traveljournals

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Did a study of Teto from "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" manga. This is based on a panel from Volume 1. Worked out the sketch on paper then traced it and did the final adjustments in Procreate.

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  More typography mail art. Saw this font in Graffiti Alphabets by Claudia Walde. Done with colored pencils and liners.

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  Experimenting with typography on latest outgoing snail mail. Done with gouache and colored pencils.

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Did notation and mini illustration for a beautiful Luz de Agua song I like based on a poem by Juan L. Ortiz. Notation probably not 100% correct but at least readable. 😂 Sending this out as mini mail art.

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Stunning incoming snail mail from Taiwan this week with jade objects on stamps and beautiful calligraphy. How great is that beast pendant (from Warring period, 475-221 BCE)!

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Incoming snail mail! I love it when people send me old stamps like these, and, Japanese stamps are my favorite.

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Brooklyn Botanic Garden, May 23, 2025

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Travel Journal: Vienna - Day One (April 21, 2025)

8:33 am: Just arrived and this beautiful plane tree is welcoming me to Vienna. It is my first time here and I just had to stop a take a photo of it while I am finding my way to the hotel.

Vienna is all about building details.

After a brief nap post transatlantic flight, it is time to explore the city. Turns out I arrived on a national holiday - Easter Monday. :) I had no idea and was surprised at how quiet the streets were in the morning. However, Easter markets are popular around this time and, luckily, they are still running on this last day of Easter so I found one to visit.

If I were to sketch what represents Vienna to me, it would have to be building statues like this.

Picked up a mini city guide and started following the route. Thought that this location was something else, got kind of lost for a bit and only later figured out where/what this actually is - The Votivkirche (Votive Church).

The City Hall

I am a bit early for rose blooms but this big rose garden near the Hofburg palace will be so beautiful soon.

I have a suspicion that many park and city planners around the world were copying Vienna - a small park building with columns seems to be a common feature of many parks I grew up and lived next to. Vienna, meanwhile, might be copying other famous parks.

I can only get vegan hazelnut ice cream in Europe, so could not resist one today. Sat down for a second to enjoy it and take in the view and here is what stood out: lots of horse carriages in the city center, nice to see people dressed up, and white fluff of some kind of tree is flying around like snow but did not come out on the photo.

St. Stephen's Cathedral - the symbol of Vienna. Mozart got married here and for a few years lived just around the corner.

And here is Mozart's apartment where he lived for couple of years with his wife. It is right behind the main square so even in Mozart's time was very expensive to rent. This door used to be a backdoor and Mozart's apartment is the second floor. I did not go to the museum but bought some postcards and a notebook from the store inside. I will end up walking here multiple times daily on my trip to avoid the crowds on the main square and also in hopes that I will step on the same cobblestone spot where Mozart maybe walked.

Window shopping is always fun.

Vienna State Opera building. It is 5pm now but I am still determined to start Rick Steve "Vienna Walking Tour" in the guide book. Learning a lot of interesting factoids thanks to it. :) For example, this opera house never plays the same opera two days in a row.

Back at the hotel and found the stairwell hoping to avoid the wait for the elevator. It is beautiful and the ceilings are so high but so stinky! Garbage disposal must be right below. Will have to avoid it.

That is all for day one. Stay tuned for day two...

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I've been experimenting with washi sticker paper, so for this outgoing postcard I made a thin washi tape and drew a cat that I saw on a sticker sheet by pion2015 on Instagram.

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Faith Wilding’s Waiting performance. So powerful.

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Just finished decorating a postcard with this a silly-looking bird based on Maria Prymachenko's "Storks in Polissia" (1981). I used ink an gouache. The card will be heading to Kiev, Ukraine. Safe travels!

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Bigfoot sighting in Brooklyn.

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Italy/Turkey Trip, Spring 2024: Day One - Milan

I landed in Italy in the early morning of April 24th. First memorable impression from that morning was on the bus from the airport to Milan as all of the sudden we passed through some very foggy areas, however, once the bus arrived in the city, it was nice and sunny.

After a short nap, my first destination was the special exhibit of Pierro della Francesca at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum - a small exhibit but still a good introduction to the artist. Something about the way he painted faces and exquisite details resulted in masterpieces and very unique style.

Saint John the Evangelist (1468 - 69)

Saint Apollonia (1454-1469) - what an unusual theme that I haven't encountered in art before (Saint Apollonia had her teeth pulled out or shattered as part of her torture).

Now, some art from the rest of the museum - many artists represented in it are from Milan or Lombardy.

The Virgin and Child (1505 -1510) by Abmrogio da Fossano (Bergognone)

Guess who this redhead is by Marco d'Oggiono painted around 1510? It is Christ as a child. :)

The Virgin and Child with the Lamb (circa 1515) by Cesare de Sesto.

Another curious subject - The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (circa 1522 - 1525) by Bernardino Luini.

This one (The Virgin and Child, circa 1485 -1490) is particularly stunning and looks like a mix of Botticelli and Da Vinci to me but is actually by Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio who worked in Da Vinci's studio.

I loved looking at the outfits in this wood carving of The Marriage of the Virgin (circa 1520 - 1525) by Giovan Angelo del Maino.

Several rooms had this type of decoration by the ceiling, which was common at the time. I wonder what it is called.

Spent some time by the set of cabinets from 1619 - 1620 depicting various interesting subject like maps of the places I was visiting on this trip. I will repost the Venice map again later and show the exact location of my hotel.

And here is the part celebrating the conquest of Americas with Magellan, Vespucci and Columbus depicted:

Not by Italian but is a very famous image of Martin Luther and his wife Katharina von Bora (circa 1529) by Lucas Cranach. These were reproduced multiple times and shown in different cities during preaching.

Self Portrait (1558) by Sofonisba Anguissola. Finally, this and other Italian Renaissance female artists are getting the recognition they deserve with various exhibits throughout the world.

I find Venetian haircuts hilarious. Here is one from circa 1502 by Andrea Previtali (Cordeliagnhi) with scull painted in the back of the panel. Inscription says "This is the beauty, this is the form that remains. This law is the same for all."

One more Venetian haircut by unknown Venetian painter of the 15th century.

And here is Botticelli that leaves one speechless. The Virgin and the Child (Madonna of the Book), 1480/1481

1610 clock with a cat chariot!

Some funny helmets.

There is a fountain by the grand staircase. I feel bad for these fish - they never see sunlight.

I am done with this museum - have a few more stops to make. Took an obligatory selfie with Duomo. It is hard to take a good photo in the sun and I also skipped sleep last night as I was on the plane. Afterwards, stopped by an ice cream place I've been to before for some vegan pistachio ice cream.

Exploring new-to-me streets and squares and stumbling into details like this. Next goal - finding the botanical garden next to Brera Gallery.

Mission accomplished - nice to be surrounded by trees and nature.

Last trip in Milan we stayed next to this square (Piazza del Carmine). I walked around Brera neighborhood a bit as I wanted to see it again and then made a quick stop by Sforzesco Castle and park that I also know from past trips. Afterwards, it was time to head back to the hotel and then go to a vegan restaurant for dinner. Leaving for Venice early next morning.