Camden Library

This is a really great Library. From outside, it looks like a nice quaint small public library but go inside and it has these incredible views over Camden Harbor. Go downstairs and there is an entire underground library with meeting rooms, the Camden History Center, a children’s library and more views out to the harbor. This drawing was coming along just fine until I got to the cars. They turned out OK for this sketch but it's funny how some new element comes along and I end up tripping all over the place trying to get it right.

In Rockland

At the DMV - a couple of quick sketches of people waiting and then later at Second Read Books looking out the window toward the Strand theater. I was dreaming about taking Wednesdays off from work so that I could sketch more, or bike, or whatever.

Fish Decoys

It took drawing these things for me to finally find out what they were. This is part of a collection of fish decoys my mother owned and passed on to me. These decoys are used in ice fishing. A large hole is cut in the ice and these decoys are lowered into the water and moved about in a fish-like manner (or turtle-like, or dragonfly-like manner depending on the decoy being used) to attract fish near the surface where they are then speared with a really big 10 prong spear. Pretty wild, eh?

Sketching is an education.

Lance and Kerry

I'm a big fan of cycling. I like to do it more than I like the professional side of the sport but I do love to watch the Tour de France every July. When Lance Armstrong recently announced he was going to ride professionally again, I have to admit I was, and still am, pretty excited about it. He is an amazing athlete and interesting character. And he has done more for raising funds and awareness of cancer than any other individual I am aware of.

Kerry Hardy is the guy on the opposite page. He's a friend and cyclist. He cycles not only for sport but it is his main mode of transportation. I don't think he owns a car. I met Kerry on one of my first group rides. He stood out as he was the only one there NOT wearing Lycra shorts and a colorful cyling jersey. I think he was wearing wool knickers, tennis shoes, and a t-shirt and riding an old beat-up 1985 Raleigh Grand Prix. Oh yeah, and he's almost 60 and he was having no trouble taking his turn on the front, while I was just struggling to hang on to the group. I was 38 at the time and training for triathlons. I have come to learn that Kerry is a wealth of information on plants and trees and local history. And he is always on the lookout for mushrooms. I like him.

Cookie and a Buddha

Been away from blogging for awhile - I suppose it's good to take a break now and then. I've been drawing but not really wanting to put it out there - lots of portrait stuff.

The Buddha is something I've been wanting to draw for awhile. This is a wooden statue I've had for many years. I remember coming across it in a store in Austin, Texas and connecting with the peacefulness of the face and the solidity of his posture. He's seated in the lotus position with his right hand touching the ground and his left hand resting in his lap, palm up. A present and focused look in his eyes and an "I will not be moved" posture. He is a comforting fixture in an ever changing world.

The drawing on the left started as a drawing of the cookie on the plate but as you can see I lost interest in that and focused on the tile table the plate was sitting on. It's hard to tell what the image is because it is partial and sideways but it's a side view of a chef running out with a tray of coffee and food - the logo at Boynton McKay.

Last Days of Summer

The first pages of a new journal - exciting! Now, if I can just find the time to draw again.

Quick Sketches

Just practicing drawing people. I rediscovered a great sketching book in my library called On-The-Spot Drawing by Nick Meglin featuring several illustrators sketching styles - sort of the 1969 version of Danny Gregory's soon to be released book, An Illustrated Life.

The Last Pages

This is the last page in my journal that I started back in April. It is the first sketchbook in my life that is filled with drawings and writings. I usually lose interest in the book or the format and move on to something else. As I've looked back through this book and through all of my postings on the blog, I see a huge improvement. And what is even more exciting is that there is so much more I can improve on. My vision for what I can do continues to expand. It feels like the beginning of a journey and I can't wait to start the next journal to see what fantastic adventures await.

New Journal

This is the first page of a new journal I'm starting that will just be for faces. I drew this from a photograph by Adam Bacher, a photographer in Rwanda. This boy reminds me of Alex. A mixture of happiness with strong defenses. This drawing is filled with accidents and experimentations starting with using a pen that I learned was not waterproof. I couldn't achieve the depth of field look in watercolor so I cheated with my photo editing program to get the right hand/arm a little blurrier than drawn.

Back in Maine

These were done on the long plane ride home. Some sketches while waiting in the airport and others done from the magazines on the plane.

I arrived on Tuesday, brother and sister on Wednesday, and Alex came home on Saturday. School starts on Wednesday. I'm looking for time to sketch. I'm sure I'll find it soon enough...

Guess the vacation is officially over!