Beaufort, South Carolina

I have this unquenchable thirst for adventure these days. "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow has been stuck in my mind of late. It's a poem about living life to its fullest. That the end, ie the grave, is not the goal of life. Bettering ourselves by living in the now and working towards the future is what life is about. John Maxwell said,  "Some days you win, some days you learn."

About a year ago, I made a promise to myself to adventure as much as possible. I think part of that goal is my entering of middle age (44 years old presently). The sages talk about working hard for the first part of our lives. We struggle, we build, we completely max out our energy for survival. We build a foundation for the future. Sometime around where I'm at in life, there seems to be a transition to using what we've learned and built. It's no longer about survival, but more about enjoyment. 

For me, that seems to come with going places and doing things, having what I would call adventures.

I booked a plane ticket earlier this year to visit my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and niece in Beaufort, South Carolina. I had never been to that part of the country and let me tell you, based on the challenges of getting there, I can see why I had never been. That being said, I thought it important to see where my family had moved to in 2020, during the pandemic. The trip coincided with my niece's birthday. She and I have been corresponding by snail mail (pen-pal'ing) since the end of last summer and she peaked my interest with her wonderful accounts of life (along with her parents sending pictures). 

My goal had been to get a lot of drawing and painting done while there. Various work projects prevented me from getting everything done that I wanted, nor seeing all the sites that were on my list. However, I had a fantastic trip. It nourished my soul to spend the time with people I love in a place that I totally understand why they love it. It's beautiful down there. 

Drawing 1, Day 1: Lowcountry Cider and Superior Coffee

My first full day, I hung out downtown. I grabbed a coffee at the Superior Coffee shop and bought some cookies. I sat on a stone wall behind the coffee shop and started this sketch. It started raining while I was working on it, so I had to bail early on drawing. However, I was able to wrap it up the next day (hence why the umbrellas and people look a little different). 

The fauna was distinct here. Behind me was the river and an interesting drawbridge that rotates 90 degrees in order to let ships pass. Spent a lot of time in this area over my visit.

Drawing 2, Day 2: The Castle

After finishing the coffee shop drawing, I went wandering in the historic district right off the main street of Downtown Beaufort. Many of the homes have placards that explain the history of the homes including one home that was where "The Great Santini" and "The Big Chill" were filmed. The district is about 9 square blocks and is lined with incredible live oaks and riverfront views. 

I wanted to figure out how to draw these live oaks, since I thought they were so different than any tree I'd ever seen. Wandering around the district, I was looking do a sketch of a subject that contained a live oak, wasn't a white house, and had a place where I could sit; not an easy task. Fortunately, I was able to chat with a couple of locals which always makes me feel more connected to the area. 

I kept coming back to this one place the locals call "The Castle." 

I found a spot to sit in that had the cover of trees since I knew the rain was going to come again. The Castle is surrounded by a high fence, so finding this spot was fortunate since the framing using the gate would be a fun element. 

I started my sketch. The owner was out for a run with two younger gentlemen. He (mid-50's) was trying to keep up with these two youths (early twenties). We chatted for a few minutes when he came back. I asked if it was ok to be sitting where I was and he said it was fine. I think he enjoyed my distracting him while he was catching his breath. 

My brother-in-law is protective and kept texting me weather updates while I was working on this. Time became an element to contend with.

It did start to rain, but I had a coat that I used to try to cover myself and my drawing. Rain adds a unique dynamic when you work with water-soluble graphite and water colors. My color use on the Castle turned out a little more yellow than I had hoped, but I was rushed.

 I loved the little cannon in front of the gate and the lightposts that had real flames going.

Me painting the Castle in the rain. I don't look "sketchy" at all...

Drawing 3, Day 3: Bostick

I have such supportive and loving people in my life. I brought a pad specifically so I could make a picture for my family. Their house is in such a lovely neighborhood. As soon as I walked into their home, I felt the warmth and familiarity from all the years I've been part of their clan. 

