The Luncheon, St.Louis

Since I was alone I could hear almost every word of a nearby conversation between two business men during lunch last week. The discussion was typical; sports, something about an upcoming board of directors meeting and favorite travel destinations. While I tried not to eavesdrop I did notice a subtle back lighting effect created by the bright sunlight reflecting off the stone buildings across the street. I sketched the scene as discreetly as possible; it reminded me of an Edward Hopper painting.

 

The Luncheon, November 23, 2013; Michael Anderson, Brushes 3 for iPhone, Sensu Brush.

 

 

Flowers in an Architect's Office, St. Louis

Fresh flowers are always a pleasant addition to any environment but in an architect's office they make a statement about good design and taste. Before leaving an appointment last week I managed to sketch a very quick (15 minutes or so) rendition of the arrangement on the reception desk of a downtown firm on my iPhone. The signature layer was added later. Whether I am finger painting with pixels or pushing watercolors with a brush pen the reward is going into that zone where time is an illusion. An hour can go by in what seems to be a few minutes. I find myself wishing for yet more time to see something familiar in a new way, to be fascinated by color & luminosity and to just continue sketching for a little while longer.

Flowers In an Architect's Office, Michael Anderson, 2012, brushes fo iPhone.

Metro 5th & Missouri station, East St. Louis, IL

Metro Link light-rail trains connect the Illinois and the Missouri sides of the St. Louis metropolitan area with many stops along its two lines including Lambert International Airport, University of Missouri, Washington University School of Medicine, Busch Stadium and downtown. It is a popular form of transportation for daily commuters and students, travelers and sports fans.The down time between trains which run every 10-15 minutes makes for great sketch time. Although I completed most of this sketch while waiting on the platform I painted the train later from memory.

Painted with Brushes for iPhone.

Sting in concert, St. Louis

Sting performed his classic songs one after another during his performance at the Fabulous Fox Theater last week. The interior design of the Fox is sort of Byzantine and reminiscent of 1001 Arabian Nights. It is incredibly ornate with elaborate surface enrichment and fantastical creatures everywhere. To try to capture its scale and detail in a sketch is hopeless but I started this sketch when the house lights were up and added more layers of shadow and theatrical light effects later. I turned the device off during the performance so as not to distract anyone but it didn't matter there were hundreds of smart phones in use in the audience throughout the concert taking pictures, videos, tweeting, etc. I finished up as much as I could standing at the back of the house on the orchestra level during the extended encore and added final touches later. Painted with Brushes for iPhone.