Salvador

This is Salvador. He is an urban sketching friend and he lives in Guatemala.

Nick

This is Nick. He and my son have been friends since the second grade. As I'm writing this, he's with him in the living room hanging out right now. 

The beginning of their friendship happened to coincide with the end of my first marriage. The house I moved into during the separation and first couple of years after the divorce was right next door to Nick and his family. We couldn't have been luckier. Nick and Alex played together for hours building forts in Trollum, playing Viva Pinata (a video game), and engaging my friends and I in many Nerf wars. They forged a lasting friendship and I'm crazy proud of the young men they are becoming.

I sketched this in my Handbook Grand Portrait sketchbook with pencil and watercolor and a little spray paint and then "repaired" it in Artrage.

Terry

This is Terry. I met her and her husband Lorenzo down in Chile last year. They run Bio Bio, a company that runs expeditions all over the world. But base camp for them is Chile on the Futalefu River. They have built an amazing camp with private tented bungalows, two riverside hot tubs, a full bar, an authentic asado grill and a really cool yoga platform that is on a cliff about 60 feet above the river.

Every morning Terry and Lorenzo would lead yoga at 7am. I was always amazed that practically the whole camp would show up. About 25 people doing yoga at 7am on their vacation! I think it was Terry. Such a cool, centered, loving Yogini that everyone wanted to be around her energy. It was a great way to start the day.

6.5"x10.5" on Fluid watercolor paper. Pencil, watercolor, spray paint.

Tess

This is Tess. She was my son's Nanny when from when he was 2 to about 4. He loved Tess.

A few years ago I ran into her at the grocery store and we caught up on each others lives and soon afterwards we became FB friends. She lives on an island and is married and has a few children of her own now - they are lucky kids.

10"x14" watercolor on 140lb. arches paper.

Jackie

This is Jackie. She's got a smile that lights up a room and a laugh that you would never forget. She is also a great friend.

6"x10" pencil, watercolor, "plywood"

David

This is David. He's an architect friend of mine that lives nearby. He's a smart guy. About 15 years ago when I moved to Maine I began looking for a group of architects and builders to discuss a manuscript I had been reading titled "The Nature of Order" that was written by Christopher Alexander, an architect and professor at the University of California in Berkeley. 

We formed a group that met a couple of times a month for several years and David always provided amazing insights and then took us on tangential discussions that were fascinating. I don't see him as much now and I miss that.

I sketched this in my Grand Portrait Handbook Journal with pencil and watercolor.

Lindsey

This is Lindsey, another friend from my trip down the Futaleufu river in Chile last year. Lindsey was on her honeymoon trip with her husband, Brad. One night, under a blanket of stars high in the Andes mountains, about 8 of us gathered around a campfire and passed a guitar around. Hearing her play and sing and feeling connected to everything around me in that moment is one of my great memories of that trip.

10"x14" Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. paper

Richard

This is Richard. I sketched this from a photo of him that I'm guessing was taken about the time I knew him in college. We went to Texas A&M together, played hacky sack occasionally, and would jam with our guitars and a few other friends onthe weekends.

A few years ago I was in Bozeman, Montana visiting a friend and stopped in to a store to buy some running shoes. As I was sitting there trying them on, a guy walked up behind me and said "you should buy those shoes." I turned around and it was Richard. It was the first time I had seen him since College. Completely blew my mind.

I sketched this in my Grand Portrait Handbook Journal. 7.5"x10". Pencil and watercolor. This image is different than my original Facebook post. I added the burnt sienna in Artrage.

Lora

This is Lora. I met her in Chile last year on a rafting trip down the Futaleufu River. My favorite memory of Lora is watching her and her friend Kristy dance with Jorge, one of the river guides, to the pop song "Call me Maybe" after a few too many drinks at happy hour by the river. Well, you just had to be there to really appreciate it.

I sketched this in my Grand Portrait Handbook Journal. The actual size is about 4"x6" with a ballpoint pen and watercolor.

Oscar

This is Oscar. He's an Urban Sketching friend.

6.5"x10" Pencil, watercolor and Artrage.

Ed

This is Ed. He is the kind of friend we all hope to find and keep in our lives. I met him in the 7th grade in Houston, Texas. We performed "My Love is Alive" by Gary Wright in our school's annual talent show. He sang lead and played bass. I sang harmony and played guitar. We didn't win but we set the stage for a friendship that will last a lifetime.

12"x16" Gouache on Fluid watercolor paper.

Melanie

This is Melanie. I met her in the Dominican Republic in 2012 at an Urban Sketching conference. She has great style and energy and I love her art.

8"x12" Ink and Gouache on Fluid watercolor paper.

Remy

This is Remy. He's my stepson. He lives in Los Angeles and loves to surf. When he is home we enjoy going on long bike rides and building stuff together.

9"x12" Ink, pencil, pen, watercolor, gouache and Artrage.

Jemma

This is Jemma. I met her on a 2 week tour of Japan's temples, mountains and hot springs that I took with my son, Alex, in 2010. She and my son hit it off right away and became fast friends. She lives in London and is extremely funny.

6"x12" watercolor and Artrage.

Linda

This is Linda. She's an Urban sketching friend and lives in Mississippi.

5"x7" pen, pencil, and watercolor.

George

This is George. He runs the Italian Cycling Center in the Veneto region of Italy in the foothills of the Dolomites. This guy is around 85 years old and rides every day. I hope I have his kind of energy and fitness when I am that old.

9"x11" watercolor and pencil with some Artrage.

Alex

This is Alex. I met him in Valparaiso, Chile in February of this year at a small school where we were both studying Spanish. Alex was just starting a 6 month tour of South America on a Kawasaki KLR 650 - an off road/on road touring/adventure motorcycle. We hung out a few times before he had to continue on. He even let me ride his KLR through the steep and winding dog populated streets of Valparaiso. Having owned a KLR 650 about 20 years ago, I loved every minute of it.

9"x12" Sharpie and watercolor.

Lisa

This is Lisa. I met her in Chile last year on a rafting trip down the Futaleufu river. She's an interior designer and lives somewhere in wilds of Wyoming.

4"x9" watercolor and pencil.

Kit

This is Kit. We served on the Historic Resources Committee for the Town of Camden together a few years ago. She has MS and is in a wheelchair now. I have some friends that ride for her in the Bike MS: Ride Bar Harbor, which raises money to help more than 2,500 Maine residents, and their families, affected by multiple sclerosis. Her team is called "Parker's Pedalers". 

9"x12" watercolor and pencil.