One of these past cold days when it was spitting snow despite being springtime, there was a different lock on the storefront gate and I couldn’t get in. It was too cold to stand out on the street to wait for DL to get there, so I went into the barber shop next door.
Incredulous stares (Doesn’t this lady realize that this is the barber shop?!)
“I’m the artist who works in the space next door… (a couple guys nodded).
“I’m locked out.” (silence)
“Would you mind if I sat here and waited for DL to come open up? You know her…” (a few more nods)
“She’s not always, shall we say, on time.” (Lots of nods. laughs)
I was gestured to sit in the chair by the window, which I did, happy as could be! I’d been dying to visit the barber shop, but knew that it was sacred territory, off limits to strangers, particularly women strangers, and especially white women strangers. But eventually people just ignored me, after perhaps an interrogating look when they first came in and before they proceeded to the back where the real action takes place.Though I was surprised that some people did actually come in to get haircuts.
So I did some sketching for the hour that it took DL to get there, though it was hard with no one sitting still. The two little kids that I’ve seen looking out the front door when I had passed before were curious about what I was doing, so I showed them the rudimentary sketch I’d done of them. Their eyes were huge, and they looked at what I was doing so closely that their heads were right over my little sketchbook. The little boy looked like he was four, though when I asked how old he was, he said in a whisper that he was two. I gave him my pen and said he could draw. He very seriously added the line for the arm in the sketch I’d done of him. And I drew a pair of big eyes with lashes for his little sister.
Then P., who I have spoken to before when getting coffee at the corner store, came in. We spoke for awhile before he had to cut someone’s hair. He said it had been a long time since he’d drawn, maybe not since when he went to Art & Design High School. “That was back when “graffiti” was in, so that is mostly what I did. Maybe I didn’t spend my time as wisely as I could have, if you know what I mean! It’s too bad, but some people still haven’t moved on from that.”
In addition to giving haircuts, P. also 
is a photographer. We agreed it was hard, whether in a painting or a photo, to really get a portrait to capture more than just what the person looked like. It takes time to get to know who the person is, time to really see what’s important in them. He does wedding photographs, and thought maybe some of the couples he photographs would like to spend some time together posing for a painting. A deluxe package!