Art on BART.

Reading this article reminds me that once we're back living in the San Francisco Bay Area again – and likely living in Oakland again – I would like to resume work on this blog I started a couple of years ago, when I used to commute via BART either to work or to my studio in San Francisco. On the (increasingly rare!) occasion when a seat was available and conditions were right, I was able to sketch my fellow passengers. Stealthfully, like an art ninja. Haha. No really, I don't think most people noticed. Or any. Here's an example:Please check back at ole www.bartsketches.blogspot.com in the next couple of months, I swear I'll be back. Back in action. Yeah!!

It's a draw.

Finally went to the long pose drawing session over at Artspace this morning, now that it's the last session until the fall (drat!). I should get in the swing of going to the Tuesday night drawing sessions there, even if they don't have terribly long poses - it's been entirely too long since I've drawn, and especially from life. Sigh. Here's what I came up with - unfortunately, I still felt like I was battling the same old drawing demons, though I had a *minor* mental breakthrough on some level which I hope works its way into my drawings soon...I also headed over to the Bain Project to check it out, and also over to Rebus Works - lots of good stuff there, including the Casey Porn/David Eichenberger show "Epic Battle." Good stuff, Raleigh art scene. I will miss you. Sniff.

More reminiscin'

So in addition to being happy about celebrating 10 years of the awesomeness of John, I am also sadly thinking on how I missed the opportunity to study with Studio Escalier this spring, like I did last year. In fact, one year ago today, I was in Paris, drawing and learning and drawing and seeing art and drawing and exploring Paris and drawing. And it was glorious. Click here to see photos of what I was doing this time last year (sniff).

Bonus!! Here are some other photos I never posted to the blog during that lovely, lovely month in Paris (with side trips to Nuernberg, Germany, and Dublin and Ballycastle, Ireland)...

Some of the peeps from class at the Louvre, before going to draw from the museum's collection. Left to right: Sarah Meredith, our awesome teacher Michelle Tully, Susan Vaughan, and Linda Scott.

With apologies for the terrible quality thereof, above is a photo of one of the drawings I did in class, one of the shorter sessions.

Another class drawing, slightly longer pose I think?

Poster for a theatrical performance in town. I might need to check the veracity of this assertion with some people I know...

This was a print from a show we checked out at the Louvre...

"Boubou"... I love it. This was a find from the Marché aux Puces St-Ouen, wish I had bought it, in retrospect...

Sickly-complexioned self-portrait in front of a shop window at night, Rue Dupin, Paris.

Ah, Paris. Sigh.

Decade.

Today John and I celebrate the 10-year mark of our relationship, our "dating anniversary." I suppose in some ways this anniversary is even more meaningful than our wedding anniversary (7th coming up this July) only because this anniversary commemorates the actual relationship, while a wedding (while lovely, of course) really ends up being a formal acknowledgment of said relationship.

So, happy 10th to us! Whooo!! Best ten years of my life. Hoping John will choose to renew his option for 10 more.

In New Rochelle, NY, summer '08.

More fabrication.

Here are some photos from the Artspace opening reception on Friday night, May 1st:

Des fermes, avec beaucoup de chèvres

I forgot to mention it... the weekend before this past one, John and I went on the Piedmont Farm Tour, sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association – we went out both Saturday and Sunday because, man, there were a lot of farms to cover. Plus, the area covered by the tour was fairly spread-out – the first place we went on Saturday was up in Person County, and the last place we went on Sunday was down near Siler City. Perhaps that doesn't mean anything to you if you don't live in North Carolina... suffice it to say, lots of driving involved (we rented a car for the occasion).

I already posted a number of photos on Facebook, so in the name of sheer laziness, I will direct you thusward: CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS. Here's a sneak preview, though, of John getting up close and personal with a goat at Celebrity Dairy:

I'll bet you big bucks that many of the critters encountered on this tour and therefore photographed by yours truly will make appearances in future paintings of mine. Big bucks! Stay tuned.

P.S. As a result of this farm touring, there were fresh, organic hand-picked strawberries for our pancakes on Sunday morning. Scrumptious!

From the other side.

So here's an item coming from the other end of the real estate spectrum, far away from my previous post about the wee, humble condo John and I are selling here in Raleigh... my awesome sister and her awesome husband (and their awesome dogs) are selling their awesome home in Park City, Utah. It's a beauty (did I mention it's awesome?) – check it out here! Pic below is the exterior in winter.