Fred's Records

In the days of internet and wild downloading you don't find a record store very easily. I mean this old places where you can get lost and find great music because people are there and advice you to hear this or that. Fred's Records is one of this places. Very vintage, a huge space, something that you probably find only in St. John's. I have to go back and do and sketch from the interior, but enjoy this one from the outside for the moment!

Downtown Music Crawl in St. John's

St. John's is a beautiful city with an interesting artistic scene. Last Friday there was a music event called "Lawnya Vawnya" (gaelic?) A craw of people move from one store to another to hear artists playing music. For me was a great opportunity to get to know some "cool" places in the city and enjoy music at the same time, and of course to sketch too. You already know my fascination by musicians...

It started on the store ModelCitizens. the space was really small and I couldn't see Jesse Stewart playing so I went outside and sketched the store instead.

Next stop was Fred's Records, a fantastic place. I have to come back and sketch it. Rae Spoon was playing there. From all the artists I guess he was the one that I enjoyed most. Next day I surprised myself singing a song he played there. So I went back to Fred's Records and bought his CD (it is great!). If you want to hear the song I liked : check this link the song name is "You can dance"
Next stop was the bookstore Afterwords. Construction and Destruction played there.

Katie Baggs playing in the children's store Gingersnap

This is my favorite sketch: Kindness Killers playing at Rocket (a cool cafe!). It is always like that. The first sketches I elinsecure, I using pencil or pen to draw, adding color later. At the end the last sketches are just brush and color. I get carry away by the music and the energy of the people; painting becomes something natural.

The last days of a Barber Shop in St. John's

In my desperate search for a barber, I found the Family Barber Shop on 204 Duckward street . A sign on the window announced that it will be closing its doors fowever. It is a pity, after 30 years this place full of old furniture will be gone for ever.
However I felt lucky I could do an sketch from it, it will be preserved in my sketchbooks. Oft I like to think of my art as some kind of graphic documentation.

Khalifa Street, Al Ain

I am still late with my post. I got a lot of drawings from Al Ain and the UAE that I guess would remain in my sketchbooks foreever since I am sketching a lot here in Newfoundland. However I wanted to share this little sketch of the main street of Al Ain: Khalifa Street. It is very lively with restaurants and shops and places to seat under the shadow. I did the sketch just with pen, and I didn't like it at first. Some time later I added color and now is one of my favorites.

Newfoundland, Canada

So I am already two weeks in Newfoundland in an adventure that will take me 3 months and I can only say WOW!!!
The Island of Newfoundland is in the atlantic coast of Canada. It has the most amazing nature: Stone, ice and water in a wild combination. The coast is magnificent, full of places to paint. The architecture also is beautiful, wood houses in pastel colors that shine with the sun (ok, the weather could be bad arround here, but in good weather everything glows!)
And the people are so nice and gentle. There is also a very lively art community, surprising by the small population, but you have to see the place to understand that if you don't get inspired by these what else can. So I guess I will be busy sketching this months.
Here is the Quidi Vidi Cove, there is even a local bier made here in this place.

Road Abu Dhabi- Al Ain

This sketch is dedicated to my good friend Wasel Safwan. He is an emirati and a fellow artist. He always was extremly kind to me making me feel confortable in the UAE. When he knew that I liked to explore and sketch his country, he tried always to show me new places and most important he helped me to understand his country. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and I will never see things like an emirati, but he helped me to appreciate so many things that I would have otherwise overlooked.

However he sometimes got surprised that I already knew some places. For esample this little snack bar in the Road Abu Dhabi - Al Ain. Usually the buses stop here for the passengers to take some tee. It is not a fancy place, on the contrary but it have the beauty to be authentic. I found the sketch the other day in a sketchbook that I mostly use for writting. So my friend here is the proof that I was there :-) (check the date)

Thank you, thank you very much.

Trains, planes and airports

On my way to Canada I traveled in one week from Hannover to Kassel (where I stop for 3 days), from Kassel to Frankfurt, from Frankfurt to Ottawa and from Ottawa to Saint John's. I miss Germany. The train travel was something I really enjoyed. The German trains are really confortable. I got the opportunity to sketch. The first one is from the restaurant car. I had a tea and sketched between Hannover and Kassel. The second one is from Kassel to the Frankfurt airport. I sat in the cabin with 3 guys that were travelling from Hannover to Munich. In the Frankfurt Airport after checking in for my flight to North America I sat in front of the Star Alliance gate. There were some people from Lufthansa doing the boarding for the flight to Edinburgh as I sat there sketching. Then came my flight to Ottawa. It was a long flight and I managed to sketch something. My last sketch in Ottawa airport was while waiting for my connection flight to St. John's, a little kid was watching the planes landing. I was dead tired, but it was such lovely picture that I had to sketch it.