Thursday, September 10, 2009

Quirky But Handy


I was back at SuperTarget in Davie, Florida the other day, sitting in the small cafe and looking for someone who'd be interesting to draw, when I glanced out the window.

I saw the parking lot. .. And it was beautiful!

Perhaps my euphoria was from the bite of the chocolate chip cookie that I had purchased solely as an alibi, or maybe I was in a kind of image-induced haze, knowing as I do now that art can be found everywhere in everyday matters. But beautiful it was. The architectural features at the storefront are very attractive, almost too attractive for a retail store, including a wood panel overhang, and columns with scattered and uneven brickwork. And of course there are the trees.

The final picture, if you look carefully, is kind of quirky. There are large cement spheres in front of the building as a kind of decoration and grown people tend to sit on them. I caught half of one such playful adult in my drawing. And then there was the man examining his engine. And in the lower right - that large box - yes, that's a dumpster, I think. And that's a pigeon in the rafters.

But I just painted what I saw.

I have a profound respect for folks that draw architectural structures well. I had some trouble with the perspective (the columns were supposed to be the same height) but I don't think the inaccuracy affects the drawing. After all, it is my world once I put it on paper and the real scene then becomes irrelevant.

All in all, I'm fairly satisfied. But no applause please. Permit me to give you a hand instead:

13 comments:

  1. Well, I'm certainly applauding, Dan. This is a delightful drawing. I would not have had the patience to draw every brick in those columns but you handled it with grace! And I love the little details you pointed out.....such fun!

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  2. One thing I really like about your posts is what you write Dan, they never fail to put a huge grin on my face :)
    I like that parking lot sketch, and I could tell that guy who's trying to fix his car... he's big, and he's southern too ^^ (pardon me for observing so many 'big' people while I was in Louisiana). But you're right.. Target does put a bit more effort in potreying a better image than say...ermmm... Walmart? :D Nice sketch!
    I'd take that hand and give you a strong and firm shake, german style how's that? :Þ

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  3. Well I wish our parking lots would look as pleasant as the one on your sketch! Lovely colours and Southern atmosphere!

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  4. Yes, It is a great parking lot.

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  5. What a great post, Dan! And you tackled the bricks! Hats off. What a fantastic Super Target you have! Ours has the balls out front, but is otherwise a drab eyesore. You've done a great job on it; everything reads very well. And the hand...which you've tackled in ink!! INK! That's tough. I usually find that pinky hardest to get right when my hand is in this position. You've gotten that perfect.
    I agree with Alex, your writing is excellent, making your posts something I can't wait to read!
    Can't wait to see your sculptures! I made a new one last night!

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  6. Two great sketches. I love the parking lot - what patience you have to capture all that detail.

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  7. This is terrific! And a great lesson to open our eyes to what is around us!

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  8. Loved the parking lot sketch...you are making me miss our FL days. How beautiful. The hand was equally well done!

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  9. I love the detail in your colour image. And the column in the centre of the image has a nice effect of breaking the scene into chunks. Well done.

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  10. The hand you have offered is well rendered ! Congratulations

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  11. Thank folks, I'm glad you all liked this post! I didn't expect comments on my writing too - that's a nice surprise. It seems that the blog is scratching two of my itches, the art bug and the writing bug - it's wonderful that you are enjoying both! Thanks for all of your positive comments!

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  12. Great work, Dan . Both of these are great. I really like the hand, nice lines.

    Thank you for all your supportive comments, too. I wish I had more time to visit all of the other great drawing blogs out there, yours included, but I don't seem to these days. However, I very much enjoyd spending some time here, today.

    Cheers.

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