Author: Susan

Yosemite!

| Susan

I took a wonderful, inspiring workshop at the Yosemite Art Center in September with Janet Takahashi. It was a whole week but I was only able to go to the morning of the first day. But I got really jazzed with her techniques and her beautiful work. I’d really like to go for the full week next year.

yosemiteworkshopsketch

I met another watercolor artist at this spot. He gave me a bunch of tips for painting and promoting my work. I haven’t done many landscapes and am learning new techniques from an old book that belonged to Uncle Miki (Z”l). It’s taken me a couple of months but I finally finished this piece. yosemitevalley

Miscellaneous Sketches 2016

Image | | Susan

Three legged chicken at Palisades Amusement Park. Tobie, do you remember this?

When I was a kid, I went with Tobie and Dad to Palisades Amusement Park. Tobie really wanted to go to the Freak Show but I was too scared. When I asked her how they got a three-legged chicken, she said, “I don’t know—they paste another one on?”

three legged chicken

This kangaroo mouse guy keeps showing up in my illustrations. Here he is about to leap off a building. But his cousin is relaxing under a tree while listening to some music.

kangaroosnap

 

Here’s the scene at the Salon in Corte Madera. Sketching is something to do while I’m waiting for the color to set.atthesalon

Bolinas house over the water. It’s the most picturesque place in town as far as I’m concerned. Love it!

bolinas

Harvey and Eli gave us a concert after dinner at Thanksgiving. They played a great duet! Harvey is a virtuoso clarinetist. And he kinda looks like Benny Goodman :).

harveyplaysthanksgiving

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2016

| Susan

I always anticipate the annual HSB Festival in San Francisco. Such a gift to our City and to everyone who loves music. This year was wonderful, as always.

swanstage

beardsteeldrivers

exoticwomanDuring Mavis Staples’ set on Friday night, we sat near this striking looking woman.  She woman didn’t smile or change expression the whole time.  the

We wondered what she was thinking.

 

 

 

intro

 

Saturday, we got there early to hang at the Arrow stage where KT Tunstall was the first act. Never heard her name before but we knew some of her hits. Great fun!

hsbcrowdyoungwoman

guyonthephone

 

 

I love the excitement of HSB. Everyone is friendly and happy. The couple next to us came from Scotland for the festival. I also met a woman from North Carolina who is anxious to see Jackson Browne. The many colorful characters of San Francisco have converged on the park.

Our Family Band

| Susan

Were’ starting to have some musical parties during the holidays. This was from a photo I took at Dee and Reid’s—I think it was the first day of Pesach. Max and Eli are going at it. Cousin Steve in the background. Mucha fiesta at the Edelman’s! Looking forward to more of these moments.

familyband1
Max Wechsler on Piano. Eli Edelman on Sax. Steve Schwartz making his way across the room. 

Cuba 2016

| Susan

Paintings from our trip to Cuba in February and March.

CalleEmpedrado-Havana
Havana street
RedCarInterior
The Taxi had been painted over 20 times, at least.
GloriaEterna
Eternal Glory to the Heroes and Martyrs of the Fatherland
Mogotes2
Viñales National Park. The Mogotes are beautiful.
EnCampoPlowing
80% of farms are worked with animals

FarmStand+Car

 

Taxidermy
Don’t get sucked into eating at Ristorante Familia

After Dark @ the Exploratorium

| Susan

AfterDarkStrandbeestI joined the SF Sketchers at the Exploratorium Thursday for After Dark “adult night.” The exhibit was of these “strandbeests,” wind powered machines that walk. They were pretty odd looking—like dinosaur bones. Per usual, I was more interested in drawing the people. The woman on the left had bright pink hair (couldn’t quite get that with my watercolor).

I loved going with the group of sketchers. They all have different methods and materials of drawing/painting and some were really great artists. I will definitely join them again!

AfterDarkGroup

These guys were fascinated by something on the table. Turns out they were figuring out 2-D strandbeest-type movements with cardboard rectangles hinged together.

No Coasters at the Howlings

| Susan

NoCoasters_LeeWe went to see the wonderful No Coasters a few weeks age at the Howlings up in Healdsburg a few weeks ago. These native mid-westerners, Lee Bloom (piano), Brandon Essex (bass) and Carrie Jahde (drums) played fantastic jazz. They played a smokin’ version of Epistrophy. Go see them–they are fantastic! Thank you Kellie and David for hosting another great concert.

I couldn’t help but draw while the music pulled me along. Here are my renditions.

NoCoasters_Carrie

My dad gave me a wonderful book of New Yorker illustrations by the incomparable Saul Steinberg. I’ve been poring over this coffee table book for the past month and his style sank into these drawings of the musicians. I love the way Steinberg includes words, numbers and punctuation in his drawings and his line are simple and whimsical but his work is genius. NoCoasters_Brandon