Crepes. Creating a memory.

Ink and mixed media. Some sparkling textures. 

                  My work "Crepes" was chosen to participate in the exhibition in Long Island.

That what happen today.

When life is not perfect, you just make every moment beautiful. 

Early morning sketch Upstate.

Was exploring shades of white and had fun mixing my pens and pencils early in the morning, around 6 am.

I used Wink of Stella pen by Kuretake, so the white is sparkling, but photo doesn't show it.

Charm City Burger. One of the electric nights in Florida.

I used ink and Kuretake. Used a lot of texture, trying to depict broken light from passing cars (it was outside), street lamps, moonlight, late meal, scattered conversation. It was one of the best burgers ever, I asked to go there twice.

Here is my little helper, Lucy, since she came to me from Moscow, she learned how to use scanner (she really likes the sound and blinking light), printer (printed my entire mailbox), she likes to watch me draw and thinks that I am coming to sit near computer just to be with her. She goes in front of the screen and stares at me.

Just like that. Isn't she adorable?

One of those days.

I experimented here with the size, did bigger than usual, it is about 17, 5" X 12, 5". Took longer to draw, or may be because I got interrupted, did a portrait for someone, which can't show it yet, till its taken and presented.
What is really strange, that I used the same paper for the last few drawings, and it behaves differently with the same materials, so no matter how hard I will search for "perfect paper" it will always be the chance that it will be unpredictable.

Georgian Bread.

It was small place on Neptune Ave where we use to buy hot long bread and "hachapuri" (flat bread with cheese inside) made in clay oven/tandoori (but with different name). On the way home half of the freshly baked bread from the brown paper bag was eaten, shared. So delicious. Now it turned into a small restaurant with Georgian cuisine. Sometimes they sell "kupati", sort of like Italian sausages but with roughly chopped meat and amazing herbs and spices.

Pencil sketches and pretty dinner.

Sketches on the "F" train and raw ideas for the boy's room with machinery.

Dinner, cooked by my daughter with turkey melt wrap and artichoke-spinach palmiers. Little Pig under the table trying to hypnotize me, so I will drop it all so he can eat it.

Lunch and more glass.

Running errands and managed this page in my strange sketchbook.

Here is a photo of my beautiful lunch. I don't have time to draw it and miss ink terribly, but glass is the main priority, because all 12 pieces have to be installed on time.

Here is "Shabbat".

Yom Kippur.

Simchat Torah.

Preparing myself for the 4th one.

Sketching with watercolor.

On Sunday morning we got Maggie's breakfast from Krooked cafe in Tannersville, the best breakfast in the world. Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, a little bit of home fries, salad and few slices of fruits.

Sketched on the porch  with watercolors while waiting.  Struggled with small water brush, wishing I'll have my regular brushes with me.

We had a little sketch crawl afternoon. Lake was beautiful and all sad thoughts vanished for a while.

Here is my sketch. Really need to carry with me bigger brushes.

Green limes.

I finally stopped adding little touches to Green  limes and decide to consider it done. Even I still see, how it could be improved. I tried to show how time is flying by, how momentarily our impressions are, how hard to live in a moment and be present fully. Little pixels of the drawing start flying away, some contours getting weak and uncertain, soon the whole happy green cooking event will become distant memory.
We did green lime syrup.
I used ink and Kuretake. I aded new ink, Noodler's Rome Burning.

ChipShop.

I added color and sharpen up some tonal values. I used ink and Kuretake on Fabriano Artistico.
This British pub located in Park Slope, in Brooklyn, with walls decorated in royal, Beetles and punk rock of 80's memorabilia, with HP sauce on the shelves, with authentic english food was pretty interesting. And Haddock fish was delicious. So it was fun to eat, drink beer and sketch.

Guilty pleasure.

One of our Saturday's breakfasts, iced coffee and bagels, brought up in almost pajamas from favorite local place, early morning and almost Mediterranean light. Light, playing huge part in orchestrating the whole morning adventure of eating outside, above the ocean.
I really like this paper, Fabriano Artistico, pretty thin, but so vulnerable under the ink. I used ink and Kuretake.

Apple dumplings.

We decide to order Apple dumplings, (whole apple baked into dough), which we didn't do for years, even we loved them and use to order pretty often in past, in good times, when we had house full of friends. People knew my name in the bakery, remembered me, laughed when I asked, pretty pretty please! They don't bake it if not ordered.  I came to pick up in the old place and they are not there anymore. So I found them in the new location, they said they are there for at list 3 years, if not more.
I still shared with friends, sent some to one friend's home, brought in for a sick friend, invited a new friend.  Not because I am too kind, but because it extend the pleasure. Fun.
Especially fun to draw it. I used ink and Kuretake pens. Could not find my fat white pencil for the powder, so used white pen.

Song to go with by Raphael Gualazzi, remixed.

Evening window and beautiful breakfast.

I called it evening window to the world. I was afraid that this valance with sweets scenes a la Antoine Watteau would be covering too much sky and it is, but it gives a character to the kitchen and it was very cheap, so it stays.

  Mornings are wonderful here, spectacular sunrise. Beautiful breakfast.

Pizza DiFara's.

Still no time for myself, but being treated by amazing square pizza from DiFara's, I can see this day as wonderful and memorable.
I have to say I grew up in my own eyes, when was able to take out and reverse the motor in gigantic microwave, use an electric drill, place the charcoal filter inside, transforming the unit into vent free. Not sure who's job I did, kitchen guy or a plumber, but I did it.

It is their signature dish, I was blown away. I wish I was strong enough to draw it. It is my first square pizza from DiFara's. The best in New York.

Instead of drawing, I had to figure out how to attach unattachable, squeeze in unsqueezable, thinking is it normal to go through that complexity while attempting renovation?
Also I don't like not to give people what they expecting and asking from  me.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?