Buttnekkiddoodles

   

 

16 hours via bus to Big Sky country. Not big on comfort so sleep didn’t happen but very entertaining. Hit Theodore National Monument about daybreak when our handlebar moustachioed driver, Richard, a colorful man in gray stetson, cowboy boots, smart looking vest and hand crafted utility belt, started giving us a thorough spiel about the park’s history, the area geography, the distinctions of the Bison and Buffalo, area tribes and the lowdown on the Yellowstone river. “Undammed and untamed, the Yellowstone is the longest undammed river in America”. North Dakota’s Badlands were quite the early morning beauty also.

  

Before heading off to Fargo I stopped by the Occupy Chicago demonstration near the Federal Reserve and the Chicago Board of Trade as I made my way to Union Station. There I managed a quick sketch of a bandanna clad dude workin’ up a fever on a makeshift drum kit. I spoke briefly to a few people without being able to locate any organizers or as referred to, supervisors. One fellow was a machinist who had difficulty keeping employed so was heading back to college in pursuit of the next phase in his evolving work life. He couldn’t find anyone at O.C. who had much info about the movement or it’s intentions. Another fellow, who seemed a bit street worn, wouldn’t answer any questions, kept standing in my way and telling me to draw him until I told him to scram. At that point he seemed to decide to actually engage me and said he had lost his job as a security personnel and was frustrated with the leadership at OC because they never wanted to hear anything he had to say. He said it had been his opinion that trying to occupy Grant Park overnight was a bad idea because they would be in clear violation of an easily enforceable curfew. Something the mayor acted on. I had a train to catch and strode off as the police were telling the demonstrators that they had to move.

       

Kim Bromley whipped out this doodle of me on his business card. At Kim’s invitation I gave a presentation to his drawing class at NDSU.    While I was demonstrating before Minnesota State Univ. Morehead art students by drawing professor Trygve Olson, Trygve was busy drawing me. T.O. possesses an agile and camera quick gestural style. I wasn’t making things easy on him by constantly hopping off the stool to point out features about him that drew my eye. Check out his work, political cartoons, sketches and super fresh watercolors at TrygveOlson.com

   

Had to catch a 1:45 AM bus out of town to Bozeman and having already checked out that morning, I looked to find places to hang  after my last demo that afternoon at MSUM, all the while dragging around a portfolio of drawings and a 50 lb suitcase stuffed with clothes, sketchbooks and drawing supplies. Ate a leisurely meal at a Mexican restaurant downtown. Closed the joint. Went to a coffee shop a couple doors down where I ran into one of the students who had attended my demo at MSUM earlier that day. Had a swell time talking and looking over his drawings. Closed that joint. Hauled my ass and gear over to The Side Street Grille and Pub. Enjoyed a beer and the goings on there. Lively Metal and Rig Rock atmosphere.

Fargo looked to be thrivin’. 3.5% unemployment in North Dakota! Word was the pay in the oil fields was $100 K and Mikey D’s was paying $16-$18/hr at stores servicing the man-camps up in the oil fields.

Arrived by air to Florida’s state capital, Tallahassee, and one of the first things to grab my attention was a rather large model of the Titanic as it was found resting on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Drawn with Pitt Brush Pens on a beautiful little orange leatherette covered Rhodia notebook with blank ivory paper.

Draw this early morning scene on the left at the Addison Blue Line platform and the middle drawing of our plane on the tarmac on a spiral sketchpad by Stillman & Birn that was heavy enuff stock to take watercolor.

     

Enjoying a beverage and the view at funky 24 hour vegan coffee shop All Saint’s Cafe, Tallahassee. Pretty much packed a good deal of the time, even Saturday night, largely with students from nearby FAMU and FSU.

I was told that Tallahassee was quite fond of it’s trees and protected them with the weight of the law. Saw some gigantic pecan trees and big beautiful live oaks with long gray veils of moss. Sides were paved to swerve around some of the behemoths. The Thomasville, Ga.  water tower was drawn on a Stillman & Birn pad with Pitt pens and Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils right before I did a workshop at the Thomasville Art Center which had been a Coca Cola bottling plant many years ago.

  

Drawn with Pitt Brush Pens and white China marker on a toned, recycled ( I think ) paper sketchpad by Utrecht. Love the atmosphere this paper imparts to the work but the paper has wood pulp in it.

     

   

Flew out of Tallahassee in a twin prop flying coffin that carried 18 passengers at max load. Felt like I was in a caulk gun.

  

 

Almost finished with this Veterinarian’s Daily Journal from 1959. 500 and a few extra pages.

Heading out of Chicago on a Mega Bus to Minneapolis. Got a great seat on upper deck behind forward stairs and I had a good view and could draw a man I believe is an actor/playwright/director talking to a passenger in front of me.

As soon as I hit Minneapolis Virginia McBride of Wet Paint picked me up at the bus stop and drove me to a super cool event at The Bell Museum of Natural History on the University of Minnesota campus for a free sketch night held on the first Thursday of each month. Organized by Jennifer Menken the staff would hold the living animals for you to get a close view if you wished. I had to scurry around the aquarium that kept these beautiful Tiger Salamanders in view cause them rascals would stare at me for a bit then slither off. The toothy beaver held still thanks to the efforts of a skilled taxidermist. Afterwards I was taken to The Blue Door where I had a delicious local brew, Surly Furious and my first battered and deep fried pickle.

Check out the view below, top left, from my hotel room in St. Paul, captured on a Stillman & Birn Delta series in Pitt Artist Pens. Who’d wanna leave the room with a view this captivating.

 

 

     

The above 4 pages were drawn in a Stillman & Birn Delta series spiral sketchbook using ballpoint, Faber-Castell Pitt Brush Pens and Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils.

   

The view of Louisville was done with Pitt Artist Brush Pens on Bee Paper Super Deluxe Pad.

   

• Returned from a glorious trek to Louisville, Kentucky and Muncie, Indiana in the wee hours this morning. Off early tomorrow to Wet Paint in Minneapolis. Later in the week I’ll scoot over to Artists and Display in Milwaukee. The portrait of me above was whipped out by Jeremy Miller an artist and instructor at Preston Arts Center in Louisville.  Drew with Jeremy out and about one day. That’s Jeremy next to Catherine below, on the couches in New Albany. He’s a very easy going presence and has a very deft hand with a bristle brush pen.  I’ll have to say he inked the better likeness.