Smashes and Stripes

This is a collage of the past week. Note the camper on the truck. I had lunch with a bunch of friends last Sunday after church. As I was leaving the parking lot I noticed this truck. The camper is dented perfectly across the front. I don't imagine whatever they drove into looks much better. It is so neatly done it almost looks like it was designed to that shape. But sadly, no. A couple of days later as I waited for paperwork for a project to be dropped off this nice man in a striped shirt was sitting at the next table focused on his phone. I really like stripes, I can go back through old sketchbooks and they always show up in my favorite sketches.

Houston Skyline

Pete Scully published a lovely minimalist skyline of San Francisco which really inspired me, so I decided that today was the day to try the Houston skyline. The day was clear and sunny and so spring-like that I had to be outside to enjoy it.

Sketching the "Blue Ghost"

Missy and I had a great time in Corpus Christi last weekend at my beautiful niece’s wedding.  I had a little free time and was able to get a quick sketch from the seawall of the Lexington.  I sketched this with a Micron .03 in my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.  Watercolor wash added at home.  We didn't have time to tour the ship, but by all accounts, it's an incredible tour!  Now I have a reason to go back!

The USS Lexington, known as "The Blue Ghost", is one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy.  Lexington was commissioned in February 1943, and served in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, receiving the Presidential Unit Citation and 11 battle stars for World War II service. Like many of her sister ships, Lexington was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, but was modernized and reactivated in the early 1950s, being reclassified as an attack carrier, and then an antisubmarine carrier. In her second career, she operated both in the Atlantic/Mediterranean and the Pacific, but spent most of her time, nearly 30 years, on the east coast as a training carrier.  She was decommissioned in 1991, remaining active longer than any other Essex-class ship, and was donated for use as a museum ship in Corpus Christi, Texas. Lexington was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003. Though her surviving sisterships Yorktown, Intrepid, and Hornet carry lower hull numbers, Lexington was laid down and commissioned earlier, making Lexington the oldest remaining aircraft carrier in the world.

Sitting on the shelf

Texas Art Supply in Houston has "The Art of Urban Sketching" in the book department. I was in there yesterday and there it was on the shelf. I recommend it for all you sketchers in the area.

I was honored to be a speaker at the 2nd International Urban Sketchers Symposium in Lisbon last August. While there my wife Patti, daughter Cassie and I made a day trip by train up the coast to the little resort village of Estoril.  It was a fantastic day for sketching at the beach, experiencing another side of the laid-back culture of coastal Portugal. This 2-page spread in my large Moleskine watercolor sketchbook was originally posted as a black and white line sketch; I only now summoned the time and courage to add color.  I was happily surprised at the result, and think it captures the spirit of the day. Yes, the umbrellas really were that colorful!

I'm a native Texan (fifth generation), but was mostly raised on the Gulf Coast of the deep South.  Memories are thick there.  On a recent visit it gladdened my heart to see things slowly returning to "normal" in the wake of years of ravaging storms and the BP oil spill.  This stretch in the Florida panhandle--Pensacola through Fort Walton, Destin and Panama City-- used to be known as "the redneck riviera."  Now clever marketing minds have rebranded it "the Emerald Coast."  I hope the person who came up with that idea got a nice bonus check.

The Art of Urban Sketching delivers to TX

Just a quick post while dinner is on the stove. My copy of Gabi's book arrived this week. Yesterday morning I enjoyed a cup of coffee and soaked in a few more pages. Then made this quick sketch before heading to my office. It contains sketches from more than 100 artists. I give it two thumbs and one waterbrush UP! If you like to look through other peoples sketchbooks you'll like this book. Congratulations to Gabi Campanario and all the artists who shared their work.