Across the street from their place is some kind of electrical box. Coming from Colorado, I'd say that although the weather wasn't warm, there was a humidity that kept me chillier than expected. Sitting on the electrical box was like a heated seat. 

Porches seem to be a big thing in SC. I'm told the locals paint the underside of awnings blue so the spirits think it's the sky and don't get trapped on the porches. The walnut-like trees in front looked liked they had seen better days, but I was assured that they are just not on the same schedule as everywhere else (late to bloom, late to lose their leaves)(have no fear, I'm told they're sprouting leaves now).  

 Being my own worst critic, I wish I had done the tree on the left a little differently, but my family was quite happy when I gave them this painting. Interestingly, no one had a ruler in order to frame in the sketch. For my niece's birthday, I made sure to add a ruler to her hodgepodge of artistic and writing-themed gifts.

Drawing 4, Day 4: Hunting Island

As I said before, work really kept me from getting out to explore everything I had hoped. I did set aside a few hours though to get out to Helena Island with my brother-in-law. He took me to see the "Boneyard" which was a neat area that changed dramatically in the last 20ish years after a major hurricane washed out the beach. I got to fly my first drone around with a virtual reality headset which was a really neat experience. 

We then went to see the lighthouse. We had intended to climb the steps to the top, but it was closed for repair. The building has already been moved once, and it's expected to need to be moved again in the next 50 years as the beach continues to change.

This was my final sketch of the trip. It was done in my small sketchbook. I like doing these loose sketches and need to do more in this style. I used a grey marker for the first time to do the shadows. Over the years, I've experimented with many tools to get dark areas and shadows done - from diluted inks to water brushes, pencils to water soluble graphite. I think this marker setup might be a winner for my smaller works. TBD.

Wrap up:

It was so great to get to spend the better part of the week with family.  

One Last Thing: 

I've been enjoying watching "Schitt'$ Creek." There's a town sign in the television show that often shows up. The first episode has them add the extra sign that says "Don't worry, it's his sister." 

I saw this statue outside of the public library and immediately thought of the sign. My 14 year old niece took the photos!

Special shout out to Coastal Art Supply.

Recent Updates

 Update 1: Micah received his painting and says he loves it!

https://www.thingsithinkpeoplethink.com/2023/01/who-doesnt-like-big-machines-arvada-co.html

Update 2: Out of the blue, I got a text from another of my besties whose daughter, Mila, seems to have grabbed his phone and shot me the following: 

I was floored that a fifth grader was inspired enough by my painting (Snowy Flowers) to make this and share it with me: 

Off my original:

https://www.thingsithinkpeoplethink.com/2022/11/snowy-flowers.html

I took Mila to the library and showed her how I scan these in. I took her scan (with her permission) and am having a metal print made for my wall. It should arrive in a few days. As a thanks, I am making her a gift out of one of her original works:

This is the artist, Mila. She's a rockstar!

Who Doesn't Like Big Machines? (Arvada, CO)

 

Many years ago, my best friend, Micah, gave me this piece of art: 

He never liked it, but I have had it hanging over my desk for many years. Every couple of years, I rotate it to get a different view. I love it. 

In December, I sent a picture to someone whose art I admire, of a scene I thought he'd appreciate painting. It's of a little lake less than a quarter mile from my house. To my pleasant surprise, Sebastien sent me the following (electronically): 

A few days later, the original arrived in my mail. I framed it and it is currently hanging near my front door:

I wanted to make something to reciprocate since their two pieces bring me such joy. It was a lovely January day. The sun was shining. Figuring out what to make was a little stressful, since neither of the two recipients are local. But I figured, who doesn't love trucks (and trains, rockets, and dinosaurs)?  

For Micah:

For Sebastien: 

This was my first time using the Art Graf water-soluble graphite pencils. I like them.

When I scanned them in, there was a fun mistake that happened that I thought also looked cool:

Hanukkah, in a church, before Hanukkah? (Denver, CO)

 

On Sunday night (December 11), I went to a Hanukkah party hosted in a church's fellowship hall. Hanukkah doesn't start until December 18th. The irony of all of this was funny to me. 

