GRIZZLY PEAR

written snapshots

Category: Drawings

  • magnets

    On vacations, we have settled upon magnets for our souvenir, usually purchased on the way out of the park after it has closed.

    Last summer, I initially settled on a nice, mid-mod, metal and enamel Disneyland magnet, only to find this quartet of Munchlings at the next store over. So the Mouse got us twice.

    We also got a 5-pack of Mickey Mouse lollipops to ostensibly alleviate the boy’s motion sickness. It did not prevent a couple of incidents on the winding road up to Big Bear.

    ,
     

    ,
     

     ,
     

    ,
     

    I can’t believe our Disney + Big Bear1 trip was almost a year ago. As the years tick by, I’m becoming more aware of how few of these trips we will have together. That said, counting down futures vacations is a very nice problem to have.

    This year’s summer trip was a family reunion out in Portland. With the advice of a friend and my sister we hit up a bunch of cool places over five action packed days.

    • The falls. As advertised, this is the must visit. Take the Historic Columbia River Highway and hit up the falls along the way. We went on a weekday, but I suspect it’s impossible to find parking on Summer weekends. Visit the Gateway to the Gorge Visitor Center for a possible free parking permit at the famous Multnomah Falls.
    • Mount Hood Fruit Loop. We drove around and got some nice scenery, but it was late in the day so we didn’t get to see much farmy stuff. We had already eaten by the time we got to the “Gorge White House”, but this place had a great vibe.
    • Bonneville Fish Hatchery. A free must visit to say hello to Herman the Sturgeon. The kids had a blast feeding trout for a quarter.
    • Farmer’s Market at PSU. Epic vibe on a lovely Saturday morning.
    • Peninsula Park and Rose Garden. Late one evening, we ended up wandering around the Rose Garden with my sister. The warm weather and the late summer sun made for a magical moment. It was nice to offload the kids for fifteen minutes with their aunt.
    • International Rose Test Garden. Lovely as well, but nowhere as intimate or charming as the garden at Peninsula Park.
    • OMSI Museum. What you might expect from your local kid’s science museum. The highlight was a chemistry lab which the Vegas Discovery Museum does not have.
    • Portland Japanese Garden. Gorgeous garden. Not cheap, but we easily spent a good four or five hours there before heading out to the airport.

    Even though public transit in Portland is better than most suburban metropolises, I’m certain that it is vastly preferable to have a car. And if you have a car, the “Parking Kitty” phone app makes it super easy to pay at the meter. Aside from that, I guess one’s visit is at the whim of the weather gods. We hit record highs, but for folks from Vegas, that wasn’t a deal breaker.

    In all, a great visit. When we go back, I’m guessing we’ll check out some other places to mix things up, but we’ll return to the Falls, Bonneville, Farmer’s Market, and Peninsula Park.

    .

    1. In the post with the wolves, I forgot to mention that the kids had named them Sesame, Vanilla, and Cloud. So the full name of the stuffy from the gift shop is named “Rocky, Sesame V. Cloud”. ↩︎

  • vials

    The boy gave me three vials filled with colored water. She followed behind, shooting photos with a wide angled lens. I’m not sure what they were scheming, but they were giggling the whole time.

    I can’t believe how quickly time flies. Last year, work was grinding down my body and psyche. Fortunately I only had three weeks left before jumping out to the airport.

    I was trying to do right for the Division on the way out, but it was time to decouple.

    ,
     

    ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

    We played Marco Polo at home

    Marco’s white cane was
    a roll of old drawings.

    She started next to the bed
    I walked circles around Marco
    until cornered by the bathtub.

    He cheated,
    hiding in the closet,
    standing on the toilet.

    Never said Polo!

    Finally caught,
    he grabbed Marco’s shirt
    and followed her around,
    a little red caboose.

    We finally made him Marco
    He squinted, not blind,
    swinging his cane as a baton.

    Ouch!

    —August 2023

    .

