Subway: Patterns

A patterns is a repeated decorative design.  But it is more than that.

Looking at a portrait drawing that includes pattern(s) gives clues to the style, individuality and origin (where are they coming from?) of the person depicted.

Here are some drawing I did during the Spring-Summer-Fall 2016 season of people on the subway in which I consciously and conscientiously incorporated Pattern.

The Suitcase

The African Necklace

The baseball cap

The corner seat

The Puffer Jacket

The man in the sweater with a dog on his lap.

The tote bag

The satin dress

Woman reading in cross-hatched tank top

Four people during momentary train delay at station 

Times Square

Times Square is a major commercial intersection and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets.


It is also very close to where I work, currently.  One day I was passing by, and saw a drummer.

Here is an image of Times Square during the day.  I think it has a completely different vibe during the day.  At night it looks jazzy and playful; during the day it looks "the day after" a hangover when you are trying to get things done despite the hypersensitivity to noise, people rushing toward you, flashing seizure-inducing lights, and boxes full of stuff stacked precariously atop one another.

Looking at this image reminds me of the landscapes of Lyonel Feininger, a German-American Expressionist.  However, I think there was definitely a landscape cubism about him.  I spend hours pouring over his images in undergrad.  I would definitely say, he is one of my heroes.  His images look "playful" for lack of a better word. 

The Neue Gallery

Neue Galerie New York is a museum devoted to early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design, displayed on two exhibition floors. The second-floor galleries are dedicated to art from Vienna circa 1900 (e.g.Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Richard Gerstl, and Alfred Kubin) and the decorative arts (created at the Wiener Werkstätte by such well-known figures as Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, and Dagobert Peche, and by such celebrated architects as Adolf Loos, Joseph Urban, and Otto Wagner).The third-floor galleries feature German art representing various movements of the early twentieth century (e.g.Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, August Macke, Franz Marc, Gabriele Münter etc...)

Here are some drawings from that space.

Here is the gallery on the 2nd floor.  The painting in the middle is Klimt's painting of Adele Block-Bauer I, Woman in Gold.  It is beautiful and famous.  But the gallery was also beautiful with the moldings and the parqueted floors. 

Here are some drawings of a beautiful crystalline clock.  

Here is a drawing of a staircase and flower centerpiece.  The iron work on the railing echoed the centerpiece.  Unfortunately, I did not have a lot of time to sketch as I was in the middle of a high-traffic area.

 Here is a drawing of a chandelier.   It reminds me of water lilies and rivulets in a pond.  Gentle and peaceful without being stagnant. 

New York Public Library Books at Noon

Here are some images of the main branch of the New York Public Library.   I come here as a mid-week, mid-day respite from work, and occasionally in the evening.  It is a truly beautiful place physically, as well as in its mission.

On this day, there was a fundraising event, so there were candles burning on the steps in the dusk, while people in cocktail attire trickled in.

Here is an image of one of the main halls. 

Here is an image of the reading room containing all the beautiful and rare art books.  I came here to study the work of David Gentleman, a British illustrator. 

Here is an image of a stairwell with a gently-lit chandelier.




Here are some drawing from the NYPL Books at Noon Event:

http://www.nypl.org/events/booksatnoon

Here is Richard Dawkins, the author of The Blind Watchmaker and many other books.

He told a beautiful story about his daughter, who was 7-years-old at the time.  Richard volunteered at a Library reading for children.  He was joking around with them.  He brought out a huge epidermic needle and syringe  and asked for volunteers.  No one raised their hand.  He was just about to say he was kidding about the shot, when he saw the trembling hesitant hand of a 7-year-old girl raise up.  It was his daughter who raised her hand out of loyalty to her father and trust that he would not harm her, as she saw that no other kids volunteered. 

This story was in response to a question on what makes him, an atheist, happy.  He said that what makes him happy is really very personal. 

Here is Yusef Komunyakaa, a poet, who wrote Dien Cai Dau, for which he won the Dark Room poetry prize.  He read from The Emperor of Water Clocks  which is his newest book.

Someone ask Yusef, why did you change your name?  He said that when people ask him that question, he usually tells them to go read his books.  But he added that he was going back to his origins, as his new surname is that of a grandfather he never met.

Here is David Hare.  He signed my sketchpad.  He is an English playwright, screenwriter and director. He is well known for directing The Hours.   He was promoting his new book of memoirs. 

He spoke about The Hours, saying that he broke a Taboo in depicting a mother who leaves her small children.  He mentioned that he can relate, as he left his family when his children were very small, because he felt it was something he needed to do.

Lea's Wedding

In August 2016, I was invited to a wedding of my cousin, Lea Vesel to Max Reich at Hammond Castle.  Hammond Castle is in the Magnolia area of Gloucester, Massachusetts. It is a medieval-style castle that sits on some cliffs and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.  The castle was built between 1926 and 1929 was the home and laboratory of the inventor John Hays Hammond, Jr.

Both the bride and the group work with children: he is a Math teacher and basketball coach, and she is a wonderful speech therapist for children.

The bride's parents are in the upper left.

The bride and groom in the lower right.

A flower girl and ring bearer are in the center.

Figure Drawings: a" Drag King"

I think that "Drag Queen" is now common knowledge: a man dressing as a woman, usually with exaggerated "femininity" and in feminine gender roles.  A "Drag King" is a reverse of that: a woman dressing as a man, in exaggerated "masculinity" and in "masculine" gender roles.  This model below, that I drew at a Dalvero figure session, also performs as a Drag King.

Both figures are the same model, the Drag King.

There is a exaggerated masculinity in her poses, unconsciously informed by the time she puts into perfecting her performances.   

Here she is wearing a costume.  I love that she always has a very strong pose, never precarious or off-balance.  She exudes self-assertive confidence.

Here are some more "easy" and "comfortable" poses.  She seems at ease to me.

Here is a definition I found of Drag King online:

Drag kings are mostly female performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of an individual or group routine. A typical show may incorporate dancing, acting, stand-up comedy and singing, either live or lip-synching to pre-recorded tracks.

Figure Drawing: Quick Gestures

Here are some quick gesture drawings.

It is the same woman in various poses.

In some of the drawings are right over the other on the same page in different colors.  Some are on the flip-side of the page so that they are semi-transparent.

The transposition of images, I think works to heighten the movement. 

Not too long ago, I had read a book on De Kooning and was generally very interested in his Woman Series.  This type of work reminds me very much of him. 

Though it is the same woman, the poses juxtaposed next to, contrasting with, and complementing one another seem to suggest narratives to me.  

  

The shapes between the figures also interest me.  

Figure Drawings: Kika, Brazilian Model

Here are some figures drawn from a session at Dalvero this year.

This is Kika, a Brazilian model wearing a seashell necklace and a crown of flowers.

I am looking up at Kika, as I am drawing.  I made this tiny 5 foot tall woman look like a giantess.   She is wearing a costume with a lot of native patterns.

All three of these ladies are Kika, dressed as a bride.

In these two poses, Kika looks like she is dancing, maybe a samba. 

Here is a mini-skirt-clad Kika wearing a bright-red head-dress.

  

Kika in royal blue sequined dress and peacock feathers.

Kika in an outfit that reminds me of Vivianne Westwood.