My mother-in-law, Lucie, treated us to second row seats at the University’s Stevie Eller Dance Theatre’s opening season show of “Color Wheel”.  It’s a great show and a fabulous performance hall to watch the very talented UA Dance Ensemble take on six highly entertaining pieces ranging from the “Antique Epigraphs” choreographed by Jerome Robbins to five others conceived and choreographed by members of the School of Dance Faculty.
http://dance.arizona.edu/

The dancers were all captivating and the music consistently engaging through all six pieces.  The energy of these performances just begs for the listener to get involved.  Some people tap their feet, some nod, and I found it’s a great venue to draw blind.  With the lights down low, my eyes riveted on the dancers, the program on my lap, and a red pen, I tried capturing a bit of the movement and energy of some of the performances.  Since I couldn’t see the result until the lights came back up, it takes all the worry about how a sketch looks.  For a few minutes with my feet tapping and my pen skittering across the page, I felt like I was part of the performance.  As a commentator cites on the School’s web site: "Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I may not remember. Involve me and I'll understand."

This month marks the 4th anniversary of the tragic shooting in Tucson at Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ “Congress on your Corner” event at a local Safeway store.  Six people died that morning and 13 were wounded, including the Congresswoman.  The wounded were taken to the hospital where I work, University Medical Center, now known as the University of Arizona Medical Center.  Almost immediately after the first patients arrived, there were temporary mementoes deposited at the front lawn of the hospital, and subsequently at the Safeway store and the Congresswoman’s office.  My role in all this was as a hospital staff member who helped an administrative staff who were overwhelmed with the clinical, family, and media demands placed upon them and who needed someone to manage the growing memorials.  Now, after four years of dedication to this cause including membership with the January 8th Memorial Foundation Board as their president, enduring countless interviews, and offering endless presentations, I’ve decided to reflect on the meaning of memorials.

During all this time, it became apparent that spontaneous and yet temporary memorial gestures offer the community an opportunity to re-connect with those lost and to become part of a broader community spirit.  Like other tragedies, Tucson’s temporary memorials sought to reflect a community mandate to transform grief into something permanent and meaningful for the survivors and for the community who felt that their community deserved to have a lasting memorial.  Over the past few years there were many memorials developed for individuals lost and wounded that day.  However, the Tucson community still expected a central permanent memorial to celebrate the community’s response to the tragedy, to remember those lost and wounded, and to recall the importance of local and individual access to our government’s representatives and institutions.  After many meetings and consultations with survivors, political leaders, and community representatives, our Tucson memorial planning has brought the focus to Tucson’s government center to create an appropriate memorial at the historic Pima County Courthouse where it intersects with Tucson’s central gathering space, El Presidio Park.

As our Board and many passionate volunteers continue to work on fund-raising, designer selection, and all the details required to create a suitable memorial, I am continually amazed at how much hard work, time, and money it takes to create memorials.  I often wonder if those who deposited a bouquet of flowers, a personal card, a stuffed toy animal, or some personal memento during those early days of grief had any idea of the rippling cause and effect their simple gesture would create.

The world is filled with memorials created for many purposes, but during my visits and talks with memorial representatives, I have had a chance to reflect on a few common themes.  Close to home is the Yarnell 19 Memorial in Prescott, Arizona that has created a variety of memorial projects to remember the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots who lost their lives fighting a wildfire on Yarnell Hill.  Flowers, firefighting gear, and other mementoes have been incorporated into a Tribute Fence, a preservation project in the Prescott Public Library, a marathon in Tucson, and an on-line memorial.  However no one will ever forget the image of those 19 empty firefighters’ boots and gear during the memorial service.

The Oklahoma City Memorial honors the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were affected by the Oklahoma City bombing at a Federal office complex on April 19, 1995 with a museum, an annual marathon, and a remarkable “Outdoor Symbolic Memorial” that has become one of the city’s top tourist visitation sites.  Its lasting image is of the empty chairs to recall the lost lives that day.

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island in New York City is an example of a memorial that took more than 70 years to develop and for some time was nearly forgotten.  It is now a four-acre memorial to Franklin D. Roosevelt that celebrates the Four Freedoms he articulated in his 1941 State of the Union address.  It was designed by the architect Louis Kahn, who was carrying the finished designs with him when he died in 1974.  His vision of creating an outdoor room and garden is a hauntingly silent place of personal and urban reflection with a clear view of the United Nations building and Manhattan across the East River.  Its lasting image is a monumental yet quiet and reflective space between the frentic urban communities of Queens and Manhattan.

