place

The attempt to rehydrate the carrots didn't work.

For our 10th anniversary this past Monday, we went on a hike at Land's End. It was cold and blustery! Got a quick sketch in from the labyrinth. Rain lines added as it started to rain by my son.

Unfinished value study for a painting, worked in graphite on hot pressed watercolor paper. Drafted and rendered using the Bargue method. Hopefully, I got the photo oriented correctly so that the drawing will be right side up, once I upload it! If anyone has advice for photographing a heavy application of graphite, without getting weird reflectiveness, or speckled effects, I’m very interested!

I had a spare 45 min after an errand and wanted to see the De Young. I wasn't planning on it, so I didn't have a jacket or hat to protect from the cold wind and had to draw fast.

The silver lining of this shelter in place is my daily afternoon walk to put my son down for a nap in his stroller. In our previously scheduled life, he would fall asleep on the drive home from school. These are non native eucalyptus and my beloved favorite tree, a Monterey pine, on a shady side trail of Golden Gate Park.

This is inspired by Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger! Lemme know what you think!

a branch is a place i concern regardless

We continue the #inktober environmental issues series with the #day19 word: #scorched and for this word I tried to illustrate the Urban Heat Island effect. This takes place in metropolitan areas that are warmer than the rural areas surrounding them. The main cause of the UHI effect is the alteration of land surfaces (concrete and asphalt). Heat waste produced by people and their tools (like vehicles and industry) is another cause and also the decreased amount of vegetation. UHIs often have lower air and water quality that have a negative effect on the environment of these areas. It is also considered to be a possible contribution to global warming. © Maria!Bălan, 2018

Sticky-note warmup doodle ft: a burger, and octopus, a moth and its lover, an upset skateboarding pikachu, Patrick Swayze from Roadhouse, self-care, a grape loving internet duck, a soul, a kitty-rex, a misplaced turtle, and others.

A few images I've produced from places visited around the UK and France (St. Ives Cornwall, Oxford, Lyme Regis in Dorset and Toulouse in France).

The Museum is a good place for a romantic date!

This is my place, where i'm surrounded by sculptures and projects of all kind!

From my summer sketchbook 2016, during a long journey from Greece to Austria, when we stop for a night in Croatians mountains . When you dont take expensive highway you can end up in such a enigmatic and beautiful places like this one! :)

A sketch recalling an era when smoking indoors after a meal was commonplace—a fleeting pause of stillness before continuing the journey ahead. Done with mechanical pencil on scrap printer paper.

The Tool Bench marks my 50th canvas—completed exactly one year to the day after I finished my very first one. This piece is a tribute to work, memory, and the quiet corners where both creativity and responsibility live. Drawn entirely freehand, it’s built like a snapshot of a lived-in workspace: mismatched tools, worn wood, scribbled reminders, and the little personal things that actually make a place yours. The clipboard holds a “Honey-Do” list that never seems to end. The Polaroid-style sketch of my wife sits taped to the wall like a reminder of why the work matters. The shadows on the back wall match the tools lying on the bench—suggesting a moment in progress, a task paused, life happening between motions.

Post-Apocalyptic Pastime In a world where decay replaces diamonds and cracked walls echo memories of youth, a lone figure stands ready to swing. Post-Apocalyptic Pastime reimagines America’s favorite game as an act of defiance—finding hope, peace, and play amid the ruins. The graffiti and broken skyline hint at what was lost, but the stance of “LEE 01” reminds us that even in the aftermath, the spirit to keep playing endures.

