Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco

In celebration of moving to the Bay Area twenty years ago this month, (has it really been that long?) I thought I’d pull out this drawing I did last year of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Built for the Panama Pacific Exposition in 1915, the Palace of Fine Arts was dedicated to progress and a celebration of the completion of the Panama Canal. The Exposition also signified a rebirth of San Francisco following the destructive 1906 earthquake.

I visited San Francisco in 1989 as a prospective student to the Academy of Art College (it was a college back then). A friend of mine who already lived in the area, showed me around the city and one of the places we visited was the Palace of Fine Arts. Wow, was I impressed. San Francisco felt like the most European of American Cities. Just a few years before, I had lived in London and I still longed for a cross cultural experience.

Coincidentally, one month after my visit, the Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco destroying houses, bridges, and even damaging the Palace of Fine Arts. But needless to say, Earthquakes didn’t keep me away from this beautiful, eclectic city and I chose The Academy of Art to study illustration.

Internet Archives Building in San Francisco

It’s easy for me to forget how cold San Francisco can be in the summer. Mark Twain famously said “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” I believe it. I live about an hour’s drive from the city but with a distance of only 55 miles, San Francisco can still be up to 40° cooler. As I drive south, especially in late summer, I see the blanket of fog rolling over the Marin headlands welcoming me to the City by the Bay. This morning was no exception as I shivered in the cold with fog misting me and my Moleskine sketchbook as I drew.

This is a drawing of the Internet Archives building (the Archive is an organization advocating for a free and open Internet.) in the Presidio. I set up my folding chair across the street on a man hole cover in an effort to keep the feet of the stool from sinking into the soft dirt. This was working fine until I dropped my pen cap down the tiny hole of the man hole cover and into the darkness.

Bodega Bay, California

A trip to the coast is always a welcome escape from my busy life at home. The hustle and bustle of dogs, emails, and work, recedes from my thoughts and allows a gentle peacefulness to set in. While walking along the beach, I often feel that my life is about to change in some profound way, however small. That’s why I take two journals with me, one for drawing and the other to record my thoughts. After finding a comfortable place to sit, I watch the waves gently roll on the sand for hours at a time. My mind drifts in and out with the tide, leaving me with a sense of peace that lasts the rest of the day.

Fire Burns Healdsburg’s Post Office

As soon as I got out of my car I could smell the residual smoke from the fire that burned the Healdsburg post office last night. The street was taped off along with police, fire and federal officials still swarming the area. Although no one yet knows how the fire got started, speculation is that it started in the roof of the building. A couple of years ago postal officials wanted to move the post office to the annex location on Foss Creek Circle to save money, but an uproar with residents forced them to reconsider the move. Smoke once again starts to rise from the back of the building and the firefighters get to work.

I park myself right at the edge of the Do Not Cross tape in front of Amoruso Print shop, pull out my sketchbook and start drawing. Many residents stop by to pay their regards to the old burned out building and tell me stories about the history of the place. The building was used for many things before being a post office including a small Safeway grocery store back in the 60’s.

Art Supplies Used While Traveling in Greece

I have experimented with many different art supplies over the years, and my supply list is always evolving. Here is a list of the items I used in Greece, each of which I tested extensively before my trip to ensure its necessity and functionality. Most of these supplies can be found at any art supply store.

• Sakura Pigma Micron pens size 01-08

• Windsor & Newton professional-grade tube watercolors

• Children’s watercolor set (with the paint soaked out and replaced with W&N watercolors)

• 12” x 12” masonite hardboard

• Water cups clip

• Windsor & Newton, Series 7 sable watercolor brush

• Technical pencil (never needs sharpening)

• Moleskine watercolor sketchbooks

• Moleskine regular sketchbooks

• Arches hot press watercolor blocks 7” x 10”

• Plastic knife (for removing pages from the watercolor block)

• iPhone for pictures, video, blog posts (so much contained in one gadget makes it a winner)

• Timbuk2 messenger bag

• Three-legged fold-up chair

• Notebook for writing thoughts

• Kneaded eraser

London Heathrow Airport

While at the London Heathrow airport and waiting for my flight back to the States, I drew this staircase not to far away from where I was sitting. I could tell the focused state of mind I had developed while traveling in Greece was still present. My mind was crystal clear and I felt so relaxed. I wish this state of being could last forever but I know my cell phone will need to be turned back on, email will have to be answered, and my life will return to normal. On the other hand now that I have some perspective on my life, this is a good time to see the changes that need to be made in order to add more meaning and focus. Above all, it’s important for me to take the time to slow down, be apart of the world around me, and draw.

Akropolis from on top of the Hill of the Muses

When in Athens, it’s impossible to miss the giant mountain of rock called the Acropolis. It’s especially impressive in the areas of town where the Parthenon can be seen crowning the top. One of my favorite vantage points is on top of the Areopagos. When I first arrived in Athens, I climbed up the slippery rocks to the top of the hill and watched the full moon rise above the Parthenon. Unfortunately at the time, I was unable to see well enough in the dark to draw.

Toward the end of my stay, I found another great view while climbing down the Hill of the Muses. From there, I could see the Acropolis in all its splendor, dominating the city below.

The Prison of Socrates

On our last day in Athens, we have one prominent place left to visit, the Hill of the Muses. As we make our way around the Acropolis through zig-zagging streets, we pause for a moment to watch an organ grinder. An old man wearing a bowler hat pulls the crank while lighting up a cigarette, and an unfamiliar song begins to resonate outward. The organ itself is really the attraction, with fringe, jewelry, flowers and old black-and-white movie-star photos decorating its sides. A young boy runs around with hat in hand collecting money, replacing the traditional monkey.

With our day quickly passing, we continue our walk up the Hill of the Muses overlooking the city. Our first stop is the Prison of Socrates, where the philosopher was supposed to have been jailed before they forced him to drink deadly hemlock. He had been convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens with his philosophical teachings. This is also the site where, during the Second World War, all the Acropolis’ artifacts were hidden from the Nazis. I’m not that interested in drawing the site but my dad is insistent, so I pull out my gear and give it a shot. I’m not sure what I should include in the drawing. I know its historical significance, but the hill seems uninteresting and flat. I step back a bit to let the tree trunk cross the image and give the drawing depth. Now it starts taking on new life, and I’m glad my dad recommended drawing here.