  • wolves

    Last summer we visited the Big Bear Zoo. It was HOT! The wolves thought so too.

    There were actually three in the exhibit and on this platform, but I needed two, so I picked this photo. It was a moment of wonder to be half an inch from these majestic animals.

    While viewing the wolves, the kids named them Sesame, Vanilla, and Cloud. So the full name of our wolf stuffy from the gift shop is “Rocky, Sesame V. Cloud”.

    ,
     

    ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

    Two little fish harass the shark.

    My arms clap like a crocodile—clap! clap! clap!

    Eeeeeeee!—they jump off the boat-bed into the carpet-ocean, only to race back on deck.

    They hide under boxes—he can’t eat a turtle!

    The second they step out, this shark drags them into the deep, black bathroom.

    Clap! Clap! Clap!—I stalk the cook in the kitchen.

    Nooooo! we must rescue Mama!

    —2023

    .

  • finger

    After months of craziness at work I picked up the pen to draw my hand again. As the pen meandered across the page I was impressed with the magic of marks in 2D turning a white sheet into hint of fleshed out reality.

    At the time I was also one story from finishing Calvino’s Cosmicomics, thanks to M. E. Rothwell ’s encouragement to pick up the book.

    A few weeks later, I picked up a new badge and swiped in at the airport.

    ,
     

    ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

     

    ,
     

    ,
     

    ,
     

    ,
     

    ,
     

    ,

    I forgot lunch at home.
    No matter, I keep sardines in my desk.

    Mama had a bright idea.
    She came to the park near the office.

    They played on the structure in the golden sun.
    I ate my lunch at 4.

    Homeless guys surveyed for cigarette butts.
    One coughed.

    The boy slipped off the steps and cried.
    Blamed his sister.

    We lectured about personal responsibility.
    He moped.

    They drove off to violin class.
    I worked till 8 (these four day weeks run long).

    .

    —2/20/2025

    Hat tip to Hazel Burgess who encouraged me to try blind contour drawing!

    .

  • zoom

    The girl grew out of her car seat onto a booster seat.

    Time goes fast!

    As soon as she was in the booster seat, she had another growth spurt, so that’s gone too.

    ,
     

    ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
      

    Headphones and Piano Bench

    She grabbed my headphones,
    Put it on, pulled out the microphone.

    Dragged the piano bench into the study—
    A newscast.

    Two high back chairs
    And a wooden board to complete the set.

    She interviewed
    Her brother.

    Next morning,
    He filled cups with blocks.

    Juice
    (sorted by color).

    A new café
    On that piano bench.

    As I yammered on,
    Wearing those headphones.

    —2021

    .

  • yacht

    I have a weird work schedule so I sleep in my own bedroom. When my mother in law stayed with us, I moved a mattress into this loft with half of the kids’ books. It’s so cozy that I’m still here.

    ,
     

    ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
      

    One summer morning in 2021, we played in the five-foot side yard, hiding from the sun’s brutal light.

    We just bounced a red ball back and forth.

    He stood in the middle to intercept the ball.
    She threw it over and around her brother.
    I just tried to keep it from devolving into pure pandemonium.

    In that moment, I realized this was a once in a lifetime event. It was so out of normal, this wasn’t going to be repeated.

    A few minutes later, breakfast was ready.

    .

  • xyris

    Last May, I finally walked the arroyo in the neighborhood. The gravel gully led to this very concrete channel where plants insist on taking root in every available crack. I now regularly stroll thorough this arroyo, feeling the microseasons. It’s my path of centering.

    ,
     

    ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

    This afternoon we walked a couple loops around the local elementary school. The second time, boy decided to ride his bike. He swept circles through the parking lot, his teal jacket basking in the golden haze of an almost setting sun.

    This is a time of utter chaos that will eventually reach us 2,400 miles out from its epicenter.

    But today was a perfect day.