You know you can always count on me, friend Like no one else, I've gotten used to the coldness of the stone So I can be with you often Silver rain will wash away the tears of the Dread Sky I will rise with the sun… I will rise with the sun… - Valyrym.  Referring to the story "The Dragon In The Dungeon" Some say I'm hitting the point. So I strike again. When the Writer dies, the World creates a seemingly imperceptible void, a void waiting to be filled, greedily begging others for revelation.  For the next One to take its place in this great spiral. Light. Narrow tunnel. Echoes. Arise. Rest in Peace Coyote - Of The Wilds was a talented writer, author of many fantastic stories which he never managed to finish. He was able to convey true, deep emotion through words, through many unfinished stories. Now, through the ending of the Story. These stories have contributed a lot to my life in 2020, as I wrote about in “Split Of… Personality”. Like for many others, he inspired me to create. I wrote “Split Of Fate”, deleted it, now I'm bringing it back to life, but I also have other plans - regarding the stories of Of The Wilds… but more on that later… This was difficult to draw. Difficult without getting eyes wet. Just a quick doodle… Well, if I were nearby, I would place an apple on his grave. 

this was just a fun little doodle I did of a pretty plant I saw. it was absolutely stunning and the bright salmon/rose/red flowers just POPPED! this was a nice leisure time doodle to do in between some other projects of mine. I find my happy place sometimes being taking care of my plants, taking pictures of pretty trees and plants, walking around a plant nursery, and now drawing beautiful plants I see. my favorite fact I learned about the amaryllis was that is comes from the Greek word amarysso, which means “to sparkle” or “to shine”, as this plant does indeed sparkle and with its magnificent flowers when it blooms. I enjoyed mixing mediums and doing one as a graphic doodle with my Micron pens and the other with watercolors - it was a good study for me seeing the detail come to life by lines/dots and then come to life by colors/shadowing colors.

Erik Satie (1866–1925) In 1898, Satie moved from Paris’s Montmartre district to the working-class suburb of Arcueil, where he would live for the rest of his life. Most mornings, however, the composer returned to the city on foot, walking a distance of about six miles to his former neighborhood, stopping at his favorite cafés along the way. According to one observer, Satie “walked slowly, taking small steps, his umbrella held tight under his arm. When talking he would stop, bend one knee a little, adjust his pince-nez and place his fist on his hip. Then he would take off once more, with small deliberate steps.” His dress was also distinctive: the same year that he moved to Arcueil, Satie received a small inheritance, which he used to purchase a dozen identical chestnut-colored velvet suits, with the same number of matching bowler hats. Locals who saw him pass by each day soon began calling him the Velvet Gentleman. The last train back to Arcueil left at 1:00 A.M., but Satie frequently missed it. Then he would walk the several miles home, sometimes not arriving until the sun was about to rise. Nevertheless, as soon as the next morning dawned, he would set off to Paris once more. The scholar Roger Shattuck once proposed that Satie’s unique sense of musical beat, and his appreciation of “the possibility of variation within repetition,” could be traced to this “endless walking back and forth across the same landscape day after day.” Indeed, Satie was observed stopping to jot down ideas during his walks, pausing under a streetlamp if it was dark. During the war the streetlamps were often extinguished, and rumor had it that Satie’s productivity dropped as a result. - From Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey

Benjamin Franklin (Part 2) The plan worked, up to a point. After following the course several times in a row, he found it necessary to go through just one course in a year, and then one every few years. But the virtue of order—“Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time”—appears to have eluded his grasp. Franklin was not naturally inclined to keep his papers and other possessions organized, and he found the effort so vexing that he almost quit in frustration. This timetable was formulated before Franklin adopted a favorite habit of his later years—his daily “air bath.” At the time, baths in cold water were considered a tonic, but Franklin believed the cold was too much of a shock to the system. He wrote in a letter: I have found it much more agreeable to my constitution to bathe in another element, I mean cold air. With this view I rise early almost every morning, and sit in my chamber without any clothes whatever, half an hour or an hour, according to the season, either reading or writing. This practice is not in the least painful, but on the contrary, agreeable; and if I return to bed afterwards, before I dress myself, as sometimes happens, I make a supplement to my night’s rest, of one or two hours of the most pleasing sleep that can be imagined. From Daily rituals by Mason Currey #daulyrituals #inktober #benjaminfranklin @masoncurrey

Acrylic on canvas #painting #art #nature #landscape #acrylicpainting #canvaspainting #artwork #serenity #contemporaryart #artist #amazing #wonderful_places #natureart

