Lost In Wonder

Tokar Florist

2012-02-09T11:18:00.002-05:00

I was probably pushing the limits of outdoor drawing on Sunday. It was one of those days where the sun was totally misleading on how cold it could be in the shade. Yet, if you sat in the sun, you couldn't really see.

This is an interesting building. At first look, you may think that nothing is going on inside. But, if you pass it often enough, you will notice that someone is changing the windows. It took me a little bit to find out what exactly it was. I eventually just googled the address and Tokar Florist came up. Now, that makes total sense, because there are always great displays in the window showcasing table settings, party decorations, and flowers.

Favorite Places Vol. 5

2012-02-04T10:21:00.003-05:00

Another of my favorite places. This is their new location, but I've been shopping with them for years. They are the only ones in the area who seem to really know about aquariums. Their fish always live. The people there know their stuff and are more than willing to help out.

Favorite Places Vol. 4

2012-02-01T18:31:00.003-05:00

I guess would constitute a favorite place. It's my living room. I have had that stereo since about 1989, and it still works perfectly. I haven't gotten rid of it, because if I ever decide to get a turntable again, it would cost a fortune. Right now, I have one that works perfectly well. You can also see my Wii and Wii balance board, my guitar and amp, my boomerang from my trip to Australia, and the picture above the stereo is a drawing of Noah's Ark at Kennywood.

It's not much like the Noah's Ark from my childhood. You used to walk into a whale's mouth to get into the funhouse-style ark. They still have the ark, but no more whale. When I was very little, I would never go in with my Dad and older sister. I would run out, get my ticket back, and go back and sit with my Mom and little sister. :D

Kirby Ave Warehouse

2012-01-31T10:40:00.001-05:00

I you also draw on location, you'll know what I'm talking about. But, sometimes you see something as you're driving, and you just know that there's something about it that is interesting enough to draw. I might not have given the full effect of this, but I just liked how this looked, and I wanted to draw it.

I've been passing it on my way to route 90 for the 6 years that I've lived in East Cleveland. And, I finally decided to draw it.

Hard Rock Cafe Cleveland

2012-01-30T07:27:00.002-05:00

This was one of those days where it took a lot to get me started on a drawing. I sat in the food court for a while, trying to draw a ship out on the river, but I just couldn't get it right. I erased the whole thing several times before I decided to move. I moved up two levels to draw the Hard Rock Cafe sign outside on Huron Rd. This clicked a little more.

I had dropped my Little Sister (from BigBro/BigSis) at the offices of the Cleveland International Film Festival, and even though I had more than enough time to go home and come back, I thought this was a good opportunity to draw in Tower City. I also took a break for lunch and to browse 2 shops on East 4th.

Favorite Places Vol. 3

2012-01-23T11:15:00.006-05:00

This was the second attempt at drawing Sur La Table at Eton in Woodmere. My first attempt was very far out of scale. But, here it is. These cars look nothing like the cars that were actually parked there, but I like how they turned out all wonky and caddywompus. :D

This is one of my favorite places to shop. And, those of you who know me, also know why I love this spot. ;-)

Wonder Bar

2012-01-22T08:31:00.003-05:00

Stairs are hard, but you know what is harder? Fire escapes. This definitely got me some practice at stairs and perspective.

I do love Cleveland's East 4th area a lot. I really want to move there this summer. But, I heard from one of the downtown organizations that there are waiting lists to get into some of these buildings. I really will only have about 2 months to find a new place, and I might miss out on moving there. So, keep your fingers crossed for me.

Penzey's Spices

2012-01-21T00:02:00.005-05:00

I had time before work this mroning, and I was at a loss for something to draw. So, I decided to draw something in my kitchen. This is my spice ledge, it's triple-deep. As you can see, I love going to Penzey's Spices.

Favorite Places Vol. 2

2012-01-15T14:31:00.004-05:00

It took a while to get here, but yes, there is snow on the ground.

