Life as I See It

I was fortunate to spend a few days at Bethany Beach, Delaware this week. When I wasn't boogie-boarding (or getting swallowed by waves),  I was soaking in a glorious mix of sand, sky and ocean.

Bethany Beach, Delaware 7.15.15

Bethany Beach, DE   7.14.15

July 4th weekend was spent in my hometown of Buffalo. Between a Independence Day cookout and an outdoor service at St. Paul's Cathedral - it was a peaceful weekend.

Buffalo Harbor - Water Intake Station and break wall - July 4th cookout

Sometimes unrelated observations meld together, as in the case below...

sketch mash-up of Rhinecliff Train Station and life drawing...

These quick gestures are from a life drawing class I teach at on Thursdays, 6:00-8:30 PM, Atwater Gallery, Rhinebeck, NY. The model is the amazing Vera...

2 minute gesture drawings, Atwater Gallery, Rhinebeck, NY

This final sketch is from my daughter Abigail's high school commencement. She graduated with an IB Diploma, and won the Bard College Prize in Humanities. I'm a proud father.

Red Hook High School Graduation - 6.27.15

You can view a fun gallery of sketchbook excerpts here!

Sketchy Observations

I've been slow to archive my recent sketchbook drawings. Here are a few of my favorites from Thanks Giving weekend...

Rhinecliff Station, waiting for my daughter to arrive....

Lily on couch, Buffalo, NY

Rhinecliff Station

 

  I drew this piece on August 27th at 12:56 PM at Rhinecliff Station. These passengers are waiting for the Amtrak Empire service to Penn Station. I used a train schedule as a canvas.  It's part of a series called Local Life, which is on display at Taste Budd's Cafe in Red Hook, until October 31st. If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop in and take a peek!

Commuters

A few months back, my friend Adam shared a photo he'd taken while waiting for a train into Penn Station. The panoramic image, which was shot on the Rhinecliff Station platform, captured such an amazing portrait of commuters. I attempted to capture the same spirit in a drawing. To add some authenticity to this portrait, I used an Amtrak Empire Service - Eastbound Timetable as my canvas. It was a lot of fun.

detail of left...

...detail of middle...

...detail of right

I used various mixed media in executing this drawing.

The photo that inspired my drawing, by Adam Aronson

Thanks to Adam Aronson for providing me 

with such inspiring and universal subject-matter .

Beautiful prints of this piece are now available here!

Wherever you're headed on life's tracks,

safe travels!

Night Train to Rhinecliff...

A cold wind whips off the mighty Hudson. Fingers freeze, waiting for the night train to emerge out of darkness...

You can see more sketchbook excerpts here. 

Update: You can see new drawing inspired by this train station here.