Apps

It’s raining apps, hallelujah. I keep my iphone stripped pretty bare. Only 30 apps live on my phone. I usually keep about 30 images in my photo album at any given time. My phone is clean and lean. That’s the way, aha, aha, I like it.

Pein Air

Everyone in my family knits except for me. My wife has taught every niece, sibling, in-law and cousin. They’ve all caught the bug. That’s why I hang out at Sheep and Wool festivals. I’m the lone non-knitter strolling about. I hid in plain site or should I say Plein Air site and drew the County Fair vibe of the whole spectacle.

Pig Law

Recently the Supreme Court upheld a California law that bans the sale of pork meat, no matter where it is produced, unless the pig at issue was born to a sow that was housed with 24 square feet of space and in conditions that allowed her to move freely. Under the law, every sale of covered pork in California that does not meet such standards is considered a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine or a 180-day prison sentence. The case raised questions regarding not only the issue of animal cruelty but whether one state could regulate another state’s production of pork and impose thousands of dollars of charges on pig farmers. The state said law was necessary so that Californians wouldn’t feel complicit in animal cruelty. The thing I question is that no one seemd to raise the point that eventually killing the pig even though it now has 24 square feet of space might also be considered animal cruelty. Just something to consider seeing as there is so much considering going on. Reminder that my Vegan Art Book is available on Amazon.

Tulips

When I draw on the street lately, I’m approached by a large amount of people who turn out to be art teachers. I’m surprised by just how many art teachers there are wandering around NYC parks. I share a bit of my history and how I ended up on a stool in front of them. They want to discuss their own art and I quiz them about their students. I explain to them the importance art teachers played in my success. I drew these tulips, which happen to be my favorites, at the botanical gardens. The rest of the sketch I added later at home. If you’re looking for an explanation about this piece, you won’t receive one because your guess is as good as mine.

Water Buffalo

My friend Steve is half my age. We met in advertising and he too is an artist. He picked up drawing as a hobby to be taken seriously from me. We recently went to Natural History Museum. Steve selected this water buffalo to sketch. I wouldn’t have chosen this one because the diorama was very dark. Sitting below at a weird angle, I felt this illustration would be a real struggle. Turns out I surprised myself. I always think I know best but I found out when I keep my mouth shut and follow someone else’s lead, magic might appear. I may have to start listening to my inner voice less and do the opposite of what it says.

Animals

This is the time of year I draw at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. During my recent days of sketching, I met quite a few great people who wanted to talk about what I was doing. Each encounter turned into long wonderful conversations. This happened frequently and I think it may have something to do with the feeling that the pandemic has concluded. When I finished the flower portion of this illustration, I had the idea to draw animals who frequent the garden but give them a New York City vibe. So I have each quoting lines from famous Manhattan-centric films.

Shrooms

scavenger hunt where artists from around the world hide mushroom themed original art in public spaces for ordinary people to find and claim as their own. This year it happens on June 10th. This is the idea of Daniel “Attaboy” Seifert. Go to https://yumfactory.com/gameofshrooms/ on how to participate yourself.

Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a collection of floating trash and plastic, covers more than 600,000 square miles and is located between Hawaii and California. I read recently that scientists identified 484 invertebrate organisms living in the patch. Who knew that this is now a cute little ecosystem. So, even though there is an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic weighing about 80,000 tons, it seems that everthing is now A- OK. So sleep easy tonight. My Vegan Art Book is for sale on Amazon.

Vegan Art Book

Animals have been pushing me to post about my Vegan Art Book in order to remind people that it’s still for sale. Hundreds of artworks by over 20 artists showcasing what a better world could be like. If you love animals then you might want to order my book. Purchase on Amazon or any bookseller of your choice.

Ceramic Owl

This was an old ceramic I made during my pottery phase. I found it in my mom’s apartment and thought I would post it.

Random

Recently I was in North Carolina visiting my sister. Each morning at breakfast, I’d make a little drawing from any photograph that caught my attention in the Charlotte newspaper. Over time, I had this monstrosity in my sketchbook. The Buddha statues were from the local Asian supermarket. At some point I ran out of space to jam any more images onto the page.

Subway

This is a drawing I did of two people not sleeping on the subway.