Hey, Hey!

Ladies n Gents,

I'm starting a new blog. Please check here bloggy-blog for my new posts and don't forget to follow me!

Spaaaanks!

Bill

An attempt to draw something with context.  This is supposed to be Bill, at the butcher shop.

Linux

First commissioned piece since moving here. This is my first oil painting in YEARS! Erdem and I are currently in izmir with his aunt and uncle. This is a painting for them, commissioned by Erdem's parents. There are thousands of street cats in Turkey. I like to say there are wild cats because it sounds more fun. Anyway, there are loads of cute ones and plenty that are too scared of people to even be pet. Linux was the runt of a litter and was brought into the house because she was picked on by her siblings and was never able to get to the food bowls outside. Erdem's aunt felt she needed to protect her and that's just what she did.  Linux now lays around all day in a white arm chair. She is still scared of people at times and she has the funniest little face.

Another Beer, Please!

I've started to draw some people from the pazar and such. They are just that; drawings. My next step is to do quick sketches. It's been a while since I've focused on sketching, so I feel I've lost a little of my knack (if I ever had one).

There's been lots of Turkish studying, more eating (as you could have guessed), thinking about adventures outside the walls of the house ('business' first, adventure second), and the last bit of unpacking.  Oh! I also started an oil painting today. Might be my first in 5-6 years!

It appears there is a location just down the street, along the bay, that seems to constantly host late-week/weekend events. There was a stage set up last night, large blocks of freshly carved marble, and what Erdem labeled as "Turkish food trucks." The "food trucks" were not all quite set up when we saw them. They were basically white vans with makeshift propane stove tops extending out the back of the trunk.  Do van's have trunks? I don't know much about van terminology. They were just dirty white vans. Some of them even had ișkembe çorbası rotisserie (turkish tripe) built into back of the vehicles. At the time we saw all these neat things were running so we had no camera. I'm sure we will be seeing something like that again. Maybe even next week if we're lucky! 

Sewing Okra

Today I intended to bring my camera to the pazar. I wanted pictures of the people (and the gypsies). It's fun to see the "grocery cart" (aka. rolling basket that chinese women mow your feet over with in San Francisco's Chinatown) enter the pazar empty and come out swelling with fruits and vegetables. Some of the veggie tables are run by 10 year olds who scream out their wares in high pitched girly voices. They will yell in your ear if they have to, but it's fun to laugh at them since they don't understand english and the entire experience is fun. I appreciate their aggressiveness. It makes the pazar a unique place. You can find so many things at the market; fish, seasonal fruits n veggies, nuts, seeds, olives, cheeses, eggs, pickled goods, pastry doughs, fresh breads, tomato pastes, clothing, kitchen equipment, and much, much more. Of course those are things that can typically be found at the markets in California, but in Turkey, it is completely different. How could it be the same?

What the pazar really stimulates is the Turkish version of a sewing circle. That only happens upon the return home, though. Sometimes I want to dive in and other times the frustration of language barrier simply makes me want to hide.  Sometimes it's just as interesting enjoying it all from the sidelines.

Ink Experimentation

I've decided that I really, really enjoy using pen and ink for sketching. I have a load of nibs I've never used and the sensation of dragging a nib across paper while the metal tip spreads open and catches the fibers, has always reminded me of nails on a chalkboard. This is exactly why I've avoided it.

When I took character design with Dan Holland, he brought in his wonderful sketch books, filled to the brim with sketches that could inspire the least artistic person to draw. My most favorite of his sketches were done with pen and ink. This is why I began to experiment with the little nibs that lived a lonely life in a little box on my desk.

Here are two little pieces I did today.

ANLAMIYOR---- Fuck, what?

I left Berkeley at the end July, drove across several states until I reached Minnesota, and flew to Turkey on August 13. I have been in Turkey with my wonderful boyfriend, Erdem, for a little over a month now. To be clear, Erdem and I have lived in Berkeley for nearly 3 years and I didn't do any of the cross-country driving whatsoever. I simply tried to keep the cats calm and see how many different types of candies I could shove into my lazy body before we reached "The Ice Cream Capital of the World." The trip to Minnesota was planned specifically to transplant our cats into Erdem's brother's apartment. I can admit that I've had dreams of guilt, feeling that we had abandoned them. Now I just keep telling myself that the cats had their own vacation and are spending a year abroad as well.

I miss my friends and family, but there are plenty of things to distract me here.  I can HARDLY speak the language, nor understand it, though I am attempting to learn. It is difficult trying to be my own teacher while feeling guilty for constantly forcing Erdem to help me learn. I'm sure the basics will come in time and I appreciate his efforts (and also rely on them).

 As of today, all our belongings are finally in one place and soon to be unpacked. It's been too long. Too, too, long since I was feeling settled. Even the last month at home was chaotic and half our belongings had been put into storage at my parent's house, about an hour north from our little apartment in the bay area.

Tonight I am trying to get pumped up for some language studying tomorrow, and hopefully step out into the world and capture some of the hilarious turkish faces I've been seeing around town.  I know how that sounds, but I'm sure if any of the Turks here visited america, they'd be just as entertained.

Until my artist endeavors really start to snowball, here are a few little things I doodled the other week.

Also, check out Erdem's research! His blog is hilarious, entertaining, and very enlightening. You wont be disappointed at ALL. Pass it on/tweet/share if you can!
http://ieatwithmyhands.com/