NYC... What is it about you?

So sorry I missed a week in my blog, but it's been a whirlwind of travels! And I realize this blog is longer than most, but I am trying to make up for my missed week.

This past week I went to visit my daughter, Madolyn, and to celebrate her 24th birthday! Unfortunately my plane was delayed for an hour. Fortunately, I was able to capture these quick sketches. The ones that have more detail were because they were there longer! I especially love the lady sleeping with her bright red Elton John glasses on, wide-opened mouth and snoring while her head was resting on her neck pillow and her feet were propped up on her carryon bag!

Madolyn is the Assistant Stage Manager for Heroes of the Fourth Turning show at Playwright's Horizons Theater on 42nd Street. So far I have been able to see all 3 of her shows since moving there in August 2018. I was bound and determined to see her 4th show, and fortunately arrived at the theater at 8pm on the dot after waiting in a Lyft line for 40 minutes at LaGuardia's parking garage! Madolyn told me that even if I was late that they would hold the show for me (unless it was more than 10 minutes). She is pictured here with Ryan, her friend from Emerson College, who is a fellow this year at Playwrights, as well as Jenny, her Production Stage Manager whom she worked with one her first show there last fall.

I really enjoyed the quality time we spent together. We got to celebrate her 24th birthday doing the thing we love most - arting, eating, listening to music, people-watching, and chatting. Just a couple days before I got there, Madolyn had moved apartments and was now living with 2 of her good friends just a few blocks away from Prospect Park in Brooklyn. She seems very happy to be close to such a pretty scene, where she could spend her days off jogging, embroidering, journaling, listening to music, or just enjoying a cold brew iced coffee while watching all the kids and dogs as they passed by.

There was a cute little girl and her mom who came over to our table to see what we were doing. I showed her how the magic water brush worked with my Derwent Inktense Color Pencils and Blocks. She excitedly took right to it. She went back to her table to show her family and yelled "there's the artist!" while pointing her finger towards me. So cute.

Here are a few drawings I did on my iPad of the children and families I saw in the park that day. The thing about drawing real life people is that they keep moving and leaving! So these drawings are all in various stages of completion.

This is what I worked on while in the airplane on the way back to Houston. "Brooklyn Blooms". Almost finished. Just need to add more details to the leaves and more highlights to the rose petals.

While Madolyn was working a matinee show, I ventured out to Central Park's Strawberry Fields, to see the "Imagine" dedication to John Lennon. What a cool place to be. I sat down on a park bench and listened to this man play so many Beatle songs, including the song Imagine. Such a neat place to just hang out for an hour. Everyone was so excited to get their photograph taken there. I was just happy to sit and draw.

This picture depicts a group of friends, but in order to capture it, I had to be quick with my sketch. I go the 4 heads and blogs of a body down, but watched the others as they crouched down to get more details. They were only there for less than a minute! And I was behind the guitar player most of the time.

Watch this video to experience Strawberry Fields yourself!

Times Square Station

I fell in love with this magazine collage depiction of Old Times Square just outside the entrance to the station. The first thing my eye was drawn to was Big Bird from Sesame Street! I love the style of old New York and contemporary magazine images together. It gives me some inspiration!

I love the mosaic work sprinkled about.

86th Street Station

You can see floor-to-ceiling hand-glazed ceramic tiles created by artist Chuck Close, the first one being his self-portrait, and second one entitled "Emma". It's so easy just to glance at art and think nothing of it. It's another to realize that the artwork is captured by a person, an artist, with varying ability levels. As I was waiting for my daughter to meet me after one of her late night shows, I looked him up and read all about him. Such an inspiring artist!

"Most of his early works are very large portraits based on photographs, using Photorealism or Hyperrealism, of family and friends, often other artists. He suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness), and has suggested that this condition is what first inspired him to do portraits." - Wikipedia

Although Madolyn's commute from Manhattan to Brooklyn is much shorter now, it's still long enough to capture these drawings. The top right is Madolyn on her cell phone. The bottom right is her roommate Cody. All the others are unknown travelers.

My time in New York comes to an end for now... here is a quick video clip of Madolyn and me singing "New York, New York" while aboard The Ride, Enjoy!

Welcome aboard our multi-million-dollar motor coaches known as THE RIDE: a portfolio of critically acclaimed and unparalleled New York City experiences. Watch as the city unfolds through floor-to-ceiling glass windows and stadium-style seating with 40 LCD TV screens, 3,000 LED lights and surround sound. The largest vehicles allowed on the streets, The RIDE coaches can accommodate up to 49 passengers. Our team will ensure your NYC sightseeing visit is an unforgettable one. Perfect for birthdays, parties, corporate outings, sweet 16s, or impressing out-of-town guests. Experience The Ride!

Art Classes - "Sketching Houston"

Two weeks ago our class met up at HEB's Central Market in Houston. Our first task was to draw our pencil from three different perspectives. And then we spent most of our time camped out all over the store. The assignment was to draw three of the same thing, but only one of them needed to be complete. So, naturally, I chose the bakery. I worked up an appetite as my fingers got darker and darker with the graphite smudges. Afterwards, we all grabbed some lunch together and shared what we had done. Everyone is so talented! I loved the 3 fish heads our teacher sketched. It's funny how three loaves of bread can look human like - especially in a feminine way! Let's just say, many of us saw "female parts" in the drawings. I will leave it to your own imagination. Others drew bell peppers and corn on the cob with their husks.

Last week, we ventured out to the Houston Police Officers' Memorial, which overlooks the Houston downtown skyline and enjoyed the much cooler weather!

The Houston Police Officer Memorial is a piece of public art erected in Houston, Texas, in 1991, to recognize the sacrifices made by city police officers and to honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The monument is a large-scale granite sculpture by artist Jesús Bautista Moroles. Wikipedia

Our task was to draw the shapes that we saw and to pay close attention to the direction of the all the lines and the shadows, which was tricky as the sun was passing over head and the shadows moved a bit. We also needed to achieve varying shades to make it look more realistic. Next week we go to the House of Pies!

Upcoming Event: Magazine Collage "Meetup"

Wednesday,

October 30th

6:30pm - 9:00pm

Cafe Express - Meyerland

(Southwest Houston)

All levels welcome. Bring your magazines, glue sticks, scissors, Xacto blade and cutting mat (not required but helpful). You will also need some type of smooth art board of your choice as your background. Let’s have fun creating together.

NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE REQUIRED!

630 Dinner together (optional) 700 Collage

If you are interested in attending these FREE future events, please reserve your spot so I need to know how many people to set up for. Here is link for more information and registration.

New this week in my Jenn Expressions Redbubble Shop

How cool would it be to own these unique creations or to provide exclusive gifts for friends and family. It is an easy way to take care of your holiday shopping! This pattern is available on 28 different products!