On the Trail

Steve is a musician and head sound engineer for Microsoft in Seattle. I drew him after visiting, trying to capture a bit o the otherworldliness of his music.

This is a pen and watercolour painting done as a proposal for a competition to do a mural painting in a community centre. This was back in the late 90s. I was beaten out by a contemporary artist who painted the wall with four strips of colour, which could have been done in a matter of hours. The community centre was predominantly filled with local kids. I felt so sorry for the kids. Not once did any of them look at the "mural" and when I asked what they thought of the painting on the wall, they said, "What painting?"

This drawing, with a bit of watercolour, was done years ago in North Vancouver during a figure drawing session. Probably 15 - 20 minutes. Watercolour, subtly employed, can have wonderful affects. The challenge of working fast forced me to ditch excess thinking. And it's funny, because at first I thought, "Oh, this is terrible." Then the next day, with fresh eyes, or checking out the drawing in a mirror, I think, "Wow! How did I not see how good this is?" Never throw out your artwork immediately after a drawing session. Give them a few days and look at your work with fresh eyes.