from my former UNT colleague.  Out of respect for the other models who participated, I chose a page that featured only my solo poses.  Needless to say, the image is not quite safe for work.  Click on the image to see the full size version...

Modeling at Medical School

I got an interesting email from a professor at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.  They were conducting a special course called Topographical Anatomy: Art and its Applications for six second year students.  This professor wanted to know if I would be interested in modeling for any of six sessions.  The email then went on to describe each session along with a schedule.  There was only one evening class listed, and it was the very first session.  And that session was to take place the very next night.

I wrote back immediately and said I was very interested in that first class.  We booked it, and I showed up last night.  It was an amazing experience.  The class was held in a section of the anatomy lab.  Six easels were set up.  A local artist named Jan Friedman had been hired to help teach the students to draw proportionally.  There were also three members of the medical school faculty in the class.

The first part of the class was a two hour standing pose with the students drawing on standard drawing paper.  I don't think any of the six students had ever drawn from the figure before, and I usually like to do standing poses for people just starting out.  So even if I hadn't been asked to stand, I would have suggested it.  Here's a photo I took of part of that set up...

Once that pose ended, things got really interesting.

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."- Psalm 139:14 (ESV)  This verse came to mind as I lay on a table while the students worked.  Their job was to use body paint and draw the organs directly onto my body.  They then had to use an ultrasound and see if those drawings were in the right place.  It was amazing. I am happy to report that my gall bladder is very healthy with not a stone in sight. And my liver and kidneys all looked normal.

Here are some unedited pictures, some of which are NSFW, from that session (the drapery kept getting pushed down, but I think it was there more for the students' benefit than mine):

Trying to Be the Best

I love this job, and every booking I get, I try to do the best job possible.  I am always completely ready to go at the designated start time of each class.  For a credit course, I am rarely needed at the very beginning, but just being ready to drop the robe and start posing the second that class starts makes a difference in the eyes of the teachers and students.

I had a Drawing II class last night at UNT that I didn't want to end.  They were doing the perspective exercise I wrote about last year (http://artmodellog.blogspot.com/2013/02/perspective.html), where I had to do three poses in a rectangle on the floor, and the students had to draw each pose in the same drawing.  The instructor, a young Asian woman who was thinking about my comfort, suggested that I do the three poses in a really comfortable chair with a very high back.  There were students all around the room, and no matter which way I posed, someone was going to see much more of the chair than me.  I grabbed a tall, flat stool and told the instructor that I would pose on it.  "They need to see me more than they need to see the chair," I said.  And, I figured, they can draw a chair any time.  Their time with a live model is limited and should be maximized.  The teacher thanked me, and I did the three poses with the stool.  I think the students appreciated this as well.

Modeling Paradoxes

I modeled for another Drawing II class at the University of North Texas last night.  I left my full time job at five, drove faster than the speed limit, hurried from my car to class and arrived almost out of breath but on time at 6:00. And after moving as fast as possible to get there on time, my job then is to be as motionless as possible for long stretches. It is sometimes difficult to wind down from the rush to get to class.  The whole process seems like such a paradox.

I started thinking about another paradox with modeling for figure drawing classes.  The feeling of being nude in front of a large class is amazingly liberating.  I couldn't adequately describe it to someone who's never done it.  The paradox is in confining myself to one pose for whatever length of time is prescribed.  I've sometimes thought that people who are claustrophobic couldn't be models. That urge to move can become almost overwhelming.  The human body was made for motion, and being completely motionless is so unnatural (even when it's done in one's natural, nude state).  Perhaps that's why I love the short one or two minute gesture poses that most classes start with.  I get to be free of clothing, and I get to move with some frequency.  And maybe that's also why I really dislike doing those long, clothed portrait sessions (although I sometimes love the resulting artworks); I'm not only confined to clothing but also to one pose.  But I do the portrait sessions because I'm a professional and they are a part of the job (and in doing them, I hope to get more figure bookings).  I wonder if any scientific studies have been done on the mental makeup of a person who has modeled for art classes for as long as I have.

