Vienna, Part 1: Killing Time in Wiener Kaffeehaus (Viennese Coffeehouse)

Volksgarten. Public park in Vienna, part of the Hofburg Palace.

If you ask me what was most memorable about my recent vacation in Vienna, I'd first think of Klimt's paintings from up-close. Unforgettable impressions.  Then, the Secession Building, which I visited right upon arrival. Of course I would mention the grandeur and Art Nouveau splendor of the architecture, and all the museums.  But then…then I would settle on my memories of cozy, quiet cafes with endless apple strudels, arched windows and crystal chandeliers, worn-out velvet upholstery of Victorian furniture and mannerly waiters in bow ties. Some of these lovely Wiener Kaffeehäuser go as far back as 18th century.

 “An asylum for those who want to kill time without being killed by it.” -Alfred Polgar

I lingered for many unhurried hours in Vienna's most beautiful cafes, sipping wine or having tea and pancakes with cranberry jam, people-watching and drawing. This series of drawings is from Cafe Sperl. I went there more than once. Its ornamental interior and predominantly Austrian patronage created a very special atmosphere. Some of the other cafes I visited were frequented by Mozart and Freud (drawings coming soon.)

Since 2011, Wiener Kaffeehaus is listed with UNESCO as "Intangible Cultural Heritage", with the following description: "[a place] where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill."

Cafe Sperl.

Cafe Sperl. The waiters.

Cafe Sperl.

Cafe Sperl.  Lady in the niche.

Cafe Sperl.
A local patron who came in for a cup of espresso and news. It's customary to offer daily
newspapers that are fitted into large wooden frames in every cafe.

Drawings of other cafes in Vienna are here >

Drawing Music :: Portraits of Musicians At (Le) Poisson Rouge Concert Series "Strange and Beautiful Music"

First Violin of Ensemble LPR, performing music of John Lurie and Lounge Lizards

Bernstein of Sexmob

Pottery Update

Here are some of my latest ceramic pieces from August and September of 2014.

Thumbnails for the Drip Vase glaze.

Drip Vase. 10" height x 8" width

Thumbnail for the Elephant Vase glaze

Elephant Vase. Drip Vase. 10.5" height x 8" width

Thumbnails for the Vessel with Handle glaze

Vessel with Handle. 14" height

Thumbnails for the Tribal Vase underglaze and glaze design.

Tribal Vase. 14" height

Thumbnails for the painterly series

Thumbnail for sea form glaze

Sea Form Bowl. 7" diameter.

Drawing Music :: Sexmob

September is filled with concerts for me! I've already attended 3, and there are still more to go to. (Le) Poisson Rouge series "Strange and Beautiful Music" celebrates all things John Lurie, including his paintings.  So last night, an awesome band called Sexmob played soundracks composed by John Lurie, from movies "Down By Law", "Stranger Than Paradise", "Get Shorty", "Mystery Train" and more. Here's an iPad portrait of Sexmob leader Steven Bernstein.

Steven Bernstein of Sexmob, drawn on the iPad with finger using Brushes app.

More concert drawings are here

Home Sweet Home

Susan Funk of Mystic Seaport

The Charles W. Morgan whaling ship, the last surviving wooden whaling vessel in the world, has successfully completed her 38th Historic Voyage, and settled back at Mystic Seaport, the very place that spent 5 years on her restoration at the Henry B. DuPont Preservation Shipyard. These brief drawings capture the homecoming celebration that Mystic held for the ship on August 6th, 2014. The Morgan is now on view in Mystic Village Chubb’s Wharf.  Home Sweet Home.

Gutenberg Press and Declaration of Independence

Gary Gregory

Here's a series of drawings from an old Boston printing shop "The Printing Office of Edes & Gill", located on the Freedom Trail, behind the Old North Church. Historian Gary Gregory, the man in the drawings below, fully clothed in the 18th century colonial attire, spent over 2 hours with our Dalvero group, telling us about the technology of the printing press and how it revolutionized humanity. He let every one of us take turns pulling a print of the 1776 Declaration of Independence, using the 1470s replica of the Gutenberg Press. From inking the movable type to pulling the big lever, this 2-minute experience was like time-travel. Then, Gary did a reading of the entire Declaration of Independence, only to realize that it was July 18th, the 239th anniversary of the first public reading of the Declaration in Boston. The stars truly aligned for us on that day! Big thanks to Gary for everything!

Inking the movable type.

Feeding paper.

Checking print quality.

Rolling up the print of the Declaration of Independence.

Gary Gregory reading the Declaration of Independence, with the Steeple of the Old North Church behind him.

Mystic Village Studies

Time Lapse of Dalvero Whale Mural in Provincetown

I put together this time lapse of the 2 fun days Dalvero artists spent working on a group mural in Provincetown, MA. Amazing to see it all in 3 short minutes.

One of my thumbnails that informed a portion of the group mural. It's a visualization of the four main dangers that whales and marine species face today: trash, entanglement in nets, noise pollution and boat strikes.