This quick little graphite drawing was made in December 2019, while riding on the 7 train in NYC. It’s a drawing of my husband Neil and my step-daughters Ashley and Danielle, visiting us from Florida, sitting together on the subway bench across from me. Neil is showing Danielle, who is majoring in Civil Engineering, something […]
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I realized recently that I had put a long and ongoing project down earlier this year. Always good to crack open the old books and pick up where you left off. Sometimes it’s time to dive in again and see what is different on the pages from the last time you checked. Funny how time […]
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Here’s one from the archives – a drawing I made of Hudson Yards from the top of a building in Chelsea in 2013. BEFORE there was anything built at Hudson Yards; it was just a place for the subway cars to rest. You can see the Intrepid in the distance, too. posted by Veronica
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Here are a few more subway portraits – NYC is such a great place to practice drawing people. I was considering design and proportion a lot with these. The guy on the right with the curly hair was on to me – he kept looking up at me just as I was looking at him! […]
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OK, I missed Tuesday, no matter the date. But I was still drawing. And i actually love the show through from the next one.—Dominick
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Something I always tell my students is, “you never know.” As in, you never know what making art and putting it out there in the world will create in your life. About two years ago, I received an email from a man named Josh. He had written a poem about the humanity on the NYC subway and […]
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I was heading into New York a few weeks ago and sat next to a group of guys that had obviously just ended a long night and were having quite a discussion, and a laugh. I couldn’t resist drawing this guy’s mustache. Greg Betza ©2017
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Janus, the Roman god of doors and gateways, is an appropriate figure to invoke on New Year’s Eve. (The month January gets it’s name from him.) Janus is traditionally shown with two faces: one looking back into the past, and the other looking forward into the future. These two New York City dudes on the […]
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I had no intention of posting this drawing today, but somehow I felt it was the only one I could talk about sincerely. The drawing is of little consequence, nothing grand or worthy to call attention to in and of itself. It was the moment that gave it meaning for me. A moment that passed […]
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If I were to actually pay homage to the nature of the weather this weekend, at least in my part of the world, I would be discussing the strong winds and sudden shifts of temperatures as we went from hot to cold and back and back again. The problem with being such an interconnected world […]
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I am always happier when those I am drawing don’t know that I am drawing them. Today however I thought for one moment, that this man was an older version of someone I had worked with long ago but couldn’t remember their name. Once we made eye contact, thankfully I was done with the drawing, […]
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Saw this guy on the train last week and drew him quickly before we he realized. I caught the attention of the man next to me who smiled and looked away when I looked up.—Dominick
View post →Going home from Brooklyn on the L train Sally and Laura were sitting across from me and I couldn’t resist drawing them! Very quick and very worth it! Thank you Sally and Laura!!! m. hurst
View post →One of my favorite places in all of NYC will forever be the 4, 5 and 6 stop at Union Square. For years I would listen to listen to my friend play the steelpan drum. He even offered to teach me one day. I haven’t seen him in years, but I got on the train […]
View post →Not as much of an event as the May Day Protests, but Union Square is always one of the best spots in New York for people watching and of course spending some time drawing. I found myself with a few hours to kill, an unusual event as of late, and nearby one of my favorite […]
View post →A drawing for a Monday morning, man on a train. Greg Betza ©2015
View post →Sometimes, even in this city of 16 million, one person will stand out, or sit, and there is no one else. I often wonder if they feel as solitary as they seem for those few moments. As I finish I look up and realize that a few gazing eyes have been spying as I work, […]
View post →With obligations at home I haven’t found myself on the subway much since the New Year. This past Tuesday (some of you might recall) it was ridiculously frigid in the city and everyone was bundled up to the gild. I sat across this woman who must’ve had 40 layers on. It was a quirky sight…all […]
View post →Waiting for the train, a perfect time to get in a little reading! ©2014 Greg Betza
View post →Yes, it is Saturday and I am posting for last Thursday (internet magic), yes she looks like she is smelling his underarm (she wasn’t, she was completely entranced by him), and yes time always seems to play games with us (it isn’t personal, at least I don’t believe it to be), but all there needs […]
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