Here's the second in my "Favorite Places" series for the year. It's the art supply store at the Greens of Lyndhurst. It kind of looks very cute and quaint, but it is in just a shopping center anchored by an Applebees'. But, it is a good art supply store.

Mall Christmas Decorations

2012-01-07T07:47:00.003-05:00

More from our Beachwood Mall sketchcrawl last Sunday. I saved this one for today, because today is Russian Christmas (Merry Christmas!!). Last night, many women used a mirror and candles to make the image of their future husband appear.

Favorite Places Vol. 1

2012-01-06T13:50:00.002-05:00

New year, new focus. Sometimes, I have a hard time thinking of somewhere to go and draw. Not this year! This year, when I'm at a loss of what to draw around the city, I'm just going to go to one of my favorite places and draw it.

This morning, I thought of Koko Bakery on Payne Ave. It's a great spot for an inexpensive snack or lunch, and the people there are always so friendly.

Beachwood Mall Clock

2012-01-02T09:50:00.003-05:00

Met up with Noreen, Karen, and Mina to draw at Beachwood Mall on Sunday afternoon. We sat in the center court and all drew what intersted us. I took over an hour to render this clock, and then Mina rendered it more accurately in about 10 minutes. Oh, well, it's all fun! :D

Mr. Kringles Inventionasium

2011-12-30T18:40:00.002-05:00

I took my lil sis (my little sister through BigBro/BigSis) to the Mr. Kringle's Inventionasium. We went on the last night that it was open. I'm not sure I conveyed how fun it looked inside, and the floor certainly wasn't as sloopy as it appears in the picture (though it did have a weird feeling under your feet).

The characters were a lot of fun, and there were a lot of colorfully decorated Christmas trees to look at.

It was too young for her, but she will definitely try anything (except for a haunted house, which I leared the hard way in October). And, we got to shop a little in their gift shop, which she's always game for.

This set-up is at Tower City, which is the building you see at the opening of A Christmas Story, and you see when Ralphie is staring into the window at all of the toys. It's nice that there's still something Christmasy in there, though I'm not sure what will happen to this attraction when the casino opens next year.

When I took my father to see Tower City a few years ago, he said that the people who had the old Higbee's window should permanently set up the window display from the movie. I totally agree. It would be awful fun to see that all year long.

Repetitive Circle Pattern

2011-12-26T11:03:00.003-05:00

I usually use the LubeStop on Mayfield in Mayfield Heights for my oil changes. I like them because they always act like I'm an old friend that has stopped by to visit them, and they always make such a fuss. They also don't try to get me to do a lot of extra stuff on my car in order to just make a sale.

This time I went to the Firestone (Lee Road in Shaker Heights) that helped me out the day before Thanksgiving, after my usual Firestone (I've used for 6 years) in the Cedar/Fairmount area refused and then got sarcastic with me. I really recommend the Shaker Heights location. They're quick. They give very accurate estimates of how long things will take, and they don't try to push work on you that your car doesn't need.

My little wait at the Firestone gave me time to draw about a third of their wall of tires. It was great circle practice to say the least.

Marie's Restaurant

2011-12-05T10:15:00.003-05:00

At home today, still feeling a bit flu-like after sleeping almost the entire day away yesterday. Thought I would post this from last week, was a fun sketch because this building has such varied and interesting textures.

I have some more to post, but seriously, I just want to go and lay down some more.

Seoul Hot Pot

2011-11-13T12:15:00.003-05:00

Not too many days left where outdoor sketching can be done in Cleveland. As you see in the journaling above, we've already had out first snow. It obviously wasn't a bad snowfall, but there were a few lawns that had a good blanket of snow.

So, for anyone who hasn't been to AsiaTown in Cleveland, you should go. There are so many great restaurants. Seoul Hot Pot has a good reputation, and I do plan to go. I love Koko's Bakery across the street and Li Wah further west on Payne.