    As I’ve matured, I’ve realized that we never get to live our dreams (life is much too mundane for our wild imaginations). That’s OK, this dour realization has freed me to savor such fleeting moments.

    .

  • whump

    The kids placed the darbuka between a Poang chair and its ottoman. The threw an O-ball back and forth, bouncing it off of the drum head.

    That O-ball has been the best baby toy purchase that we’ve ever made.

    ,
     

    ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

     ,
     

    I wrote this last year when we moved into our current home.

    Seventeen years ago I woke up in a 90 sf apartment overlooking an elementary school.

    Now we’re the proud owners of a 2,103 sf house. I can see the local elementary school between the neighbor’s houses.

    It wasn’t that long ago that I shared a toilet, halfway down a flight a stairs.

    Now there’s four of us. We share three toilets. Our kitchen sink is as wide as the whole damn kitchenette.

    It’s weird to wake up in this new reality. I’m not sure what to make of this change, except to be grateful.

    But dammit, I’ll always miss Paris.

    .

  • Twenty Twenty-Four, a year in Four parts

    Prompted by this marker on the solar cycle—a few thoughts on the past year and looking into this fresh, shiny, new year.

    Last year started hectic between moving into our new house and work piling up at my old job. That went from busy to crazy when the Administrator and Deputy Administrator were suddenly demoted adding a gray pall over the whole endeavor.

    Soon after, I was contacted by a former consultant engineer about an opening at the Airport. I initially demurred, because I wanted to finish my current projects. On the last day the position was open, she called me back to just apply already!

    Fine!

    I applied, using an iPad in a San Diego garage apartment before heading out to the Zoo (copy-pasting from my LinkedIn profile!)

    At my old job, the Spring during even-numbered years were always insane as we prepared for the upcoming State legislative session. Beyond normal duties, you’d be assigned a slew of projects to scope out and estimate.

    Now add going to an interview, negotiating salary, accepting the gig, waiting for background checks to clear, and ultimately giving notice.

    That was a long, fast three months.

    Over that season, I realized that my old job was no longer recognizable. The place had changed and I was lucky to have been pushed into a new position.

    Every new job comes with fresh jitters.

    Especially joining a unique place like an airport. It’s a high security mini-city transportation complex that’s carefully regulated by the federal government. Plus learning the different politics of being part of a new agency.

    I shouldn’t have worried. Each of my colleagues went through their own shock whenever of joining the airport and were all happy to help.

    And it was nice to be spare working crazy hours…and not having to think about work when I wasn’t at the office. This freed me to cement my daily practices.

    Before I left the old gig, I had started posting a daily “Vegas Ordinary” photograph to maintain a minimal semblance of creative sanity. With the extra breathing room at the new job, I turned it into a wider tracking exercise—clearing out blog drafts, diet, physical exercise, and music practice . In August, I pivoted from photography towards calligraphy.

    This endeavor was supercharged when we bought a printer-scanner and I pulled out an old light box. I was now composing on sheets, not just scribbles in notebook!

    This new obsession survived it’s first big interruption—a week in September with COVID. I was still graphing at the end of that lovely time off, which made me confident enough to step into two months of daily insanity.

    At first it was “just” Inktober. I planned on just doing a simple 5 Word Piece every morning. Nice and easy, but composition (and yeah a little competition) consumed the month.

    Inktober lead into Callivember and sixty-one days had suddenly disappeared. I’d unknowingly signed up for an unpaid part-time internship. At least I progressed quite a bit by pushing my limits every day.

    But no time for rest. By the end of November it was time to get into the holiday spirit, make cards, wrap presents, and boom we’re now in tax season!

    So what to make of this new year?

    I’m not serious about goals but I am fond of noting a yearly theme. The exercise helps me reflect on the past year and nudge my attention for the new trip around the sun.

    At first, I toyed with the idea of a mass purge. Refinement. Crucible. Burn the dross. Much too aggressive.

