Black Sharpie On Paper

Peyote memories

ballpoint pen and alcohol

Calbayog City 2024

I think the only mind altering substance that I truly miss from my misspent youth is peyote.

Way back then, back before life's crushing journey had forced responsibility upon me, I found that next to the emotion of love, the mental state produced by consuming the peyote cactus was perhaps the most wonderful thing this side of paradise.

We, my friends and I, used to blend the peyote buttons in V8 juice.

We called it V9 juice.

"Watch out for that 9th vegetable," we would say.

And crack up.

Totally unrelated but here are a couple drawings I did this morning..

I don't know why but they got me thinking about psychedelics.

Peyote memories

ballpoint pen and alcohol

Calbayog City 2024

And yes, they do look similar. That's because I drew one of the drawings on the backside of the other drawing.

Why not? 🤣

Peyote buttons

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Carrickfergus

Pen and watercolor on paper

Los Angeles 2016

Carrickfergus

I wish I was in Carrickfergus, Only for nights in Ballygrand, I would swim over the deepest ocean, The deepest ocean to be by your side.

But the water's wide and I can not swim over And neither have I wings to fly. I wish I could meet a handsome boatman To ferry me over to my love and die.

Irish folk song

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Egon Schiele

ball point pen drawing in my moleskine

Tierra Mia Coffee, Echo Park, 2016

I love Egon Schiele. I made this drawing after one of his self portraits while sitting in a little cafe called Tierra Mia Coffee in Echo Park, Los Angeles.

Btw, Tierra Mia Coffee serves a Mexican Style Hot Chocolate that is perhaps the best hot chocolate on Earth. It's so delicious. Rich and creamy with little bits of chocolate. Seriously.

It's a nice place to draw too.

Here's another drawing I did that same morning.

Egon Schiele

pen drawing in my moleskine

Tierra Mia Coffee, Echo Park, 2016

Thank you Tierra Mia Coffee. I miss that place.

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Pencil drawings

pencil drawings

Calbayog City, Philippines

2024

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Mountain woman

pencil drawing on paper

Calbayog City 2024

I've settled into a routine of drawing every morning. When I start a new drawing, I'm always fearful of failure, but usually something comes out of it. My wife says this drawing looks like one of the tribal women who live up in the mountains here in the Philippines. I wasn't trying to draw that, but I'll take it. Actually, I'm just trying to learn how to draw faces. And play with composition. This drawing looks a bit cartoonish, but I like where we're going.

Entropic eddies

Mystery of mysteries

colored pencil, los angeles, 2015

Life is so...

Life can best be seen as a river flowing through time.

Haploid diploid haploid diploid.

Entropic eddies swirled by stars.

And we're a piece of it.

Mystery of mysteries.

Don't even ask.

Mitosis - when the nuclear membrane reformed I about cheered.

Midnite - Envision

A blue, so long ago

colored pencil and black sharpie

Calbayog City 2024

The Philippine Sea is a deep almost violet blue.

It came to me in a dream once.

And now I'm here.

But I'm not there.

And isn't that where I've always been?

This drawing is pretty much done, but it's not done.

In any case, I've moved on to the next piece.

Write that on my tombstone.

Samar, Philippines 2024

Akae Beka - The Earth is the Lord

Sunday mornings

Ballpoint pen on an envelope

Los Angeles 2015

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary.

What a trip.

I drew this about a year after we got married.

I still love hanging out in bed on Sunday mornings cept now we have two little kids sleeping with us.

Filipino style.

The Boatman

pencil drawing on watercolor paper

Calbayog City 2024

This is a second attempt at this drawing. I'm still too shy to add color. But black and white is cool for now.

The Boatman (detail)

Music - Bhagavan Das

Bulusan Volcano, Philippines

"Daddy, " Sean, my 8 yo son asked me, "Why are sea songs so happy when there are all those sunken ships at the bottom of the ocean?"

I've been thinking about that recently.

We went on a road trip this last weekend up to the northern coast of the island. We camped out on the beach and in the morning, across the sea, Bulusan volcano loomed large, shrouded in clouds.

I drank my coffee at sunrise by the water. A crane came by and hung out with me for a while.

Akae Beka - Manger

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