Of course no current reflection of memorials can be without reference to the 9/11 Memorial and its related memorials in Washington and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania where Flight 93 was brought down by heroic passengers.  The 9/11 memorial in lower Manhattan is clearly without peer in terms of scale and impact with two massive and unforgettable square fountains that recall the missing twin towers and the adjacent 9/11 Memorial Museum with a seemingly endless line of visitors waiting patiently to experience the various memorials and tributes underground.  While experiencing the countless fire trucks, building remnants, and ceremonial artifacts in the 9/11 Memorial Museum, I became numb with the unbelievable loss of life, families affected, and property literally demolished.  However it was a simple audio recording that I heard in one of the many chambers of the museum that brought my emotions literally to a head.  Amongst all the exhibits, this recording of a firefighter talking to a fellow firefighter on a radio during the many rescue efforts that morning was one of the more powerful remembrances that most of the firefighters that went into those buildings never returned.

Many wars have spawned countless memorials, but a memorial that continues to resonate world-wide after 95 years is the World War I annual remembrance reflected in the poem “In Flanders Field” by the Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.

Although there are many lasting tributes to the war, including Sir Edwin Lutyen’s Cenotaph at Whitehall, London, it is the reference in the poem to the red poppies which grew over the graves of fallen soldiers that has become the anthem for “Remembrance Day”.

Regardless of the tragedy or the resulting memorial, it is often the simple gestures that endure.  Of course different tributes affect each of us differently, but who would have thought that a discarded poetic reference to red poppies would become the lasting tribute to the 37 million dead and wounded of World War I.  Of course the many other memorial sculptures, parks, museums, and other tributes are important.  However wouldn’t the ultimate memorial tribute be the end of wars, the cessation of meaningless shootings by deranged individuals, or the end to whatever tragedy that becomes memorialized?  Memorials are important elements of any enduring community that experiences tragedy.  While they take an extraordinary amount of work and resources to develop, they do not stop tragedies from occurring.  But they do bring a focus to a community spirit and they remind us that there is some meaning to often senseless tragedies.

I do not expect our Tucson memorial to end senseless shootings, but I do see a community spirit that endures across a diverse spectrum of political beliefs.  We have not yet found our red poppy, but I suspect that it will emerge as we engage designers to help us bring together a community vision.

Oscar Wilde postulated that “Life imitates Art far more often than Art imitates Life” (“The Decay of Lying”, Intentions 1891).  I’ll postulate that Mr. Wilde would have plenty to say about the relationship of art and life after a visit to Northern New Mexico.  We recently returned to Albuquerque and Santa Fe after a 20 year absence, and during our long drive from Southern Arizona, we had time to reflect on art, life, and this remarkable landscape.

After crossing the Arizona / New Mexico border, we entered the open expanse of the Rio Grande valley.  Life along this corridor has not changed much since we left, and it still looks haggard and difficult with endlessly grand vistas worn down by constant dry winds and infrequent rain.  Yet the Rio Grande still manages to work its way down from snow melt in Colorado in spite of everyone’s efforts to tap its waters.  Unlike other landscapes  with more frequent rain and lush greenery on river valley slopes, this landscape is a raw and colorful blend of bare geology, vast skies, and scrubby plants.  When we finally arrived in Albuquerque we could readily see the typical sprawling growth into the sceneries that we had hoped would remain pristine.  However unlike other desert cities it still has a live river weaving through its urban core.

In spite of the growth at Albuquerque’s edges, the city has continued to put life back into its once neglected downtown, Old Town, and its historic districts.  We experienced a corner of this revitalized energy during our stay at the restored Hotel Parq on Central Avenue (formerly Route 66) that was once the hospital for the employees of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company.  The rooftop bar (the “Apothecary” with a suitable hospital aesthetic) had grand views of the Sandia Mountains to the east that reflect the watermelon colored sunsets, the endless vista of the west plateau, and the still green path of the Rio Grande.  We used to live near the river many years ago so our first priority was to return to its banks and its many irrigation acequias (ditches) for a restorative sketching reunion.  In spite of all the urban and agricultural pressures on the Rio Grande throughout its progression, the river still manages to flow in the heart of Albuquerque and echo with the call of birds along the river's path.

Our second priority was to reconnect with the remarkable cuisine of New Mexico that is as distinct as its landscapes.  We enjoyed many new variations of New Mexican cuisine including a lunch time reunion with our favorite local fast-food chain, “Stufy’s” which still serves a perfect blend of carne adovada in a stuffed sopapilla.  The busy but friendly waitress admonished us for being absent for so long and suggested we not wait another 20 years before returning.  We found an endless choice of new restaurants and local foods including boutique donut shops such as “Rebel Donuts” in Albuquerque and the equally extraordinary “Whoo’s Donuts” in Santa Fe.

