Life As I See It

Here are some recent sketchbook excerpts of the world around me. The image above was drawn from my front porch - of workers installing a new waterline on my street. Fortunately, I've been able to balance all the noisy construction taking place with quality time at the local pool.  None of these drawings are pretty, they mark a moment in time in the life of an artist.

Red Hook Pool 07,02.16

Red Hook Pool 7-24-16

Construction in front of my house 08.27.16

Under the Canopy 07.02.16

You can view a beautiful new gallery of sketchbook excerpts here!

Systema Naturae

This sketchbook spread was inspired by Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction. This book walks readers through the major extinctions which have taken place on Earth. She also discusses the history of zoology, in which the first book (published in 1758) on this subject was Carolus Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. This Swedish scientist attempted to map out an order to the animal, plant and insect kingdoms. His work was an important building block towards our modern understanding of nature and evolution.

Systema Naturae detail # 1

Systema Naturae detail # 2

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Teddy Roosevelt

This sketchbook spread was inspired by The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, by Edmund Morris. This former US president wore many hats - as a naturalist, hunter, author, taxidermist, colonel, historian, conservationist, and politician.  Although Mr. Roosevelt died at age 60, he seemed to live 9 lives in that span of time.

Roosevelt was famous for his teeth, his love of hunting, and for his military leadership.

He was a US president, a big-game hunter, and colonel in the Rough Riders

"Believe you can and you're halfway there."    - Theodore Roosevelt

You can view more sketchbook excerpts here!

Bubby's Burrito Stand

 I'm very grateful to the 3x3 International Illustration Show judges for giving this drawing an honorable mention. This local burrito stand is open in the summer, and it's just a few blocks away from my home. Bubby's adds so much charm and character to my community, I was compelled to capture it in a picture. Beautiful prints of this piece are available here!

You can view my entire collection of map drawings here!

Wilderstein

I drew the Wilderstein estate in Rhinebeck, NY for their organization’s annual silent auction. This house, which is situated on the Hudson River, was built in 1888 for the Suckley family. They were famous for their close friendship with Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. They gave FDR his beloved black terrier, Fala, who was his loyal sidekick towards the end of his presidency. Quality prints of this piece are available here!

Below is my portrait of Fala, the Scottish terrier which the Suckley family gave to FDR. This little fella was a loyal sidekick to the president until the end of his life.

Life as I see It

Each page of a sketchbook is marker in time - of places visited, adventures traveled, heroes acknowledged, and ideas explored. Here are a few recent excerpts.

Visiting Erie Canal, Lock 62, Port Byron, NY   06.18.16

I captured some perverts in my sketchbook

The National preforming at Mass MOCA, North Adams< MA 6.11.16

Purple Butterflies

At my daughter's graduation from NYU, Radio City Music Hall   05.18.16

Outdoor service, St Paul's cathedral  Buffalo, NY     06.19.16

You can view more fun sketchbook excerpts here!

A Spider's Education

Here are new drawings for American Educator magazine. They accompany an article by the Vermont Writing Collaborative, about a new approach to teaching writing. It's based on the idea of gaining a deep understanding and knowledge of your subject matter. An example of this is displayed by a character in E.B. White's classic book, Charlotte's Web. The spider Charlotte has a deep understanding of (and affection for) Wilbur the pig. In order to save him from a fate at the slaughterhouse,  she spells out words in her web to describe Wilbur's terrific attributes. Spelling out the truth about Wilbur saved his life. It was fun to mimic the spirit of this beloved story in these drawings.

This is the opener art for this story.

Here's a detail to the opener art

Practice, practice, practice (makes perfect)

A special thanks to art director, Jennifer Chang, for this fantastic assignment.

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