Chalk Visions

Stylus of Pregnant Reality

2012-01-27T20:17:00.000-08:00

Night of 1-26-12

Momentous Egg of Fortune

2012-01-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

Drawing done for the poetry night, Thursday, January 5, 2012.
A more classical styled rendering of the star.
A good evening with appearances from the usual cats.
Inexplicably, it broke up quite early.
Later, it ended up being quite an amazing evening.
Certainly some kind of portent for the year to come.

Aztec Ray-Gun

2011-12-23T21:47:00.000-08:00

Photos from the evening of 12-22-11 and the day of 12-23.
Development of a crazy conjunction of ideas.
First drawn at 16th and Mission, then at the Dolores Park location.
I'm not entirely satisfied with the proportions or the final colors, but as an experiment this was interesting and came out pretty well.
The shaman figure almost seems childlike relative to the size of the ray-gun. The exaggerated, cartoony style is an unusual one for me.

Stellar Fragments

2011-12-16T18:41:00.000-08:00

The remains of the drawing at Dolores Park on the 15th.

Stellar Bloom Articulation

2011-12-02T00:45:00.000-08:00

From the day of 12-1-2011. Further modification of last week's design at Dolores Park, 18th and Church. Filled in a few shapes to accent the composition. A slightly cold yet pleasant and sunny day.

Unfolding Stellar Origami

2011-11-26T21:11:00.000-08:00

Stellar Radionic Array

2011-11-25T20:18:00.000-08:00

A drawing done with my brother Hans assisting, as he was in town visiting today. A cool, overcast gloomy day. 11-25-11. 19th and Church Street. Dolores Park, San Francisco, CA.

Crystalline Contrasts

2011-11-11T01:08:00.000-08:00

11-10-11

Solar Avatar Reformation

2011-10-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

Drawing from the day of 10-28-11. Refurbishment of earlier designs. Images from before and after.

Diamond Sail Temporized

2011-10-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

A video someone took that I found today.

Solar Avatar Sublimation

2011-10-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

Continued work from yesterday. 10-21-11.

Contoured Solar Avatar

2011-10-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

Drawing done at my usual-of-late spot at 18th and Church. Dolores Park, NW corner. San Francisco, CA. The day of October 20, 2011.Hopefully more to follow with this one. Imagery is picked from the headpiece of the South American idol Viracocha.

Fertility Star

2011-10-07T02:47:00.000-07:00

Continuing to examine curved forms as templates.Drawn at 16th and Mission on the evening of 10-6-11.

Diamond Sail Diffraction

2011-10-07T02:35:00.000-07:00

Drawn on the day of October 6, 2011 at Haight and Stanyan Streets.
Arriving in the area in early afternoon, it was raining a bit and the ground was still quite wet, so I went and had a tasty chicken and gorgonzola crepe at the crepe place on Haight that I like. The weather cleared up shortly and the drawing went slowly and steadily. Some type of air show was going on, and supersonic jets in formations kept arcing in the sky overhead.The sunset glow through the trees was especially beautiful.

Priest Summoner Profile

2011-09-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Drawn on the day of 9-29-11
at 20th and Valencia
with Estella

Disintegration and Emergence of Flux

2011-09-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

9-23-11
Coming back to the spot I was drawing at yesterday, I had initially found some damage to the design. Roughly a quarter of it had been washed away (?) but I liked the effect and proceeded with filling in shapes. If anything, it emphasizes the temporary nature of the medium, and the eroding process.
Though not totally satisfied with this design, it came out fairly well, and I received a lot of compliments and thanks from people. The space and the high amount of foot traffic make it a nice drawing spot, a sort of crossroads.

Mayan Priestess

2011-09-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

The drawing from the evening of Thursday September 22 for the Mission poetry group.

Cornucopia of Flux

2011-09-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

A drawing from the day Thursday, 9-22-11. Done at 18th and Church Streets, the NW corner of Dolores Park. With Chacon tagging along, I arrived in the early afternoon and had a good day of drawing. With newer tools and curves I was able to express more fully the star process. A hot beautiful day and a straining drawing. The nearby high school disgorged a crowd of students around mid day, and they all gaggled around the train stop for a while. The constant question from passersby, I have found, is: what does it mean? Working in a kind of intuitive way, I don't plan meaning or significance. Chacon suggested that it might represent the seasons and nature. The central form did seem to resemble water, and the curvy outer forms do seem undeniably plant/nature like.