Laughing

I was in a drawing class at UNT tonight, in a nice, comfortable reclining position for the last pose of the night. I was perfectly still, as expected from someone with the decades of art modeling experience that I have. The instructor had a Ray Charles Pandora channel playing while the students drew, and the song "Night Time is the Right Time" came on. This scene from The Cosby Show played in my head, and I had the giggles for the entire song. I couldn't stop laughing until it was over.

Baseball

Yesterday I modeled for a couple of classes at the University of Texas at Arlington.  During the short warm-up poses in one of these classes, the teacher said that she wanted the students to do two poses on the same sheet.  I usually try to listen to what the teacher wants, so I decided on doing two poses that could be put together in a composition.  For the first pose, I got into a catcher's crouch.  For the second, I stood in a batting stance.  Once the poses were done, I heard one of the students laughingly tell another that his catcher was not supposed to be in front of the batter.  Of course, at the time of the first pose, none of them had any idea what I would do for the second.  So if they had placed their catcher in the middle of the page, it would be difficult to get the batter in the correct position.

I think of baseball a lot when I do my gesture poses.  Throwing motions, runners leading off first base, fielders trying to make a catch on a ball over their head, and batting stances all make for good action poses.  If you watched the video of me doing several gesture poses on my Warm Ups post of December 18th, you know what I mean.  I am a baseball fan and a student of baseball history.  I play vintage base ball several times a year.

Now that the Super Bowl is over, I am more than ready for baseball season to get started.  Luckily, pitchers and catchers will start reporting to spring training very soon.  Not too long ago, I put together a compilation of my top ballpark memories, and I thought I would share it on this blog.  I edited it some, and it now reads like a top 25 list...

1.  May 1, 1991 at Arlington Stadium.  Nolan Ryan, then 44 years old, took the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays and turned in the most amazing pitching performance I have ever seen.  He threw the Major League record seventh no-hitter of his amazing career, striking out 16 and walking only two.  The last four innings were just edge-of-your-seat suspense like I have never experienced before.  When he struck out Roberto Alomar to end the game, pure joy erupted at the old stadium.

2.  April 15, 2009 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.  Seeing a player hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, and home run in the same game) is about as rare as seeing a pitcher pitch a no-hitter.  Seeing a player get six hits in one nine-inning game is even rarer than that.  Seeing a player accomplish both feats at the same time was something that hadn’t been done by anyone in Major League Baseball in almost 110 years until Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler did it this night during the Rangers’ 19-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles.  And he actually did it in eight innings since the Rangers didn't bat in the bottom of the 9th.  Two singles, two doubles, a triple, and a home run.  I wrote a little mini-article about the experience my son and I had at the game that got printed in the June 2009 issue of the Rangers game program magazine...

3.  October 22, 2010 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.  2010 ALCS Game 6.  My son Seth and I went to our first ALCS game and got to see the Rangers beat the Yankees 6-1 to clinch the series win and celebrate the club’s first-ever American League pennant.  We stayed for the celebration and the trophy presentation and had just a magical night.  Former Ranger Alex Rodriguez struck out looking to end the game.

4.  October 27, 2011 at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO.  Game 6 of the 2011 World Series.  I didn’t know where to put this for the longest time.  It has been called the greatest baseball game ever played by more than one baseball expert, but for Seth and me, it was an agonizing defeat.  The Rangers were one strike away from winning the World Series in both the 9^th and 10^th innings, but lost two run leads in both innings.  Cardinals’ third baseman David Freese hit the game-tying two-run triple in the 9^th and the winning home run in the 11^th.  We had trouble sleeping that night after that.  And as agonizing as it was, it is still a game that I remember more than any other.  And since we had tickets for Game 7, our stay in St. Louis was extended.  As disappointing as it was, it was good father-son bonding time between Seth and me.

