Buttnekkiddoodles

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      The proud generalissimo astride his dog tired steed. From an Urban Sketchers event at Piazza Missori in Milano. An interesting perspective of the warhorse. Imagine the animal’s POV the first time it is exposed to trauma of battle.
       
   2. The last image is from a gripping Civil War memorial in downtown Cleveland that shows a horse in the midst of mayhem. Mayhem that General Missori’s hung head horse may well have been in the thick of.

Made it to the USk meet up at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Choose to forgo my animal pals to draw lovely memorial to Eugene Field, beloved journalist at the Chicago Morning News and crafter of children’s poems. The statue “Dream Lady” references his poem below.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
sailed off in a wooden shoe —
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
into a sea of dew.
“Where are you going, and what do you wish?”
the old moon asked the three.
“We have come to fish for the herring fish
that live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!”
said Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
as they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
that lived in that beautiful sea —
“Now cast your nets wherever you wish —
never afraid are we”;
So cried the stars to the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
to the stars in the twinkling foam —
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
bringing the fishermen home;
‘Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
as if it could not be,
And some folks thought ’twas a dream they’d dreamed
of sailing that beautiful sea —
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
and Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
is a wee one’s trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
as you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

Yes, yer old Uncle Darn can be a complete sucker for a tender tribute. Ran out of time for the sky, perhaps if tomorrow has a similar sky….
Statue by Edward Francis McCarten
Waterfall and pedestal by Delano & Aldrich architects

Screenshot

Our nymph from the realm of Morpheus dust the wee ones with some dream inducing pollen of the poppy.

Fountain pen and DeAtramentis ink and Pit Artist Pens on watercolor paper.

Orvieto. Did the layout and developed the buildings on site. Got to Milano and finally decided to switch from Fountain pen and Pitt Pen Markers to watercolor and lay in the landscape and clouds. Quite the clutz and a bit tight with that medium but this is the year I make a game effort to get comfortable with a medium I am really moved by and in the hands of so many artists I admire can have real zest.

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   It was extraordinarily enjoyable to return to Orvieto after 46 years since I first saw it. The majesty of the cathedral, Maitani’s facade, a the great, great frescoes by Luca Signorelli were as astonishing as when I first stood before them.

 
Cab ride from the airport in Florence to our BnB with a lively conversationist for a cabbie.

 
Looking up at the bluffs from the Etruscan Necropolis. We stayed at an BnB a block behind the tower on the crest. I first visited Orvieto as a 24 year old art student at The University of Texas in Austin. I’ve been yearning to return to my favorite Italian hilltop city. When Rome was sacked in 1527, the Pope took up residence here for some time.