Home landscapes

The last summer we left Italy. On the months before I felt the almost compulsive need of drawing our home in Casalecchio, near Bologna. It was somehow a way for fixing it in my mind. Of course I took some photos and made a video, but you know... when you draw, you look and stop and live and –maybe– see the scene. When I take photos I feel I can't see all I want because the camera is between my eye and the scene. It's the camera that works but just taking data.

Exhibition opening

Some days ago Romina Bruscia, a fellow sketcher, inaugurated in Bologna an exhibition of her works.
I went with some friends and took some sketches.

En español en Urban Sketchers Spain

Fair sketches

Last week, as every year, I went to the Bologna Children's Book Fair. My 8th fair and I'd say not the best edition. I took a vague walk, meet some friends and of course... drew some sketches.

Italian artist Davide Cappelletti while drawing at the stand of the Scuola del Fumetto di Milano.

I've known on his website that Australian artist Matt Ottley is green/red blind, but you should have seen the fantastic drawings he was making while I took this sketch (you can always take a look at his books).

I don't know who this left handed guy could be. He had a very elegant suit (taylor made I'd say) and filled some absolutely boring chart with so much concentration.

I don't know why I've started to draw more and more comic framed pages. I've fought against horror vacui for years and I guess this is the proof I've lost.




blogged at urban sketchers.

Enough was enough some time ago

I made this drawings a couple of weeks ago on a demonstration of Il Popolo Viola (the Purple People). Seems that finally some italians are waking up of the Berlusconi's sleep, seeing that it was always a smiling nightmare and that they are in danger.

Just one sample: tomorrow there will be a regional election and while Mr. B. banned all political debates on TV 3 weeks ago, yesterday he made speeches and interviews in prime time on 5 (of 7) national TV channels.

Am I wrong or this is some kind of new fascism?

blogged at urban sketchers.

Pocket Sketchbook #9

My sketch mate for a short but intense season that lasted between october and december 2009. The keys, the wallet, the mobile and this sketchbook came always with me, but this was the only one of those things that I loved to go with. The sketches were made in Bologna, Parma and Barcelona.

Music: Phoenix, "Love for granted" (Alphabetical, 2004).

blogged at urban sketchers.

A day at the (model car) races

Some time ago I went with my son to a Model & Hobby Fair. A lot of stuff, from some amazing huge scale models made with Lego pieces to some not so pleasant war games :P .

I've always loved propeller planes and I remembered when I was a kid and used to mount scale models and I should had spent some more looking at some Fokker DR1, Sopwith Camel or Mitsubishi Zero, but my son dragged me to the car racing area, where some really amazing remote control models were running.

We passed a lot of time and I had the opportunity of making some sketches since I was not too interested on the races.

Seeing all that boys and adult men (the few women at the fair were mostly wives and fiancees) with all those expensive toys made me think about the difference between the good old need of playing and the Peter Pan syndrome.

Anyways, even if this is not my cup of tea, it was a funny afternoon.

blogged at urban sketchers.

Old friends

I drew this while waiting for the bus. We were about 10 people and at a certain point I realized I was was the only one under 70.

Old friends, winter companions, the old men

Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sun

The sounds of the city sifting through trees

Settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends.

Can you imagine us years from today,

Sharing a parkbench quietly

How terribly strange to be seventy

Old friends, memory brushes the same years,

Silently sharing the same fears

Mr. Paul Simon (that Paul Simon) is surely unaware of the help he gave me on making this post. Apart from the words he once wrote and I just typed today, I actually had this song in mind while drawing this sketches.

En español en urban sketchers spain

Before the 25th SketchCrawl

On the same week of the 25th SketchCrawl I happened to pass twice near the places of our meeting. I could say that I had started my sketching and crawling a couple of days before the actual date.

This was taken while waiting at the entrance of Sala Borsa Library. The tents at the center were being mounted for a fair about chocolate that should start some days after.

We were just 3 people on the bus when I made this: the driver, the lady with the greenish coat that phoned by the central door, and yours faithfully. I started drawing just on stops and traffic lights, but at some moment I forgot to take care of shaking. I think the drawing came more "real" because of this.

This is one of the classic sights of Bologna: the Fountain of Neptune seen through the gallery of Palazzo Re Enzo.

