The City (Sketches)

I lived in Philadelphia for a year (summer of 2007 to summer of 2008). While the city in the end did not meet my needs, I was very inspired by the architecture, crumbling buildings, broken sidewalks, murals, mosaics, and basically the "beauty in the breakdown." Sometimes I would just stop mid-walk in the city and stare at a beautiful building that was falling apart, and wishing I had a camera with me. I found myself creating a lot of sketches based around my observations.

This first sketch was based on some photographs I took in Philadelphia and New York City. Two of those images eventually ended up being used in paintings, and I plan for the third one to be used in a future painting. I very much enjoy using a pen to sketch, although for this one I sketched out the images first in pencil.

A True Art Museum

The sketch below was based off of a very random finding of one of the most bizarre and magical art museums that I happened to run into while in a north west Philly neighborhood: The Ellen Tiberino Museum. If you are ever in the area, and want a true Philly art experience, this is the place to go. I felt like I had stepped into an artists' oasis, with an outside garden area workshop, and full pieces just hanging out all over the place. The museum is the backyard of the Tiberino family who still lives there, and hosts monthly parties in their backyards with new art showings and performances. Too bad I didn't discover this wild gem earlier.



Faces, Drinks, and Taxi Cabs

Partly based on memory of often seen faces; partly based on Jim Jarmusch's film, Night on Earth.


Here's a song from the movie:



Beer, Cigs, and Broken Sidewalks

Broken sidewalks were the norm in West Philadelphia. As were little places to buy beer, snacks, and cigs. This sketch (perspective off) was not based on any specific store, but more of a collective of images in my head. I think that day I was very down and out about how broken everything was, and the unkempt buildings and yards.


The more I look at this sketch again, the more I am remembering that this was not a great day for me. I put a heavy emphasis on the details of neglect, and often my sketches had put an emphasis on the fascinating architecture. I believe I did this sketch either at the brutal, unbearable end of summer, or a cold winter day. Funny I cannot remember.