Drawings of me in my first art school.

I was searching for stencil and stumbled upon couple of drawings of me by my peers in my first art school. We drew all the time and this time we were posing for each other. This drawing by Andrew, he lives now in Germany, pretty successful painter.

Here I was drawn by the other boy, Alexander, who is now also pretty well known artist in NY and Germany. :)

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Manhattan, no matter how many times I draw it, gives me inspiration and I am never bored there. Rhythm of buildings, rhythm of trees, people's legs, shadows from legs and street signs, rhythm of circles (green Subway balls, bus signs, street lamps) creating a symphony of city life, so interesting for artistic eye.
I used ink and Kuretake on Fabriano Artistico.

Rainy day.

Sitting in the car on that wet day, waiting to get in contact with my friend's daughter from Moscow gave me some "slow" time to sketch and think. So I was thinking of a beauty of that grey day, about people with umbrellas, leading their unknown lives, about not knowing, but guessing, being quick of judgment and being judged, being mistaken, being fooled by the surface, being strong to exercise kindness, staying connected, not to be afraid.
I used ink and Kuretake on Arches hot press paper from the pad. Not easy to move ink on that paper.

Wednesday.

I did "old world" in my kitchen, love playing with texture, even pressed for time. Camera didn't get the color right, it is more pale and more coffee in it.

I love this tile for back splash, even don't know how it would work with other colors. They discontinued some of them, only blues left, but I will grab this fleur-de lis in a heart beat. And may be mix with plain yellows. Handmade, I would like to paint it myself, but, no time. One day I will be happy to paint little pastoral scenes with  shepherds and sheep, women in dresses, small houses in blue colors on tiles. Beloved Holland tiles.

It was warm outside, even wet snow started to fall, from up here everything seemed so distant and unreal.

Remont.

Another page in Gamma sketchbook by Stillman and Birn, drawn with my beloved green ancient mechanical pencil "Bell System Pr" operty is covered by charming yellow patch, which makes the whole pencil look like cabbage, garden, scallion or Cabbage Patch Doll.
The led is 1.18mm, it is thick and thin, soft and hard, a bit squarey,  really versatile and makes my heart melt.
I drew a little scene in my living room, which is not resembling a living room yet.

Bareburger.

With all my running around and decision making I have little time for drawing and being alone and it makes me anxious. May be because my father, being my single parent, after my mother death when I was 8 month old, (grandmother, who came to help to raise me still held a grandmother's role) made lots of decisions for me for majority of my life (old world postulates), also being an aspiring artist in a family of lawyers was a tremendous failure and contribute to my weakness in making decisions.
But anyhow I manage to finish this drawing of Bareburger, nailing that wonderful day, when we drove to Park Slope and got this delicious burgers from tall and interesting looking girl with accent (for some reason I thought she is from Brazil), she was tan and pink polo shirt was such a pretty color splash on a deep brownish background of the restaurant. Mine was bison burger.
I used ink and Kuretake on some vintage piece of paper.

Wrangler.

Could not pass it, the car of my childhood dreams, along with the big dog and promise of endless travels in searches of myself. Really like its boyish features. Never owned it, never had a big dog, but life is not over, who knows. Ink and Kuretake.

Bentley.

This Bentley, I believe from 1984-1990, called "Bentley mulsanne turbo R", was damaged by the ocean, during the hurricane Sandy. It was standing on our block for a longest time, elegant corpse with winged "B" on its front. Was wondering whats story its hiding, how it happened to be here, I didn't see it before. Every time I passed by, it stopped me with its mysterious loneliness, till I realized I have to draw it. I used ink and bits of Kuretake on Arches pad with hot pressed paper. Very hard to move ink on it, realized, not happy with this paper.

Subway sketches in Gamma at New Years Eve.

Sketches and memos piled up and suffocated me on New Year's evening.

I was not alone on the train. Not everyone looked happy, but I was glad that most were self absorbed and ignored me, so I was able to follow nose lines and pursed lips.

On January first instead of sleeping I was drawing door handles on empty train on the way to Williamsburg. Than people showed up.

Gamma sketches.

Few pencil sketches on the way.

Asparagus.

Little mess on the table and amazing grilled asparagus in ink and Kuretake. Colorful splashes, almost firework of ink indicates my happiness and delight, it was the best asparagus ever. I put bunch of seasonings on it: Turkish, Japanese, Georgian Khmeli Suneli, cumin, barberry, paprika, turmeric, grated cheese, oil and soy sauce and we grilled it for a few minutes on our new device Griddler.

Dancing boy.

I saw this boy on the Subway, on the platform, dancing to his own music. Dark silhouette against the urban landscape. It brought light and wonder into dusk of my own mood. Ink.

Subway sketches on the way to Williamsburg and back.

I don't mind trotting on a Subway as long as I can get a seat and sketch people. My pretty sketchbook got some abuse from splattered ink and few smears of metallic on the jacket from my dirty hands in gloves.