My wife was helping to host the party, so I helped set up for a few minutes then got out of the way. I had time to kill before the guests arrived and I came across this beautiful reading room in the church. It had really high ceilings and it just felt so inviting to sit in one of these leather chairs. 

I had a little 3x5 notebook in my jacket and a Pilot Vanishing Point pen on me, so I figured I'd try a quick sketch. It was really confusing with the reflective lights and the shadows on the ceiling, but it put me in a calm headspace before going to a party.  

I have to call the church later today to see if anyone turned in my beloved Celtics beanie hat that I seem to have misplaced. Boo. 

Snowy Flowers (Wheat Ridge, CO)

 

It was a sunny but chilly day in November 2022. The Flower shop faced north, so it was completely in shadow except for a little of the snow on the hood and roof of the truck. That snow had been there for days. The snow was dirty and icy from it melting and refreezing, along with thousands of cars driving by daily. 

I've driven by this shop many times and thought this truck was so cool with the fake flowers (I assume they use real flowers when the weather permits). 

I was standing on the other side of 38th avenue; a busy street in Wheat Ridge. My tripod was set up and there were several people walking by and cars driving. It's always fun for me to have people chat with me while I'm painting. Someone asked if I was going to sell this piece, but my intention was to send it to my parents.

Note: In true Mark fashion, I misspelled Flowers (leaving out the R on the left sign) originally. I thought about leaving it that way since my parents always comment on how bad my spelling is, but was able to make it look not so obvious.

See the spelling error?

My Happy Place (somewhere in the woods)

This cabin is "My Happy Place." It's a long story how I purchased it and spent a couple years rebuilding it.

I met a new friend at the San Francisco Pen Show. When I saw her again at the Colorado Pen Show, I promised to do a sketch for her. I think this one turned out great.

It was done on a Strathmore watercolor card and I wrote her the story of how everyone thought I was crazy for purchasing the cabin. 

The day after doing this sketch, I decided to try to do it again in a sketchbook. Amazing how different these two turned out and how much better this card was. Guess it has something to do with this being for someone else vs just for me. Intension must matter.

 

Fairplay, CO

I went on an all-guys camping trip. The guys were big time partiers cutting loose for the weekend. They were all participating in a cornhole tournament that day. 

I, on the other hand, am about to celebrate 2 years of not drinking. I spent the day hiking through an ancient forest. I then did some fly fishing catching (and releasing) at least 30 fish in a couple of hours.

I wasn't quite ready to head back to camp, so I stopped at this historic building in the town square. This is basically where South Park, CO is. 

After standing in the cold river for a couple of hours, I was chilled to the bone. Sitting out as the sun was setting on the high plains with it being overcast, I couldn't feel my hands. 

The building had really neat inlayed stone that I tried to capture.

 

Sutro Tower coming out of the fog (San Francisco, CA)

In August, 2022, I flew to California to attend the SF Pen Show with my Dad and my friend Malachi. Malachi had never been to the Bay area, so I wanted to show him a days worth of events. We started in the South Bay and drove out to Half Moon Bay. From there we went to Haight-Ashbury and wandered for a little bit. Our minds were blown when we saw our first autonomous vehicle cruising around at arguably the epicenter of the world. 

We then went to Alamo Square where I did my Painted Ladies sketch (A5 Landscape). Malachi went off to play with dogs at the dog park. Once I finished the Painted Ladies, we hiked up the hill since I had never been to the park. The Sutro Tower was coming out of the fog and I asked Malachi if he'd be patient so I could do another sketch. This one was done in my little 3x5 sketchbook since I didn't want  to spend much time on it (we were on a schedule!). The pictures don't show it well, but there was a big California Elm that was framing my shot. 

