 
 
Bomber hats, fur lined hoodies, ear muffs, ski caps, high collars, and scarves upon scarves challenge one to show up to work, to the Opera, or a dinner date, with hairdo intact. No such problem for bald dudes like myself. Ink drawings from out and about on various sketchbooks and ledgers.
Drawn with Pitt Artist Brush Pens in a Strathmore sketchbook just before leaving St. Louis to take Amtrak to Lawrence, Kansas, I caught Ulysses S Grant standing proud and vigilant in the morning sun.
Passengers on the Fall Trek. Above, a very nice gentleman gets his first look at the Rockies.
Amtrak, Metra, CTA, Megabus, Trailways, Uber….as long as my hands aren’t glued to a steering wheel, I’ll make my way around the country and fill my sketchbooks. Fountain pens, juiced up with Platinum Carbon, Pitt Artist Pens, grease pencils, aka the white China markers, ballpoint, the rare color pencil, gel pens, whatever, in ledger books, watercolor pads, Stillman & Birn, Strathmore, Clairefontaine, Tomoe River Paper and then some. Drawing from life, from nudes, landscapes, urban environments, transit passengers, dead animals, cemeteries, laundromats, drawing out of my head and out of my mind….just answering the calling and feeding the obsession.
For the 5th year, I will head out across the country, this time trekking down the middle, from the mountains to the Mississippi, over the Oglalla and amber waves of grain, to sketch and share craft and discoveries with a whole mess of folks. To follow my journey, go to: doncolleysroadtrip.com.
 
The trek began with an 8 hour layover at the Twin Cities airport and  a late arrival in gorgeous Bozeman. From there I made it to the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument. Go. Hallowed ground. The markers indicating where the combatants fell give and amazing sense of the raging and rambling nature of the battle. From there, Sheridan, Wyo, and a long bus ride to Fargo, where the biplane was drawn at the Fargo Air Museum. The West has to be experienced by bus by car and by train with frequent stops.
All drawings executed with various fountain pens, Lamy Accent, Graf Von Faber-Castell Classic Ebony, using Platinum Carbon ink, grease pencil, and a ide array of F-C Pitt Artist Brush Pens in several types of sketchbooks: Strathmore toned sketchbooks, Moleskine landscape formate watercolor sketchbook, Stillman & Birn Epsilon, Tomoe River Paper sketchbook, and a ledger book from the 1950’s.
Had surgery yesterday morning and whiled away the time waiting to be rolled down the hall to the OR by drawing the IV in my hand. Never really got nervous and managed not to joke around with the staff inappropriately, tho when the male nurse Steve asked if I had any rings or jewelry on I said “All off. Even removed the Prince Albert.” My apologies Steve. Underwent the procedure with “Twilight” anesthesia so expected to have a foggy awareness of things. But, they were giving me the sedation in stages so I had very clear recollection of being wheeled into the OR, then they were turning off lights, commenting how quick and smooth things went and taking me back to the recovery room as alert as I had been on the way in. My anesthesiologist Jeff must be Morpheus himself. Minimal discomfort, dropped one tab of Tylenol last night, slept good, up and out for a gentle walk, breakfast and to post this. Back to the couch and my best pal, the ice bag. My compliments and gratefulness to Dr. Winchester and his staff, Dr. Jeff, dug my sketches, Steve, Nicole, Kim, Claire(?), and my pcp Dr. Vlahos and the rest of the caregivers at Evanston Hospital. My apologies for not recalling last names. Thanks to coop mates Dianne and Dianne for getting me home and the fresh cut fruit. Ink on a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.