I drew this in the Ryoan-ji Zen garden in Kyoto, Japan. What a beautiful, peaceful place. I was struck by the way the Japanese people sat in front of this garden and simply watched. The sensitivity of that is something I will never get over. With great sensitivity comes great strength, and I thought I would post this drawing to continue the thread Margaret began yesterday -

“Strength to overcome.”

Posted by Veronica Lawlor

IN RESPONSE TO THE RECENT TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN AND THE TSUNAMIS IN THE PACIFIC, THE ILLUSTRATORS OF STUDIO 1482 HAVE EACH CREATED A PIECE OF ART TO RAISE MONEY ON BEHALF OF THE VICTIMS. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Pure white cranes are sacred birds in the Japanese culture. They are intermediaries between heaven and earth, symbolizing happiness. I thought of a great white crane as a prayer from the Japanese people to the world, and a symbol of a brighter future in the midst of despair and uncertainty. I drew it as a message of hope.

Posted by Veronica Lawlor

In response to the recent terrible earthquake in Japan and the tsunamis in the Pacific, the illustrators of Studio 1482 have each created a piece of art to raise money on behalf of the victims. Please click here for more information.

In response to the recent terrible earthquake in Japan and the tsunamis in the Pacific, the illustrators of Studio 1482 have each created a piece of art to raise  money on behalf of the victims.

Your gift to the American Red Cross will support our disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific. On those rare occasions when donations exceed American Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. (From their website.)

To participate: please click here for a link to the American Red Cross website. When you receive your donation receipt via email, forward that email along with your choice of illustration print to info@studio1482.com. (Please note: only the last four digits of your credit card number will be visible on the receipt.)

Once we receive the confirmation email, your print or original art of choice* will be sent to you. Please allow up to two weeks for delivery.

Thank you for joining in our effort to help.

Sincerely,

The illustrators of Studio 1482

PLEASE INDICATE YOUR CHOICE OF ILLUSTRATION BELOW BY TITLE AND/OR ILLUSTRATOR:

Art by Eddie Pena

“Strength” by Margaret Hurst

“From the Heart” by Michele Bedigian

Art by Dominick Santise

“Cherry Blossoms” by Greg Betza

“Hope” by Veronica Lawlor

“Perseverance”  by Kati Nawrocki

“The Waking Nai No Kami” by Despina Georgiadis

Been going through my flat files lately, and came across a series of drawings I did when Harry Connick, Jr. performed outside of Bloomingdale’s for the Christmas crowd. This was fun to draw, and one of many reasons why I like living in New York City. – posted by Veronica.

Above is a wood engraving I made of the South Street Seaport, years ago. I love the Seaport – it’s such a unique spot in New York City, and so directly tied to the city’s history. On a sunny day, there’s nothing better than going down to the Seaport to make some drawings of the ships. The Peking, the Ambrose, all of them. I have a friend whose son lived on the lighthouse ship one summer – wow!

There have been rumors that the South Street Seaport is in trouble, but also rumors of a rejuvenation. Click HERE to read a recent article in the New York Observer.

Posted by Veronica.

A Roman fantasy, I drew this in the Piazza Navona, just before enjoying some nice gelatto. I miss Rome. Posted by Veronica.

A little drawing I was inspired to do one day at the Shakespeare Garden in Central Park, New York City. It’s a lovely garden, if you haven’t been, right behind the theater where they perform the Shakespeare in the Park during the summer months.

Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind. – William Shakespeare

Posted by Veronica

Arlecchino, called Harlequin in English, is one of the characters of the Commedia dell’arte, and a popular disguise for Carnival celebrations. This week marks the 2011 Carnival in Venice. I drew this particular Arlecchino in Italian pavilion of EPCOT, during the summer of 2003. Posted by Veronica

I just returned from a trip to New Orleans, one of my favorite cities. While there I decided to visit the lower ninth ward and record what was going on there, six years after the massive flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina. It was shocking to see…many of the homes that were once there are just gone. In an average city block, there are a few homes left standing in disrepair, like the one I drew above, a few homes that have been either built from scratch or repaired from the hurricane damage, and many, many empty lots. You’ll see cement stoops leading to nothing, and the whole place is overgrown with weeds. As I drew this drawing, the sound of the birds singing was overwhelming. It seems like nature is taking over the ninth ward again. There are some foundations trying to help people re-build, and I went to see those as well, but there is still so much to do. I’ll be posting more of these drawings on my personal blog this week, if anyone is interested to see and read more of the story. Posted by Veronica.

Here is a drawing of NYC reporter Jon Gerberg interviewing some Egyptian-American fathers and sons after the rally in New York City on Friday. The man at left was very emotional in what he was saying. When he finished speaking, the other men applauded him. There are a few more drawings from the day posted on my blog, you can view them HERE. posted by Veronica

A while back, Studio 1482 member Michele Bedigian took Margaret Hurst and I to see a famous Japanese actor. He performed a lot of traditional folk stories from Japan. Very expressive! The man was really great to draw. – Posted by Veronica.

Teaching with Margaret at our Dalvero DisneyWorld workshop often leaves little time for doing our own artwork! However, I couldn’t resist sneaking in a color study of the Japanese pavilion in Epcot. What a beautiful pavilion it is – - Posted by Veronica.

This is a drawing I made in Tokyo at  Asakusa, of people purifying themselves with incense before entering the temple. It seems like a good meditation to me, as we enter into our second week of 2011. Posted by Veronica.

My wish for 2011…Happy New Year. Posted by Veronica.

Just thought I’d post something festive for the holidays. This was done at the kids parade at Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Orlando. You can’t get more festive than that! Looking forward to celebrating and seeing the New Year in with friends and family this week. Happy New Year, and a happy 2011! Posted by Veronica.

Wishing you all peace and joy during this holiday season. Merry Christmas! Posted by Veronica

Here is another pastel drawing I made while visiting Sedona with fellow 1482-er Margaret Hurst a few years ago. What a gorgeous place – the landscape is so beautiful you almost can’t believe it’s real! There are supposedly areas in Sedona called ‘vortexes’ where you can feel some kind of gravitational pull of the Earth. All over the mountains, you can see people standing around, waiting to feel the pull of the vortex. I don’t know about that, I never felt it, but the pull of the gorgeous landscape is trying to draw me back to Arizona. So I can do more drawing. ; ) Posted by Veronica.

The One Drawing A Day holiday card shop is open! Original designs by the artists of Studio 1482, available as single cards or in packs of 10. Check it out in our holiday shop HERE!

Enjoy the start of the holiday season everyone! – posted by Veronica.

As Margaret wrote in her post yesterday, she and I were interviewed on NBC news while drawing the inflation of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade balloons in NYC. (You can read more about it on my blog.) This is a drawing from a Thanksgiving trip she and I took to Sedona several years back. Thanksgiving is a wonderful reminder to be thankful for all the good in our lives, and my friends are certainly up there on the list!

Posted by Veronica.

PS – I also thought a drawing of a beautifully serene landscape might be a good antidote to all the Black Friday shopping chaos! Hope all you shoppers got some good deals yesterday – I stayed home and enjoyed leftovers!

Belvedere Castle, in Central Park, NY. – posted by Veronica