Office Hours

Welcome to my office: a stone wall covered with snow.

March 21, 2015
ink, crayon

 Spring is officially here and with it more snow. But we don't care. There's a river to draw. And reflections and patterns of water, snow and ice. Before long I'll be complaining about the leaves, hot sunlight and pollen.
So, I go to my office and get to work!

I started this picture with a light pencil drawing. Then I started working in ink.

Corn snow was falling and accumulating on my paper

The snow melted and diluted the black ink.

March 21, 2015
ink, pencil

warming up with a cup of coffee at Charles River Coffee Shop

The Island

It's been incredibly snowy this winter. I made one drawing of the island a week ago but otherwise I haven't been drawing from life at all. I've only been drawing and painting things out of my imagination. I miss the river. Here are a few additional images of the island drawn from about the same spot.

The island
2/7/2015
charcoal

3/27/2013

5/6/2013

12/12/2014

Kind of mind-numbing. Why do I do this??

More images:

ʞɔnp duck

Mallard & reflections
10-28-14
crayon

Diagonals

Bridge Railing with Ducks Below
charcoal
08-23-14

Rapids and Riffles
charcoal
08-29-14

Spring Birds

Yellow warbler (detail)

Yellow warbler (details)

Yellow warbler studies
May 29, 2014

Swifts and Swallows studies
May 28, 2014

 Down by the dam yesterday morning briefly: the air was laced with barn swallows and swifts zooming this way and that way catching insects. Every now and then they would leave a circular ripple on the river's surface. Today, briefly once again, a Yellow Warbler, a male, declares his ownership of a few trees in the emergent wetlands. The brilliant sun sets fire to his bright yellow breast.

Riverscapes

May 16
conté pencil

May 21
charcoal

May 22
colored pencil

May 22
colored pencil

May 23
hard charcoal pencil

Spring Cleaning

As the weather warms up, I get to the dam more. There's lots to see: flood waters, daffodils,  herons, ducks and grebes. Spring is here!

03-28-14
I'm standing on the far end of the Pleasant Street Bridge looking over to the island and the dam. This was done on a Friday; normally I draw from the bridge on the weekends when there is less traffic.

04-03-14
Early morning shadows across the swirling flooded river. The retaining wall is barely visible on the left side of my drawing

04-05-14
Stranded logs and high water

04-14-14
High water; the island is submerged

04-20-14
The old millstones are embedded in the asphalt. This view is downstream over the top of the dam.

04-20-14
View upstream. I ran out of my brown pencil and started working in charcoal on top of it.

04-25-14
Yesterday, just used a graphite #2 pencil. We're looking downstream over the dam and to the houses on the other side of the Pleasant St. Bridge.