LACO Persian Treasure

I went to an amazing show by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra called Persian Treasure. The performance featured Reza Vali’s concerto for the Persian ney and Mendelssohn’s “Reformation” Symphony. It's hard to describe the drama and excitement of the music, but here are some sketches I managed during the performance. Watercolors and Calligraphy Marker.

Tinariwen at the Temple Bar

What a rare treat. I bought Tinariwen's album from emusic about a month ago and have been listening to it since. By chance, I saw that they were in town, performing at the Temple Bar and knew I had to go. Here are some sketches from an amazing show. One sketch was injured by water, so he was redrawn as the third sketch in the top image. Calligraphy markers and watercolors.

Spiritual Sounds of Central Asia

Went to a show at UCLA's Royce Hall, featuring Alim Qasimov Ensemble, Badakhshan Ensemble and Bardic Divas. Felt good to draw at a show again. Calligraphy marker and watercolors.

Drawing in Cleveland

Here are sketches from a drawing session that I went to when I met up with fellow artist blogger Arvindh in Cleveland. I finally had a chance to scan them in. Watercolor and calligraphy marker.

Friends of Pakistan Eid Party

A few weeks ago, I went to the Friends of Pakistan Eid Party while visiting my parents in Ohio. There was a nice music program, so naturally I had to draw. I don't have the names of the musicians, except that the young singer on the harmonium was named Zeeshan and that was his sister on tanpura and I forget the name of the tabla player.

It was a really fun night. After these sketches, I did another one of two little cats that had been watching me closely as I did these. I'll post that if I can get a hold of a copy from their parents. :)

Buffalo, Heim Elementary and Sandhollow Court

Some might question why I would bother to stop in Buffalo. Well, I lived there as a kid, so on the way back from Toronto, I quickly stopped by my old house, and my elementary school (from 1st to 3rd grade) and the creek I used to go to sometimes. I was surprised by how much it seemed to look the same. That, and when you have tiny legs, distances seem much further than they are. I replaced the sky in the top one with another exposure I took for it and adjusted the second image to brighting the house a little.

Niagra Falls

I went to Niagara falls a bunch of times as a kid. Coming back from Toronto, I figured I'd drive round the long way, visit the falls and Buffalo thus driving all the way around Lake Erie.Here are some photos of the Canadian side of the falls. I didn't have much time. I was on a deadline to get the rental car back so I wouldn't get charged for an extra day that I really didn't need. That kinda made the day more exciting too.The first two are panoramas I quickly stitched together (as well as cleaned up) and the last two are regular photos.

Downtown Toronto by Day

I went in search of some small art galleries, didn't find them, but I did find some really interesting buildings, a cool flea market, the watercolor society's gallery (which was great!) and some cold winds.

Gerrard Street Toronto Part 2

Walked around some shops, and grabbed some gol gappas, samosas and kashmiri chai to finish off the night.

Gerrard Street Toronto Part 1

When I was a kid, living in Buffalo, NY for a few years, my family used to go up to Gerrard Street in Toronto for some desi goodness. Since I was in Toronto, I decided to go see if it looked anything close to the way my third grade mind had remembered it. It was much smaller than I remembered. I may have grown a little. The buildings in Toronto are beautiful at night, as seen from the freeway. I didn' get a chance to photograph them at night, but I had a lot of fun on Gerrard Street. I'm sure there would have been more people if it hadn't been as cold.

Going to Toronto

Started off to Toronto, from Toledo, Ohio at 5:30am. Stopped for gas in Detroit before sunrise..creepy and stinky too. Then off to the border areas in Ontario, Canada as the sun came up.

Cleveland Campus and a Random Church

Met up with Arvindh in Cleveland and checked out a college campus. They even have a Frank Gehry building on campus. The last one is a church I saw on the way to Cleveland.

Fiery Ohio Sunsets and Value Priced Produce

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens Part 3

Wow, this taking photos stuff is so much faster than sketching. Not as satisying though. I'll have more sketches soon.

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens Part 2

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens Part 1

Next we head over to the Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. It's a huge estate open to the public. The buildings had already closed, but we had just enough time to walk around the grounds.