About a month ago, I went to my local neighborhood Starbucks to meet some friends for coffee and a chat. As was I waiting, I noticed a young female student sitting near the window farthest from me. Now, I must say that as an artist, I frequently encounter cute girls; they’re everywhere — there’s so many that I practically trip over them. However, I must say, it’s rare to encounter a girl who is actually beautiful. Well, that night, I did, and boy was she a stunner. My ideal of beauty was ingrained in me when I was sixteen and I discovered the work of the English Pre-Raphaelites. Jane Morris and Maria Zambaco, models for the group, became my ideal of beauty and Sir Edward Burne-Jones became my artist-hero.
I remember riding the bus to the Academy of Art in San Francisco one morning back in 1987. It was early in the morning, and I was still attempting to wake up from a gonzo session of all night drawing when all of a sudden a Pre-Raphaelite stunner boarded the bus. I was transfixed. She was absolutely stunning — a fair skinned vision of beauty with golden hair and apple eyes beneath heavy eyelids that gave her a truly dreamy feel. The girl I saw at Starbucks that night came close to rivaling that never forgotten vision of beauty. It was impossible not to stare — I knew that I had to draw her. Luckily, after years of drawing people in cafes, I’ve mastered the art of not looking suspicious. By the time I started sketching her, my friends had shown up so I really had to make an effort to not look too obvious. Slowly but surely, I captured her exquisite features. Olive skinned, Dark eyes, and raven haired — oh my God, she was perfect. Oh, and let’s not talk about her form fitting stripped dress. Just as I was finishing one my friends said, “Who are you drawing? Is it that girl over there?” Another friend and fellow artist answered for me, “Yes, it is, and looks exactly like her.” That was the best compliment I could ask for.
I just realized that this is the first new sketchbook page that I’ve posted in a while. As you may have noticed, my last two posts were photo journal reports on my continuing artistic adventures. In order to keep this blog centered on my work, all future photo journal reports will be linked to my Storehouse account. Things are getting interesting, changes are coming and life is good.
