Buttnekkiddoodles

Left the Bay area and trained it up to Eugene for a week. Wasn’t the most productive time but I did make up for that lull with drawings on the train ride back to Chicago.

 

I generally try to draw what’s going on around me and make the best of being in a dynamic environment where things change moment to moment. But I’m not opposed to a little creativity. The two women on the right of the drawing above right, hail from China and are touring the USA together. I had drawn the 3 figures seated to the left, the woman with her hair pulled back, the man with sunglasses and ball cap taking a snooze, and the woman with the short hair cut, but kept missing my opportunity to sketch the woman on the far right as she snapped photos of her friend. At one point the lady with the shorter hair got up and noticing me sketching, came over to see my drawing. After a very nice conversation, I told her how I had missed several chances to draw her friend as she took pictures of her. So, they agreed to hold the pose above. I drew the photographer and added the 2 fingers held up as a “V”. My girlfriend who is an ESL teacher informed me that her Asian students said that could symbolize more than the usual “peace” Americans usually imply. I’ll try and find out what all that could be.

  

 Yessiree.

                 

After Florida, I flew to Los Angeles, Pasadena to be specific. A community that has seen the return of some of it’s former luster. I stayed just a couple blocks from the main drag, Colorado Blvd., which sports some very tony clothiers and boutiques. I scoured the stores looking for a pair of rugged shorts as I was looking to do some rafting and possible white water once I got to Oregon, plus it was 88 freakin’ degrees. The stores had already switched to their Fall/Winter lines, it was on the eve of Halloween. Nothing to be found but long pants, sweaters, wool cardigans, leather jackets, and Empire coats. Couldn’t risk an epidemic of pneumonia sweeping thru poorly clad Los Angelinos.

 

Formerly a grand hotel and now a la-di-da condo, Castle Green presented the challenge of trying to define architectural structure swarmed by various plant shapes, (the leaf clusters of hedges were easy compared to the 10 thousand swords of palm fronds), while capturing the ever shifting play of light and shadow and the changing hues of green. I threw in the towel before finishing a number of palm trees. Several people stopped to have a look, some of them making comments, but perhaps most interesting were 2  denizens of street life, both by all appearances homeless, who engaged in brief conversations with me about the drawing.

 

  

Some grease pencil, otherwise Pitt Artist Pens.

Ybor City, a community in Tampa that was home to Cuban and Italian immigrants and where the cigar making industry flourished. Still some shops where men hand roll the cigars. I was too late the day I went there to draw one at work. Had a reputation for being a tad rough but looked to be settling down and accommodating tourist and upscale restaurants right next to tattoo parlors and vintage clothing stores. Notice that I got lazy with the flag. Not only didn’t finish it, but drew the star pattern of 48 states.

     

Got nothing but beautiful weather while scooting thru the South. Spent several hours at the John and Mabel Ringling Museum in Sarasota, which was full of choice stuff. Eye catching feature – all the fig leaves were removed from the copies of very recognizable sculptures, and the heroic figures’ manley attributes were restored.

 

       

Drew my friend Adam as he drove us from Charleston to Savanah. Pitt Pens on toned paper. Adam was chewin’ his cud over a court case he was in the middle of, while talking to me about various topics and managing to steer a car hurtling thru space. Super wonderful guy.

 e