Water tower off Hoyt Ave on U of M, St. Paul campus. 

Parking Lot

Smoke butt. What's the deal with throwing these things on the ground anyway? Do smokers think that the birds come along and eat them or something? I mean, I know some people who would never throw a candy wrapper on the ground, but think nothing of throwing a smoke butt on the ground. I don't get it. 

U of M. At the river. 

Como Park Bandshell.

You know, as I proceed with this activity, I find myself thinking more about the nature of what I'm drawing. I suppose that's why I'm doing this, to perhaps recover some lost skills, but more importantly, to figure out what really appeals to me about drawing.

So, for example, in the past few days, I've discovered what most formally taught "artists" probably learn in the first day, that is, to think about the nature of what you are drawing.

Take trees, for example. I find that I can sketch a much better tree if I think about how a tree grows. It doesn't grow from the sky down to the ground. Rather, it starts out as a shoot in the ground, which gradually splits off into another shoot, depending on wind, sun, rain, etc. Which in turn sprouts another shoot, etc. Furthermore, this basic "treeness" pervades the entire tree. Another way to look at it, every branch of a tree is a sketch of a small tree itself, and every twig on that branch is another small sketch of a tree.

OK. Maybe too much philosophy going on here. They are just sketches, after all.

Korean War Memorial - State Capitol. 

Waiting for the dentist. Parking lot of HealthPartners at Como and Hwy 280. 

Stone bridge in Mears Park. Sixth and Sibley. 

Park Bridge - 4th and Sibley 

Little Tree

Little Tree... where Jackson meets the river. This was maybe the first comfortable day of the year.

Benny in the snow 

Benny and his rope toy 

Natalie at McCullough Park 

Benny sniffs his butt. 

Robert Street Lift Bridge.