Drawing the Rosengracht

In the morning, I had a cappucinno at the corner cafe and drew a street scene of the Rosengracht facing the opposite direction that I'd drawn it from before. The drawing became a wrestling match, and by the end of it, I felt like I had lost. Everyone in the cafe enjoyed it and even brought it back into the kitchen to show the line cooks. I knew I would have to try the drawing again. 

I met with Josine at noon to visit the studio of a sculptor, Carlos Granger. It was wuite a pleasure to see his studio, and some insight on how he creates his art. We moved sculptures around to figure out their best arrangement for Carlos' upcoming show. 

After the studio visit Carlos, Josine and I sat down for drinks at a nice bar by the water. We talked about art theory and education. 

Upon riding my bicycle back to the house, I went out for a secind drink at the cafe on the corner, to try my hand at drawing the street scene that I'd attempted in the morning. The second attempt felt much more natural, but I used so much conte and smudging, that the final drawing came out a bit dark and muddy. I am excited to try drawing it again. 

Dunia, Anna, and I shared good conversation about political dynamics in Russia. I relished their insight.  The conversation led us to stories and experiences of our travels. Conversation was natural and fun. I really enjoy having friends in the house. 

I had a great evening in the studio, with Dunia and Anna in company. I made good progress with my large painting, and am having a blast bringing it back from abstraction, where I left it the night before. I will take much more time on this one I believe. 

Tomorrow morning, I will visit Henk Hage in his studio in Nijmegen, to learn about some of his thoughts on watercolor painting.