DRAW, DRAWING, DRAWN

As I begin my Italy series, I of course went through all my photos from my trip to Rome and Tuscany last year.  We came across this young man while walking through the Forum.  Tourist everywhere but he never even picked up his head, so in the moment was he.  

I am now ready to put myself in that zone for the next few months.  But if you are expecting to see paintings of the Vatican or the Colosseum I'm afraid you may be dissapointed.  I am much more interested in the small side scenes.  I plan to focus the series on the activities in the streets, the people, wether local or tourists and the many contrasts of the modern world on this acient place.

I haven't drawn people or architecture in a very long time.  Which is one of the reasons I am so excited about this next batch of paintings.  I love the contrasts and meshing of todays world here in a place so filled with ancient history.  Here the mix of the British teenagers gathered around the balloon stand all the while a hundreds year old religious painting looks down on the scene from the corner of the building.
Drawing architecture brings me back to linear perspective drawing.  An old favorite of mine.  You can see the vanishing point and converging lines I used here on my street drawing. While in college in Philadelphia, I spend a lot of time drawing around the city, including one long day in the Cathedral drawing the inside of the cavernous space.  I wish I had kept those drawings but I remember it so clearly.

This is my name in 3 point perspective.  I had this posted on the door of my classroom for many years.
I loved teaching one and two perspective to my middle school students but, honestly, the kids hated it.  They complained that it was too much thinking for art class.  (sigh)

‎"Drawing is not a natural act. You've got this flatness and you have to learn to lie about it." 
Wayne Thiebaud 1920--

Well, time to paint!