Chillin' at the D & T

My neighborhood is undergoing a few changes. Construction is everywhere and house prices are through the roof. Not a bad thing and not entirely a good thing. The D & T was a local dive...pretty scungy from all reports. It got bought up by someone who did a total remodel and began offering a pretty nice selection of craft beers. In my continuing effort to draw more people, I decide a visit was in order. All in the name of sketching, of course!

Back from Barcelona!

 We're thrilled with the turnout for the 40th Worldwide Sketchcrawl in Austin, and in other Texas venues.  Meanwhile, Texas Sketchers Judith Butler Dollar, Kay Zimmerman and Jim Richards joined the same event on the last day of the 4th International Urban Sketching Symposium in Barcelona.  About 200 registered attendees, faculty and volunteer staff were joined by 100 or so non-registered attendees, who came just to draw and celebrate their love of urban sketching.  It was a magnificent 3-day event!  I'll be posting more photos and sketches from Barcelona in the coming days.  Hopefully our Texas delegation for the annual Symposium will continue to grow!

Some of the 40th Worldwide SketchCrawl attendees on the last day of the Symposium in Barcelona

Jim Richards' sketch from the SketchCrawl gathering in Barcelona.

Last things first

 Goodbye Barcelona and fellow Urban Sketchers from 30 countries. A sketch from the departure gate in Barcelona after a week with the Uban Sketchers Symposium. 3 days of workshops and a few extra tacked on to soak up a little more Catalan goodness. Thanks to the teachers and especially the organizers of this years' symposium. Some highlights: tapas, vino tinto, Sagrada Familia and all things Gaudi, the Boqueria, everyone else's sketchbooks, late night dinners, friends from USK 2 & 3. And the sponsors and volunteers that made the whole thing work. More images as time permits.

On a Rainy Afternoon in Houston

It's been rainy and cooler the last few days, so I decided it was time to go out and do some sketching. This is the old Oriental Textile Mill in the Houston Heights. It was opened in 1894 and is one of the oldest industrial buildings in Houston. It's on the National Registry. First it was a mattress factory, then they produced fabric from camel hair.  I know there is a small restaurant in the building now. What I find interesting is that the top third of the clock tower is much more ornate and faced in a nice limestone, while the rest of the tower and building are nondescript brick  painted  a neutral tan.  When the brick was its original dark red, the building would have been an interesting contrast in styles. The clock is a real gem. I got the sketch done just before the sky got really black.

Austin Urban Sketchers | World Wide SketchCrawl #40

Had a great time hosting the Austin Urban Sketchers participatation in the WWSketchCrawl #40!

This sketch was done while sitting @ Jo's coffee looking across S. Congress Ave to the ever popular Amy's ice cream.

From Jo's coffee we "crawled" to the Auditorium shores Gazebo @ Town/Ladybird Lake, and then on to a sketching happy hour at the Hyatt Regency overlooking the Congress Ave bridge.   It was a hot time in the Summer (sunny with temps in the 100's) as this group of diehard urban sketchers braved the elements and made this sketchcrawl one to remember!