The Boatman #3

Self portrait 1979

pencil drawing on paper

Santa Barbara, USA

Self portraits. 1979 and 2024

So it goes.

Self portrait 2024

pencil drawing on paper

Calbayog City, Philippines

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pigments

colored pencil, calbayog city, 2025

A few days ago I had a thought. These pigments are so great, FTW, let's just have fun with color for a while.

Midnite - Musi to honor my King

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pencil drawing on watercolor paper

Calbayog City 2024

I just drew this about 30 minutes ago. I know it's not a finished complete drawing but its finished enough that she's talking to me. And I'm listening to her.

I think I'm going to listen to her for a while. Tomorrow is another day.

Update:

I worked on her some more. She's still only half done but she's still talking to me so I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. And it's dinner time.

A young woman with a hair barrette

Nuff respect for Donovan

Donovan - Season of the Witch (Official Audio)

Hail the King

AKAE BEKA

Time passes slowly here in the provinces.

Each day I read the news coming out of America and I thank God I got out of there.

Calbayog City, Philippines, 2024

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"Into the mystic" Van Morrison

Let me tell you a story.

We used to live in Los Angeles California.

I loved Southern California but one day in 2020 I was driving home from work listening to an NPR discussion about the war in Ukraine and at one point one of the panelists asked,

"What should the US do if Putin decides to use nuclear weapons?"

(!)

True story.

When I got home I told my wife I was going to quit my job and that we were going to the Philippines.

And she said,

"Great."

We had been planning this for a while so she was happy to hear I had finally decided to make the move. We had a house waiting for us. And family. We were only staying in LA for my work But my work had suddenly become not worth it.

So.. We packed up our kids and left.

Just like that.

Into the mystic.

Precious cargo. Sunset over Negros Occidental, Philippines.

This one

black sharpie on poster board

Rosemead 2012

This drawing exists, somewhere.

I did this drawing a few years back. After I finished the drawing I took this picture of it with my cell phone and then I gave the drawing to my brother. Never a good idea but I love him and he liked it so why not. He actually had it framed and he put it up in his office at work. Prominently displayed. For a few years and then he left that job and had to clear out his office so he took it home. My brother owns a big house with a lot of piles of stuff in the attic and in the basement and in the garage and in closets and last year when I asked him if I could borrow the drawing so I could get a better picture of it he said he'd look for it and then after a day or so he told me he couldn't find it. It's buried in one of the piles somewhere he said and well, he can't find it.

So it goes my friends.

I know it's there somewhere.

Drives me nutz.

I'm glad I took the picture.

Darkness blackens even the night

8B pencil on paper

Calbayog City 2024

Daily drawing.

I am happiest when my fingers and eraser become black with pencil lead.

Famous Blue Raincoat - Leonard Cohen

black sharpie on bond paper

San Francisco 2003

I spent Christmas 2003 with some friends in San Francisco. They lived in this big two-hundred-year-old house that sat on the prison grounds of San Quentin penitentiary. It's a long story actually but what I remember most was the bed. The guest room of the house had this large old four posted wooden bed frame with the softest thickest most wonderful mattress I have ever slept on in my entire life. I will never forget the moment when I laid down and sank into the loving folds of that luxurious mattress. I felt embraced by softness, and I fell asleep as if floating on a cloud.

When I awoke the next morning I was amazed at the time. I had slept through the entire night without waking up once. I felt wonderfully refreshed.

After breakfast I sat down with my sharpie and drew both of these drawings in a single sitting.

black sharpie on bond paper

San Francisco 2003

Sunday mornings

Ballpoint pen on an envelope

Los Angeles 2015

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary.

What a trip.

I drew this about a year after we got married.

I still love hanging out in bed on Sunday mornings cept now we have two little kids sleeping with us.

Filipino style.