PORTRAIT OF FRANCESCO

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Pentel brush pen, Speedball Super Black India ink, Winsor Newton Series 7 #3 brush and Faber Castell Pitt big brush pens in Canson sketchbook. From photo by David Seidner. An exercise in values with light striking an object and travelling over it.

QUICK SKETCH EXERCISE

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Uniball pen in Canson sketchbook just trying to exercise the eyes and hands while looking at and copying from Jame Jean sketches.

CONDO PICASSO

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Pental brush pen and Faber Castell Pitt big brush pens in Canson sketchbook.  This is what happens after looking at work by George Condo and Pablo Picasso.  It's fun to draw cubist style work, great eye/hand exercise and kids love it.

OREGON COAST

16 1/2" x 11 1/2" Uniball pen, watercolor and Faber Castell Pitt big brush pens in Canson sketchbook. Another quick sketch on a lazy day.

PORTRAIT OF LUCIEN FREUD

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Fude brush and Faber Castell Pitt big brush pens in Moleskine A3 sketchbook. My nephew Dean Simpson and pal Andy Simpkin took me down to London in 2002 to see the Freud show at the National Gallery. It was one of the highlights of my art life. Lucien is being judged harshly now after his death because of the way he lived his life, but I am reluctant to judge him because of my hard won understanding of human fallibility, beginning with my own.

FATHER DAN ON THE WAY TO THE CAN

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Fude brush and Faber Castell Pitt big brush pens in Moleskine A3 sketchbook (from photo by Thomas Good). A good man who helped the poor and stood up for his belief in non-violence. When asked how many times he has been arrested for protesting against war and nuclear weapons, he said "Not enough". He will turn 94 years old on May 9th. "We spoke out, committed civil disobedience, and went to jail because the peace hangs senselessly and precariously upon weapons costing billions to build and billions to improve — weapons which become more useless as we add to their destructive force. With this money we could have fed the world's people. Half the children on earth go to bed hungry — millions more have retarding and stunting protein deficiencies. Instead of building the peace by attacking injustices like starvation, disease, illiteracy, political and economic servitude, we spend a trillion dollars on war since 1946, until hatred and conflict have become the international preoccupation."

QUICK STUDIES

QUICK STUDIES - 11 1'2" x 8 1'2" Uniball pen and Faber-Castell Pitt big brush pens in Canson sketchbook. For practice I've been looking at and drawing a lot from James jean sketches. The way he runs things together in his sketchbooks creates some great dreamlike images.

FAST AND LOOSE SKETCH FROM JAMES JEAN SKETCH

More fast and loose sketches with a Uniball pen while looking at James Jean sketches.  11 1/2" x 8 1/2" in Canson sketchbook

DAVID GRISMAN & DEL McCOURY

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Pentel pocket brush pen and Faber-Castell Pitt big brush pens in Moleskine A3 sketchbook.  Love their brand of music and I really get into Grisman's facial expressions when his fingers fly on the mandolin.  One of the best things visually is the way the stage lights illuminate the musicians and instruments.  A treat for the eyes, ears and heart.

PARK SLOPE BROOKLYN IN SPRING

1 1/2" x 8 1/2" Pentel pocket brush pen and Faber Castell Pitt big brush pens in Moleskine A3 sketchbook.

RATNER'S 111 2nd Ave NYC

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Pentel brush pen and Faber-Castell Pitt big brush pens in Moleskine A3 sketchbook. I was listening to an interview with Bob Mankoff on NPR during which I heard him say " I'm not arguing, I'm Jewish". So funny! It brought back memories of when we used to go to Ratner's deli after concerts at the Fillmore on the lower eastside in New York. It was in Ratner's where I heard a customer ask a waiter "Why are you arguing with me"?, and the waiter responded "I'm not arguing, I'm Jewish".The place was open 24 hours a day and the old waiters really took care of you. They also gave you an education. I learned a lot of phrases like "nosh", "haimisher mensch" and "schmooz". Those guys never smiled, but oh man...the food was delicious! Egg creams! Pastries! Cheese cake! Sigh! Today I wondered if it was still around but found out that it went out of business and closed about 10 years ago. So in a moment of nostalgia I drew this from one of the last photos taken of the place in it's final rundown condition. I'm sad that its gone but I cherish the memories that were made there.

DISTURBED MAN AT BI-MART

I seem to attract my share of weirdos and I don't know why. I was in the hardware section of the local Bi-Mart store completely focused on what I needed when I felt a presence close to me...too close. I look down and there he was: some old dude in a blue coverall suit talking to me about the "goddamn Chinese and their light bulbs and I'm not gonna buy 'em." I backed off two steps and began to quickly assess this fellow. Why is he talking to me? If I saw me in a store I would not come up to me babbling all kinds of nonsense...then he starts in with "the damn Gubmint and I'm not gonna let Obama tell me what to do...take away my guns"...blah blah blah and so forth. Should I tell him they have more nuclear weapons than they will ever need and don't need his guns? Should I tell him don't watch the news because it will just make him scared so he'll have to go out and buy things he doesn't need to make himself feel better? Sigh. I decided to tell him that it was going to be ok. That often times my mind obscures my capacity to see things clearly and what I do then is grab my pen and sketchbook, put on some nice music and relax. I looked into his watery eyes and he seemed to calm down. I told him at the very least go have a root beer float then go to the library...they have a great selection of Bach cd's free. It may have worked for as I was leaving the store he was in the office supply section looking at pencils! - 11" x 14" Uniball pen and Faber Castell Pitt big brush pens in Strathmore sketchbook

ROBERT HUNTER POET

11 1/2" x 8 1/2"  Pentel pen, Speedball super black India ink, Kuretake ink and Faber-Castel Pitt big brush pens in Moleskine A3 sketchbook

BILL KREUTZMANN MUSICIAN

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Pentel brush pen and Faber-Castell Pitt big brush pens in Moleskine A3 sketchbook

PHIL LESH MUSICIAN FALLOUT FROM THE PHIL ZONE

 11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Speedball super black India ink, Winsor Newton #12 roung brush and FaberCastell Pitt big brushes in Moleskine A3 sketchbook

BOB WEIR MUSICIAN

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Speedball super black India ink, WInsor Newton Tole Series 620 #6 brush and Faber-Castell Pitt big brushes in Moleskine A3 sketchbook

MICKEY HART PLANET DRUM

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Speedball super black India ink, WInsor Newton Tole Series 620 #6 brush and Faber-Castell Pitt big brushes in Moleskine A3 sketchbook

STITCHES

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Faber-Castell Pitt big brushes, crowquill pen and Speedball super black India ink in Moleskine A3 sketchbook. In 2009 I had a basil cell carcinoma removed from my nose. During a Mohs procedure my doctor removed the tissue, then a plastic surgeon reconstructed the nose from the side and stitched it up. After five years there is a 95% chance of non-recurrence. Take my advice....wear that sun block every day and become a hat person.

MONKS BLESSING PORTLAND, OREGON

11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Fude brush, Yasutomo ink and Faber-Castell Pitt big brushes in Canson sketchbook

KALACHAKRA CEREMONY

KALACHAKRA CEREMONY  - 11 1/2" x 8 1/2" Fude brush, Yasutomo black Sumi ink and Faber-Castell Pitt big brushes in Moleskine A3 sketchbook