5. October 28, 2011 at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO.  Game 7 of the 2011 World Series.  This was the first Game 7 of a World Series in nine years, so getting to go to this was really special.  Our team lost, but the real disappointment had come the night before, in Game 6.  This Game 7 seemed anti-climactic after the incredible game that had occurred the night before.  Still, it was GAME 7.  I remember thinking as we waited for the gates to open that this was just too much importance put on one single baseball game.  Maybe that's why recent World Series haven't gone to a Game 7 very often.

6.  October 27, 2007 at Coors Field.  Game 3 of the 2007 World Series.  My National League team, the Colorado Rockies, went on an amazing run in which they won 21 out of 22 games.  This streak included sweeps in the NLDS and the NLCS, and the team found itself in its first World Series.  This was the first time that either of my favorite teams had ever made it to the Fall Classic, and I felt a strong urge to go to one of the games.  I had just started a new job, and I couldn’t take any time off work.  So, I grabbed Seth on a Friday after work and hit the road.  We spent that night in Amarillo and got into Denver the next day.  We went to Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday night and saw the Red Sox take a 3-0 Series lead by beating the Rockies 10-5.  While the result was disappointing, nothing could beat the experience of going to our first World Series game.

7.  November 1, 2010 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.  Game 5 of the 2010 World Series.  2010 was the first World Series appearance by my American League team, the Texas Rangers.  I managed to get on the website and snag tickets for Game 5.  Unfortunately, this turned out to be the final game of the 2010 season with the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series.  The game was a pitchers’ duel between Cliff Lee of the Rangers and Tim Lincecum of the Giants.  The score was 0-0 until the seventh inning, when eventual World Series MVP Edgar Renteria hit a three-run home run off Cliff Lee.  The final score was 3-1 after a solo shot by Nelson Cruz.

8.  April 26, 1995 at Coors Field.  The Rockies and Mets played the very first game ever played at the wonderful new Coors Field.  About five inches of snow had fallen earlier that day, and I was worried that the game might be postponed.  This concerned me a great deal since I didn't have tickets for the next day.  But the snow stopped, although the temperature only rose to about 39 degrees by game time.  The Rockies fell behind by one run in the top of the ninth, and then rallied to tie it in the bottom of the ninth.  They fell behind by one again in the 13th, but managed to tie the score again in the bottom of that inning.  The Mets scored another run in the top of the 14th.  Dante Bichette of the Rockies then hit a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the 14th to give the Rockies an 11-9 victory in the new ballpark.

9.  October 16, 2011 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.  2011 ALCS Game 6.  The Rangers won their second consecutive pennant by beating the Detroit Tigers 15-5.  It was like deja view all over again after seeing the first pennant win the previous year.  This year, there seemed to be more confetti, and the Ballpark had been improved in the previous off-season with a much larger High-Definition video scoreboard.

10.  April 5, 1993 at Shea Stadium.  The brand new expansion Colorado Rockies played the very first game of their existence on the road against the Mets.  I happened to be living in New York at the time, so I got to see this one.  Unfortunately, Dwight Gooden pitched a four hit shutout, but I have been a Rockies fan ever since, literally from day one.

11.  August 22, 1989 at Arlington Stadium.  Nolan Ryan struck out Rickey Henderson to become the first pitcher with 5000 career strikeouts.  He finished with 13 Ks for the game, but Oakland won 2-0 as Bob Welch and Dennis Eckersley combined for a shutout of the Rangers.

12.  March 31, 1998 at Bankone Ballpark.  My Rockies were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks in the D-Backs’ very first game ever.  I flew out to Phoenix to see the Rox beat the new team 9-2.  This was also the very first game ever played at the Bankone Ballpark, and the pre-game festivities included a spectacular roof-opening ceremony.  This was the second time I had seen a new Major League team play in its very first game and the third time that I had been to the first game ever played in a new Major League ballpark.

13.  April 11, 1994 at The Ballpark in Arlington.  The Rangers finally got a wonderful new ballpark, and I was able to attend the first game ever played there.  And I managed to only pay six bucks for my ticket.  Needless to say, I didn't have the best seat in the house.  World-renowned pianist Van Cliburn and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra performed the finest rendition of the National Anthem that I have ever heard.  The Brewers wound up spoiling the Rangers' Opener, 5-4.

