Been sketching a lot - and enjoying mixing in different pen work and pencils - though I do notice my drawings often get very dark, like this one that I did of a garden nearby from where I live in Brooklyn:

I worked hard to try to get the color of the paper drawing as exact to my notebook as I can, and often I compare the two as I’m editing the settings.

I also did this larger sketch today in a larger sketchbook I bought recently.

Lately, I’ve been aware that I don’t need to cover the entire drawing, that I can leave some things out (see below):

It’s just deciding when to stop.

I also did a quick drawing of a model who I liked today at Brooklyn Artist’s Gym (but it was too hot to work much):

I have more drawings to post, but I’m ready to collapse - been a long day, and a hot one as well.

Interviewed this weekend by a well known blogger Anil Batra of  Web Analysis, Behavioral Targeting and Advertising  - decided to post the links to that interview (part 1 & part 2) as many of my art ideas are merged with my web analytics approach and my career.

Interview with Marshall Sponder - Part I

Interview with Marshall Sponder - Part II

Pretty happy with the interview - I put a lot of myself in it.

Here’s the last of the three videos I made which comprise most of the footage from that day - I’ve provided the first two video URLs as well. Enjoy

Video Part 3 (the longest segment) - also note the Tree Breast at 1 minute into this clip - it’s special and way off the path (you have to climb down to it and it’s not seen from the road). Also, there’s some footage of the best and most expensive restaurant in Aix-en-Provence, Le Clos De La Violette, at the end of the file (but the URL link does not seem to work).

part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZleHXMqK-8

part 2 -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXuBVOaqayE

part 3 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=j3LJW43WEGk

My guide, Christine Boulet (who lives in Aix-en-Provence and who I met the day before)  on this 4 or 5 hour walk to my favorite Painter, Paul Cezanne, happened on Wednesday, June 6th, 2007 and took most of the afternoon and early evening.  At the end of the long, long walk/hike, it rained. 

Note: The quality of the video that gets uploaded and shown on YouTube is considerably less than the original files - I noticed that, no matter what I do, preparing and uploading online video footage for streaming video makes the videos loose a lot of the details.

Also, my recollection of the color of the sky - it was much bluer than richer than what is coming over from the videos.  My take on that - whenever we translate an experience from one form to another (IE: a part of my life is transformed into a video) something is lost (in this case, a lot is lost).

On the other hand, what is gained is the memory I have as I look at these videos that warms my heart and brings back the fresh air, whooshing sounds, thundering and pungent smell of the the moist earth - the rich warm reddish browns of the earth and the brilliant blue of the sky.   A gray-lavender band of wood, part of the foliage / trees is pushed more towards lavender by the rich greens of the tree leaves and grass on the grounds. 

After the first hour, or so, of our walk, we had the sandwiches and Pepsi Light (we brought no water - or sunglasses) - the heat got to be almost unbearable and when we reached a midway point there was a water fountain - near a dam - and I got my shirt all wet, just to deal with the the intense heat/sun.   But then, as the afternoon progressed, it cooled down and rained and that was magical.

My guide, Christine Boulet, was wonderful company - but little of that is really translated in this movie and yet, I hope all of that comes though, past the limitations of the medium of Online Streaming Video - via YouTube.

Again, Enjoy and for any of my readers on ArtNewYorkCity.com  - I’d love to hear your feedback.  Bear in mind, I’m not the best photographer - fortunately, Christine Boulet took over for much of the footage, she has a much steadier hand than I - but I’m learning.