Tag: drawing

Mykonos Windmill

(Excerpt from my book, The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece)

To keep my artistic momentum going, I head out to draw. One of the first things I notice is an old windmill situated on a nearby hill, overlooking the city. It’s been converted to a museum, so I go inside. A workroom fills most of the area, with a spiraling stone stairway on the left. Curious, I climb the steps to the second floor. The space is cramped, with several large wooden gears used for grinding grain, and on the far side, a small window illuminates the room and reveals sweeping views of the city below. It’s dusty in here but I like the smell of old wood. I walk back down and exit into the fresh air. It’s here that I do one of my favorite drawings and interestingly, it has a similar feel to the drawing I did on Santorini this morning. Fortunately, I didn’t over burden the page with detail leaving open space for the work to breathe. I like the way the composition seems to roll across the page, keeping the eye moving. The windmill looks formidable with its kaleidoscope arms spiraling outward over the city.

Hydrofoil to Mykonos

On the hydrofoil to Mykonos, I draw the front of the boat where we’re seated. The final drawing is tipped at an angle and the perspective distorted, but it gives a feeling of how disoriented one can feel when out at sea. The hydrofoil is smooth running and wicked fast.

Crepe Cafe

(Excerpt from my book, The Artist on the Road: Impressions of Greece)

This morning, while waiting to see if this afternoon’s hydrofoil to Mykonos will sail, we go to an outdoor cafe for chocolate crepes and Greek coffee. These are not your delicate French crepes, oh no. These are Greek crepes, thick, almost pancake-like, folded into quarters and oozing with chocolate sauce. The warm chocolaty goodness melts in my mouth. I work on a sketch of the shops across the street while still enjoying the last few bites of my crepe. Our waitress, gathering our plates, smiles at me, conveying her appreciation of my sketch.

Today I’m drawing a little differently than I have been. I appreciate the fact that I’m not telling too much and leaving the rest to the imagination. It’s as if I’m drawing just the important parts, only enough to describe the scene.  My touch has also lightened, leaving space between lines and allowing the drawing to breathe. It’s really a type of vignetting, and I like the new style. I’ll have to work like this more often.

Oia, Santorini

After a leisurely stroll through Ioa to the far tip of the island, we walk beyond the whitewashed buildings and continue along a stone walkway that leads to the edge of a cliff. Climbing a set of stairs, we now stand among the ruins of the 13th century castle, Kasteli of Agios Nikolaos, built by Venetians to protect the island from pirates. During the time that the Venetians’ ruled the islands, it was christened “Santorini” after the Church of Santa Irene.

The old castle offers one of the island’s most spectacular views overlooking several other sepia-colored islands rising up from the cobalt-blue Aegean. Looking back, the pale, whitewashed colors of Oia spread out across the top of the caldera in contrast with the dark, rocky cliffs below. To the north, several prominent windmills rise above the city.

Another small note – although I was unaware at the time I painted this piece, the house that was used to film the old 80‘s movie “Summer Lovers” is at the bottom, toward the center of the painting. I happen to watch the movie again a few weeks ago just to see how Santorini has changed in the last nearly 30 years (yes, its almost been that long), and at one point, I paused the movie and noticed that my painting of Oia actually included part of the their house.

The Erechtheion with its Porch of the Karyatids

Once I reach to top of the Acropolis, I find a good place to sit and start drawing the Erechtheion, focusing on the Porch of the Karyatids. I see five beautiful stone ladies who will keep me company while I paint. Halfway through my first painting, a Greek woman walks over and waves her arms upon seeing my drawing. I don’t understand her Greek, but her reaction is telling. Then she reaches into her bag and pulls out an apple, hands it to me. I’ve never had anyone express their appreciation of my work so thoughtfully.

I change locations and begin another drawing. This time the entire Erechtheion is my focus, with the Porch of the Karyatids to one side. A teenage girl comes near and sits beside me watching me draw. She’s completely silent. After a half hour, she looks at me, smiles and thanks me, then slips away.

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

Last year my wife and I went to Vegas to celebrate our anniversary. We happened to catch two shows: the Cirque du Soleil’s “O” show and the ever funny Bette Midler. While Marilyn was enjoying swimming at the pool, I was out sketchbooking. That’s right, not gambling, not drinking, but sketchbooking. It may sound like a strange thing to do in Vegas, but I found Caesars Palace to be a real joy to draw. The neo-classical architecture that showcases the hotel’s elegance is a pleasure to look at, but what really interested me were the life sized Roman sculptures scattered throughout the hotel. Upon our arrival June 25, we found out that Michael Jackson had died which added a very surreal feeling to the day.

I drew this while lying out at the pool on a lounge chair looking up.

The drawing on the left shows the Three Muses sculpture that is the center piece to Ceasar’s lobby. The drawing on the right is an unfinished drawing of the dome covering part of the pool area.

On our last night we had nice dinner at the Circo restaurant located at the Bellagio Hotel. We were lucky to be seated by the window which overlooked the famous fountains along the Boulevard. The following morning, I was out early before it got too hot and drew the restaurant as seen from the Boulevard.

The Temple of Athena Pronaia, Delphi

Upon arriving at the ruins of Ancient Delphi, we learn that two-thirds of the site is closed due to technical difficulties. Grrrrr! This is very disappointing. We walk back to the entrance and talk to a woman at the ticket office at the gate. She tells us they’ve recently had rocks fall down the mountain onto the upper portion of the site. It’s very dangerous up at the Temple of Apollo and beyond. Understanding the situation better, we both calm down and look around, analyzing our options. My dad suggests I draw another part of the site, the Temple of Athena Pronaia, just across the road and a short way down the hill.

Once I’m at the Temple of Athena, I walk around to determine what might occupy me for the rest of the day, and I see plenty. Before me stand the ruins of the Tholos, a circular building of the Doric order, the function of which is still a mystery to archeologists. I’ll have no problem drawing here. What a relief. I pull my chair from its bag, unfold it, and begin to draw.

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin’s Grave, St Pancras Churchyard

Mary Shelley, who wrote the book Frankenstein, regularly visited her mother’s grave in the St Pancras Churchyard in London. Mary never had a chance to know her mother as she died of septicaemia a few days after Mary was born in 1797. Although her father remarried, Mary despised her stepmother for favoring her own children over her, and the peacefulness of the graveyard provided a welcome escape from the tense atmosphere back home. Mary would often pack a lunch and spend an entire afternoon at the grave eating, napping and reading her mothers books.

On occasion, Percy Shelley, Mary’s future husband, secretly met her at the gravesite. As their affections grew for each other, it was here that the two confessed their love for each other. Percy was already married, with one child and another on the way.

While on a layover in London on my way to Greece, I had just enough time to visit Ms. Goodwin’s gravesite. While there, I wondered around the churchyard and imagined Mary’s peaceful afternoons. Sitting next to Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin’s grave as Mary had done so long ago, I created this drawing in my Moleskine sketchbook.

Although Mary Goodwin’s remains were later moved to Bournemouth, England in 1851, her original tombstone still remains.