And a happy one it is for me, as I have been honored with Katherine Tyrrell’s, “Travels with a Sketchbook Shield” award for 2007!

Holidays at Bar César,
Berkeley (larger)

It is indeed an honor to be recognized by Katherine, and especially in the company of the other finalists, all of whom have been great inspirations to me:

Katherine’s award is extra meaningful to me because it was her "Blogging Art in 2006" posts, Part 1 and Part 2 which really inspired me to get serious about sketchblogging. Her blog is chock full of useful art information and links, her sketching and artwork is wonderful, and I have learned so much from her about blogging as well. She is a pro indeed!

Thank you Katherine for your very kind regard, and thank you to all the sketchbloggers out there who inspire me every day.

Happy New Year Everyone!

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Arlington Fountain,
Crop for Card (larger)

Arlington Fountain,
Original Sketch (larger)

This year for our holiday cards I made a sketch of my favorite fountain all decked out for the holidays. Arlington Fountain sits in the center of the Marin traffic circle, here in Berkeley, and is a reproduction of the fountain that stood there from 1911 through the 1950’s.

The sketch seemed a bit stark to me though (maybe needs a bit of background?), so decided to try an extremely cropped version of it for some of the cards. I like the result! I had the cards made at Shutterfly, who did a fine job just like they did on my cards last year and on my foodie note cards.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Related:
  Other Projects
  Arlington Fountain SketchCrawl

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Picasso Ceramics: Fish, 1951 (larger)

Picasso Ceramics: Double Face, 1950 (larger)

Picasso Ceramics: Head and Face of Bull, 1950-51 (larger)

Picasso Ceramics: Face Pitcher 1959 (larger)

A few weeks ago I went to Las Vegas with a good friend for a couple of days of rest and relaxation and a chance to explore the Bellagio Resort. What a visual feast! Vegas (Update: The Vegas Strip, I mean) is a crazy, tacky place, but I have to say the Bellagio is lovely. I especially like the Chiuhuly sculptures (including the amazing lobby ceiling), and the Conservatory Garden, which was transforming from Fall to Christmas while we were there. We also had a great time eating well, (most notably at Picasso and Olives), seeing "O", people watching, and enjoying the fountain shows.

Picasso, from Photo at Exhibit (larger)

The highlight of our trip though was a small and charming exhibit of Picasso ceramics at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Well-focused and assembled with care, including photos, a great timeline and video, it kept us happily absorbed for an afternoon. In contrast, the Modern Masters show at the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in the Venetian was a haphazard assortment of barely related pieces, seemingly intended to impress rather than illuminate.

As always in museums, I sketched with pencil then did the ink and color afterwards. I find that when I can finish a sketch all on the same day, the results are fresher. That is not always possible when traveling, but I try!

More information on the Exhibit:

• ARTINFO
• MGM Magazine

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Wurster Hall, UC Berkeley (larger)

I found myself on the U.C. Berkeley campus recently and decided to sketch Wurster Hall: the Architecture Department and my alma mater. This “neo-brutalist” building is widely regarded as an ugly monstrosity, especially it’s prison-like tower. Having spent a LOT of time there I can tell you it’s just as unpleasant to be inside of as it is look at.

Of course I am biased. Although I loved my overall experience at Berkeley I did not enjoy the architecture program in the least. The explanatory rant is a long one which I will spare you. Here is one oddity though: at the time I liked engineering but detested freehand drawing, which we had to be very good at but which was never taught.

Now I love sketching and often draw buildings, no less. Life can be so ironic sometimes, can’t it?

Related Post: SketchCrawl on the Berkeley Campus

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Well it’s happened: I have been at this for a full year!

The experience has been so different and so much more amazing than I ever expected: I am just stunned. Most especially wonderful are all of the great people I have met, both online and in person, as a result of this endeavor.

Because I played around with the blog before publicly announcing it the actual anniversary date is murky. I have decided on today because it was one year ago when I received my very first comment, and from the wonderfully inspiring Jana Bouc no less. Jana’s blog was influential in getting me started on this adventure in the first place, and I have since had the pleasure of sketching with her as well.

It’s been a crazy whirlwind of a year. When I started the blog I hoped that it would get me sketching more, and it certainly has done that. I had no idea though how much work it would be or how hectic it would sometimes make my life. But I also didn’t expect the community, encouragement, new directions and immense satisfaction it has brought to me.

The Crazy Life of the Sketchblogger (larger)

I would like to extend a heartfelt
    * T H A N K   Y O U *
to the sketchblog community: fellow bloggers who inspire me every day, the many wonderful people who leave encouraging comments and emails, and all the folks out there who come by for a visit now and then or read via the RSS feed or the EDM Superblog. It is the human connection of this experience that has been the best reward of all.

And now, I’m off to drink a glass of champagne

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