happy halloween

I can't remember exactly what the inspiration was for these not-so-scary ghosts, but they make me laugh.

a familiar face

I love this cup.

Caldana, Italy

The sketch blog has been in Tuscany for about a week now. I've been exploring different places, but one place I keep returning to is a little town called Caldana, in the Grosseto area of Tuscany. A few summers ago, my friends Mina and Eddie got married there, and I was lucky enough to attend. 

We stayed in a hotel surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. Every morning I woke up early, before the heat of the day set in, and took a long walk: up a winding country road to the town perched on a hill, through town, and down the other side. At some point I'd decide to turn back, and walk back the same way. 

Sometimes during the day I'd return, when businesses were open and people were out and about. Then I could nod to the people sitting on benches, stop in at the grocer's or post office or cafe and use my few words of Italian.

There was a beautiful church at the top of the hill, with an older, Roman-looking facade, and a newer-looking tower. 

Here are a few scenes I've sketched based on what I've been able to find on Google maps from my walks in & around Caldana...

pumpkins for october

A small, rotund pumpkin.

This one is edible, but hard to cut into.

flowers for october

I've been admiring the hardy roses in my neighborhood, holding out through October. Here are some that give me a friendly whack in the head every time I walk by:

Some hollyhocks from back in June:

and a sunflower I met in Fairhaven, up on Little Sodus Bay.

girl on a train

Good morning! I spilled boiling water on my hand last night, which reminded me this morning of this picture - my drawing teacher and I wrangled a bit on the subject of hands.

It is a mash-up of sorts of 2 paintings in the art gallery here in Rochester, one by George Grosz and one by Norman Rockwell. It could also be a former me on the SEPTA train in Philadelphia, if they let in birds...

Groove-bert

There's a lot that's fun about Schubert. The wild and wispy hair, that little chin, those outrageous sideburns, the fact that his friends named their parties after him.

life in 2013

Much as I love words, I'm all for modern communication. 

I mean, how much more expressive can you get?

beautiful prison

The sketching blog was in Paris last month. I was led to this tower:

The conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was held until her death.

I decided it needed some color: 

And even though the sketching blog has moved on (as of today, Tuscany!), I was seized yesterday with the need to finally do this tower in its original black & gold: 

The gold is more shimmery in person. 

What an amazing building!

a star is born

my coffee cup.

(actually, I have a set of 8 of these, all slightly different. Hooray for thrift stores!)

you'll be seeing a lot of this little character.

a rash of eggplants

An eggplant from the market was my model for several daily doodles. I loved its curve, and its spunky little curling bits on the stem. I made a painting for the girl who sold it to me, since she was always so nice to me and recognized me each Wednesday afternoon when I'd show up at the market.

Here, with my coffee cup: 

This was a fun idea that occurred to me that I couldn't help following up on: