Sapa Vietnam

My most recent adventure was Cuba but when opened up blogger to post some drawings it felt too wrong to go out of order and I've decided to post more drawings/revisit some memories from 2013 Vietnam/Cambodia first!  I offer you a glimpse of Sapa Vietnam, easily one of the most crazy beautiful magical places I've ever been.  These drawings were made during a guided overnight trek/home stay to "minority village", specifically the Red Dao who are best remembered for throwing myself and my travel companion into a giant steaming barrel/bath of ancient herbal remedy fanciness:)

drawing from the top of the world!  Sunset and the fog rolling into the valley.  Had time for one drawing during the golden hour before a delicious supper:)

the next morning on the trek back to town.  plowing the paddies for the new rice.

The Vietnamese have close trusting relationships with their water buffalo, but the buffalo are hiiighly suspicious of westerners and I have been told it's because we're smelly.  while wandering near our home stay I had the opportunity to be close-ish to quite a few of these guys and can confirm that they are seriously suspicious of my stinky self at least and there was always at least one who was in charge of keeping an giant brown eyeball on me while the others went about their business.  they are the strangest creatures! like a hybrid of a pig/cow/rhino, toughskinned with course bristly hairs.  I think ugly-cute prehistoric pig-cows:)

The Killing Fields At Cheoung Ek

Today I visited The Cheoung Ek Genocidal Center, also known as the Killing Fields, one of the many but home to the memorial and museum. I wasn't sure what to expect today and was surprised to find a place of such incredible violence to be so peaceful just over thirty years later, filled with songbirds and butterflies. The site had originally been a Chinese Cemetary before it was used for "liquidations" and mass burial.

The audio guide provided was often information and stories told by the victims, witnesses and even a guard.

Here is the killing tree. The Khmer Rouge never used bullets when there were other ways, too expensive. The infants heads were "smashed" against the trees often while the mothers watched. There was a mass grave a few feet away where over 100 women and babies are buried.

I overheard a tour guide saying the bracelets were a new thing, last three years or so, since the babies had no toys some visitor left a bracelet, I guess the most colorful or fun thing they had to offer.

The portrait is of Duch the Chairman of S-21 the compound where prisoners were held before execution.

The Killing Fields Memorial holding many of the exhumed bones.

Rodin Museum

I saw "Midnight in Paris" last week and though not a Woody Allen fan (or turns out a "Midnight in Paris" fan) I was happy to catch a few glimpses of one of my favorite places in the world, the Rodin Museum! Here are a few drawings from last summer.

Balzac, AKA Mr.Cheerful, incapable of writing a happy ending...

The Hands, soooo sensitive, I couldn't do them justice.

Camille Claudel, Rodin's mistress, muse and fellow sculptor (one of the most depressing stories ever told, if you're interested check out her wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Claudel)

Rodin.

Home studio.

This series is from last weekend, done in my bedroom. Feels like for years I have only drawn on location and for some reason forgot that I didn't always have to? Very satisfying, will do again very soon, might be time to start painting again as well... itchy hands!

My little ponies!

Every birthday between ages 5-12ish I wished for a pony, I dropped subtle hints and since we had a pretty good sized yard I was pretty sure this was totally possible. The birthday pony daydream scenario closely resembled the Christmas Lexus commercials, adorable pony in the backyard sporting a giant red ribbon! Sadly I grew up pony-less but these days a few times a year I visit my Mom in Maryland and spend a few afternoons wistfully pony spotting/drawing at Assateague Island. Here are some of the pony-licious residents of Assateague!

Assateague is somehow extra pretty in crappy weather.

Ultra pregnant pony, it looked like she swallowed a barrel... poor thing

A young she-pony taking a nap in the dunes!

Here she is again the next day munching her way down the road!

Belated Easter Bunny...

You know I live to draw bunnies when and where I find 'em! This little cottontail calls the grounds of the New York Botanical Gardens home (way up in the Bronx but well worth the trip!). He was very sweetly enjoying the freshly cropped grass and sunshine when a group of grade school kids on a field trip made straight for him screaming/pointing and he dashed off into the bushes! it was lucky they turned up though since one of the girls had spotted a worm in distress who had attempted to cross the sidewalk and became stranded in the hot sun! Their teacher Mr. Cunningham with the support of the kiddos dug a little hole in the garden, deposited the worm and declared "NOW HE WILL LIIIVE", they went on their way knowing they had participated in a pretty solid good deed;)

Being a worm in spring means being in constant mortal peril, the Robin's are not messing around! If you get a chance (and you will, there's a million of them out now) watch them hunt, it will go something like this...

1. Run really really fast for a couple of feet.
2. Stop suddenly.
3. Cock their heads and listen reeeally hard while staying totally still.
4. Stab the ground and come up with a wriggling worm.

Adorable feathered assassins!

Pretty flowers?

We had a drawing class at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden a few weeks ago, the hope was that it would be covered in lacy Cherry Blossoms but they were fashionably late this year (as was the warm weather). The Japanese garden was not a bad consolation prize! although next time I'll be going the Bronx Botanical Gardens where security doesn't make you scram everytime you sit down to draw...

There was one or 2 in their glory showing off!