A date is a measure of time. It’s a way to gauge where we are, where we’ve been and dream of where we’re going. Today is the ninth day of the ninth month in two thousand and nine and I’d bet a dollar (or two) that there are places in the world right now as you read this that are taking that detail very seriously. According to my symbol book – the number Nine is an ‘incorruptible’ number, (composed of the all-powerful 3  x 3 ). It symbolizes completion; fulfilment; attainment; beginning and end; the whole; earthly heaven.

So how does this geometrical detail in divine proportions relate to art and what does it mean? Maybe in a sense, it defines it – where we are, where we’ve been and where we dream of going. There’s a quote by my teacher’s teacher, Rico LeBrun that has for years left an indelible impression on my art and one I think says it best. He said, “Someday when I understand more things than I do now, the fundamentals of my drawing will be so tightly woven into those of existence that I will easily and naturally find the design which is the answer to many questions. Meanwhile, I draw continuously.”  - Amen. Could it be said any better? … May creativity rule on this very special day of nines!

Drawing of a mother elephant feeding her young while the matriarch quietly watched over them a short distance away

The fireboat John J. Harvey erupted in showers of water as it escorted the Quadricentennial flotilla into Newburgh Bay in June, pulling along the docks in Newburgh. The crowd returned with cheers of excitement and applause. I had no idea what I was looking at, but I figured she was another in the long line of historical boats from New York. Turns out the John J. Harvey is listed on The National Register of Historic Places (pdf) and has served the City of New York for over 70 years, even after being decommissioned in 1995 and slated for the scrap heap. Jessica DuLong, tells of her life as one of the world’s only female fireboat engineers in her new book, My River Chronicles.

Nothing like a summer day, sitting in the middle of old main street.

Eddie Peña

Lynn…what a great lady to draw. Talk about stylish! – Veronica

These are the Dirty Urchins!  They were playing in Central Park on a beautiful afternoon last week at the Bethesda Fountain.  The sax player is the spokesman and the comedian of the group.  Very funny material!  As I’m writing this I’m listening to their CD.  A couple of the songs I like are, “Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down,” and “I Ain’t Cheap.”  They have a website, www.thedirtyurchins.com.  They were a lot of fun to draw and I could feel the late afternoon quickly slipping into evening; the summer is coming to a close and the daylight hours are just a little bit shorter.   (I’m crying, just in case you don’t know that)  Summer always goes too fast! Thanks for a lovely and fun afternoon, Dirty Urchins!  Hope to see you again before the summer ends.

So, obviously, fellow One-Drawing-a-Dayer Greg and I went on the same trip.

He posted a drawing from Santorini yesterday, and I’ll be island hopping to Crete today. Here is a drawing I made of the church in my mother’s home town of Kalives. These type of churches are such a lovely mix of cultures. Crete has been heavily influenced by the Venetians and the Turks. It’s really a beautiful place.

What I love most about this drawing as a memory, is the almost-to-good-to-be-true placement of grape vines and olive trees right there next to the church. A perfect trifecta of images!

Agia Paraskevi, Kalives, Crete GREECE

-Despina

Here is another drawing from my trip to Greece. We visited the island (or archipelago) of Santorini (Thira) which was unlike any place I had ever seen. Upon pulling into the port you can’t believe what you are looking at. The small whitewashed homes that line the tops of the island look like pieces of candy stacked delicately together. This group of islands which was formed by a devastating volcanic eruption offers some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. Here is a view of the cliffs and the village Oia from the village Firostefani.

drawing by Greg Betza

In my world, yesterday was no ordinary Monday. It was August 31st. In the past this day was filled with Birthday cake, memories of laughter, and of course plenty of gifts. Back then, with every effort to make this day “extra special” for him it became extra special for me. Yet now it’s different, and I find myself every 31st of August sadly filled with silence and a drive to Greenwood, (the place he once said was the most beautiful cemetery he’d ever seen). Yesterday’s visit though was a little different. It took years after his death for me to draw again, (really draw again). So in honor of his Birthday (and to give him one more gift) I decided to do just that, draw him a picture.

Happy Birthday Carl! – with each day, xo Michele