As I was leaving Port Orchard, I stopped at a wildlife viewing area near Gorst. It’s just a pulloff from the racetrack of Highway 16, but it provides access to the tideflats. I poked around but didn’t see any appealing subjects so I went back to the car. As I did, I caught a glimpse of a dog and a car in the trees. I figured it was a homeless camp, so I took a sketchbook and went over.
I found a woman sitting next to an old car with a big dog straining at the leash and barking menacingly. I waved to show I was harmless and she put the dog in the car. I introduced myself and said I’m an artist looking for something to draw. She said her name was Diane and she likes to draw cartoons, so we had something in common. We struck up a conversation. She was pretty cheerful considering she was homeless. I’d say she was probably about fifty, on disability and living in her car. She had her possessions hanging up and laying out in the sun to dry after days of rain. I asked if she was safe there and she shrugged.
I asked if I could draw her and she said no. But I persuaded her to sit like she was before and I sketched her in pencil from the back. I showed her the drawing and she was pleased. I asked how she was set for money, and she said she didn’t need anything, because she has her SSI check and people help her out. She gets a shower from a local church. I gave her $10 anyway.
When I got home, I made a watercolor from my pencil drawing.