art studio

This is Houston artist, Gail Siptakg's art studio. I am a huge admirer of her art, so when Gail posted a photo of her latest painting in the studio, I had to sketch it. Her spaces and belongings seem to meld into the art and I love that! Go here to see more of Gail's wonderful art. http://www.flickr.com/photos/siptak/

feed me!

I know we're not supposed to feed the wildlife, but with the drought and extreme heat, the deer have little natural food to forage. Everyone in town is feeding them, including me. In the mornings they stand in my yard, endlessly gazing at me while at my desk. It's alittle unsettling to be constantly watched, with their thin craning necks and big, watery unblinking eyes . How could I not feed them? They love bananas, apples, carrots, iceberg lettuce and corn tortillas. Oddly enough, they don't care for celery.

laundry day

I actually enjoy going to the laundr-O-mat. I sit there and make drawings like this. Brushpen and Photoshop.

the art of noise

My hippie neighbor's porch. He has a large collection of windchimes, so on windy days, you can hear his house from far away.

cold front

This cold front swept through for a few hours. The morning was cooler, down to 72 degrees. By afternoon, the front was gone, so the temperatures were back to blazing above 100 degrees. Still no rain.

Starbucks

Moleskine, brush pen and Photoshop. I've never tried the Iced Lemon Pound Cake from Starbucks, but it looks refreshingly tasty.

big puffy clouds

These big clouds moved over during the morning. They were too spectacular to miss a sketch.

the unfortunate cat fish

Clarence my cat seems to enjoy abusing this toy. One of the fish's eyeballs is ripped off, but I put it back on for this drawing.

corkscrew plant

Juncus effusus. I came across this plant at the local nursery and had to get it. The plant's wildy twisted and

intertwined stems make it look cartoonish. The tag that came with it says its a bog plant that needs plenty of water. I'm keeping it on my shady porch as an oasis from the hot parched land.

the smell of rain

Yesterday, rainclouds blew through Wimberley but left hardly a drop of rain. I was 9 miles north visiting a friend while it poured down rain for over an hour. Driving home, I could see where the rain stopped, just a mile or 2 north of where I live. It was strange to step out of my truck with rain soaked shoes into the dry, dusty soil at home. Please rain soon!

a need for rain

The Blanco River runs through my town of Wimberley, Texas. This river is usually a beautiful emerald green with fast moving water. These days it hardly flows. Central Texas has been going through a terrible drought the past 2 years. This summer has felt the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the Austin area. It's difficult to have such heat with nowhere to swim. Bacteria levels in the water are higher than most people dare to risk. This part of the globe is very warm these days.

the sunrise special

Nothing like a good breakfast to start the day!

the post office #3

More drawings from the post office. It is blazing hot outside and this is one of the coolest buildings in town. It's usually the women that stop and go through their mail, but lately, even the guys are lingering longer.

moleskine art

I drew this while sitting backstage in the dark, waiting for rehearsals at a corporate conference. There is always plenty of hurry-up-and-wait time at these events.

Farmers' Market

The pickings are slim for August because of the extreme temperatures and drought in central Texas. According to the Austin news weatherman, this is day 47 of temperatures over 100 degrees (with plenty of humidity). This is the worst drought in 60 years.

Peppers, onions, cucumbers, jalepenos, squashes, eggplant, tomatillos.

Hotel Monaco

Another downtown Salt Lake City drawing. This is drawn from a photo I took. I love digital cameras and tend to shoot lots of photos. I snapped well over 200 photos in S.L.C. I also love drawing downtown cityscapes.

house on a hill

I had a day off while recently working in Salt Lake City. According to my pedometer, I walked twelve and a half miles that day. This is a house on North State Street, which is on a very steep incline. The grand state capital of Utah is at the top of the hill. I recommend the hike (or drive) to the top for the view of the city below.

Bio Willie

Willie Nelson's truckstop is open once again, now selling bio diesel fuel. This motor fuel is made from recycled vegetable oil and animal fat. Willie Nelson is a huge advocate promoting the indepence from fossil fuels. Sketched somewhere around Hillsboro, Texas while riding the Greyhound.