Rodin Museum

I saw "Midnight in Paris" last week and though not a Woody Allen fan (or turns out a "Midnight in Paris" fan) I was happy to catch a few glimpses of one of my favorite places in the world, the Rodin Museum! Here are a few drawings from last summer.

Balzac, AKA Mr.Cheerful, incapable of writing a happy ending...

The Hands, soooo sensitive, I couldn't do them justice.

Camille Claudel, Rodin's mistress, muse and fellow sculptor (one of the most depressing stories ever told, if you're interested check out her wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Claudel)

Rodin.

Home studio.

This series is from last weekend, done in my bedroom. Feels like for years I have only drawn on location and for some reason forgot that I didn't always have to? Very satisfying, will do again very soon, might be time to start painting again as well... itchy hands!

My little ponies!

Every birthday between ages 5-12ish I wished for a pony, I dropped subtle hints and since we had a pretty good sized yard I was pretty sure this was totally possible. The birthday pony daydream scenario closely resembled the Christmas Lexus commercials, adorable pony in the backyard sporting a giant red ribbon! Sadly I grew up pony-less but these days a few times a year I visit my Mom in Maryland and spend a few afternoons wistfully pony spotting/drawing at Assateague Island. Here are some of the pony-licious residents of Assateague!

Assateague is somehow extra pretty in crappy weather.

Ultra pregnant pony, it looked like she swallowed a barrel... poor thing

A young she-pony taking a nap in the dunes!

Here she is again the next day munching her way down the road!

Belated Easter Bunny...

You know I live to draw bunnies when and where I find 'em! This little cottontail calls the grounds of the New York Botanical Gardens home (way up in the Bronx but well worth the trip!). He was very sweetly enjoying the freshly cropped grass and sunshine when a group of grade school kids on a field trip made straight for him screaming/pointing and he dashed off into the bushes! it was lucky they turned up though since one of the girls had spotted a worm in distress who had attempted to cross the sidewalk and became stranded in the hot sun! Their teacher Mr. Cunningham with the support of the kiddos dug a little hole in the garden, deposited the worm and declared "NOW HE WILL LIIIVE", they went on their way knowing they had participated in a pretty solid good deed;)

Being a worm in spring means being in constant mortal peril, the Robin's are not messing around! If you get a chance (and you will, there's a million of them out now) watch them hunt, it will go something like this...

1. Run really really fast for a couple of feet.
2. Stop suddenly.
3. Cock their heads and listen reeeally hard while staying totally still.
4. Stab the ground and come up with a wriggling worm.

Adorable feathered assassins!

Pretty flowers?

We had a drawing class at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden a few weeks ago, the hope was that it would be covered in lacy Cherry Blossoms but they were fashionably late this year (as was the warm weather). The Japanese garden was not a bad consolation prize! although next time I'll be going the Bronx Botanical Gardens where security doesn't make you scram everytime you sit down to draw...

There was one or 2 in their glory showing off!

Ecstatic Music Festival

I don't have the most reliable memory in the world so I'm glad that at some point I started writing notes on my drawings... aside from knowing that I went and really enjoyed it I don't remember all the details of my day at the Ecstatic Music Festival back in January. The impressions stuck though, some more than others.

Timothy Andres, my notes tell me I developed a crush on him while he played "Peeling Onions" (?)... guess I kind of remember him being pretty adorable though my drawing doesn't seem to reflect that.

Face the Music, what youngsters are capable of when they play things besides video games. Some of these pieces were reeeeally INTENSE, they more than held their own.

These 2 drawings are the Chiara String Quartet. Loved drawing the violinist, he looked like he was carved out of stone, so formal and severe, hair pulled back soooo tight.


This guy John Matthias was the highlight for me, he looked like he was from another time and place (kept picturing him thatching cottage roofs in Scotland...) He's the one I would go out of my way to see again, unfortunately according to songkick he has no upcoming shows. He was fascinating to watch, Audrey and I were hypnotized and struggling to capture his shaggy hangdog face. I read later and was not surprised to find that he had played on the Radiohead album The Bends.

He played "What Happens" and "Cortical Song" check out the audios on the link. "What Happens" was especially beautiful, his voice was so growly and mournful and the violin and piano were giving me goosebumps, and all that the clicking/clacking like needles up and down my spinal cord, creepily effective. John Matthias you gained a fan that day. http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/beyond-words/2011/02/ecstatic-marathon-countdown---3---john-matthias-co.html

Last but not least So Percussion, who are always awesomely creative and worth seeing reapeatedly! This show was infused with sweetness, one of the members Jason Treuting told everybody he was about to become a father any minute(!!!), the guy was glowing, couldn't stop smiling the whole show :) a few days later Audrey and Julia and I went to see them again and he was missing, off spending time with his wife and getting to know brand new baby Elsie.

Earth Day again?

Holy crap it has been MONTHS since I've posted on here hasn't it?... I've been busy though, busy neglecting this blog for my foster dog blog (check out the cuteness at http://fosteroni.blogspot.com/ no I cannot walk and chew gum at the same time). So I discovered this morning when the Google home page came up that it was Earth Day (often how I find out it's a holiday thats not Christmas) and decided it felt like a good time to start posting again.

We have done our best to tame nature here on Earth but in few places is this as striking as the gardens of Versailles, controlled beauty and balance! These quickie pencil drawings were done last August on the Dalvero Academy trip to France, we had a day off and I skipped on back to Versailles, and after spending most of the day at La Ferme http://brassringstudio.blogspot.com/2010/08/la-ferme-sigh.html I wandered back on foot (trams stopped for the day) and I was treated to dusk at Versailles, complete with sunbeams, billowing clouds, the manicured grounds and dynamic sky both benefiting from the contrast! Versailles I love and fear you at the same time.

this was one of the first drawings of the day, the top gardens are so beautiful but so rigid. What a relief to run on back to La Ferme where you could relax!

This must be what heaven looks like.

dark clouds roll in, but luckily no rain.

regarde la panorama (did I get that right? I don't speak French)

what a view... sigh..................

testing the fountains for that nights event! lucky me got to watch the dress rehearsal.

I was tempted to linger till they locked up, you know, accidentally locked in?? a night wandering the Versailles grounds, SUNRISE at Versailles... but no it would have been too spooky and I would have probably gotten in trouble.