Organic Star Fracture

2011-08-27T00:33:00.000-07:00

Drawn at 16th and Mission the evening of August 25, 2011.

Masque of Day and Autumn Star

2011-08-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

2 pieces done on the days 8-18 and 8-19 in Monterey, CA. Done in the plaza next to East Village Coffee and Tea, at Washington and Pearl Streets.
The first, a standard geometric star, went pretty quickly. Ten points, no fill-in.
The second one is a freeform masquerade type design. Worked on something similar recently in Hayes Valley and wanted to work the idea a bit more. The townsfolk were overjoyed to have my art in their area again. I ran into a few friends on this brief trip and managed to fit in visits to the nearby pine forests and tidepools. It was quite refreshing to escape the city environment for a quick jaunt down the coast. My brother was nice enough to come take me to and fro. A nice break.

Crescent Sea Star Matrix

2011-08-12T02:08:00.000-07:00

8-11-11
16th and Mission
The first two photos I did not take. I found them at a 'SF Weekly' blog.

Moon Jewel and Masquerade Frame

2011-08-12T01:42:00.000-07:00

A 9 pointed star drawn near the Octavia/Hayes intersection on 8-11-11.
The remains of the previous star were still visible nearby. A fantastical mask design around the corner gave Chacon a chance to help throw some shapes in.

Quixotic Kabuki Spirit

2011-07-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

Drawing done on the day of 7-15-11 at 18th and Church. Another study of the face from the movie 'Tetsuo the Iron Man'. A crazy, demented type of look from this character, who gives the impression of growing. Possibly in a bio-mechanical way.

Violet Eclipse Mechanics

2011-07-08T01:50:00.000-07:00

Work done on 7-7-11 in the Octavia/Hayes area. The first image is one I found on a Hayes Valley blog.

Prismatic Orb Framework

2011-07-01T02:05:00.000-07:00

6-30-11
16th and Mission. Drawn in tandem with Estella.

Auric Knight and Shapeshifter

2011-06-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

6-24-11
A great day of drawing at Dolores Park. My lovely, amazing artist friend joined me at 18th and Church, a spot I have drawn at before. It is on the NW corner of the park, where there is a muni light-rail stop. It was a perfect summer day for drawing and good fun to introduce a friend to the chalk drawing milieu. Pride celebrations were ramping up in the park, and a steady stream of people came by our area. I drew a warrior figure riding a beast, possibly a character from the tarot series. She drew a beautiful woman's face with colorful fish making up the hair.

Staggered Asymmetrical Convergence

2011-06-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

Chalk star drawn at 16th and Mission, Thursday evening, June 23, 2011. Utilizing the technique I think of as 'staggering' the lines in order to create these really interesting conjunctions of circles and scalene triangles.

Enmeshed Color Swordsman

2011-06-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

6-17-11
A continuation and colorizing of the figure from yesterday.

Flowering Bloom Module

2011-06-17T02:32:00.000-07:00

at 16th and Mission on the evening of 6-16-11

Savage Pale Swordsman

2011-06-17T02:14:00.000-07:00

Drawn on the afternoon of 6-16-11 near the intersection of Cypress and 24th.
A quick sketch which I'm rather happy with. A study for a larger piece, where the figure is riding a strange beast.I'm trying to translate a complete image straight out of my head.

Ten Point Array in Time Lapse

2011-06-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

Ten Point Array

2011-06-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

Drawing from the day of 6-10-11. At the entrance to Golden Gate Park, at Haight and Stanyan Street. A great day of drawing, perfect weather, and a favorite chalk spot. A friend came and set up her camera, recording the session for a time-lapse video.(Soon to follow.) Very exciting. A tiring day, lots of oddball characters and traveling types. Exhausting but worth it.