14.  May 1, 2007 at The Ballpark in Arlington.  The Rangers were playing the Yankees, which is always an event at the Ballpark.  The Yankees pitcher, Phil Hughes, took a no-hitter into the 7th, and I think he would have finished it if he hadn't pulled his hamstring.  He left the game, and the Yankees bullpen wound up giving up a run and a couple of hits, but the Yankees still won 10-1.  My four year old, Elijah, spent most of the game talking to a young couple sitting in the row in front of us (Elijah is not shy).  In the 9th inning, Derek Jeter hit a foul ball into our section, and the young man in front of us managed to get the ball. He took a look at it, turned around, and gave it to Elijah.  So my four year old got a Major League Baseball game ball even though I never have (after I don't know how many games attended).  I guess it pays to be outgoing...

15.  September 3, 2011 at Wrigley Field.  When I was in high school, I used to watch Cubs games on cable on WGN, and I always wanted to go to Wrigley Field and see Harry Caray sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th inning stretch.  After over 30 years, I finally got to go to a game.  Unfortunately, Harry Caray has passed on, but the celebrity guest singing during the 7th inning for this game was Jon Lovitz.  The game had an hour and a half rain delay in the bottom of the 7th, so I got to explore the park without missing any of the game action.  When the game resumed, the Cubs led the Pirates 5-3.  That score held until there were two outs in the top of the 9th.  The Cubs needed just one more out, but former Cub Derrick Lee hit a grand slam to give the Pirates a 7-5 lead.  The Pirates closer, Joel Hanrahan, pitched a perfect 9th, and the Pirates won.

16.  September 8, 2007 at LaGrave Field, Fort Worth, TX.  The Fort Worth Cats were playing the Saint Paul Saints in Game 5 of the best-of-5 American Association Championship Series.  The game was tight until the 7th inning when the Cats scored 3 runs to take a 4-1 lead.  They wound up winning by that score, and the championship celebration was something to see.  My son Seth, who was 8 years old at the time, was with me, and we watched the trophy presentation, etc.

17.  October 3, 2004 at Minute Maid Park.  I took my son on a day trip down to Houston on the last day of the season since the Astros were playing my Rockies in an afternoon game.  The Astros won 5-3 and wound up clinching the National League Wildcard spot, the only time I have ever seen a team clinch a spot in the playoffs at home.  The celebration was something to see and even included confetti falling from the roof.

18.  April 8, 1991 at Arlington Stadium.  This was the first Opening Day I ever attended, and I was treated to a ceremonial first pitch thrown by President George Bush.  This is still the only time I've ever seen a sitting US President in person.  Watching the Secret Service operation was worth the price of admission (I was only in the four dollar seats, haha).  Even though Nolan Ryan was pitching for the Rangers, the Milwaukee Brewers wound up winning the game.

19.  October 3, 1993 at Arlington Stadium.  This was the last game ever played at the old Arlington Stadium.  Even though it was a former minor league park and was lacking in a lot of areas, the place carried some great memories for me.  I still miss it sometimes.  This was also the last game ever played by George Brett of the Kansas City Royals.  He singled and scored in his very last at-bat.  And even though Nolan Ryan was hurt and didn't pitch, this was the last game in which he was on the active roster.

20.  April 6, 2012 at Minute Maid Park.  Opening Day is always special, especially when I can see the Rockies play.  Yes, the game is just one of 162, but the fact that it’s the first of those 162 and that it comes after a long winter without baseball, makes it a very special event.  I took both boys with me down to Houston for this one.  The Astros were moving to the American League in 2013, so this was their final Opening Day as an NL team.  The Rockies won 5-3, and Troy Tulowitzki hit a home run that bounced on the railroad tracks high above the left field stands and went completely out of the ballpark (the roof was open).

