The following day, we all hopped in the car again, this time to visit Uncle Al and Aunt Helen (my mother-in-law Lois' sister). When we arrived, I felt like I was back home in my old neighborhood. Walking into the house was even better.
I felt like I walked right into my childhood home but there was a fun, colorful, kid-friendly vibe all about. Aunt Helen greeted us all and Uncle Bud was in his easy chair, watching a car restoration show. After introducing myself, I sat in a chair near him. Wearing his trademark shades, he asked in a stoic and terse manner, "You like these car shows?" I nodded in acknowledgment and replied, "Yeah! Although I don't know much about cars, I appreciate the art and hard work involved in bringing cars like these back to life." From that point, I felt like a member of the family. There was even a family dog, a beautiful and friendly pit bull named Louie, cousin AJ's pet.
We couldn't stick around too long, as we promised to visit Tracy's uncle Steve and aunt Patty before going south to visit business connections of mine in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. As we all said our goodbyes, Uncle Al asked, "So you're not coming back?" Shades off, the look on his face kind of evoked disappointment, even a little sadness. I replied, "Let me get back to you on that one, Sir."
I turned to Tracy and said, "Hey, screw SoCal. Whaddya think about us coming back here?" No argument there and we were delighted to break the news to the Medina Pack.
We had a ball. Aunt Helen made the most delicious homemade chicken noodle soup, dinner rolls and cherry and apple pies.
Everything was served in the dining room, spacious enough to belie the smallish exterior of the house, There was a long picnic table that ran the length of the dining area, replete with many two-liter bottles of soda. It felt like a grand get-together on the rez. And the night was loaded with entertainment as cousins RJ, AJ and Adam reenacted scenes from their favorite movies verbatim. They even broke out some Kevin Smith, which wildly cracked me up and equally impressed me. And just like any other day or night when nothing but fun was to be had, this night was no exception: It came and went like a shot. It was time to go.
After spending more time with Bud, Cynthia and the girls, it was time to make our way home to Illinois. Good thing too, only because I came down with a doozy of a cold. No matter. I was so happy. Makayla and Tracy were so happy. This vacation, our very first as a family, was priceless. I wouldn't have traded the entire experience - the drive, the roadside attractions, the food, the sights, the lodging - for anything.
As much as we wanted so badly to return to Fresno and visit the Medinas once again, jobs, life and affordability got in the way, not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic.
And that same pandemic took our Uncle Al from all of us five years later.
In the latter half of 2020, we got word that Uncle Al passed away from complications due to COVID-19. It was a hard, bitter, shitty shot to the gut. I barely knew the man yet I felt like I knew him my entire life. I wasn't just sad; I was pissed off. I couldn't imagine how Aunt Helen and the rest of the family felt.
No question about it; Uncle Al was a beacon of enigmatic toughness. At the very least, it's one of the reasons his passing was so difficult to process. But because of that, I knew I had to do something to honor him: I would create a portrait for Aunt Helen.
I originally planned on doing an acrylic painting on 12" X 16" canvas panel. I asked Uncle Al's daughter Nicole for help mining some solid photo reference and she did not disappoint. When that was squared away, I asked her what uncle Al's favorite songs were, as I couldn't do something this special without putting together an equally special episode of "Have Paw, Will Draw with Coyote Duran." This gal was batting 1,000, as she consulted her sister Ashley, who ponied up some spectacular tunes for the cause.
The start of the piece went off without a hitch, as the pencil layout went quick. Painting also kicked off quickly but I had to eventually set the panel aside in order to commit to some professional work and other projects. And that's where it stopped.
I don't know if it were a combination of being overwhelmed with work from my regular job, malaise, the world itself or just downright laziness but I never continued with the piece. I just quit. I went on to do other projects but could never hitch the giddy-up I had going initially. It's totally inexcusable. It wasn't as important that I let myself down; it was far more of a letdown that I would disappoint everyone else who might enjoy this homage.
Fast forward to 2025.
I was still working on pieces here and there but my creativity was still suffering from blockage. Then one day, I was hit with inspiration after watching YouTube videos of one of my all-time favorite stand-up comics, Mitch Hedberg. Hey, let's draw Mitch! For whatever reason, Mitch went off without a hitch (see what I did there?) and a fresh spark was lit.
The spark flamed up and I revisited the Uncle Al "effort" (for lack of a better term). I promised myself I wouldn't commit to any other projects until this one was in the books. But there was one thing wrong here.
All of it.
I mean, the likeness was...fine, I guess...but I had been so far removed from the piece that I saw everything that had gone wrong with it, as well as everything else that could go wrong with it. Size, centering, composition, it was all wrong. It was a trainwreck and I refused to settle. It was time to start fresh, kids.
What I didn't change was the size of the artwork. I still went with a 12" X 16" format but, this time, I planned to work in watercolor paint and ink on Strathmore cold press watercolor paper. It had been years since I worked on any watercolor projects, so I figured this would be a great time to dip my rear paw back into the pool, so to speak.
Using my same reference as the previous painting, the pencil layout (done with my trusty Alvin Drafting Tech DA De-lux "Blue Special" leadholder, loaded with 4H graphite) went off quickly and just as planned. For a background element, I drew a Harley-Davidson tire and rim, as Uncle Al was a keen bike enthusiast. It was the right thing to do, as it somewhat emulated the "halo" feel that the donut did in my Mitch Hedberg drawing. I didn't get into my own head, however; I wasn't going to rest on my laurels and assume everything from here on out would go so smoothly.
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