Relaxing Friday Evening

Just having a Crumbs cupcake and a cappuccino for dinner in the American Wing Cafe.

First Met Drawing

So I've been meaning to do this for a LONG time. And since we all know I've suffered from some serious writer's block this summer, I decided to actually sit down and draw at the Met.

I made my way over to Petrie Court, where they have moveable chairs perfect for those, like me, without their own drawing stool. (The Court also has some of the Met's most beautiful European Sculptures — my favorite is Ugolino and His Sons by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux)...

I recognized my favorite Met resident artist, whose name I'm told is Dwight — though I've been inexplicably too shy to ever introduce myself. He seems to have picked up a couple of apprentices, one to whom he was giving a lesson today.

Anyway, instead of tackling Ugolino without having picked up a pencil in months, I found a smaller more manageable bust by the name of Marysas by Balthazar Permoser. I drew for about 30 minutes, and produced the sketch shown above. It was a relaxing and enjoyable way to spend a visit to the Met - I'll be mixing more drawing in from now on.

Claes Oldenburg

Chuck Close

If you've read my previous posts (here and here), you know how I feel about Chuck Close. So to see a self-portrait in this exhibition by the man who has dominated the genre throughout his career was unsurprisingly satisfying.

Charles Ray

I'll admit, I've been really bad about keeping up my posts this summer — I seem to favor sunshine and outdoors when I'm not at work, and though I've been visiting the Met, I've slacked on writing about it. Well, I apologize and promise to do a better job. To make my blogging life easier for the remainder of the summer, I've come up with a few ideas, one of which I will employ now.

The Met recently installed a second series of self-portraits for the The Lens and the Mirror exhibition and I've documented each one. It starts today with this photograph by American sculptor, Charles Ray.

Beach Day!

The weather was so beautiful today, there was no better place to spend it than at the beach. Of course, I then had to visit this 19th-century painting that always reminds me of summer.

Happy Birthday, Andy Warhol!