Hillary Clinton: Run, Girl! Run!

Another selection from the sketchbook series, "Conversations"- posted on this historic night! Back in 2014, HRC spoke on the UConn campus. Intelligent, witty, supremely knowledgeable about policy and world affairs, eloquent, and astonisingly quick on her feet, she was nothing short of terrific. Sure, I suppose she was already campaigning for President, but thank goodness! Compare her with her current "opponent" in this coming election. The approaching debates? I. Can't. Wait.

The DMV. Soul-Crushing Black Hole of Desperateness. But I'm Not Bitter...

Revisiting some past sketchbooks yielded this image. It makes me weep. And grit my teeth. (Not unlike that moment in which I discover that the DSW Shoe Outlet coupon I've been hoarding has expired.) On this particular morning the line to be admitted to the interior space of the DMV actually wound around the exterior of the building. We were let inside in waves. Once admitted, the inner sanctum yielded a vast wasteland of thinly padded chairs, cranky patrons, and crankier employees. Good times!

Grad Crits, Revisited

At semester's end, students and faculty gather together to reflect, ponder, critique, kick some serious ass and, apparently, sometimes confuse the graduate students. It's an entirely useful process, but also difficult and a rite of passage. If they survive they get to come back in the spring for more!

For my current UConn colleagues, and our students... can you find yourselves here?

Dr. Richard Shiff- Modernist

I enjoyed his lecture at the recent National Council of Arts Administrators conference in Richmond, VA (VCU, host). 9/24-9/28/13. So, he ended up in my sketchbook.

That's some serious art nerd awesomesauce, right there!

From the UT Austin website: "Richard Shiff is Effie Marie Cain Regents Chair in Art at The University of Texas at Austin, where he directs the Center for the Study of Modernism. His scholarly interests range broadly across the field of modern and contemporary art."

http://www.utexas.edu/finearts/aah/about/people/richard-shiff

Airport Ambience, Sketchbook Style

Who among us does not like to travel? The sights! The sounds! The overwhelming feeling of needing to be somewhere on time, or risk hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dollars, paid in advance, to travel by train, plane, boat, etc.! There, I've piqued your interest. My tale is not so interesting- went to a conference recently. But the airport cacophony was, indeed, something for my sketchbook, as was the condition of my seat-mate on the first leg of the journey. Yes, Purell® was involved...

Fun Fact: This is the spread I was working on in my sketchbook in the photos from the "Mid-Air Inking" post. Ok, maybe not so fun. Just click on the image if you'd like to see a larger version.

Heat Wave, and Then Some, or, the Trials of a Hot and Humid Homeowner

We've had some unbearable heat lately. And the humidity to go with it. Like downtown Manila. So, what better time to go up to the sweltering hot second floor and attempt some simple home repair? There IS no better time! At least not if I want new sketchbook material as a result.

Afterward, I watched a few reruns of "Breaking Bad." It seemed the right thing to do after such traumatic, but ultimately successful, DIY.

Blues Gals: Bessie Smith

Nicknamed "The Empress of the Blues," Bessie Smith was born in 1894 (some say 1892) and formed her own act by 1913. She was signed by Columbia Records in 1923. Though she died in 1937, she had several recordings inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame recently, including one of my favorites, "St. Louis Blues," which features Louis Armstrong as well.

Give a listen to St. Louis Blues here:

Gospel Gals: Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples began singing with the legendary Staple Singers, her family's band, in 1950. Her career has spanned six plus decades, and continues to go strong to this day. Go, Mavis, go! (More iPad art)

Gospel Gals: Mahalia Jackson

"The Queen of Gospel," Mahalia Jackson was possessed of a powerful contralto and influenced untold numbers of gospel and r&b singers. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "A voice like this one comes not once in a century, but once in a millennium." True. True. (More iPad art)

Gospel Gals: Sister Rosetta Tharpe

The "Original Soul Sister," Sister Rosetta Tharpe definitely tore it up on both vocals AND guitar. Check out her windmill moves before you think Pete Townshend invented it. More iPad art fun.

Blues Gals: Koko Taylor

More iPad fun. Known as "Queen of the Blues," Koko Taylor's powerful vocal style is unmistakable. Chicago blues at its finest. She was born Cora Walton, so, we share a name. I couldn't be happier!

Blues Gals: Big Maybelle

Mabel Louise Smith, better known as Big Maybelle, was a singer and pianist. If you've never heard Big Maybelle, well, you've never had a good time! Give a listen to "Pretty Good Love" and you won't be disappointed. More iPad experimentation.

Blues Gals: Big Mama Thornton

More in a series of iPad experiments, here is my tribute to Big Mama Thornton, the ORIGINAL "Hound Dog" and pioneer of the blues.

Dream Big! Part II

Another in a series of iPad drawings. Impossible optimism!

Dream Big!

Another in a series of iPad art sketchbook pieces. My glass is half full. Always. Sorry if yours is not!

Pitchin' A Wang Dang Doodle!

How I'm spending some significant summer evenings lately, pitchin' a wang dang doodle (my version) on the iPad! Ahhh, summer! It is the good life. With apologies and props to my muse for this piece, Miss Koko Taylor.

Woman's Best Friend

Our little dog, Roosevelt, is our heart's delight. What a good dog! Chihuahua's rule.

Summer Triumvirate

Summer is here! Celebrate. It's the simple things, folks.

Heading to Florida This Week...

As we're heading to Florida this week to close up Patti's mom's house, this sketch stood out to me. It is, indeed, the land of big, white cars and cataract sunglasses. We'll all be there soon enough.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

Sometimes it's the simple things, like a USB port multipllier, that make life worth living. Another image created on the iPad using Sketchbook Pro.