I just finished reading, ”For The Birds” by the actress, Lili Taylor. It’s all about her life as a birder. She mentions two apps to get for your iphone. Merlin Bird ID and iNaturalist. Now I go around identifying everything like a lunatic. This leaf spoke to me and I knew I’d draw it. I was able to find out it was from a Tulip Tree. Look at how intelligent I’m starting to sound. My phone occasionally makes me smarter but it mostly turns me into an idiot ninety percent of the time. What I should really download is the iMoron app if one exists. That would be more my speed.
NASCAR
When I visit my 90 year-old mom in North Carolina, I figure she wants to hang out with me all the time. That’s not the case. She’ll tell me that on certain days, she plays Water Polo or Dodgeball. The older one gets, the more activities there are. So on a day she was busy, I went to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Seemed an interesting place to draw. Turns out it was. Kids stared at me from 4 inches away and their teachers always make the same statement, “I didn’t know you were allowed to do that in here.” All people say that to me no matter what museum I’m in. I find it comforting.
Fall In Charlotte
I was just in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Charleston for my niece, Megan’s wedding and to see family. One day I noticed intense red leaves had been falling on to my sister’s lawn. I picked a few winners. A lot of times it’s not my elaborate drawings that impress me but something simple like this one.
Met Life
I met my friend, Keith Butters in front of the Flatiron building to draw. It was covered in construction netting so we faced the Met Life building to sketch instead. We were on a tiny street meridian and there happened to be huge outdoor umbrellas to sit under. That helped because it was 90 degrees. Afterwards, we ate at the infamous Eisenberg’s sandwich shop which has been there since 1929. I’d love to draw in there but its always too jam packed. No lingering. Get in and get out
Grand Central
I haven’t drawn many of the famous tourist spots in Mahattan. For some unknown reason, I’ve avoided them. After attending Sketcher Fest, I saw other artists sketchbooks filled with those sites during their sketching visits to New York City. So I pushed myself to sketch a few. First up was Grand Central Station. Two female cops took an interest in me as I drew. They would stop by every 20 minutes to see my progress. We had a lot of laughs and as a result, they did get to see this come to life. There seemed to be many companies having scavenger hunts in the station. Team building exercises were happening around me while I sketched. It got to a point where I knew the answers to what they were looking for but I kept mum. They were more excited to figure it out on their own. A few fans spotted me in the wild too. Eventful day.
Sketcher Fest
I recently went to Sketcher Fest Edmonds, a drawing conference in the Seattle area. It was organized by Gabi Campanario, the founder of Urban Sketchers. Many great artists from around the world attended. Lapin, Mario Linares, Stephanie Bower, Marielle Durant, Rita Sabler, Cyrille Briand and Nishant Jain, to name a few. There were many lectures and workshops. I went with my friend, Danny Gregory, the well known art guru. Over the course of a few days there, I managed this one elborate drawing. There was limited free time, so I drew early in the morning near our motel before the festivities began. Also, I kept a few rocks and shells in my pocket to sketch while listeneing to the talks. Mostly I mingled and met like-minded artists.
Times Square
I drew in Times Square with the artist, Lapin. I used his daughter, Louise as my model for the Samsung ad. His wife, Isabelle tried to stay cool in the 95 degree heat while we all sketched. It was extremely hard but also a lot of fun all at the same time. I’d never wanted to draw Times Square but for some reason Lapin inspired me, so I gave it my best shot. I Ieft most of the billboards blank. This way I could look for ads later that I wanted to populate my drawing with to make it more esthetically pleasing. Lapin and I dress alike in public adding to the oddness.
Godzilla In Dumbo
I took The Rabbit to Dumbo to draw the Manhattan Bridge. The incredible artist, Veronica Lawler, came along too. She teaches drawing at Pratt, the great New York art school. Her style is very explosive and gestural with a bit of Ralph Steadman thrown in. These two artists were going to eat me for lunch so I kenw I only had time to draw a small section of the bridge in my cumbersome style. At night, I added the godzilla from a toy. I met Lapin the next day at the Intrepid navy ship museum. I had the bright idea to draw the planes on the deck of the aircraft carrier separately as if they were flying around godzilla. Once again, I impressed The Rabbit. His wife and daughter were even amused.
West Village
I went to the West Village to draw. It was very hot so I popped into Joe’s Pizza on Carmine Street to get a soda. It’s considered one of New York’s top pizza joints. The walls are filled with tons of photographs of celebrities who have visited. But what caught my eye was an oversized photo of a beautiful model standing in front of Joe’s holding a leash with her pet llama. I was stunned because it was from a television commercial I shot 30 years ago. I was filming outside a grocery store next to Joe’s. An employee must have went out front and taken the photo. I never knew it was hanging in the pizza place all these decades. I’m like an animal marking my territory.
Swiss Truck
I drew this truck from a photo I took in Switzerland. Then I added a lot of unexplained items from strolling around New York.
F Stop
A drawing I did before I went to Europe on my adventure. This is in East Chinatown. It’s actually what you see when you exit the F train stop. I’m always in Chinatown for some reason or another. The place is a magnet for me. It’s packed full of interesting characters. All the young kids have moved in so it’s hip as hell. I see them eyeballing my outfits.
Cork City
I spent a week in Cork, Ireland seeing some of my great family who live there. Managed a drawing on the street next to our hotel over the course of a few days. I was able to bond with some of my very young cousins, who don’t know me yet. Thankfully, they are quite out of their minds which works out well for me. To say they are interesting is an understatement. Hopefully, I can get over to hang with them again at some point this year.
Corner In France
Here is a second street corner I drew in Lyon. We sat on the steps of the Opera House. A lot of hard work goes into making these sketches. It was hot as hell, with rain off and on. I was completely jetlagged and we had late dinners each night we were there. Endlessly pounding the pavement to find a place to draw that would satisfy each of the crazy artists I was with. Then I’d sit and bang this drawing out. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time we left town but I never felt happier.
