Breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s. Restaurants can at times feel like controlled mayhem. Staff was very friendly & I sat where I got a great feel for their cooperation & organization. The restaurant is situated on the east bound terminus of Route 66, aka Jackson St.

So when I went to the Urban Sketchers meetup last Saturday l pulled anchor a bit earlier than I wanted. It was a gorgeous day w/bright blue sky & very nice display of cottony clouds. Today I returned to the Zoo as the weather provided similar conditions. Glad I did. #lincolnparkzoo #pleinairartist

Optimo hat’s showroom on the SW corner of Jackson St and Dearborn in Chicago, pretty much near the terminus of the storied Route 66. Check this special room out. Thanks to Tiffany for granting me 2 days to sit among these magnificent hats and draw.

At La Colombe on Elm & State watching the street goings on.

I have to say, I’m pretty disappointed in this platform. 145 post to this point and getting little to no notice. 150 post will be my cut off if the activity doesn’t pick up.

A vestigial reminder of a cemetery that once existed in Chicago by North & Clark. Captured on a day of cloud & shadow play. #tomb #grisaille

The finished page & set up. I’ve drawn Mr. Gehry’s remarkable bandshell half dozen times and while I have mixed feelings about it, I’m glad Chicago stuck its neck out to do something distinctive. Your thoughts?? #jaypritzkerpavillion #frankgehry #milleniumpark #architecture #urbansketching

Quite delighted with the underpasses beneath LaSalle Drive as it cuts thru Lincoln Park. Right now dandelions are sprawling & when fortunate, you’ll get to see a display of the yellow flowers & the famous puff balls. Last weekend I caught Canada Goose eating the puffballs for their nutritious seeds.

Hugh painting a model at the Palette & Chisel. Like all of us, he has good days and frustrating days and yesterday it appeared he was struggling with capturing a satisfactory rendition of certain features.

Artists at work at The Palette & Chisel.

Attended a NO KINGS demonstration in Chicago’s Grant Park. Melody Angel brought a powerful voice & began with Sam Cooke’s stirring A Change Is Gonna Come. Photoed my finger for scale reference. It’s tricky when working small to get some kind of personalized features. #thisiswhatdemocracylookslike

It's a treat to live in Lincoln Park, we live literally on an avenue that divides buildings from parkland containing a zoo, ponds, on the other side of which is the main north-south traffic artery, parallel to that are ribbons of beaches and then the marvelous Lake Michigan. #northpondchicago

Ate lunch and drew the surroundings. Kale Caesar salad w/grilled salmon. In Evanston. #lunchhoursketch #drawyourday #draweveryday #inkdrawing #cafescene

Saturday morning life drawing session at The Palette and Chisel. #lifedrawing #artiststwork #draweveryday

Life drawing session with Eve at The Palette & Chisel. #lifedrawing #femalemodel #redhair #curlylocks #thepaletteandchisel

Sat. afternoon with Urban Sketchers. Saw taxidermy exhibit. Staff said, if U find dead birds, take a plastic sandwich bag, invert it, put hand inside so when U pick up bird, you’re not touching bird, fold baggy back over bird, put in freezer till you take it to Peggy Notebaert Nat. Museum.

A captured from a few days ago in a local cafe. #drawyourday #cafe

So here's the finished spread from today's session at the Palette & Chisel. Get out and draw, and support local arts organizations!! #draw #lifedrawing #paletteandchiselchicago #artistsaywork

South Pond. Directly across from our crib. Started the “sketch a few days ago when there was far more snow and the sort of ice rink/race track stood out. Someone kept shoveling snow from the track but now the temps have risen and the snow is melting. #snow #frozenpond #pleinair

Just a brainscape from a few weeks ago, inspired by my most recent trek to Europe.

Recent captures from the public realm. CTA Transit mostly.

Still, the thuggery continues. #Iceout

Duality. Is ICE hiding criminals??? You tell me. #8647 #iceoutnow #transparency

Near noontime at a coffeehouse, somewhere in the belly of a lively & thriving Midwest city. Been absent on BlueSky for awhile. Building a following and getting interactions on BlueSky has been way below my expectations. Dreadful, really. Not ready to quit, yet. #uskchicago #coffeeculture #fictional

Other than the title page, final pages in this book.

A spread from my return by Amtrak from Philly,Pa to Chicago. Long layover in Pittsburgh. The system needs waaay more money. I’m a rail ridin’ muhfugguh. #railtravel #Amtrak #waitingroom #draweveryday #iliketodraw

Morning and afternoon sketches of colleagues at work.

First three sketches from the New Year’s Life Drawing Marathon at the Palette & Chisel. Not going to make all 12 hours but, still an auspicious way to start the year.

Back at the Palette & Chisel to capture Erica in a simple pose, simply attired. Ready for the upcoming 12 hour Life Drawing Marathon at The P&C on New Year’s Day. An auspicious way to begin the year. #draw #femalemodel #handskills

Life drawing at the P&C today. Went totally goofy on the perspective of the chair.

A spread from the return trip to Chicago from Europe. 8 hours, (from the time I woke up in Milano till the moment I walked thru the door in Chicago was 22 hours) three movies & some doodles. #sketches #headstudies #drawyourday

Caught Mr. Verdi bearing up under a drenching rain in Piazza Buonarroti last week.

One may way to life drawing this morning, got caught up drawing the violinist at Cocoa & Co. you could say it was a good tune up before the sessions at the Palette & Chisel.

Dec 13 meet up with the Urban Sketchers of Paris. One Good time!

G Babe giving a talk on adipose tissue while we are in Italy. Her hubby contributed two sketches of la professoressa to the notice. #phdGBabe #backoffman,she’sascientist

Long pose session yesterday at The Palette & Chisel. #lifedrawing #femalemodel #drawing

Back off man, she’s a scientist! The news from/about/regarding the CDC, NIH, and the current Sec. of Health and Human Services is most concerning. #scientist #girlpower

Waiting in Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station for the Amtrak train to Pittsburgh where I will transfer to the next Amtrak train to Chicago.

After a morning session at life drawing I stopped for lunch at a familiar spot and decided to “sketch” the woman I a shawl with a quilted jacket draped over her chair. Got a bit bogged down in the jacket. #cafe #quiltedjacket

A from last week outside Judge Ellis’s courtroom.

Sitting in the Emergency Room waiting area several nights ago. There was an incident in the bathroom on that needed a little tidying up. No big whoop.

U.S. CBP Cmmdr. G. Bovino appears before Northern Illinois District Court Judge Sara Ellis today. #gregorybovino

Chicago early days of federalist power intrusion by Trump administration and just a few of the responses.

At yesterday’s demonstration in Chicago.

A video I haven’t posted on Blue Sky yet, from a visit to Taiwan in August of 2023.

A quiet moment sitting on a bench by North Pond with G Babe.

The second drawing of Saturday’s Urban Sketchers Sketchcrawl in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood. Here is the pavilion in Ping Tom Memorial Park.

Went to Chicago’s Chinatown for an urban sketchers sketchcrawl. Enjoyed a day when expected rains held off, and dined with other attending artists.