Webster’s Market and $40 Worth of Food.

    

A Day at Webster's Market. Watercolor and ink on paper. 9"x12"

    Last weekend I dug deep into my drawer of forgotten art supplies and found my old fountain pen, from my high school days at Fiorello H. La Guardia. I remember purchasing this pen at Pearl Paint on Canal street. Going to Pearl was a meticulously budgeted odyssey that deserved hours set aside in my busy schedule. Even with a list in hand, the place was magical and engulfing, filling my head with daydreams each visit. This little investment from my high school days (1985-1988) is an inexpensive, easy to fill, transparent Shaeffer pen that brought me great joy to hold again. It soaked in warm water for more than an hour, changing the clear water to blackish as it released the ink forgotten by time within its cavity. Eager to try it in action, I added it to my urban sketching kit and headed to Sumter County's Farmer's Market (aka Webster's Market) the next day. BooBoo, my 9lb poodle came along with me. I settled under a large tree with benches built around, where Boo enjoyed the view and everyone who came to pet him while they looked over my shoulder and kindly complimented the work. 

    The morning was unusually cool and cloudy for this time of the year, with chances of rain menacing the area. Still, the produce pavilion was bustling with action. As I sketched, I could hear puppies yapping in the pavilion to the left of us, where three vendors had a number of them in crates for sale. I also heard a bilingual kid who spoke dog fluently and greeted little BooBoo by barking. Boo sat quietly admiring the wonder of humans and followed him intently with his gaze until he disappeared amongst the crowd. I heard kids asking their parents for ice cream from the truck parked nearby and a Puerto Rican family sharing a sweet watermelon under the shade of the tree, behind me. The Sumter County Farmer's Market was established in 1937 by local farmers to repurpuse and trade household items. Nowadays it takes place every Monday and occupies forty acres of vendors selling produce, antiques, plants, oddities, knick-knacks and anything under the sun. I was informed by a visitor that one of the sellers is a four-generation produce vendor here. I wondered what my life would be like if my parents had stayed in the cities where they were born (Cali and Pereira, in Colombia), and if I had stayed as well.

    When I got to applying the color to my sketch, I realized that in my eagerness to test and use my precious pen, I filled it with water soluble ink, which dirtied the bright watercolor pigments used. I moved forward nevertheless, trying to avoid crossing lines; much like I did when I was younger. 

With my finished sketch, I headed down the aisle and got my picks for the $40 I withdrew from the ATM earlier. The highlight of my shopping was finding three different types of fruit from my childhood in Colombia: mamey (zapote), tamarind and passion fruit. YUM! I will attempt to grow my own passion fruit vine from some of the seeds. This is one of my favorite fruits and one that I portray in my largest woodblock print produced up-to date, titled Playing in the Forest of Life (2024).

Left: Food purchased for $40 at Webster's market. Right: Mamey (zapote), tamarind and passion fruit.

    I also visited the pavilion next door, with the puppies and plants, looking for the person who brought a beautiful Black Zaphire Elephant Ear (like this one) for sale the last time I was here, in early May. Unfortunately, they did not carry this specimen today. Other vendors sold surinam cherry bushes, moringa trees, spearmint, hydrangeas, hibiscus of different colors, rose bushes, goat soap, honey, junk food and more.

    While at the market, I got clearance to sketch the cattle auction, which happens every Tuesday, starting at noon. I have never attended a cattle auction, so I’m looking forward to it, with new ink in my fountain pen’s well. See you then, Webster's market! ; )

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