Freiburg

21dec2017 Terrence

17dec2017

When your barista looks a little like Che Guevara...

13dec2017 Jakarta

12dec2017

10dec2017

8dec2017

7dec2017

4dec2017

3.dec.2017

2dec2017

on 2nd Street in Long Beach

Enjoyed hanging out with my daughter on 2nd Street a few days ago, as she works across from this flower shop in Long Beach. Thanksgiving was very nice, and so good to be with our family.

mr. spoons

Bern, Switzerland

Short Stories

Every story is different, but we all have them. I'm very happy with mine, but it had a rough start, which I suppose made me the person I am in some ways. Can you look at your life as a story? What is your story telling? Are you living for yourself, or have you learned that life is so much more than that? Our lives are all short stories, but some are shorter than others. I went to a funeral today for someone whose story was short, but it was a story of God's grace, so it was truly good.

Mixed Media Sketch

I'm trying out a new kind of paper- mixed media from Strathmore. I think I like it, as it's much easier to draw on with a fine pen, and it still holds watercolor.

Studies 3

Raining in Beaune

Kathmandu

I long to go back some day.

Professor gone ape

Kikku Japanese in Fresno

For lunch yesterday, I tried out Kikku's in Fresno. I met a friend down there and noticed right away this is a popular lunch spot. Try #19 on the menu, the spicy chicken plate. I should have ordered that, but went for the pot stickers instead, which were great, but nothing like the chicken. Styrofoam plates were no big deal. Everyone was there for a power lunch, then back to work.

Utility Truck

Tulare & N Street

Had a good lunch downtown today. Here's the scene outside of Kikkus Japanese restaurant. Beautiful day, good lunch, some good meetings- can't complain.

Music Man

Big news from my son last night. He auditioned for a band and was chosen to play with an opening band for a big name in the UK next spring. He's very excited, and we are for him.

Missing the kids

When your kids pack up and move out of the house, they leave behind years of memories and the knowledge that life is a gift from God, and sometimes all we can do is sit down and close our eyes and say thank you.

Buster Keaton sketch

Saturday Sketch

Hier stehe Ich

What are you nailing to the door? What are your convictions? Are you concerned about what is politically correct, or are you grounded in your beliefs? Martin Luther's ideas were contrary to those who could take his life, but he resolved to stand by his convictions, even if it meant his own peril.

Waiting

MadeWhite

Imagine whiteness. Purity. Goodness. In a world where are sick of seeing darkness, there is truly goodness. But it's not self-generated. It's not hammered into us from the outside. It's not just visualized or meditated into existence. It is given freely any gift you would give your own child. It was sacrificially paid for once and for all, for all people, for all time, past, present, and future. And we are declared white, a mystery experienced by those who move to accept it.

My son, the night skater

My son called today to talk about some things going on at college. So great to hear that he's doing well up there. I decided to do a sketch of him before he cut his hair, skating late at night like he loves to do, out there for a couple hours, losing track of time, coming home covered in sweat. We miss that guy. But he's doing well, and loving his classes and new friends. Great to see that. There's no greater joy than seeing your kids walking the right path, living in the light.

Jost Hall

A sketch tonight of Jost Hall, where I work every day, just behind that clump of trees on the right. I'm very happy to be at Fresno Pacific University, and it's hard to believe I'm closing in on five months there.

Truck Stories

Busy days, but those are good. Made sure to take time to sketch this truck. Met with a friend today who lost his wife to cancer a few years back and now one of his young daughters is fighting it. I find his faith a powerful testimony of God's grace. He smiles and tells me that he trusts God, and that every person he gives us is a gift, but we don't know how long we have the gift. It's our role to love them while they are with us. And, there was a conversation with someone in the office today. Last week she flipped her car out on a country road and landed right side up in a reservoir. The water was 20 feet deep and the car began to sink, but she couldn't get the doors to open from the pressure of the water, or the sunroof to open. She was finally able to lower one of the windows just enough to squeeze out and swim to safety before the car went down. She was thankful to God her life was spared. Every day is a God-given gift, and I want to be thankful for each one.

Fulton Street is back

This guy was a patient husband, waiting for his wife to get a haircut. Meanwhile, Fulton Street is back open after many years. I went downtown and sketched the umbrella snack cart to celebrate.

U Street - Mariposa Fresno

Here's a sketch of the Universal Church in Fresno on U Street and Mariposa. My wife is in Hawaii, heading to Canada tonight, then back to Hawaii in a couple days. She'll get a chance to see our son up at college while she's in Canada, so I'm a bit jealous. Our kids are doing well, which makes us happy, but we do miss being all together. God has been good to us these past years, through all of the transitions, and we hang on tight to his consistent love, because everything else in life changes, and will continue to change.

Fresno Philharmonic

Today was the first performance of Rei Hotada as the new Music Director  of the Fresno Philharmonic, and we had front row seats for the event. It was fantastic. She was full of energy, spunky, and I think everyone was excited to have her. The "New Era Dance" was her first piece, and it was funky, but very loud and bold. The piano concerto by Natasha Paremski was outstanding and everyone jumped to their feet after her last note.

Dallas Willard

"You can live opposite of what you profess, but you cannot live opposite of what you believe." Whatever you believe about God or about yourself, or about life after death- your beliefs will determine how you live. And your beliefs are dependent on your knowledge, what you know to be true. Or at least, what you think is true. A person can think something is true and be completely wrong. His actions, then, being results of his beliefs, will be wrong actions because they are not based on reality, but on false thinking. The important thing, then, is to know reality, so that you can live in reality.

TobyMac / Honest Abe

Bean Sprouts

I saw these guys working in Jakarta- it looked like they were working with bean sprouts, barrels and baskets of them, mixing by hand, vigorously, adding clean water, then more water, storing. I really have no idea of the process, but it looked like hard work. The area where they were working was in a dark, cool area, tucked away from the main road. The bean sprouts looked to be ready to add to a salad.

Shipyard

I would say I definitely have a different schedule these days. Both of our kids are out of the house, and although it is sad to not have them with us, we are happy with them for their independence. At the same time, my wife is in her busiest season of the year, traveling for her university, which means it's just me and the dog at home. This gives me extra time to work if I want, draw, play the piano, exercise, read, whatever- even cook, why not... Maybe that's something else I can learn. I put some water in a pot, added a potato, then a beet, some a couple cloves of garlic, some chunks of ginger, some leeks, and a few strips of bacon and squirts of hot sauce. Turned out fantastic. Maybe I've got cook in me after all.

Another Jakarta sketch

Here's a second installment of Jakarta, a view from the river side of the community.

Tangerang - Jakarta, Indonesia

On my last day in Jakarta, I visited this painted section of town, and was quickly enveloped by the people of this neighborhood. We happened upon it by accident, actually, but it turns out it is quite a famous little spot. I was given a tour of the area, introduced to a local artist, had a phone greeting from someone like the mayor, and escorted around to each of the houses and murals. From what I could understand, it sounds like a local mosque donated funds, along with a paint company, and this once very run down part of town was completely revitalized.

Vancouver Chinatown

Here's a little scene from a couple weeks ago in Vancouver, in the Chinatown section of town. I spent a little time wandering around, looking over the shops full of dried goods, and mulling through some of souvenir joints. This is the kind of thing I am attracted by- the little details with stories of intrigue. It reminds me of a few spots in Sicily that I would have liked to set up and sketch, had I time. The little balconies with a string of shirts drying and a satellite dish. Nothing fancy; just the signs of humanity that you find all over the world.

Be Vigilant

Packing for Jakarta

Getting ready to fly to Jakarta next week. Very happy for the opportunity.