Sketching in Black and White...

When planning workshops I go back to what are for me, the basics--like quick line studies, and value studies in black and white--I never get tired of doing these!  I love watching classic black and white movies of the 30's and 40's made by the masters of lighting.  They understood the dramatic power of beautifully composed shots of dark and light, and all the gradations in between--something I always aspire to!  I also believe that it's key to working in color as well...





A quick study in late afternoon in a Los Feliz parking lot...I can never resist a view of my favorite Los Angeles building, the Griffith Observatory...

 Quick sketching over coffee on a Saturday morning...

From a recent train trip down to Mission San Juan Capistrano, with my sketching friends Shiho, John and Chris--to meet Gail Wong and Frank Ching here from Seattle to do a workshop.  This has to be the loveliest of missions!  I wanted to study the light that day--and now look forward to returning to do more work in color...

A quick sketch waiting at the train tracks for the trip back to Los Angeles...

Summer Sketching on Sunset Blvd.

...from Silver Lake to Hollywood...

Sitting in the shade of a flowery alcove outside The Casbah Cafe at Sunset Junction...with a view of the Boulevard and the hills above the Silver Lake neighborhood...

Traveling west on Sunset to East Hollywood, I returned to a favorite place to sketch...Barnsdall Park with its panoramic views in all directions of the city, and the Griffith Observatory...

...and some sketching in Hollywood...at Sunset and Vine--almost hidden from the street by the giant ficus is a bell signpost for El Camino Real.  The old "royal road" runs most of the length of California, and apparently this section of Sunset was part of it--the bell markers are part of the history of California which I love seeing!

... and just down the street is a modern piece of history, and a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural monument...the Cinerama Dome...

Urban Landscape

I enjoy drawing just about every aspect of the city, especially
the physical landscape--the land and trees as well as the people,
cars and the built environment that make up an
urban landscape.  Whether it's a bit of cultivated landscape,
like the Los Angeles Arboretum...

...the hills of Northeast Los Angeles at different times of day, or the landscape of a parking lots...I look for the passages of light and shadow...

I like the sometimes weird mash-up of signs, cars and buildings in Los Angeles, like this little
landmark on Hollywood Blvd., Machos Tacos...

I began thinking seriously about panoramic views  

in anticipation of teaching workshops...
what makes the eye move across the page, 

or draws the eye in...

A quick view of downtown Los Angeles at dusk, and views from Barnsdall Park, 

Griffith Observatory and the Santa Monica Pier...

Traveling west on Sunset...

...from the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, Sunset Blvd. takes you into East Hollywood...in the early days of Hollywood, this was the home of many film studios...now it's quite different...

The beautifully restored 1920's

Vista Theater stands at the intersection of Sunset

and Hollywood Blvd...a last bit of "old Hollywood", this was once the lot where D.W. Griffith built the famous "Babylon" set for his epic "Intolerance"...

Just north of Sunset is Barnsdall Art Park which sits on top of Olive Hill...with the municipal gallery and Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, built for Aline Barnsdall.  My favorite thing about the park is the views out to the city in every direction!

A sliver of Sunset Blvd. and the city beyond seen through two Kaiser

Hospital buildings...and the Hollyhock House seen from Sunset, over hospital construction...

A local Capoeira group practices on the lawn at Barnsdall Park...

and a view of Barnsdall seen from Kaiser Hospital on a bright winter day...

Views of my favorite building in Los Angeles, the Griffith Observatory, seen from Olive Hill...

Griffith Observatory

There are many wonderful buildings in Los Angeles, but my favorite for many reasons is the Griffith Observatory.  It sits like a crown jewel on a hill north of the city, looking down, as well as up at the stars.  I love the shape, deco-inspired style, and the fact that I, like every Los Angeles child, visited there on a school field trip.  I've sketched it from different locations over the years...and will likely do more...

A view from Sunset Blvd...

...view from a Kaiser waiting room...

...at the Observatory