Happy Homes for Artwork
June 4, 2009
In 2004-2005 school year I was asked to take the senior football player's portrait for Tahoma High School. I had been working with many of the parents from the Maple Valley and Covington area at the time and photographing sporting events. Thanks to Sherry Racy and Janice Bundy, Take Your Best Shot was becoming pretty well know in the area after I had created a sketch of their Pony Baseball all star players. Janice organized the senior portrait and sent my "athletic crew" out to pull off the job! Andy Lin and Amber hiked to the bottom of Snoqualmie falls and that year's portrait was created.
A couple of weeks later Janice came up with another idea. She asked if I would do a sketch of each of the senior players for their parents as gifts from the school and booster club. This has become a tradition at Tahoma. I have also created sketches for the wrestling team and basketball team. This is when I first created a sketch for Sandy and Mike and their son, then a senior player for Tahoma. I had never met them personally.... until this year when I became more acquainted with their family.
Sandy contacted me and told me that they had moved to southern CA where their second son played football. She explained that he had always wanted a sketch like his brother and so did Mike and Sandy. This was the start of a year long project that Sandy tackled, so to speak. Shed sent me a photo of her son and asked if I still had the original of the first sketch. I do have the original so she ordered two 11x14 sketches. Here is the comment upon receiving the sketches:
"
We have the sketches and they’re GREAT!! You did an amazing job on both boys. Those turned out so well that we will be ordering a sketch for our 2 girls also. All I need to do is find the right picture – my new Thanksgiving project.
Thanks again for everything
Sandy"
So the project continued with a daughter who is a rugby player and a daughter who is a soccer player. Both sketches turned out great. At that time I was wondering what Sandy and Mike were doing with all these sketches??? Giving them as gifts?
So I thought I had completed the project when in rolled two more photo copies. One of Sandy as a swimmer and the other of Mike taken from a newspaper while playing football. These were a challenge but I knew they must be an important part to a much larger puzzle.
Sandy and Mike are very pleased with their sketches and recently allowed me into their home for a "rare" look at my work on display with the photo below. Or I guess I should say "OUR" work, Sandy was definitely an important partner in this project. I can tell the family treasures their wall of sketches! Sandy just sent two more images which I sketched for two senior football players as grad gifts.
I think that Sandy, Mike and family are some very special people! I feel blessed to have shared this with them.
James Geddes
Posted by James Geddes. Posted In : art
Okay, I promised that I would let this cat out of the bag as soon as I could. I just received the signed copy of the sketch composite I created for Blake Griffin! I didn't take the photos, those were provided by Blake's trainer, D. Rich and the sketch was commissioned by Darby for Blake. 
I have so many things to be thankful for... I live in a beautiful place along the water of Dugualla Bay on Whidbey Island in the gorgeous state of Washington. The bird life here is incredible, the sunrises are awesome and the views of Mt. Baker are postcard perfect. I enjoy my art, whether it is photography, painting or sketching. It's wonderful to have such a diverse selection of activities in my daily life.
I also enjoy the company of my soul mate and wife of 37 years, Nancy.... who is definitely the "better" half!
Now if I were only 100 lbs lighter, I would be as happy as the clams on the beach! But with every sun ray, some rain must fall... which means there is a rainbow near by!
