travel

Roadscape

Another marker sketch from the passenger seat this summer. This is Utah. Greg Betza ©2019

Buena Vista Bar

I visited the town of Buena Vista Colorado and had dinner in a bar restaurant. Here are a few people enjoying a few drinks. They weren’t as sad as they look in my drawings, I swear. Greg Betza ©2019

Carlsbad Caverns NM

Hall of Giants, carlsbad caverns

I have been to a cave or two in my day, but nothing prepared me for what I saw at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. WOW. The natural beauty, the fantasy, the awe. I really don’t have the words to describe it. Here is a drawing from the Hall of Giants, a series […]

Changing landscape

Utah landscape drawings

Driving (as the passenger) through Utah this summer I quickly drew the rapidly changing landscape. Every few minutes the land would completely change. It was beautiful. I drew so fast, looking back at them I see just how different they were. Greg Betza ©2019

Desert Ocean

Arizona desert illustration

It’s so bizarre but the desert feels like the floor of the ocean to me . Gigantic succulents are visually similar to kelp and seaweed for me. But it’s no where near as wet. In fact if dry could be dried… ARIZONA ~Despina

Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument

I’ve been traveling and travel journaling as well. Here is a spread that I made at the Colorado National Monument. It’s an extraordinary place where “Towering monoliths exist within a vast plateau and canyon panorama.” It’s not always on the radar when heading on a trip of National Parks, but I assure you it’s not […]

More Junipers

juniper trees

More Juniper trees from Colorado. Pen & Ink. ~Despina

Painted with markers

Here is my attempt to paint the subtle variations in an almost all green landscape using just brush markers. It was fun, somewhat challenging, but overall just a nice way to spend the early evening. Greg Betza ©2019

Juniper

Another from my time in Grand Junction, Colorado. Pen & Ink. ~Despina

Pike’s Peak, almost

Rocky Mountains illustration

So I’ve been spending some time out west and while in Colorado I attempted to “paint”, with crayons, Pike’s Peak. It was really a great day spent with my son drawing until the sun began melting our crayons right on the top of the rocks we were drawing from. That was fine, it happens. But what […]

Juniper Tree

Juniper Tree ink drawing

Pen & ink, Grand Junction, Colorado. ~Despina

Max Groove

Max Groove

I spent a week in Kansas City, MO in July and made my way down to one of its famous jazz clubs, the Green Lady Lounge. On that night, performer Max Groove (not his real name ;)) performed his organ duo with a drummer (can’t remember his name :(). Great guys and great music. Greg […]

More hummingbirds

hummingbird art

A few more studies of hummingbirds, this time in pencil. ~Despina

Buena Vista

Louie's Ice Cream-Buena Vista Colorado

I’ve been traveling and keeping a small journal for the last month or so. Here is a drawing of a little town in Colorado called Buena Vista. It’s small but every shop either has very nice gifts and homemade items or really, really good food. There’s also rental shops for kayaks and surfboards, bikes, etc. […]

Hummingbirds

hummingbird studies

They are hard to draw because they are so fast but I have the joy and privilege of having a free day to laze around on the porch in Colorado Springs and watch so many of these beautiful creatures come to get a drink of sugar water. All day. They make a strange high pitched […]

Balanced Rock

balanced rock, colorado

I made this quick drawing at Balanced Rock in Colorado Springs, CO. Balanced Rock is well, a giant red sandstone formation that appears to be precariously balanced. People love to do “the pose” where they’re holding it up. It is beautiful though, wow. Greg Betza ©2019

One More Chihuly in Columbus

What a beautiful show… ~Despina

Kansas

Kansas plains and cattle

I’ve been traveling cross country this summer and yesterday I traversed the plains of Kansas. Aside from a few cows dotting the landscape, not much to see. But there is something beautiful in the golden plains and the multiple greens of the crops. I tried to capture that here, and a few cows. Greg Betza […]

Amsterdam Pride

Just returned from a trip to Amsterdam, where I was an instructor at the 10th annual Urban Sketchers symposium. Amsterdam is an amazing city; one of my personal favorites. The bicycle culture seems to have given every one of Amsterdam’s citizens a permanent mega-dose of endorphins, and they are among the nicest urbanites I’ve encountered. As […]

Chihuly in Columbus

chihuly in Columbus

Another from the show at the botanical gardens in Columbus Ohio. Chihuly in the butterfly conservatory. Despina Georgiadis ©2019