    Let’s go with a much gentler vibe of “letting go”. Admittedly I started 2024 hoping to work through this slew of old blog posts and unfinished digital projects. This time I’ll take a chill approach to clearing them out.

    I don’t plan on changing jobs this year. So hopefully I’ll make a legit dent this time! Or maybe, I’ll end ’25 with the realization that I need to let go of that urge to clean out this digital house.

    We’ll find out in 365 days. Hope you’ll hang around for the fun!

    .

  • Inktober24, Week 4

    I was less intense this week. It might show in the pieces, but I’m happy with the work. One big change is that I’m now working ahead, which takes a lot the pressure off the process. Next year, I’ll start working on the prompts as soon as they are announced.

    ,

    10/20

    uncharted
    words say it all.

    I wanted to write this one with the ruling pen. So I did. It’s going to take a lot of practice to get this working well. I suspect that basing the strokes on an established hand (in this case Chancery Cursive) might be the best way to get something that works consistently.

    ,

    10/21

    rhinoceros
    is
    her
    tooth
    fairy

    Like “uncharted”, I forced Copperplate into this composition. I hoped that a blocky Rhino would contrast nicely against the cursive. This was my first time playing with Copperplate and I’m clearly not ready for it. Fortunately the girl traced a Gyarados last year to partially salvage the composition.

    After Inktober, I have at least four initiatives to pursue:

    1. Straight Brush
    2. Ruling Pen
    3. Copperplate script
    4. Gothic Script

    ,

    10/22

    hop
    from
    camp
    to
    camp

    I own inks that go all the way back to undergrad. Some of it ink has coagulated but is usable after mixing it up. It’s not as good as brand new ink (I bought a new bottle of india ink to verify) but raw ink works for most of my compositions.

    I vaguely remember buying this white Higgins ink at Berkeley, being disappointed in its opacity, and setting it aside. I’ve used it more this week than during the quarter century that preceded it.

    That $4 bottle of ink would be worth $47 if I invested it in the SP500 back in 1997, but what’s the fun in that?

    ,

    10/23

    rust
    will
    find
    you
    too

    I’m in the video game phase of this hobby, unlocking new toys and levels every day. The white ink from “camp“ and the “rhinoceros” copperplate became the basis of today’s composition. On the computer I also started messing with extreme crops.

    ,

    10/24

    ​dancing thru life’s quick
    expedition

    I expected this to be a tough composition, but I quickly landed on a simple through-line (following the word in poem). I got lucky with a couple kids’ scribbles that play well with this arrangement.

    ,

    10/25

    ​scarecrow
    watches
    your
    every
    sock

    I was inspired by Randall Slaughter to incorporate raw open lettering. Making those letters feel right is harder than it seems. Last week, I would have grinded out another ten variations to get it just right, but I don’t got it in me.

    ,

    After last week’s post, my dad asked for a photo of the tools.

    1. Flat brushes (1″ down to 4mm) with a pointed brush
    2. Dip pens with a variety of nibs including calligraphy, flexible, and broad edge
    3. Pilot Parallel Pens (four 6.0mm, 3.8mm, and 1.5mm)
    4. Leadholder, pencil, crayons, and eraser
    5. A big collection of fountain pen inks (many more than in this photo), a new bottle of india ink, ancient inks, and a couple bottles of pen washes (for testing compositions)
    6. Pages of templates, though I now use drafting tools for locking in layouts
    7. Triangles, scales, rulers, and a compass
    8. Light table
    9. A practice notebook for quick 5WP’s to unwind after the compositions. (I use previously failed sheets for testing compositions and exploring design ideas)
    10. Not shown—Lots of books, by Arthur Baker, David Harris, Alan Furber, and the Speedball Textbook.

    However, that tool photo is deceptive. Normally it looks like this.

    Have a Fun Halloween. Cya next week!

    ,

    After finishing “uncharted” I cut loose with the ruling pen. This scan doesn’t do justice to the magic on the page that materialized as I did my usual bottom up scribing.

    .