Amazonian Axial Queen

2011-06-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

Drawn on the day of 6-9-11 near S. Van Ness. My first day off from work in days, and an excellent day to draw. Chacon tagged along with me and worked on a strange cartoony piece near me, while I worked on this winged woman warrior. The sun was lovely and we were working in an area with nicely textured sidewalk.
The day took an annoying turn when a belligerent, probably drunk guy kept walking by and muttering threats at us. I guess he wasn't happy with the wacky drawing Chacon was making near the entrance to his apartment building. It was apparent that he was just one of those angry people that goes around looking for a problem, and that anything we said to him would probably just stoke the anger, so we said nothing. Even as he was threatening violence. This upsets me a bit, since I abhor violence and conflict. And because this type of reaction is exceedingly rare. It was amusing when, towards the end of the session, Angry Drunk Idiot (Chacon referred to him as 'Goblin'!) was muttering away, and about 2 or 3 people walked by (as usual) who were really digging it. One lady said to him,'What, you don't like the colors?'. Around the same moment, a guy walked by and said 'I really enjoy it. Thank you.' We made a point of thanking the well wishers and ignoring Goblin.
People enjoying it and expressing their appreciation is the norm. If I were pondering this philosophically, I might call it the natural, necessary chaos element in the system, the black dot in the center of the white half of yin yang.

Huntress Reframed

2011-06-03T01:19:00.000-07:00

6-2-11
A quick drawing done near 25th and Cypress.
A version of the 'Huntress' design I've done before.

Atomic Juju

2011-05-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

evening of 5-26-11
16th and Mission

'Gobelet Isotherme'

2011-05-20T23:09:00.001-07:00

5-20-11
A doodle at 20th and Valencia

Morning Star

2011-05-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

5-13-11
near 15th and Market

Bilateral Alliances

2011-05-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

A circle drawn outside of the usual patterns on the night of 5-5-11 at 16th and Mission.

Nouveau Mandala

2011-04-29T13:59:00.001-07:00

Having reached the point of overload with geometric stars, I wanted to do something very different for the poetry circle of 4-28. We drew the usual compass circle, then just sort of freestyled all the flowy organic shapes inside. Everyone really dug it. There was more detail and polishing in this art nouveau jungle fantasyland than in any previous circle at 16th.

Atmospheric Conduction

2011-04-29T00:51:00.000-07:00

Drawn on 4-28-11
at 20th and Valencia. A bright and sunny day, though strong gusts of wind were a challenge. Construction of some kind was in progress on 20th, but noise and dust were at a minimum. It was nice to have a chance to complete a couple of 'sketches'.

Rose Aureate Matriculation

2011-04-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

A quick bit of line addition to a previous star.
4-15-11
25th and S. Van Ness

Intaglio of Chaos

2011-04-15T00:33:00.000-07:00

A rather crazy, disruptive night at the poetry group. 16th and Mission. 4-14-11.

Rose Aureate Juncture

2011-04-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

A ten pointed star drawn near S. Van Ness and 25th on 4-14-11.
A somewhat chilly day, and the wind picked up towards the end. The overlaid colors called for special detail. Hopefully I can continue on this one tomorrow.

Nine Point Emergence

2011-04-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Drawn the day of 4-8-11
25th and S. Van Ness

Splendor of Nine Point Blossom

2011-04-08T01:40:00.000-07:00

The chalk drawing done at 16th and Mission on the evening of April 7, 2011.

Incandescent Sorceress

2011-04-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Drawn on the day of April 7, 2011 at Valencia and 20th. A bright but very windy day.
I wore my silly hat with a propeller on top, and it was spinning furiously for much of the day. Assistance from Estella and Chacon on this one.

Faces of Volition

2011-03-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

Psionic Blade

2011-03-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

From the day of March 25, 2011

Momentary Eminence

2011-03-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

3-17-11

Demimonde of Leaf and Water

2011-03-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

Work from the day of 3-5-11.
20th and Valencia

Ong Crystal Sphere

2011-03-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

3-4-11

Winter weather and time constraints have kept me from creating much chalk art lately. Having a few days off of work, I went down south to Monterey with my art partner, Stella. We spent a day in the vastness and silence of Big Sur, a welcome antidote to the stress of city life. To escape the low level fog, we drove up Naciemento-Ferguson road. Before heading back to the bay area, we had some time to draw a quick chalk star at the plaza next to the East Village Coffee Lounge in Monterey, at Washington and Pearl.