I designed this house. It has a really pretty blue exterior, and it has a slight curve to it that gives it a more warm and inviting feel. I like how the walkway kind of curves into the stairs and transitions back into the walkway before arriving at the front door. I like that there’s plenty of yard space with some really nice landscaping. The birds can even come and get a birdbath. I thought that was really cute. I used the multicolored stones to add detail for a more distinguished look. The hedges are neatly cut in a square and follows along side of the house. Looking through those gorgeous windows you can see the house is fully furnished. There are some really pretty chandeliers in there that adds character. There’s a stairway that leads to another level of the house as well. I love how there’s a touch of yellow that highlights the points on the rooftop. Furthermore, the swing in the backyard adds an inviting feel to the scenery. Also, it’s a nice place to sit and enjoy the view.

Pike Place Market. Seattle, WA.

The Meeting Bell Medium : Pen and Ink On Bristol Board Size : 11" x 15" Year illustration was completed : 1987 This illustration was part of a collection of pen and ink rendering i did for a christian mission, for their pamphlet that was published to inform the community, surrounding churches, and the military post near by, of the services they offered, and about their ranch. Their main ministry is to the military service personnel and their families. They offer a weekly dinner followed by a Bible study. They offer a place where service personnel could spend the weekend at the ranch for free, with meals included. There would also be activities they could partake in , such as going to concerts, going to amusement parks, visiting national park for picnics and hiking. The ranch holds retreat for military personnel who are in training, who want to learn about the Bible , and enjoy good home cooked food, rest, and out door recreation in the country. This ministry also lends it's facilities too near by churches, and to the military chaplaincy, for luncheons. This ministry is a great work of God, share God's word, and love through hospitality. About the bell. I call this illustration the meeting bell, because it sat right out side the activity center, and when ever a retreat was being held, the bell was use to let the guess know when a meal was being served, or a Bible study was about to begin. If you study the bell you can tell that at one time it must have been housed in some kind of church or fire house, by the big wheel attached to it's side, so it can be rung by a rope. Then when it found it's self at the ranch , they must have had a arm clacker manufactured, To strike the bell to sound.

Hello! :) Drawing this was really fun. I was working on it in different places. In our living room, on the balcony aand at the beach. My sister, my mum and I went on our first road trip together. I feel so grateful that we did that together. Drawing digitally outside while the sun is shining is fun. I mean i dont always see everything on the screen but yeeah;) Thank you for reading. I wish you a beautiful day!:)

Celebrate the winter holidays next to this cozy fireplace.

Humble Thy Self In The Sight Of The Lord This Pen And Ink was rendered from a image Of the painting entitled," The Prayer At Valley Forge" by artist Arnold Fryberg. I drew this rendering from my computer screen. It took a couple of hour to draw. I carved this image on a pumpkin at the annual Chadds Ford Historical Society Great Pumpkin Carve. So this rendering was done as a guide not a finished piece . As you look over this picture you will notice the ink ran in a few places, that is be cause it was raining while I was carving the pumpkin. Even though I had clear plastic laid over the picture, rain still got it wet. It seem like almost ever time I took part in this event it has rained . The reason I chose to carve this image is be cause the battle of the Brandywine was fought around the town of Chadds Ford, and because George Washington was a renown Christian man of Prayer. Just as the thirteen colony were freighting their way through hell to gain their independence from England, I feel our nation is going through Hell to maintain the principle the founding fathers had laid as the foundation of this country. Our country is in trouble and no political party can save this nation, only The American People who humble themselves before God, repent of their rebellious ways against God, and pray for His forgiveness, and seek Him to guild our nation out of the dark,and back into the light. Then will our nation be able to receive blessings from the hand of God. Stephen J. Vattimo July 16, 2012 See Less

Objects to Place in a Tomb, ink on paper, from the Présence series.

My happy place

The world is such a loud place for me. Painting quiets my mind. This time the loud of the worl seeped onto the canvas.