Waiting

The original black and white photograph was shot in 1970 by my partner, John Semper Jr. I hand-colored it in the 1990s. Each brick was individually hand-colored with Marshall's pencils. Further computer enhancement was added only recently, making the image more vibrant and compelling.

Price available by request.
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The Corner

The original black and white photograph was shot in 1970 by my partner, John Semper Jr. I hand-colored it in the 1990s. Each brick was individually hand-colored using Marshall's pencils. Further computer enhancement was added only recently, making the image more vibrant and compelling.

Price available by request.
Order prints and cards at Red Bubble.

Glow

The original black and white photograph was shot in 1970 by my partner, John Semper Jr. I hand-colored it in the 1990s. Further computer enhancement was added only recently, making the image more vibrant and compelling.

The sky was a flat, light gray in the original photo; I added a dynamic treatment to complement the minimalist image.

Price available by request.
Order prints and cards at Red Bubble.

Ghost

The original black and white photograph was shot in 1970 by my partner, John Semper Jr. I hand-colored it in the 1990s. Further computer enhancement was added only recently, making the image more vibrant and compelling.

There's something fascinating to me about derelict buildings. What life did this old place have in the past?

This photo and "The Landmark" are two of my favorites. The originals are framed together and hang in our home.

Price available by request.
Order prints and cards at Red Bubble.

The Landmark

The original black and white photograph was shot in 1970 by my partner, John Semper Jr. I hand-colored it in the 1990s. Further computer enhancement was added, making the image more vibrant and compelling.

I like the reflections in the window. I always think that the customer is probably a landmark, too.

This photo is one of my favorites. The original is framed together with "Ghost" and hangs in our home.

Price available by request.
Order prints and cards at Red Bubble.

Angles

The original black and white photograph was shot in 1970 by my partner, John Semper Jr. I hand-colored it in the 1990s. Further computer enhancement added later made the image more vibrant.

The sky on the original photograph was a flat, light gray; I created something more interesting to match the drama of the image.

Price available by request.
Order prints and cards at Red Bubble.

Question: But Can She Draw?

Answer: Yes, a bit.

It was 1991 when I decided to devote my time to making art and I thought I should see if I could still sketch. Granted, I'd made only a few portrait drawings in my lifetime and was never formally trained, but I always felt I had a knack for art because I knew I had inherited the talent from my artistic father. He had also taught me the basics, from proportion to perspective, when I was just a kid. So I grabbed an album cover with jazz composer and singer Michael Franks on it and made my first five-minute sketch. I figured that imposing a time limit on myself would prevent over-thinking it. I was pleased that I was able to get at least a very rough likeness that quickly.

Also in 1991, I saw a photograph of a Noh actor looking at his mask prior to a performance. The intensity of his concentration as he got into character was fascinating, so I decided to make a drawing. This time it was my artistic partner, John, who explained the concept of volume to me.

I love this little girl's freckles! This quick sketch was also made in 1991 and was my first attempt using colored pencils. I discovered that adding the element of color to a drawing would require a new way of thinking.

In 1992, I made this sketch of our young friend, Sophie, who lives in New Mexico. I find it hard to believe that so much time has passed. She will be thirty in just a couple of weeks.

Soon I turned my attention to making other types of art and sketched rarely after those first few years. But I was a fan of "American Idol" and thought it would be fun to draw the irascible Simon Cowell. Coincidentally, I also had the pleasure at that time of meeting all of the "American Idol" judges and the final "Top Ten" contestants at a Television Academy event -- this was way back in season two (2003). It will undoubtedly come as a surprise to many people that Simon Cowell is a very charming gentleman in real life, quite unlike the guy on screen during the show. This drawing depicts him suffering through yet another horrible audition. I enjoyed trying to capture him in colored pencil using an experimental swirly mix of color. Looking at it now, I'm quite tempted to refine the technique.

I've made only a few portrait sketches since then and will try to track them down to post. It's probably time to draw more, too; I seem to make a few new ones every decade! I wonder sometimes what might have happened had I studied art seriously and worked on realistic drawing and painting. It's never too late to learn, so maybe I'll find out. . . .