Vanderbilt, PA Church

2011-11-02T22:21:00.003-04:00

Another sketch from my recent visit back to Pennsylvania. This is a church in a little town called Vanderbilt. It's a small town built along what is quite possibly the most crooked road ever.

Old Connellsville Bank

2011-10-20T07:58:00.003-04:00

Yes, it would seem that everything in Connellsville is built on a steep hill. It really is a nice change of pace from drawing buildings in Cleveland--where mostly everything is built on flat land.

East Crawford Ave

2011-10-19T11:11:00.004-04:00

I think that the lower door of this building (the one set partly below street level) used to be a barber shop. It seems that it's now a set of apartments. I wish more building owners in the downtown are of Connellsville would put more color on the structures, like this one.

Ft. Ligonier Days Parade

2011-10-18T19:19:00.002-04:00

The worldwide sketchcrawl was October 15th, and this is my sketch from that day. It's the costumed mascot for the Shriners.

I'm not a parade person. But, my mother loves parades. So, we watched a lot of the parade.

El Jalapenos

2011-10-03T21:26:00.002-04:00

I took some liberty with the sky in this. We haven't seen a blue sky in a very long time!

Momocho Mod Mexican

2011-09-28T16:51:00.004-04:00

I love the interior of this restaurant as well. It has a whole Day of the Dead and Mexican wrestler theme going on. Great modern Mexican food.

Holden Arboretum (Or How I Learned to Read Dates Correctly)

2011-09-18T14:00:00.005-04:00

I made it back up to Holden Arboretum to see the gnomes before they disappear in about a week. If you recall, I went up with a friend earlier in the year, and I had misread the dates. So, we were there a week before they were put on display. Some of them were a little rough around the edges, but most had stood up to the weather fairly well. I saw all of them, but this little guy was one of my favorites. It's by Cleveland artist, Billy Nainiger (I hope that I'm spelling that correctly). He has a studio at the Tower Press building, and he's always very gracious and welcoming during the holiday open studios.

Holden wasn't very busy the day that I went (being that it was a weekday and kind of overcast), so I got to walk around a lot of it undisturbed. There was still a lot of flowers to see, though they do have some flowers in bloom at any point in spring, summer, and fall. I saw a lot of chipmunks and some black squirrels.

Apex Academy

2011-09-09T14:45:00.002-04:00

This is the view directly under my living room window. I realized a couple of days later why I thought it had reminded me of a board game. It actually reminds me of those computer sim games where you build a city or so such thing.

This is Apex Academy in East Cleveland. It is attached to the former Christ The King church, which was pretty handy having right across the street. But, that closed a while back now. For the most part, it's fine having a school across the street, except for pick-up and drop-off times and the headaches that the parents cause on my street and Noble Road when they whip in and out of there like nuts. Or, when the little kids who live up the hill in Cleveland Heights throw rocks at passing cars on Noble Road.

It does amaze me of how little use that basketball court gets. You'd think that there'd be kids all day using it in the summer when school is closed, but I don't think I ever saw it being used. Maybe the school is mean about that?

Idea Center

2011-09-05T13:05:00.004-04:00

When I went to sit and draw the Idea Center, I found a concrete bench/piece of art to sit on. It was the words "Change" and "Things." Depending on where you looked at it, it was either "Change Things" or "Things Change." As I was sitting there, a man came up to me to ask me for a sandwich for him and his wife. When I draw downtown, I sometimes bring food with me just for this kind of thing. I had forgotten yesterday morning, and because I had my sketchbag with me, the only money I had were a few quarters meant for parking meters. I went to give him those, and a guy in a car at the stoplight on Huron yelled for the man to leave me alone. I said, "No, it's okay." I gave the man those quarters, and then I think the man in the car had a change of mind. He hollered over that he didn't mean anything by that, he just wanted to make sure that I knew that I didn't have to give the man anything. Maybe I changed something with him? They do say that acts of kindness are contagious.