I decided to use my syringe tool again. I've use it for gel type things and glues. But recently I have taken ti using it for transparent inks, acrylic inks, and liquid watercolors..

I love this little pen. I used it to make all the dots in the indigo soundings series.

Egyptian waters is an incredibly successful series of drawings for me. I have two full series each has 10 drawings. Two of the drawings were recently acquired on the west coast. The two are from the second series and are shown below.

There is interest in four others. I have my fingers crossed.

I'm working with some drawings that just fell apart on me.

I tried adding some things to the surface and they just blew the marks away. So now I am cutting the drawings into pieces that could be assembled to make a new drawing. Or be part of another drawing. One that may be dimensional and may even be fastened say with a stapler. Just a couple of ideas I am working with right now.

I have a few days to do holiday things and then I will be back in the studio.

I have completed the second series of egyptian waters. The first series point of reference was the shoreline. These new drawings series two come from the area beyond swimmers.

I have tentative titles for the ten drawings 5 of which will go to Oregon for Art in the Information Age in opening in September.

waiting for a wave
northern breeze
early tides
high tide
nearer the shoreline
winds
horizon
midnight
quiet moonlight
stay in the boat [tentative]

The Egyptian waters series is one of the few situations where I am seated when I draw. They require an immaculately clean space to work in. The pens require enough ink to complete the drawing without any waste. It is drawing of an exacting posture and state of mind.

It takes a considerable amount of time to prepare the area where I will draw. The table is emptied of everything, every tool and scrap of paper. The table is wiped down three times and the tools are cleaned. Then the paper is laid and the simple grid is drawn in pencil.

It was 9 am and already 82° when I headed out to my studio sunday morning. It's a two mile walk or so. I usually break it up with a stop for a cup of coffee or breakfast on the way.

This sunday Margaret walked with me to Philadelphia Java Company. We had coffee, tea, and some breakfast buns and I ordered a sandwich for lunch. It was a refreshing stop — I headed the rest of the way to my studio alone. The sun was beating down on South Philly a place bereft of trees and almost impossible to find a sliver of shade.

Back in the studio — finally.  It was a most excellent day of drawing on Sunday. I lit the incense, put on my ipod, and drew almost nonstop for five hours.

Stepping back into the groove with a limited vocabulary, ink drawings and iconic marks, made it easy to lose track of everything else but the memories of the ocean. I could taste the salt and feel the breeze blowing off the water. My mind was empty and the drawings came.

I was able to complete four drawings. Here's one.