25th SketchCrawl Bologna 21.11.2009

The days before I though it should be a not so good SC. Some people said they wouldn't come and no special route or place was decided. But at the end many new people came and it was a great day.

There was a stand of a local radio station too, with a stupid host shouting and putting on shitty music. I decided to ignore it on my drawing (it was on the right side of the building entrance) and so I gave attention just to the architecture.

We went to Piazza Galvani were I drew this statue of Mr. Galvani and since I finished it quickly I decided to draw my drawing fellows.

This is Viola watching a sketchbook (with drawings made by yours faithfully).

San Francesco's Church at dusk.

Left: people on the bus while I went to our appointment. Right: Andrea and Marco.

We ate at the Osteria del Sole. Left: people at the next table. Right: Benedetta.

At the end we went to Modo, a bookshop where there was the presentation of a comic book.

Left: Daniele Caluri, one of the authors. Right: people listening his speech.

It was a great day.

La Certosa di Bologna

Some months ago my SketchCrawl fellow Sara insisted on include the Cemetery of La Certosa on our route. It was a real discovery. Since that day I've come back several times. After 8 years living in Bologna, I wonder why nobody had told me about this amazing place before.





Here are some photos.

Pocket Sketchbook #7

My pocket sketchbook between april and july 2009. Almost all sketches where made from life in Bologna, Casalecchio, Ravenna and Vignola (Italy), Jávea and Gandía (Spain) and Porec (Croatia).
Music: Cesar Miró (1907-1999) "Todos vuelven", (Rubén Blades, Buscando América, 1984)

Kraft paper sketchbook

Customized kraft-paper sketchbook (I made the wire- binding on a copy service in order to open it 360º). It's been a mate for almost 6 months in which I filled it of every idea (or non-idea) comming to my head and/or my hand: scribbles, sketches, public life, portraits, TV drawings, still lifes, designs, projects and so on. Made in Bologna, Casalecchio, Jávea and Venezia between december 22, 2008 and june 6, 2009.
Music: Chauncey Olcott (1858-1932), "My Wild Irish Rose" (Keith Jarrett, piano, 1999)

Here & There

Sketchbook made with sheets of watercolor paper wire-binded on a copy service. Sketches made in Bologna, Casalecchio, Jávea, Ravenna and Vignola between march 03 and may 05 2009.
Music: Pino Daniele, "Lazzari felici" (Musicante, 1984)

Spring 2009 pocket sketchbook

Sketchbook made with sheets of a torn Moleskine sketchbook wire-binded on a copy service. It was my pocket sketchbook beetween march 25 and april 12, 2009. Sketches taken in Bologna, Casalecchio and Jávea.
Music: "Les Mots d'Amour" (Charles Dumont, music and Michel Rivgauche, lyrics), Edith Piaf (1960)

Winter 2009 pocket sketchbook

To make this sketchbook I cut some sheets of watercolor paper and made a wire-binding on a copy service. It came always with me till the last page was filled and contains drawings made in Bologna and Casalecchio between december 21, 2008 and march 25, 2009.
Music: Keb' Mo', "Am I Wrong?" (Keb' Mo', 1994)

Sketch & The City

I started this sketchbook on october 25 at the Bologna SketchCrawl. Then I decided to use it just for SketchCrawls and urban sketches for the Gabi Campanario's Urban Sketchers blog. It contains drawings made in Bologna, Casalecchio Lyon and Verona between october 25, 2008 and february 26, 2009.

Music: W. A. Mozart (1756-1791) "Eine Kleine Gigue" K. 574

(Mitsuko Uchida, piano, 1991)

SketchCrawl in VIlla Spada

Villa Spada is a great place for drawing. It's a big house of the XIXth century with a big garden full of amazing places and views. It was the first time I was there and from then on I've come back several times. Here's a video that gives some idea.
In the garden there's a row of 12 statues that cought my attention. They are quite weird, with some particular motifs and attitudes. First 9 are women and last 3 are old men with some resemblance to Emperor Palpatine. I decided to draw all them and color just the shadows but about noon the day got cloudy. At that moment i had made just 4 of them so I must finish a week after. In the meanwhile I must reload my waterbrushes, and it's because of this that color changes from the 5th on.