When I was a kid, I watched the Olympics on television and they had this artist with a big mustache painting a big canvas. That painter was Saint Paul native Leroy Neiman. Whenever there was a dull moment or a break in the action, the announcer would ask, “What’s Leroy Neiman up to?” and the […]
I always thought it would be smarter for homeowners to maintain the front yard of their neighbor’s home since they usually have a better view of their neighbor’s yard than their own. We live in a loft in the Union Depot which is mostly awesome except for the view. Outside our window there is a skyway leading […]
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.” From Ozymandias by Percy Blythe Shelley (listen to Bryan Cranston’s recital of the poem on You Tube) I love drawing ruins. Ruins […]
Roberta and I did a lot of sketching of the flooding in Downtown Saint Paul. We wanted to document the changing landscape as water gradually replaced land. There’s a slideshow of our flood sketches at the PiPress. Here’s one of the sketches I did from the Robert Street Bridge of the Port of Saint Paul’s Lowertown Landing submerged […]
I have been thinking a lot recently about transit sketching and how the new Green Line LRT will change my transit sketching habits. I like sketching people, but finding people to sketch in the Twin Cities is often a problem. Streets can be devoid of life as if a neutron bomb went off. There are […]
Two weeks ago, readers may remember I wrote about sketching in cemeteries. The day after I wrote that post I got out from behind my computer, packed my sketching supplies and put my bike on the #54 bus and traveled to Minneapolis from the Union Depot in Saint Paul to Minneapolis to sketch at the Memorial […]
It’s Memorial Day weekend and many of us are going to spend some time paying our respects in a cemetery. Cemeteries are quiet sanctuaries in the urban jungle and good places to sketch. However, cemeteries are not public parks. There are rules, so it may be a good idea to call ahead and ask what they […]
I love sketching people, but very often people are in cars and I hate sketching cars. But, cars are a big part of the landscape so I sketch cars. Cars all seem to be screaming for attention with designs which for the most part, reminds me of flashy athletic footwear. The only time I really enjoy sketching […]
Someday I will travel abroad and sketch the famous fountains of Rome and Tivoli. However, there are fountains right here in downtown Saint Paul, maybe not as famous, but every bit as wonderful, in a Saint Paul sort of way. What Saint Paul fountains lack in artistic splendor, or even water, they make up in bleakness and pathos. They are eminently […]
Sketching isn’t just for professional artists. Sketching is a great way for people from all walks of life to practice staying rooted in one spot while observing and documenting the world in front of them. Naturally, I’d expect some of the folks who create the built environment around us to take an interest in sketching […]