Buddy's live operation was centered at the famous (if not infamous) Fremont Street Experience, the last remnant of 'Vintage' Las Vegas, far from the much glitzier 'Strip'. Created as a last-ditch effort by the few surviving old-time city casinos (The Fremont, Golden Nugget, Golden Gate, Horseshoe, etc.) to compete with the bigger 'Strip' mega-casinos, millions were spent paving over streets and building a four-block canopy overhead, where a 1.5 million light, 500,000-watt light-and-sound extravaganza was presented for free, every night, on the hour, from dusk until midnight. Despite being 'roofed' (but certainly not waterproof!), the heat at the Experience was brutal in the summer (110+ degrees), and bone-chilling (20-35 degrees) in the winter (with no funds allocated for air conditioning, or heating, and the venue still 'open-air').

With an ever-changing crowd of drunks, drug sellers and users, homeless beggars and derelicts, pimps and prostitutes, transvestites, pickpockets, (and a LOT of tourists, from all over the world), business was sporadic, especially during the days, although occasionally brisk, and I did my best to deal with the unpredictable climate and audience...although I constantly reminded Buddy that, at 52, I was getting far too chubby and "long in the tooth" for long day shifts at an outdoor venue!

My talents were soon utilized around town...In September, 2004, I received my first major commission, from the Lady Luck Casino, to draw the themes of three clubs being built across the street from their establishment, on a construction wall. I provided over 75% of the artwork, and it was a major rush drawing Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. at the Rat Pack's favorite stomping grounds!

If you'd like a closer look at my 'Wall' artwork, visit Ben Burgraff's Caricature Gallery, Page 4!

In February, 2005, the National Caricaturist Network held their annual Convention in Las Vegas, with over 170 caricaturists in town. Despite having been an 'Off-Again/On-Again' member for nearly two decades, I'd never attended one, so I decided to check it out...

...the experience was not an entirely happy one; I finally met, in-person, Tom Richmond, Jan Op De Beeck, and the legendary Wolf Adler, but even after being warned by Buddy that the organization was very 'cliquish', and that I would likely be 'snubbed' or ignored, I was surprised by the thinly-veiled sarcasm of some members that I was a 'dinosaur' whose work just didn't 'measure up' to the organization's 'high' standards, compared to the wildly distorted, computer-assisted, faux-painterly caricatures of many of the younger generation of artists...

Only later could I put it all into perspective...I've been selling my drawings, professionally, for nearly fifty years (longer than most of the membership have been alive), and while many of the NCN favorites have only 'sold' a handful of pieces, at best, my client list literally runs into the thousands...maybe my art isn't as polished or outrageous as the 'In' crowd, but I'm not an imitator, either, and the joy of my clients when they receive my work is the only real reward I need...

The second blisteringly hot summer at the Experience showed no real improvement over 2004, but I began to see more gigs outside of Nevada, in Atlanta, back in North Myrtle Beach, and in Los Angeles...

In September, 2005, Buddy Rose unveiled a new caricature stand, a state-of-the-art affair with a TV monitor, lots of 'bells and whistles', and greater protection from the elements...and ten of my drawings were prominently displayed!

My second Christmas at Fremont found me adjusting to a Vegas lifestyle...

2006 began with a tragedy, as Buddy suffered a major heart attack, making life a lot more complicated; fortunately, he would recover, and I would not lose one of my best friends!

Beginning my third summer in Las Vegas, I would see more satisfied customers, more hours in the hot sun, and a bit more cash...but higher gas prices and air fares, and the increased threat of terrorism cut the crowds, after the promising start of the season, literally by half...and I found myself, yet again, scrambling to make ends meet...a situation that only got worse by fall, and the 'end' of tourist season...but I pressed on...

Then the winter arrived, one that would go down on record as one of the coldest, and least profitable in Las Vegas history...

The only bright side to the wretched weather and sales was the increasing demand for my illustrations in magazines, and the new exposure my portrait sketches received, on Myspace...

