Linda's Chili Pot 1998

Linda was an excellent cook and loved to feed her friends, including me. I am no good at cooking, even something as simple as chili, so I was glad to feast with Linda and Jeff. During the preparation of the chili (in the big black pot) I drew a really good perspective sketch of their kitchen. I may not be able to cook, but I can draw, which I will gladly brag about. Bon appetit!

Black tech pen on sketchbook page, 5 1/2" x 8", January 24, 1998.

What I Saw: Terrace Drama

On my apartment's terrace floor: a rust stain with cement, possibly depicting the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus lost his beloved Eurydice when he looked back at Hades, where she was imprisoned.

Epcot Entrance 1998

Linda and I went to Epcot Center at Disney World. Epcot, a relic of the 1980s, still entertains and even inspires, the scientifically minded and world traveler type. The format is like an old-style World's Fair, with pavilions for various countries set around a reflecting lagoon. When I  was there it seemed a more "serious" place but now it mixes in Disney characters among the futuristic architecture, which makes me reminiscent of the 1964 New York World's Fair. Each country offers "authentic" foods, crafts, souvenirs, and performances. When I was there the countries were Mexico, Norway, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Morocco, Japan, China, Canada, and the good old USA. I visited them all (except China, which Linda was boycotting for human rights offenses) had some great food at "Morocco" complete with belly dancer, and bought four beautiful rice bowls in "Japan" after spending a lovely few minutes in their garden. But where is the "India" pavilion? I love World's Fairs and would love to go back to Epcot after things get safer in public. The structure you see here is at the entrance rotunda of the Epcot park.

Black tech pen on sketchbook page, 4" x 7", January 24, 1998.

Bigfoot Jeff, Florida 1998

Jeff Heimberger was Linda's husband. They had a good life together in Florida, enjoying science fiction fan culture, media events, Washington football, and Pagan worship. Here is my portrait of Jeff in his favorite recliner comfy chair. The chair, without Jeff in it, is on the left panel. Figure perspective made Jeff look like he had giant feet.

What we didn't know for sure then, but learned later, was that Jeff had an aggressive, rare form of cancer that ended his life even before the next year. Even from 1998, R.I.P. Jeff.

Black tech pen on sketchbook page, 8 1/2" x 11", January 23, 1998.

Geom Border May 25 2020

I'm back to my "classic" Geometrika style in this border. It looks a bit like a "Google Doodle," those increasingly elaborate designs that appear in the title page of the search engine. If this were a real Google Doodle, it would feature the entire Periodic Table (already done) plus an app that transmutes lead into gold. Remember, alchemists: if you really could transform lead into gold, than you'd make too much and even gold would lose its value. You don't have to worry about that with art. There's always a surplus of that.

Markers and colored pencils on sketchbook page, 7 1/2" x 2 1/2", May 25, 2020.

Celestial Night

"In Heaven, there is no night..."  But no, there's plenty of night in the celestial world, and lots of lights to illuminate it. Fountains of crystal play over the angelic pathways, where spirits commute back and forth between cosmic offices. I've done many of these visionary images in my artistic life, and I hope to do many more.

Photoshop, 6" x 5", May 26, 2020.

Linda and Jeff House, Florida 1998

I arrived at the house of my friends Linda and Jeff, who lived in Melbourne, Florida. This rather dull place was about an hour's drive from Orlando, though not far from the ocean on the east coast. This is a sketch of their residence interior. I am used to homes built of sturdy wood and brick and cinder block, being a Northeasterner, and I was surprised at how lightly built this structure was. Surely a hurricane would blow it all away. But my friends weren't worried. They had plenty of stuff to put in their Florida nest: note the broad beam suspended under the ceiling, where Linda kept her collection of funny hats.

Black tech pen on sketchbook page, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", January 23, 1998.