I have received more free coffee from Starbucks than probably anyone in the world.

During a period when I drank quite a LOT of coffee, I happened to make friends with some very cool art school kids who all worked at the Starbucks in West Hartford. It was across the street from the Animation Art Gallery where I worked from Fall ’95 to Spring ’96.

My comic book had been cancelled, and I was no longer drawing for a living.

I went to work as a courtroom artist during my last year of art school, and went right into comics from TV news. So I had been drawing all day, most days, for years. Having a day job again was a big change.

What did I do as soon as I started my day job?

I went back to drawing portraits in my free time! The more I look at my own history as an artist, the more I understand that I have always been a portraitist.

Any attempt to do anything other portraiture has always ended in tears for me!

My true love and true nature is making pictures of people.

So when I met Amy, Steve, Sean, Chad and Kevin and their circle of friends, I drew them.

This is Steve as Han Solo, for a gift I made for him.

Amy as Leia!

I was so lucky to meet Amy. I hope she is doing well. More pictures of her in the previous post. The group of artists and writers she was part of were so smart and creative.

Of course, having a day job meant I had to be at the gallery by 10 a.m.

Which was pretty goddam hard on me. Not being a freelancer/self-employed person anymore felt like being on vacation, but the getting up in the morning sucked. I have a circadian rhythm disorder called Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, and it is no joke.

Luckily, my friends behind the counter gave me all the free coffee I needed! I would waltz in multiple times a day and they would just hand me coffee.

I was fortunate as hell to meet some cool people after landing in a town where I didn’t know anyone but family.

I’ve always had a lot of luck of both kinds.

I had completely forgotten these drawings existed. None of them had ever been photographed; until now, no record of them existed – if we had a fire or flood they would just be gone forever.

I am so grateful to my Patrons on Patreon, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to take time to document my art archives.