Solar Furnace and Skeletal Bloom

2011-01-28T00:41:00.000-08:00

Drawing from the day of January 27, 2011.
After heading up to the Haight area in the early afternoon with my friend Chacon, I found that the drawing I was intending to finish had been washed away. This would've been day 3 of the constructed Emperor face.
I decided to change locations, and moved to the Buena Vista park area, a sort of tree-filled hillock on one side of Haight. There was some sidewalk with nice texture, and it was an excellent day to enjoy the sun. A lot of passersby enjoyed the work.
Having no plans laid out, I just went ahead with a 'dragon tail' type flower design. I did something new with this one, and drew the base of the flower coming up out of a skull. I have never rendered a skull in chalk before, and this was a style I'd been pondering.
It was nice to get slices of pizza after a good day of drawing, slices of vegetarian with artichoke and sun dried tomato and one with potato and garlic.

Emergent Emperor

2011-01-26T01:20:00.000-08:00

Images from the day of January 25 at Haight and Stanyan. In the few hours of drawing I had before going to work, I finished most of the color fill. People kept asking me if he was a transformer. Robot Jesus? A polynesian transformer? Optimus prime? What?
Hoping to return there to finish it soon.

Dawn Emperor and Ghost

2011-01-21T21:48:00.000-08:00

Dark Matter Inversion
1-21-11
A pleasant day of drawing in the Haight Street area.
A great collaboration with Tracy, a poet friend of mine. We met up around noonish at the entrance to Golden Gate Park at Haight and Stanyan, and worked on outlines for a couple of hours before stopping for lunch. A crepe place on Haight is a favorite of mine. The weather was like that of a nice summer day.
I worked on a sort of egyptian/aztec constructed face, and Tracy drew her 'Soul' character wrapped around it. I like the effect of the Soul spirit passing through the head.

Accreted Star Material

2011-01-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

From 1-17-11

Estella and I worked at the corner of Church and 19th earlier today, on the muni train platform. Nice to enjoy the sunshine during a holiday off of work. Loopy characters kept stopping to chat with us. One guy was sipping wine from a big jug shaped like a kerosene can. Definitely riding the edge between philosophical and bonkers.
A little tricky to have to scuttle out of the way when the trains disgorged people. As the day shaded to twilight, we climbed to the top corner of Dolores Park.

Interconnective Currents

2011-01-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

Work from the day of January 14, 2011.
A sunny yet cool day. We worked on some chalk at 24th and Folsom, adjacent to Phil'z Coffee.

Poet Circles Past

2011-01-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine sent me some pictures that he had been promising for a while; from the camera on his phone I believe. These were taken at the Thursday night poetry events, of us preparing the chalk artwork. I have never taken any photos of the work down at this location, so it's nice to see them here.

Enfolded Hands

2011-01-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

Drawn on Jan 7, 2011.
20th and Valencia

Gatweway Spectrum

2010-12-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

The afternoon of 12-16-10

After weeks and weeks of wet weather and being tied up with work, I had a chance today to craft a little chalk geometry. A ten pointed figure at 24th and Cypress.

Aerial Structures

2010-11-06T01:36:00.000-07:00

Work from the days of 11-4 and 11-5.
The purple interlocking squares were drawn on 25th and S. Van Ness on the 4th, then the profile sketch on 20th and Valencia. The 9-pointed figure was drawn in front of a clothing boutique on 20th and Lexington.

Ephemeral Crystal Lattice

2010-10-22T01:34:00.000-07:00

Not wanting to launch into a large new project due to time constraints, I created this basic geometric structure on the afternoon of 10-21.
Afternoon edged towards dusk. The rain started and stopped a couple times.
I captured pictures at different points during the fill in process.
More rain during the night.

Woven Electric Petals

2010-10-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Some work done near S. Van Ness and 25th on 10-15-10.

Fractal Kabuki Spirit

2010-10-02T00:23:00.000-07:00

Drawn on the day of Oct 1, 2010 at the usual 20th and Valencia location, with Estella. I'm imagining this character is a sort of demented nature spirit, mischevious, maniacal and eternal.
In the evening we made it to the Kabuki Cinema to watch the new movie of 'Howl' about the beat poet Ginsberg.

