North Street Looking East, Healdsburg

This sketch of Healdsburg’s North Street was drawn from a vantage point near city hall looking east. I chose to stay in my car while drawing because I liked the angle and sometimes its nice to have good back support and a radio for company. Using a Moleskine and a Pigma Micron pen, I fleshed out the drawing and then added a little watercolor. Although I like Moleskine sketchbooks, I find that watercolor often beads up on the page, so I usually only add spot colors instead of washes.

In my drawing, the old, abandoned Purity Products building is on the left. The building was originally called Cerri Brothers Produce Warehouse and was used for packing fruit before sending it on its way along the railroad. Over the next few years, the railroad tracks will be upgraded to make way for the new passenger train called SMART that will run from Cloverdale all the way down to Larkspur, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge. From there passengers can take the bus or ferry to San Francisco.

Located at the far end of the street is the Les Mars Hotel which also houses the critically acclaimed restaurant, Cyrus.

An Artist Yet to Be

When I was twenty-one I moved to London, England to discover who I was but not yet aware of the artist I would become. While there, I would sit for hours on rainy days and write in my journal. I went to London not only because it was a cool thing to do but also because it was a time in my life when I had few responsibilities like mortgages, kids, and car payments. Why not travel and be free like the wind? College I figured, would just have to wait. When I arrived in London, I got a job working as a hotel receptionist, and what I enjoyed most was meeting people from all over the world. I didn’t have a clear purpose initially, but while there, I found one. I attended theater performances, frequented museums, and while discussing art with friends over coffee, the idea of becoming an artist bubbled to the surface. I bought watercolors and started to paint, but felt entirely too self conscious. When I got down to it, I was even afraid of the word “artist” when applied to me. But I continued to paint nonetheless.

Today, as I discovered in London, being a creator of art is not always easy. It demands work from me everyday not only to keep the creative juices flowing but to pay the mortgage I now have too. But I wouldn’t trade the work I do for anything else. A creative job is demanding–but so is life. I live art and the artwork I create gives me life. I recently went to Greece as a traveling artist and writer and upon my return, published the book “The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece.” Looking into the future, I feel three activities will demand most of my creative attention: Outdoor sketchbook drawing, etching, and writing. My recent discovery of book making has allowed me to combine all my loves into one. Sketchbooking and Stories of my travels will keep me working and happily occupied, for a long time to come.

Hotel Healdsburg


Healdsburg is a small town in northern California where I call home. It’s an artsy community in the heart of Sonoma County wine country and I love living here. When one of my good friends Monte visits from Arizona, he likes to call Healdsburg a sophisticated Mayberry (after the fictional town in North Carolina that was the setting for the American television sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show). I understand what he means, but it just feels like home to me. Similar to many 150 year old towns, we have a central square or plaza that defines and unifies the downtown area, and also provides an excellent venue for community events. Concerts, art festivals, and antique shows fill the summer months, keeping the tourist season alive. But it’s the wine industry that usually draws people to Healdsburg with restaurants coming in a close second. This sketchbook drawing of Hotel Healdsburg is one of our premiere hotels, located on the west side of the downtown plaza.

Jenner by the Sea

I went out early yesterday to meet with my drawing group, the Sonoma Sketchers, this time in Jenner. Jenner is a small town along California’s famous coastal Highway One. The town itself is so small that if I blinked, I would have missed it. But I certainly didn’t miss this view along the rocky coast line. Many other people pulled off the road to check out the view and as an extra bonus were treated to a pair of seals frolicking in the bay below. After drawing for an hour or so, I noticed that none of the other members of the group showed up. Ah well, I had a great time drawing and hanging out with the seals.

Dharma Sleeping in the “Whammy” Position

My wife and I have two dogs. Both are Australian shepherds, one named Bodhi and the other Dharma. Each have their own distinctive personality. Bodhi is a gorgeous blue merle color and is much more serious than Dharma. When Dharma is doing something she shouldn’t be doing, its easy to see the worry on Bodhi’s face. Dharma on the other hand is care free and appears to have no idea when she is breaking rules. She is cute as can be and is especially adorable when sleeping on her back. I call it the “whammy” pose. The sagging lip exposing her vampires tooth is an extra bonus.

Traveling in Greece with Clarity of Mind

As with most traveling experiences, I endured many frivolous hardships: short beds, curtainless showers, noisy streets, all things I would have complained about at home but hardly even noticed while being here. Greece was more than worth it, with its ancient ruins, dramatic landscape, and cultural depth that not only unveiled a new world but also a world of the past.

But after spending three weeks in Greece drawing and painting, I felt like I was just getting started. It took over a week to get beyond cell phones, email, Twitter, and my desire to keep up with news reports. Finally, the voices in my head stopped. This is when my mood really started to elevate, and my mind opened up. I wasn’t burdened by have-tos and should-haves, and my easy going attitude influenced my work. I wasn’t thinking about success so much as just enjoying the act of creating. I developed a new mode or rhythm and got into a zone. It was a comfortable place to be and so relaxing. I had clarity of mind, focused energy, and was completely present in the moment. It was like a meditation and it felt empowering. Relaxing. Fulfilling.

Temple of Hephaestus in the Agora, Athens

Looking around for a new subject to paint, I walk towards the Temple of Hephaestus, stepping over puddles from last night’s rain as I go. I take a deep breath. The morning air is rich with moisture and the scent of flowers. After finding a good view of the temple, I pull out my chair and unfold it. The temple, from this perspective, sits on top of a hill overlooking the Agora with green gardens surrounding it.