Most people refer to him as “The Gold Guy”. The Diamond Exchange (3016 E. Colonial Drive) was right behind him, ready to exchange cash for gold. When the economy tanks, gold seems to be the one standard people hope will maintain its worth. He stands on the corner of Colonial Drive and Maguire Boulevard all day. I pass him all the time on my way to work at Full Sail. He wears a gold mask and is dressed head to toe in a gold suit and pants. As cars pass he quickly tips his golden hat with a flourish. I parked at the Florida Mall across the street and walked across this rather dangerous intersection. At first I thought I would sketch him from a distance with a inflatable sock Santa in the foreground. Unfortunately “the Gold Guy” walks away from the intersecting toward traffic. He disappeared behind a palmetto and I moved. I decided I had to sit in the parking lot to catch him. He always faces on coming traffic so I would only be able to sketch him from the back.
Within 15 minutes he started to leave. The sketch was far from finished. He noticed me and approached. He smiled when he saw the incomplete sketch. All of his teeth had gold caps. He takes his golden role seriously. He let me know that I could find him there every day, all day. I just happened to show up when his shift ended. When he left, I kept working on the background and I painted as the intersection grew dark. A little red compact car parked right in front of me blocking my view. Rather than getting annoyed, I decided to incorporate it into the sketch, then I shifted over to regain my view. I rather like painting nocturnes. I can’t always see the page and colors are put down with vibrancy that I don’t really see until I get back to the studio and see the sketch in the light.