Reformed Tangible Structure

2010-10-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Having a chance to return to Haight and Stanyan on the day of 9-30-10, I created a new orb layering over the faded remains of the last one, from several weeks earlier.
I rather like the effect of having faded parts alongside and complementing fresher ones.
It was a nice enough day for drawing, warm yet mostly overcast.

Desert Prisms

2010-09-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

As part of taking a spiritual/nature retreat in the Arizona desert with my brother, I drew a pair of mandalas on 9-16 and 9-17.
The desert was quite hot but very beautiful. Teeming with life: numerous birds, hummingbirds, bugs, lizards, giant grasshoppers with brilliant colors and coyotes at night.

Tangible Orb Sequence

2010-09-13T22:34:00.001-07:00

Recorded work of 9-9-10

Tangible Orb

2010-09-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

Drawing from the day of 9-9-10

A drawing done with Estella at the entrance to Golden Gate Park at Haight and Stanyan Streets, hanging out with friends of ours. A warm, beautiful summer day. Took the bus from the Mission, almost directly to the drawing spot.
The spot is an excellent stage to work on, and the symetry of it particulary accentuates a geometrical design.
I crafted a 14 pointed star and have been experimenting with smaller shape templates in the stars. Stella did an excellent job drawing giant hands on either side 'holding' the sphere.
There was a strange moment which struck me. Amongst the different traveling, dreddy types who passed by was one guy who joked with me about the circle being a portal into another dimension. And then he said 'if it really was a portal, I would totally go through it. I'm tired of being a prisoner in my own mind'.
The park has beautiful meadows to relax in on sunny days, a late bit of summer weather. After having some fantastic crepes and finishing the drawing up, we went to an event at a bookstore I had been anticipating. A favorite author of mine, William Gibson, was appearing at Booksmith on Haight. He read from his new book to about 150 people. It was gratifying to see one I consider a literary great.

Seraphim as Astral Form

2010-09-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

From the day of 9-3-10.

With a different angle of sunlight I was able to get better photos of the outlines.
Then managed to make decent progress with the coloration of the figure.
Watching the wall of fog spill and billow over the ridges in waves was a compelling sight. Though it was warm and windy with blue skies at the site, as soon as the fog blotted out the sun, it immediately got chilly.

Water Spirit and Heiro-Angel

2010-09-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

On the day of 9-2 I had a chance to trek around the area and get some drawing work in. Started a new piece at the 15th and Market site, another Seraphim themed figure. This one I rendered with a fantastical geometric head dress. As usual, that spot was quite windy, even though it was a nice, warm day. At Safeway nearby, workers were smoothing down new sidewalk, and the sight of it struck me somehow.
Late in the afternoon we headed down to 20th and Valencia where the unfinished 'Water Spirit' portrait was. I went with an unusual color blend on the skin tones, and then sharpened the outlines up with white.

Water Spirit

2010-08-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

From the days of 8-26 and 8-27. Drawn at the Valencia and 20th location.

Circle Making Craft

2010-08-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

These are photos of myself and Estella drawing at the Duboce Park chalk event on August 13th. I found these photos on Flikr.

Jewel, Eyes and Star

2010-08-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

As part of being invited to a chalk drawing event at Duboce Park by the Neighborhood Parks Council, we drew some small designs in different places.
Friday, August 13th.

Seraphim (Censored)

2010-08-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

A small riddle: the 'Seraphim Warrior' drawing I made a few weeks ago has been selectively censored. To my amusement, someone came and erased the woman's figure, but left the wings in place. It must have required some careful work to erase the center without smudging the type that was below it.
I like the effect.

Lurid Orb in Time Lapse

2010-08-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

Orange Fire Blossom in Time Lapse

2010-08-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

Orange Fire Blossom and Lurid Orb

2010-08-04T00:10:00.000-07:00

8-3-10

Work from the Market and Dolores location, and a piece at Duboce Park filled in.

Seven Point Oddity

2010-07-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

7-29-10

As a little bit of refurbishment on an earlier, faded piece, I worked on this star at 18th and Church, at the NW corner of Duboce park. The unusual lines of the 7 point star confounded me a bit. The strong abscence of radial symetry and the thick outline create a strange rhythymic visual movement.