And, thankfully, spring came early!

My fourth summer in Las Vegas brought changes; at last, Buddy moved me, permanently, to the more lucrative night shifts (although he offset the move by adding a second artist to the stand, which split the potential custumers, reducing my earnings...while I could understand the economic necessity, for him, it didn't help my situation); my "Family Tree" illustrations became a popular regular feature of the magazine; party business 'jumped', as agents and clients 'discovered' me; and my continued exposure on Myspace created a worldwide audience for my artwork and short stories. I wasn't getting any richer, but my longevity, if nothing else, was attracting attention...

Then, in June, 2008, I received the highest accolade I'd achieved in my four years in Las Vegas, as I was asked to create six celebrity caricatures for a new 'light show' at the Fremont Street Experience!

The nightly light shows, five-minute extravaganzas utilizing 1.5 million lights and 550,000 watts of sound, projected over Fremont's four-block canopy, run hourly from dusk until midnight, and are the major tourist attraction here. To my knowledge, no caricaturists' work had ever been exhibited, and being the first was an acknowledgment of the quality of my work that was really gratifying! Buddy Rose was thrilled, and immediately set about plans to market poster versions of my images, and while the paycheck wasn't going to set me up in Hawaii, it was still worth smiling about!

Another gratifying moment came when Buddy re-established the Las Vegas Chapter of the NCN...while I was reluctant to renew my ties, he made a point of showing everyone a collection of my recent work, and the younger caricaturists acknowledged I wasn't the 'washed-up old dinosaur' that the national organization had snubbed in 2005, but an artist still worthy of respect...

And despite the failing economy, plunging dollar, and 100 degree-plus temperatures, some friends still managed to get out to see me!

Summer ended on a less-than-happy note, however, as my computer crashed, my car began to indicate it was on it's last days, as well, and unexpected medical bills all combined to wipe out the season's savings...

But despite a slow fall, the Christmas season was the busiest I'd seen in Vegas, and I even got to work with Buddy at one party...

...but then, for the first time since I'd arrived in Vegas, it really snowed...and killed Christmas week!

Still, I did make friends, and 2009 started promisingly...

...and I finally achieved one of my dreams, to ride in the 'Helldorado Days' Parade...

The summer of 2009 was wildly erratic, as the Recession continued to impact totals...but returning friends made the triple-digit temperatures more bearable...

...and as the summer ended, the family of Ken Sweetser (my Air Force buddy and frequent art project partner in the 1970s), contacted me, to draw a retirement picture for him. Ken and I had tried to keep in touch, over the years, and I did it happily...and in a weird coincidence, Ken had decided to paint me, as I was drawing him!

We were surprised and pleased to receive art from each other, over thirty years after our last project together!

Freezing weather killed business at the end of 2009, but when ABC's "Good Morning America" sent weatherman Sam Champion to do a holiday broadcast at Fremont Street Experience, I volunteered to do a 'Thank You' caricature for his appearance...

Despite hopes that the economy would rebound, the spring and summer of 2010 saw a continued decline in business, as well as an increasing presence of swarms of pushy 'street entertainers', working for tips, who drained customer revenue before they even made it to the stands! Despite our complaints, the Fremont Street Experience Management said the ACLU would tie them up in expensive court cases if they attempted to evict them!

I had to increasingly rely on other sources of income from my art; for Hussong's Cantina, I did a charcoal portrait of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman...

...old friends, like Ken and Tina Jo Flotten, returned for their 'annual caricature'...

...and new friends were made...

...and I continued to rely on studio projects to supplement my stand income, as I celebrated my sixth anniversary in Las Vegas...

...in January, 2011, Buddy Rose introduced another new stand, at Fremont Street, and increased the number of daily artists even more...while I can't call the new seating comfortable, the totals are inproving, so maybe, just maybe, my seventh year will be the charm...

...and the story continues...