Catchin' The Fever

I was on my way to a meeting downtown by my preferred mode of NY transport- the bus. Yes, dreadfully slow, but always lots to see. Yesterday, passed by the Wall Street rally and literally got stuck on lower Broadway for about 10 minutes, right where it was all happening.

Now feel as if I were there, if only for a moment....

Sweet Italian Memory

There's a lot of talk in US news these days about Perugia and the appeal of American Amanda Knox. I am not writing about the trial, I am not passing judgement one way or the other. It's just that I could not help be reminded of a Sunday that I spent in Perugia a little while back. It was a blustery day, but as intrepid tourists, we forged our way through the city, into the cathedral, in and out of side streets, trying to avoid the downpours and slipping along the cobblestone. As with all of our collective memories with good times, I can remember it all as if it were yesterday. You know that Perugia is famous for its chocolate but foolishly, we did not pause to think that on a Sunday in Italy, the shops would be closed. And then, it happened. We found the only chocolate shop opened in all of Perugia. That's when my drawing stopped....

...and the sampling began.

What's Lisbon Without Fado?

Long before I arrived to this city, I was warned not to miss Fado- and to be sure, as soon as put my first steps to the cobbled roads, the haunting strings of Fado echoed up and down the hills of Lisbon. Even without understanding the new tongue that I was surrounded by, through the animated conversation, I could hear so many speaking about.. Fado. And so, it was to my great surprise and pleasure that on the Friday eve of the symposium, I set off with four new-found friends, in a crazy taxi drive to the beautiful streets of Alfama and to an evening of magical, mystical, Fado.
It lived up to its reputation and more. Stuffed into a small room, we were surrounded and embraced by the deep emotion, the smells of the kitchen, the allure of the wine and of course, the music. So close, so tangible. And then, there was the matriarch of it all- the Gypsy mama, who greeted her boys with a slap up side the head and they kissed her back in return. I was all at once intimated and fascinated by her, and when she danced with that bottle on her head, she had me. And so did this night..Thank you Deb, Sally, Frank, Norberto for making one of the very special memories, amongst many, in Lisboa.

LISBOA

I've just returned from teaching a drawing workshop at the Urban Sketchers Symposium-an exciting, invigorating assemblage of 200 people from 23 countries who descended on Lisbon, Portugal for the singular purpose of drawing on location. Music to my ears, the stuff dreams are made of, pennies from heaven, whatever other expression one could assign to a dream of yours- this was what it was like for me. Lisbon is a beautiful city. In betwixt and between the Naples Yellow buildings are tiled roofs for miles and squares, or largos, at the end of most of the cobbled streets, winding up and down hills galore. Most of these drawings are from in and around Largo Rossio, where my session took place and Largo Chiado, where I sat in with the wonderful Frank Ching and Pedro Cabral, who led us up a couple of hills, the reward of which was one of the best lunches that I had in Lisbon.

Some More From Venice Beach

My trip out to LA with my MFA in Illustration class was weird and wonderful in many ways. Though I am always jazzed to draw with my pen, scratching, and splashing away, I felt the need to do something different this time. This is always daunting- heading into something unfamiliar, but oh, so necessary from time to time, to re-discover, re-invent, and reinvigorate. Many of my students took the challenge on, too, with great results! Like I said, for many reasons, this is what the trip did for me. I prepared a few pages with a thin turp wash and then, drew with graphite, gouache and watercolor on top. Still very much a work in progress, but the warmth of the sun and the day is flooding back to me now.

California Dreamin'

I recently came back from teaching two classes on location in SoCal to my MFA in Illustration Class. I couldn't help but sneak in a few drawings on my own-
My love for line usually overtakes all that I do, but when in Venice Beach, how could one not be seduced by the color and the swaying palms???!!!

SHOW TIME!

Please join me in celebrating Women's History Month- and visiting with some of the amazing women that I have seen and met through my travels.

I Want Beach!

No hidden message here- I miss the beach. The tone in these drawings is not the sky, but the ever-present clouds of smoke from the burning of the sugar cane. A contrast and reality check on the beauty of the beach. And this is how much I love drawing- I am willing to let you see me in my bathing suit! Filmed by my mystery man on the beach in La Romana.

Untitled from Memi on Vimeo.

BocaChica Chica

Just back from a month in the glorioso Dominican Republic where, while driving into Santo Domingo, I caught this entrepreneurial mujer. It was a fleeting, but powerful moment for me. I suppose that her thought might be "Sex Sells" as it does all over our globe- but underneath her stance I saw, for that brief minute, great beauty and soulful eyes. Thanks to all of you and your support last year, she will be appearing as part of a show that I am having in NYC in honor of Womens' History Month, Another Woman's Life.Stay tuned-
I will be posting info shortly....