Green Spindle and Alpha Wave

2010-07-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

7-28-19
As part of promoting a 'chalk art day' in Duboce Park on August 13th, today we drew some preliminary designs on the sidewalk bordering the park.

Seraphim Color Extraction

2010-07-28T01:26:00.000-07:00

Work finished 7-27-10. Near 21st and Harrison.

Seraphim Warrior

2010-07-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

Work from the day of July 26th.
To my amusement, I was invited to be a 'guest artist' at a local neighborhood 'chalkboard news paper'. And this is exactly what it sounds like. A couple of dudes in a studio/garage, writing up news items on chalkboards. Apparently it was inspired by a Liberian chalkboard news service. The name of their operation, which I like, is "Periodical: Power Outages". Related to one of their first story items, I believe.
I had been wanting to render a woman/bird shapeshifter for some time, and the location was an excellent one. I was satisfied with the white outline, and by the time the sun had set I had filled in a good amount of the color.

Star Cradle Mechanics

2010-07-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Final fill in from the day of 7-22-10.

Star Cradle as Blooming Fire Lotus

2010-07-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Worked filling in areas of the star today, 7-21. A cool, overcast, chilly day.
Took some pictures of the corner of the lot on that block for detail. The red sign with peeling sticker was quite evocative.

Star Cradle and Ghosts

2010-07-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

Work from the day of 7-20-10

A large geometric star I drew earlier today at the 20th and Valencia area. Also photos of the faded but still visible remains of the work from 6-3.

Crystal Orb Diagram

2010-07-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

7-13-2010

After arriving in Monterey on a short trip, I had a chance to complete a quick geometric star at the East Village Coffee Lounge. It was a warm, beautiful day to draw.
I hadn't brought my full chalk kit, so I had to improvise a bit with some of the tools and have my brother help me with the layout.

During the day drawing there, I saw some friends and their kids, ran into some hackers I know (ha ha! The photo I took of them after we'd been hacking for a while looks like it could be a scene from that silly-ass Twilight movie!) and a cute red haired girl studying her language homework.

I was fortunate to have a chance to go out to Tassajara the next day: a zen hot springs deep in the hills past Carmel Valley. There is a photo of the grass on the hillside bobbing in the breeze with the sun behind it.

Floral Color Rendering

2010-06-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

From the day of 6-29.

Finished the piece from yesterday at 24th and Folsom. A beautiful day to be drawing, warm and pleasant in the shade from the trees lining Folsom street.

Floral Assembly

2010-06-29T00:07:00.000-07:00

Work from the day of 6-28. Near the intersection of Folsom and 24th, to the side of Philz Coffee. Set to continue 'growing the flower' tomorrow. At one point while working on the drawing today, a large group of high school kids, I believe speaking french, stopped and stared at us.

Solar Contrast Definition

2010-06-24T01:06:00.000-07:00

Continuing work from 6-23.
A day of drawing, working on a block where road resurfacing and contstruction was going on.

Solar Contrast and Flowing Arabesque

2010-06-23T01:35:00.000-07:00

From the days 6-21 and 6-22, drawn on 25th between S. Van Ness and Capp Street in the Mission district.
A fun couple of days of drawing; much appreciation and support from local passersby.
A fairly warm, if a bit breezy, day. Found spots with decent surface texture and under trees. My first foray into drawing in this immediate area.
At one point police showed up because it had been called in that we were spraypainting. They stayed for a few minutes and talked to Estella and I, then left.

Stars and Word Geometry

2010-06-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, 6-14, it was a project of creating geometric stars in different places. Each had a poetry quote running around the outside of it. The first was at the muni stop at the NW corner of Dolores park, at 18th and Church. A seven pointed base and two concentric circles. The quote: "When geometric diagrams and digits are no longer the keys to living things.."

The second was at the pet store location at Market and Dolores. A six pointed base and three concentric circles. More of an inverted star. The quote: "You are the messenger who opens mysteries that unfold forever, but avoids words "

Both are attributed to Novalis, 1800.

Lotus Flames Demimonde

2010-06-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Finished on the day 6-10.

