This is a pen and ink drawing of tourists I did on location at the Animal Kingdom in Florida last month. I was fascinated by textures and marks that day, and admit I was relieved when only one of the subjects wanted to see the drawing…

The fragrant deliciousness of California organic fruits pretty much defies description, and the ripe apricots I bought at the Culver City farmer’s market were best in show. This a chalk sketch I did of a middle-aged local assessing some of the goodies at that stand.

-Kati Nawrocki

Don’t ask me what made me bring pastels on vacation to Germany with me (one guess how Germans reacted to the artist dragging the billowing chalk dust cloud wherever she went). This is a sketch i made in almost complete darkness in another one of Ludwig II’s lairs, this time of the golden boat floating in the pond of his artificial underground “opera grotto”. Apparently he liked to float in the boat while Wagner operas were being performed on the little stage surrounded by papermaché stalachtites. It was also one of the first indoor uses of electricity in the 1870ies or so. Needless to mention this part of Alpine castle Linderhof did not quite match the rest of the 19th Century Bavarian Baroque décor.

-Kati Nawrocki

Those who know me and my work will recognize the theme of the garden as a metaphor for paradise (home). I remember eating strawberries, gooseberries, currants, plums, peaches, apples and hazelnuts directly from the bush as a kid playing at our garden at #28. This page is part of an ongoing project on the history of feminism (notice the woman busy working the earth). It also makes me want to start a victory garden and eat freshly-harvested collard greens.

-Kati Nawrocki

Remember when they gave you a wing pin of the airline when you flew? Flight attendants were “stewardesses” and “stewards”, and of course you had to make sure to book your seat as far away from the smoking section as you could, as nothing smells quite as bitter and disgusting as recycled air tinged with kerosene and stale smoke (even if you are a smoker), and everyone ordered Bloody Marys and Rum and Cokes with their dinner. The first time I asked for a wing pin and was handed a plastic sticker i vaguely sensed more disposable times were afoot…

by Kati Nawrocki

There is something alluringly inpenetrable about seafaring towns. Perhaps it is that air of  magic that comes with being so intimately entwined with the rhythms of nature, with death, the weather, and God, a breathing in and out of time, where days become years, and generations contract into a single moment. I delight in following the clues that beckon the seeker, the chains, crosses, and anchors that tell their symbolic tales, imagining their implications  interwoven into a net of humanity.

I made this drawing on a miserably cold day, unable to resist the sheer grandiosity of the image, and if you pay attention, you can follow my reasoning through the lines of the art and the notes.

A drawing of the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York City’s Zucotti Park before their contested eviction by the NYPD earlier this morning.
By Kati Nawrocki

I met this lovely lady on Main Street last January, and she was kind enough to let me draw her portrait while she lectured me on the evils of alcohol (not really, but that is a better story than what actually happened).

Few things evoke associations of affluence in me like a plate overflowing with goodies like muffins, fruits, and cream. I always associate them with a lovely weekend brunch, aka complete happiness.

While waiting for the band “Architecture in Helsinki” to come onstage at Webster Hall I had the opportunity to draw the fans from an unusual vantage point: Perched slightly above them, atop the speakers. This crowd was quite mellow and friendly. The full review of the show (and more drawings) are on my music blog.

This young man’s oddly-shaped bag gave him away as a musician, and he was a joy to draw listening to his ipod, which undoubtedly bestowed some sublime pleasures onto his carefully tuned ears…

These two lovely New York ladies maintained their stoically upright posture for over 100 blocks. It’s amazing what years of unwanted attention can do…

The entire time these two were seated across from me I was worried they would realize I was drawing them and  would want to see the sketch (mostly because it looked EXACTLY like them, and I was not sure how enthusiastic they would be about that). Thankfully their interest remained focussed on each other.

This is a drawing of the extremely enthusiastic  audience at the  Reggie Watts show at Summerstage in Central Park. This fan made sure to wave TWO lighters for “lighter song”, a hilarious ballad about how lit up cellphones are a poor substitute for lighters at concerts.

If you’ve never experienced the surreal, anarchic comedy of Reggie Watts, let me recommend that you fill in that gap. When I went to see him in Central Park this summer I had no idea what to expect, and I was blown away by his hysterically funny performance, which also included some great music. Below is a drawing I did at that show.

Oh to be seventeen and prematurely confident again… These young ladies are waiting for a door to open and offer them the opportunity to be seen by their idol du jour. And truth be told, they didn’t mind being sketched in this crucial prelude to their close-up, either. I do hope he blew at least one of them a kiss!

Brit-pop band The Kooks played a super-sold-out show at the Bowery Ballroom, and I had the good fortune of being there and making tons and tons of drawings that evening. This one is of curly-haired  frontman Luke Pritchard and guitarist Hugh Harris. There was a lot of hair to draw that night. The full review of the show (and more drawings) are on my music blog, musikati.

The hilarious Eugene Merman (the creepy super from “Flight of the Conchords”) reading us the open letter he wrote to Time Warner Cable after some frustrating (and unfortunately rather typical) scheduling issues. He was warming up the crowd at Brooklyn’s Bell House for his friend Amanda Palmer, who later that night blew our collective minds. You can read a review of that show here.