A 65th birthday surprise...

Last night, I had an unusual gig-- in several ways. A lovely lady was being feted for her 65th birthday. Her daughter and other family and friends surprised her with a dinner party in an elegant restaurant, housed in the tallest skyscraper in Philadelphia...but those aren't the reasons it was unusual for me:

Instead of sitting at my easel, I sat at the table with my 18" x 24" sketchbook and clip-on lamp, creating one large-group caricature of the birthday lady and her guests. It made for a very intimate, low-key way of working, as everyone enjoyed their meal and a slide-show of family photos that played on the room's wide-screen monitor. I started off by moving around the table during the cocktail hour, but as entrees arrived, I decided to stay put and draw from my main vantage point near the guest of honor.
The presentation!

Here we are with the finished piece, which took me two hours to do:

Thank you, Donna and family, for including my caricatures as a way to remember your birthday celebration!
Below: where we were---albeit only on the second floor, of the fifty-eight-story Comcast Center, as I arrived, and when I left:

The lobby in this building has a mesmerizing attraction--a two-story jumbo screen. There were masses of people just standing and viewing it, (including me!) both on my way in and out. What I really wanted to get on video, was a short clip shown from Buster Keaton's "One Week" but I couldn't get my camera out quickly enough :-(

Update: The client left a glowing review on Gigmasters. Thank you Stacey!
Emily created such a special memory for my mom's 65th birthday that she will have and cherish forever. Emily was a wonderful addition to our party and her professionalism and talents were much appreciated.