21. July 25, 1990 at Arlington Stadium.  Nolan Ryan had 299 career wins when he took the mound against the Yankees.  He didn’t have his best stuff, and the Rangers were trailing when he left.  But the Rangers came back and won the game in extra innings thanks to a walk-off home run by Rafael Palmiero.  The hoopla surrounding Nolan’s first attempt at 300 wins made this game very special.  He wound up getting that 300^th win in his next start, way up in Milwaukee.

22.  August 24, 2012 at Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field.  This day was special because we all (Jen, Seth, Elijah, and myself) got to attend two baseball games in two different ballparks in one day.  We went to the 1:05 game at Wrigley Field and saw the Cubs come from behind to beat the Rockies.  After the game, we grabbed a bite to eat at the McDonald’s across the street from Wrigley Field and then caught the train and went straight to U.S. Cellular Field.  In that game, the White Sox blew a huge lead to the Mariners in the top of the ninth but then rallied to win the game in the bottom half of that inning.  An amazing day of baseball…

23.  October 2, 1998 at The Ballpark in Arlington.  The first postseason game I ever attended.  1998 Division Series Game 3.  The Rangers had the misfortune of playing a Yankee team that had won a record 114 games in the regular season.  Texas lost this game 4-0 and wound up only scoring 1 run in the entire series.

24.  September 14, 1978 at Arlington Stadium.  My first major league game. The Rangers and Angels played into the ninth inning with the Angels holding on to a 3-1 lead.  California then erupted for 13 runs in the top of the ninth, setting a major league record for most runs scored in a ninth inning.  That record still stands to this day.

25.  June 30, 1992 at Candlestick Park.  This was my first game away from Arlington Stadium and my first National League game.  I loved the fact that the pitchers had to bat!  John Smoltz started and won for the Atlanta Braves over the San Francisco Giants.

Pins and Needles

I was modeling at the Dallas Creative Arts Center last week, and the last pose of the day was a 30 minute seated position.  As often happens in seated poses, more of my weight was on one side, this time on the right.  As a result, blood flow to my right leg was constricted.  By the end of the pose, I had lost feeling in my right foot.  The end of the pose was a relief, but I remained on the platform with my leg straightened and stretched out away from me.  The artists, who had been busy cleaning up and putting their things away, expressed concern that I seemed to be unable to get up.

"If I tried to stand up right now," I explained, "the blood would rush back into my foot too quickly, and it would feel like thousands of pins and needles sticking in the bottom of my foot.  Keeping my leg horizontal like this helps the blood flow back gradually, without that painful sensation."  And so I pass this tip on to the readers of this blog.  I stayed on the platform for another four or five minutes before I stood up, retrieved my robe, and started getting ready to leave.

Warm Ups

Most, but not all, of the drawing sessions I do start with a series of short gesture poses.  Depending on the instructor or the session monitor, those gestures can range from ten seconds to two or three minutes.  These gestures serve as a warm up for the artists as it gets them used to seeing and drawing, moving their arms rapidly, making marks on their pages.  But it also serves as a warm up for me, the model.  I get to move quickly, taking poses that I couldn't hold for longer than two or three minutes, stretching my muscles and getting my blood flowing.  When doing anything shorter than three minutes, I always count the seconds in my head (unless the class is instructed and the teacher prefers to keep time), changing quickly from one pose to the next.

I have always been complimented on my gestures throughout my long modeling career, in my ability to come up with interesting and challenging poses.  I had never seen myself doing gestures though, only the quick sketches that have been the result of those poses.  I wanted to actually see (and critique) my poses, so, at a recent open drawing session, I took video of myself doing a series of one minute gestures.  Watching the video was surreal.  I was impressed that I was able to hold some of the poses so well, although I don't think I got the camera in the best angle to record those poses.  Of course, I was posing for the artists and not the camera.  One thing I did notice was that each pose was a little bit longer than a minute.  My counting to sixty was just a little bit slower than a regular clock.  Here is the video though, if anyone is interested.  Naturally, there is nudity in the video...