Buttnekkiddoodles

Made it late and left early to the Palette & Chisel’s 12 hour life drawing marathon. Didn’t come away with anything stellar. Been consumed with buying, packing, and moving to new digs and will flatly state that my drawing has suffered. Looking forward to heading out on tour to hopefully knock off the rust.

                           

Man, when I say “Slung” I wasn’t joking. What a crazy month. Bought a place and in the midst of painting, having electrical work done and moving into the new place, I had to work in New England & NYC, took a side trip to Philly, flew back to Chicago long enough to do laundry, paperwork and then get ready to jet to Washington and Montana for whirl wind tour of several cities and colleges. Still a bit too much running around and not enough time drawing what I witnessed. Have to return to NYC and hang out on the High Line, was a bit crowded but what a vantage point of Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen. Plus you could see Jersey as it starts to create the Palisades. Using the Pitts and fountain pens. Back in a Moleskine watercolor pad and also have a hefty and lovely ledger book going.

Sometimes, I get behind in posting to BND, especially during the Fall when I’m tripping about the country lecturing and demonstrating at various colleges, stores and events. You can follow me at:  doncolleysroadtrip.com. Cheers.

Shot out to the Big Apple where I took in a little action at Belmont race track. Pretty slim crowd. But enjoyed hanging with Rob & Barney-G. We dined on deli take out, whitefish salad out by the paddocks.

Following 3 drawings done in Chicago just before heading off to NYC & Portland, Oregon.

    View of Edgewater and downtown sky scrappers from my back porch during a neighborhood blackout.

Heading out from O’Hare, did the above sweep of the boarding area. I seldom seem to settle into these air terminal transit drawings.

          

While I was drawing the statue of Theodore Roosevelt in front of the Portland Museum of Art, I heard a scuffle develop behind me and turned in time to see 3 men tumble to the pavement. A couple of cops had just taken down the man depicted above in light pans and racing striped jacket. Cops came flooding into the area and grabbed and cuffed another fellow from a nearby bench.

  

The above drawing is a clear example of why I invest a little more in some drawings. The multiple light sources was so compelling and challenging and made the drawing more specific to character, time of day, mood, and an effect some landscape architects might call “light pollution”.

    

Life drawings from the Palette & Chisel 12 hour life drawing marathon.

Drawings done in Utrecht & Strathmore toned paper sketchbooks, Moleskine watercolor pad, with Pitt Artist Pens, Pelikan M215 & Visconti Rembrandt fountain pens using Platinum Carbon ink, and White China marker grease pencil.

I grew up in pretty suburbs and the bucolic residential neighborhoods of places like Phoenix. Arizona, Lakewood, Washington, Ridgewood, N.J., Monterey, California,Camp Springs, Md.,  Austin, Texas. And I do like trees and gardens and sweet bungalows and St. Augustine grass. But man, something about the grit , scale, and muscularity of large urban environments has always held magnetic appeal for me. There’s the dynamic, move over and make room way that cities evolve. Some subs just have a plow-it-under and drop-it- down- from-the-sky development, that plans from the outset to organize and control everything. The excitement of seeing a grand scheme have to yield to new needs while hanging on to previous requirements and cherished attributes, creates a scenario that realizes in concrete, steel, asphalt, glass, and landscapes the dynamic influx on new arrivals and migratory populations that are our life blood as a society.

The scene  above was drawn up on the loading platform at Ashland, Cortland, and Clybourne, while I waited for a Metra commuter train to  Rockford College, and the variety of architectural texture that is offered from the 360 degree view up on that platform is one big reason I live in a rust belt behemoth of a city.

   

These were drawn in a Stillman & Birn watercolor spiral sketch pad with fountain pen filled with Platinum Carbon Ink, Pitt Artist Pens, and F-C water soluble graphite pencils.

Cindi Ettinger. Master printer for 30 years, at her studio in Philadelphia.

      

Two of the better portraits I got during transit drawing on SEPTA regional rail.

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Got back to Philly for a week and took care of some business while visiting with very dear friends and dining on some excellent food. From the time I first set foot in Philadelphia in 1981, my tastebuds have been treated in the best way possible. That continues on every trip back to Penn & Ben’s town. This trip included a trek to Roxborough plateau where my buddy Dave gave me a sample of honey direct from the hive. A gorgeous day and beautiful morning light let me sit comfortably before the hives and sketch in Pitt Pen and fountain pen a few of his stacks. Brought along just the black and greys for this trip. Made use of my Visconti Rembrandt, Pelikano Jr., Sailor Calligraphy, Pelikan M 215, and Faber-Castell Ambition fountain pens.

Stuart holding Mr. Billy, who loves to play tirelessly, but doesn’t care too much to be held.

Headed out to Garfield Park to meet up with a dozen artists from the Urban Sketchers Chicago crowd. Brought along a cluster of colored Pitt Pens but mostly went with the b/w monochrome. You’ll see evidence of fountain pen there as well (Visconti Rembrandt w/ Platinum Carbon ink).