Finished it off hanging out with a couple friends. Another challenging day of weather. Overall I was happy with it, but a bit exhausted. I could spend more time sharpening the details and adjusting colors, but felt I'd done enough.

Scored more free books. Better than the last round!

"Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales"

Ray Bradbury "The October Country"

Samuel Delaney "Heavenly Breakfast"

Marshall McLuhan "Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man"

"Portrait of an Artist, a Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe"

Lotus Flames

2010-06-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

From 6-8-10...

Upon starting a new piece today on Market Street, the intense wind made a blustery presence. What is an otherwise excellent drawing spot at Market and 15th often has days when a strong wind flows straight over the hill. Today was exceptionally windy even for this spot. It was tricky arranging everything so that nothing blew away, and trying to do a precise rendering was something of a battle. Nevertheless, I managed to complete the outline and am looking forward to finishing it.

Portrait and Compass

2010-06-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

6-5-10

As part of a yearly celebration, Berkeley hosts an event centered on chocolate and sidewalk chalk drawings.(Chalk and Chocolate Festival) It is a small contest and anyone can enter. The spaces around Shattuck Avenue become the site of the artworks.
An excellent day of summer weather. Took Bart to downtown Berkeley and drew a nice mural with Estella. Several hours produced a decent rendering of a woman's face with bluish purple hair, an ornate frame and a geometric star.
It was a lovely day to be walking around taking photos. The vines growing around a community garden, a large building being demolished, and a painted payphone all made interesting images.

Harmonic Fluidity

2010-06-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

6-3-10
Color additions from the work of 5-31

Harmonic Portrait

2010-05-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

5-31-10

An amusing day in the chronicles of chalk drawing.
Around noon the Forsley brothers arrived and we grabbed our gear and walked down towards the drawing spot.
It being close to the first of the month and move-out day for a lot of people, we kept seeing belongings left out on sidewalks. Walking down Capp street, we came across a sidewalk with a heap of books and things. I had been wanting some new sci-fi to read, so I grabbed a handful of books:

Larry Niven, "A Gift from Earth"
Larry Niven, "Crashlander"
Fred Saberhagen, "Berserker Man"
Isaac Asimov, "Second Foundation"
Brian W. Aldiss, "Helliconia Spring"
Robert Van Gulik, "The Haunted Monastery and The Chinese Maze Murders"
Anais Nin, "Cities of the Interior"

Cameron was stoked to find a plastic deer lamp, and Chris found some books, among them 'The Golden Man' by Phillip K. Dick.

Got into the drawing of the day, and it flowed well. I drew a woman's face with fanciful head crown, and an eleven-pointed crystal star.
Cameron drew a cartoonish pig face in hot pink colors.
Stopping for lunch, I grabbed a tasty turkey club and blueberry smoothy from a cafe on the next block. Yum.
A french girl with a ludicrous tan asked us to watch a glass coffee table but never came back for it. For a while, a neighborhood dude hung out with us. He was quite a burning man enthusiast and colorful local. His dog had a sort of prosthesis for its back legs involving two wheels and a harness. He had some curioso he was trying to sell, tiny pocketknives and ships in bottles. This in addition to the comix and things the Forsleys were selling.
Talked to a girl who tutors music. She had admired the last piece at the spot, the exploding/burning head.
Wrapped up toward evening when the fog and wind had arrived. It's fascinating to see the things that happen with meeting people. Kids and their parents admire the work, sometimes people will give me money randomly. Today a guy handed me a 24 oz beer.
It was a good day to draw, spent with friends.

Exploding Emanations

2010-05-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

Final work from 5-21.
Drawn in concert with Estella.

Psychic Eruptor

2010-05-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

Work from the day of 5-20-10.
Valencia Street location.

Elemental Horse Flight

2010-05-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

Final work on the day of 5-14-10.

Elemental Horse Coronae

2010-05-14T01:02:00.000-07:00

Continuing work from 5-13.
Quite hot in the early part of the day, working over baking asphalt, then quite windy in the later afternoon.

Elemental Horse

2010-05-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

Work from the day of 5-12-10

Sidewalk Script

2010-04-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

On the day of 4-14, taking a detour from the usual designs, I wrote out some poetry lines from Henry Miller's 'Tropic of Cancer'. A friend drew with me and added their own poetry.