Few touches of color with Pentel Multi-8 pencil. One day I will go and ride on a Subway just for sketching.

Here is the wall, glazed in metallics.

A bit closer. They really like that finish and they usually don't like and don't know anything. So this is sort of champagne color. So I think I deserve a sweet roll with cottage cheese tomorrow for breakfast, for saving the day.

Bowl of soup.

Here is a story about bowl of soup, given to me by one woman, who I find very interesting and would like to keep friendship with, who seems so knowledgeable and deep, I hope not to loose her in my hermit style of life, but know too well that nothing could keep me away from drawing.
It is also a story about a fight between me and paper, strange, smooth, cheap, glossy, useless paper, which I ripped and burn and salted, to make it work for me. Ink and Kuretake change their colors, sunk in it, become unrecognizable and I am not sure that I was right to insist on using it, it would, probably, look richer on watercolor paper.
I like to draw simple things like bread and soup, tea kettle, because this objects carrying warmth and peace, same for everyone, it is about people without depicting people.

Here is the room I did for that woman.

Soft glazing with touch of metallic and small brunches with leaves. It is shimmering.

Birds.

Hurricane Sandy dragged seaweed and sand along with water onto small streets in South Brooklyn. I guess, it attracted seagulls. Once I was walking and got stunned by big birds flying near my face. It was not as scary as in Hitchcock's movie, but it was pretty unnatural to see them so low and so many and so far from the beach.
So I did drawing of that street and added birds later. I still may replay the composition, because still unsatisfied with the result. But I am happy I did it, because so many visual thoughts stay undrawn and with all our busyness and rushing never reach the paper and fading away.
I used ink and Kuretake on Bockingford tinted watercolor paper. Funny, this was my last piece of this paper and suddenly I felt how good it was for ink, how much I want more of this paper in ivory and grey and white colors.

December 19 Subway sketches in Gamma sketchbook.

Yesterday's Subway trip and the whole day didn't seem a big waste because I got to sketch people on a train. I still can't get enough of plain mechanical pencil on aged with ink Gamma sketchbook pages. Something really attractive in one pencil and one sketchbook, so little to carry, but such a powerful tool to express and document.

On one station group of construction workers came in, their faces dirty, they were laughing, I managed to catch one, they left on the next stop, pity, such a colorful group. The guy on the bottom was so quiet, never lifted his eyes, so I felt almost too aggressive staring at him, he stepped out on the same stop as I did, hope he is not my neighbor. I find people beautiful and fascinating with the depth of their own world, they keep for themselves.

Starting new Gamma sketchbook.

I started new sketchbook on a Subway, Gamma by Stillman & Birn. The one with Van Gogh's drawing of a Sower on the sleeve.
I have a very special relationships with Van Gogh, I fell in love with his work at 15, after reading the book by Irving Stone " Lust for life". Van Gogh's "Letters to his brother Theo" is one of my favorite books ever, I got it at 17 and brought it here with me. Stone based his book on that Letters. Whenever I needed advice or inspiration, or just a friend, I opened a book at any page and listened to wise words.
So all this to explain why I did this drawing on the second page, leaving the first for something more special than a Subway sketches, I felt stupid to be so superstitious, but it was the only way to start that beautiful new sketchbook, till it become tainted, familiar, approachable.
I used vintage green pencil signed "Bell system property" with metal yellow patch covering last 6 letters, something really charming in that pencil, very personal and I like how it was gliding on paper.

Wolfnights.

Decided to finish "Wolfnights", hanging out on my table for a long while. It was remarkable evening in Manhattan and the best wrap ever loaded with the best meat and vegetables. We were sitting on swinging seats on chains, looking at midnight street and enjoying food and conversation.
I used old piece of paper, ink and Kuretake.

Really charming place, gotta go again.

Couple of sketches on the way to flu.

Going trough the day with Delta sketchbook and water soluble pencil.

I know I skipped W in a word here, but I already had fever, but didn't know I was sick, I just felt miserable and was holding on to being upright.
I used a bit of ink and Kuretake and salt on the upside down sketch, I turn sketchbook to make it more comfortable to draw.
I am on the last page of Delta and giving her goodbye hug.

Blackberry breakfast.

This is still life with blackberries and cups and at the same time it is an intense stare at the breakfast scene, trying to absorb every little detail of berries, sweet baklava, green desert plates, shaped like a flower, tea kettle, all this fragile peaceful beauty of a family breakfast, which is soon will be gone, will be replaced by the darkness, like everything else, will become someones distant memory, maybe not even mine.
I used ink and Kuretake and a little bit of salt. Scanner cannot show shimmering specks of salt or sand, or jewelry sparkles, covering the whole drawing.
BTW, this tea kettle is done, got destroyed by Sandy, like most of electrical stuff at home, I already got a replacement, different shape, different color, how it will fit in my drawings?