From there we proceeded to Pier 39, the SalesForce tower, across the Bay Bridge to Telegraph/Berkeley before returning the SouthBay

 

The Painted Ladies (San Francisco, CA)

In August, 2022, I flew to California to attend the SF Pen Show with my Dad and my friend Malachi. Malachi had never been to the Bay area, so I wanted to show him a days worth of events. We started in the South Bay and drove out to Half Moon Bay. From there we went to Haight-Ashbury and wandered for a little bit. Our minds were blown when we saw our first autonomous vehicle cruising around at arguably the epicenter of the world. 

We then went to Alamo Square where I did my Painted Ladies sketch (A5 Landscape). Malachi went off to play with dogs at the dog park. Once I finished the Painted Ladies, we hiked up the hill since I had never been to the park. The Sutro Tower was coming out of the fog and I asked Malachi if he'd be patient so I could do another sketch. This one was done in my little 3x5 sketchbook since I didn't want  to spend much time on it (we were on a schedule!). The pictures don't show it well, but there was a big California Elm that was framing my shot. 

From there we proceeded to Pier 39, the SalesForce tower, across the Bay Bridge to Telegraph/Berkeley before returning the SouthBay

In hindsight, I wish I had put the outline of people in front of me to show how busy the park was. Drawing people scares me though!

 

5 Points (Denver, CO)

I was feeling down at work so went for a walk and did this little sketch in less than 30 minutes. It was done in my 3x5 sketchbook. When I'm pressed for time, I usually go with water color pencils. You can see in the ivy that there are two colors to it (green and yellow). A little touch of water activates and blends these colors together. 

I'm lucky to work in such a cool, historic part of Denver where the architecture is quite unique.

 

Squiggles at the Arvada Center (Arvada, CO)

 

Meet Squiggles. Squiggles is the 'mascot' of the Arvada Center for Performing Arts. 

I've lived in Arvada for almost 20 years now. The Arvada Center is the crown jewel of Arvada. It's awesome. I took my first adult art class there (medium: chalk pastels). My kids have taken dance, orchestra, acting, etc. My wife is a volunteer usher. We've been season ticket holders for years and have seen countless performances there over the years. You can find at least one of us there several days a week.

Squiggles is on the west side of the center. Kids love to play on Squiggles any time of day. My kids, even as high school students, still sit on Squiggles with their friends. 

Squiggle's tail is very long. I'm actually sitting on one of their humps. I climbed up on it and did this sketch. This is one of the rare times I did the watercolor first then the ink.

Climbing up Squiggles, no problem. However, in my advanced age (43ish), I had a really hard time getting down. I actually had a kid help me down which must have looked very strange to their parent. 

Auraria's Mercantile Store (Denver, CO)

I love this little section of the Auraria Campus. Golda Meir officed on that block along with so many other historical events. I had a morning to kill, so I went down to do this little restaurant with a couple of fellow USK Denver folks. 

When we got there, it was peaceful and serene. The restaurant started getting busy mid-morning as they were setting up for an event. Fortunately, I had gotten the structure done before they erected a canopy in front of the restaurant. 

This is one of the first sketches I used a white marker to do the brick. In the past, I always just used black ink to show the bricks. This always bothered me because the mortar is white. I've had a lot of issues with those white out markers (sometimes dripping a big drop on my scene), but I'll keep playing with them since they are great for adding some detail after the sketch is done. 

See those darn tents!

 

So Many Cranes (Denver, CO)

After doing the Auraria Mercantile, I wasn't quite ready to go home. I had just purchased this little 3x5 sketchbook and this was actually the first sketch in it. 

It's always a challenge to start a sketchbook. 

First, there's a lot of pressure when looking at a fresh book. I read somewhere to put a dot on the first page and call it a polar bear in the arctic. I now do that in all my books. Second, figuring out a sketchbook vs your framing sometimes takes a little practice, especially when you aren't used to the size. This seemed like a fitting start though.

The bushes were framing this scene. There were cranes all over the place. Having never done a single crane, I figured what the heck, why not do three that were overlapping!

Security and the police came by since I looked a little funny sitting on a stool in this little area where homeless people probably had been a problem in the past. Always fun to show off your work to law enforcement!