Marriott Marquis Hotel

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art was built 1995 but is already expanding with a new wing along Howard street. Its a good thing too with its recent acquisition of the Fisher collection and some 175 other works by big name artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning Jasper Johns, Rauschenberg, Bacon and others.

While visiting the Museum I found a deck with a great view on one of the upper floors looking west along Mission st. I pulled out my sketchbook and drew the Marriott Marquis Hotel at 4th street, not far from the museum. When I first moved to San Francisco just over 20 years ago, this hotel was the newest addition to the San Francisco Skyline and I always appreciated the art deco style.

The Little Shamrock Pub

Intersection of 9th Avenue and Lincoln Avenue, San Francisco.

I lived in San Francisco for ten years throughout the 90’s mainly in the Inner Sunset District. For a while I lived at Ninth and Irving with my girlfriend at the time, Bernadette. From our bay window in our living room we had an terrific view of Golden Gate Park just across the street (our apartment is hidden behind the tree in the drawing and to the right of the Little Shamrock Pub). I spent more than a few nights drinking Guinness at the Shamrock pub that’s well over 100 years old.

Soda Rock Winery, Alexander Valley

While most of the country is snow-packed, Northern California is enjoying unseasonably beautiful weather this winter (if you could call it winter). Yesterday we hit 80° breaking the 71° record of 2001. Typically during the months of January and February we get ten inches of rain, but it doesn’t appear we will get anywhere near those levels this year. With the rain’s absence, the sun has even tricked the magnolia, cherry, and plumb trees into blossoming early.

On such a nice day, Marilyn and I were unable to stay indoors and headed out to Alexander valley, one of the most beautiful places around and is located just a few minutes away by car. We stopped by the Jimtown store to buy a sandwich (turkey with garbanzo bean chipotle sauce on a french roll) for a picnic. From there we drove about a mile down the road and pulled into Soda Rock winery for a relaxing afternoon. While there, I sketched the road we drove in on. The old oak barrel beside the road is no longer used for making wine but makes a good sign to attract attention to the winery.

Sonoma Coast, California

The WorldWideSketchCrawl 30 was today and My wife and I drove out to the Sonoma Coast for inspiration, food, and fun in the sun. Northern California is a great place to live because every year in January we get a mid-winter break from the cold and rain. Today the Temperature was in the low 70’s and there was barely a breeze. Even at the coast, the weather was terrific. No Jackets required.

Along the way, we had lunch in Guerneville at a restaurant called Boon. We chose seats out on the patio to enjoy the view and weather. I ordered boon burger with grass fed beef, fiscalini aged white cheddar + wild arugula on a toasted milk bun with house-made parmesan herb chips for only $11. Marilyn ordered a wild arugula salad with fennel, lemon vinaigrette + shaved vela dry jack ($8). We shared. We laughed. We had a great lunch. Now if we could only get them to turn the music of Nirvana down a notch or two . . .

After our leisurely lunch we landed at Goat Rock beach along California’s Sonoma Coast. We were able to take off our shoes, walk in the grass, and let our minds drift in and out with the tide. I painted two watercolors. What a great way to spend a Saturday. Can we do it again tomorrow?

New Messenger Bag to Hold My Art Supplies

For Christmas I put a STM messenger bag on my wish list and thanks to my mother-in-law, I got what I wanted. I don’t often ask for things sight unseen but the reviews for this bag were excellent and I had a good feeling about it too. Well, today I received the bag and so far I love it. My art supplies fit perfectly. I also like that it only has one clip on the main flap (no velcro!) which it makes it easier to open. A pocket (with velcro) located inside the bag is perfect for protecting my iPad and sketchbooks. Overall, the bag seems to be well made and the stitching should hold it together pretty well.

Don’t I already own a messenger bag to hold all my art supplies, you ask? Well yes, I do own a large Timbuk2 bag that worked great when I went to Greece last year but I find it too big for a day out sketching close to home (click here to see a drawing of my Timbuk2 bag). Now I’m more exited than ever to hit the road and find a cool place to draw once the weather improves. Rain, rain go away . . .

Marilyn Reading on a Rainy Autumn’s Night

My wife Marilyn loves to read. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, she’s always interested in a good story. Reading she says, helps calm her active mind and allows her to relax. I love reading books too and on a rainy day like today, cozying up with a good book is pure pleasure. Today I picked the book George Seurat, The Drawings off the shelf and thumbed through it for the hundredth time. I admire Seurat’s drawings for the way he works with light and shadow, composition, and mood. His drawings have a quiet, almost meditative spirit with a touch of melancholy.

Inspired by Seurat’s beautiful drawings, I decide to try his technique for myself. After returning from my studio with a conté crayon and some laid paper, I search the house for a subject that will work well with high contrast lighting. In the living room I find Marilyn reading on the couch with a floor lamp illuminating her book in the near darkness. After setting up my art supplies, a couple of hours pass like minutes. I have forgotten how much I enjoy drawing Marilyn and I hope I’ll have the opportunity to do so more often. There’s nothing better than drawing on a rainy, near winter’s night, especially if someone special is nearby.

The Pacific Coast Air Museum

The H-34 Choctaw Helicopter on the field at the Pacific Coast Air Museum.

A few days before Halloween, the Sonoma Sketches met at the Pacific Coast Air Museum for a morning of sketching. The museum is located right next to the Charles M. Schulz Airport. One of the old planes had been converted in to a haunted house, errr haunted plane and terrible halloween music filled the air.

I was a little disappointed to find mostly military air crafts and hardly any old prop planes in the mix but there was plenty to draw so over all I was happy.

Drawing of the HU-16E Albatross along with a fire engine.

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.