DCA Conference

Had a great few days in Marietta, GA, at the end of last week - attending the Design Communication Association Conference at Southern Poly. This is far and away my favorite academic conference ... topics that are very interesting to me and discussion that is both challenging and supportive. I did this sketch during a lecture by Lars Spuybroek. It was fun to draw while listening and occasionally looking at the images.






Also at the conference is a juried drawing exhibit, and I received the Shari Park-Gates Juror's Award for the print seen here. It's a collection of the sketches I made last summer in Italy, arranged along a timeline. There were 90+ entries submitted to the exhibition, of which 45 were selected for display and 5 received awards - so I was thrilled by the honor.

St. Patrick's Day, Vernal Equinox

It's the first day of Spring ... the temperature is supposed to be rising into the low 60s later today, though there are still significant traces of snow here and there. This sketch is from a few days ago, when I had lunch at The Breakfast Club - I know that doesn't sound quite right, but it's a good restaurant, especially for breakfast, and they do a good lunch, too. So good, in fact, that my wife and I often remark how we wish it was open for dinner ... but it's not. Since it was St. Patrick's Day, they were serving corned beef for lunch, but I went for a Reuben instead - not terribly Irish, but it just sounded good to me that day. The view from my window seat was across the street to the Prichard Gallery, which is run by the College of Art and Architecture here at the University of Idaho, and where I've shown my work each year since 2004 in the annual faculty show. The green ink seemed appropriate for the holiday and the coming of spring.

Boise Visit

I was in Boise, ID, at the end of last week, leading a field trip for our third-year architectural design studio. Boise is a nice little town that obviously thinks of itself as a reasonably large city. Nothing wrong with that, of course (Eugene, OR, is another example of this phenomenon, and I lived there for 11 years). Most of the downtown feels to me like a transitional neighborhood in a city like Chicago, or - worse - like a slightly over grown suburb. Yet there are some views of Boise that give the appropriate impression of a grand state capitol. I tried for that in this sketch (15 minutes, 2B pencil), from a high vantage point on the bridge along South Capitol Boulevard. I had higher hopes to do several sketches, as the weather was beautiful, but I got caught up in the art museum - they had a temporary exhibit of Ansel Adams' early work, which was fascinating.

Lecture Sketch

Another catch-up blog post, from a couple weeks ago. Lectures about architecture can be hit or miss affairs, and this one managed to be both. The design work shown was generally very interesting, some of the ideas discussed were thought-provoking, and the speaker is a well-regarded writer, but his public speaking skills were decidedly lacking. Perhaps some folks in the first few rows were entranced by the conversational nature of the talk. But, as one sees from the sketch, it was a fairly large lecture hall, which I think suggests a more dynamic and engaging approach. It never ceases to amaze me just how many people in academia - often those with long and distinguished careers - regularly fail to employ even the most basic techniques for reaching an audience. Oh well ... it was fun to sketch.

Another Friday at the Garden

It's been way too long since I've posted anything ... not because I didn't want to, just because I've been busy with other things. But this was an enjoyable sketch from a couple weeks ago. Something about the Copic sepia pen works well with this space.