Welcome and Background

Thank you for visiting my site. This is a space to share my drawings with others who might enjoy them. I find pleasure in completing a a “successful” drawing, while the less-than-successful ones are a challenge to do better and a chance to problem-solve. Most of my work resides in a variety of sketchbooks. Some were started in art classes or in the Fine Arts Studio of the Art Gallery of Burlington with the Sketch Group.

Currently, I focus on drawing with pen and ink. An edifying exercise from an art class exercise involved recreating Durer’s famous drawing “Praying Hands”. Durer prepared the drawing in black and white ink (or paint) on blue-toned paper. Impressed Durer’s drawing, I’ve experimented with applying his techniques to portraiture, working mostly from photographs. Some of the reference photos are taken by myself, some are from the web site Earthsworld, and some are art reproductions. In addition to pen and ink, I also draw from life (from models), generally using conte on toned paper given time constraints. I draw inspiration from the masterful pen drawings by Durer, Franklin Booth, and the caricaturist David Levine.

The following quote sums up the attitude which I aspire to in my art:

“God grant me the courage to be vulnerable, the discipline to persist and the modesty to keep learning.”—Nancy Slaght.

After Durer