After a couple days in Albuquerque, we ventured north and enjoyed the landscape changes as we travelled from the stark desert of the lower Rio Grande valley and entered a landscape with hardy green dabs of piñon and juniper amongst colorful geological backdrops.  Outside of Santa Fe in the Pueblo de Cochiti, we visited the Tent Rocks National Monument with its towering spires of pumice, ash, and tuff topped with hard rock cones.  We hiked the slot canyon and did a few sketches of the rock formations before setting off to Santa Fe.

Santa Fe is touted as the “City Different”.  Unfortunately, it has also suffered from too much admiration for its differences with the pervasive growth of unoccupied suburban vacation houses in the city’s hillsides.  Still, the tiny city has managed to hold on to a walkable urban core with tight streets, vibrant shops, galleries, museums, and of course an international selection of restaurants.  Again, people may first think of Santa Fe as the place for art, but it is equally the place for a unique cuisine blending local ingredients and international styles.  During our morning walk down the infamous Canyon Road with all of its expensive art galleries and numerous “plunk” art bronzes, and it is still amazing how this tiny corner of New Mexico has attracted so many artists and an equal number of people interested in art.  Everybody seems to be involved in art - even our bartender at the Inn on Alameda was a talented abstract painter from New York City.  The Museum of Art is a veritable theme park of pueblo style architecture containing the many interpretations of Northern New Mexico’s landscapes.  Each successive gallery in the city owes a debt to the museum and the city’s founders who promoted a building style and an idea of a colony for artists.

Needing an escape from all these artistic interpretations, we took off for a hike to see if we could actually get into the landscape that drew so many people to the area.  Although not easy to find and often obscured by too many empty homes, we managed to find a trail that provided a refreshing reconnection to the pine forest.  Further upstream, we rediscovered the Santa Fe River in the Nature Conservancy’s Canyon Preserve where nature is still attempting to hold off the pressures of growth from all the people wanting to live and experience Santa Fe's artist colony.

One artist who answered the call to this region was Georgia O’Keefe who toured, painted, and eventually lived among some of the most remarkable landscapes of the region.  An hour drive north and far from the crowds in Santa Fe, we experienced a very special blend of her life and art.  As we drove past ill-fated communities and misplaced casinos we entered a region of classic Northern New Mexico vistas where human developments have faded and the landscape is still distinctive.  Under a spectacular blue sky with mountainous clouds, we joined the Georgia O’Keefe “Landscape Tour” at Ghost Ranch where the docents of the “Education & Retreat Center” lead a special tour of Georgia O’Keefe’s art as viewed in the places where she actually painted.  Here in the country that is often referred to as “O’Keefe Country”, there is no other gallery experience that shows the connection between art, life and landscape than here.
http://ghostranch.org/georgia-okeeffe/okeeffe-tours/

…a great local Mexican-American artist…best known for his renderings of small Southwestern and Mexican villages and the downtown Tucson barrios that were destroyed during the urban renewal of the 1960s, as well as for his desert landscapes. His work has been described as “lighthearted and nostalgic, yet ornamented with honest realism.”

If you’ve been to San Xavier Mission, you’ve experienced his skills. He helped in the restoration. His mural commissions include St. Mary’s Hospital, Casa Molina North restaurant and the offices of Surgical Associates. His work also graces the private collections of many prominent Tucsonans and of former first lady Pat Nixon. Many charitable groups have raised funds by auctioning paintings donated by Romo.

Post Blog - February 2015:

Here is an image from a recent posting from Mary Hess. Thank you Mary for sharing this delightful watercolor with us!

Post Blog - August 2015:

Nancy Alexander Koff has also contributed another Al Romo painting.  This one is titled on the back: "San Ignacio" Kino Mission in Sonora near Magdalena, Mexico - Romo '73. Thank you Nancy for sharing another Al Romo treasure with us!

Post Blog - May 2016:

Here is another of Al Romo's treasures found in a Tubac, Arizona estate sale by Hilda Dorgan.  The subject should be easily recognizable to all as the San Xavier Mission historic Spanish Catholic mission located about 10 miles south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O'odham San Xavier Indian Reservation.  Thank you Hilda for sharing this with us!

Post Blog - June 2019:
Here's another Al Romo watercolor for us to admire.  The image was contributed by Ray Tartar who offered the following comment in his post: "......his choice of brighter colors and the skies that are so well done."  Thank you Ray for sharing this beautiful watercolor with us!

UPDATE: September 2019
Remarkably, I continue to get emails of inquiry and thanks for the Al Romo article (Blog).  It is certainly the most popular article I have posted based on all the emails I've received since the original posting in March 2014.  Al was clearly a beloved artist in Southern Arizona and this poster I received from "Sue's Laptop" is one of the more touching memories of his time creating art.  The note from Sue indicates that the solo retrospective had a dual purpose: to raise funds for the restoration of the historic San Pedro Chapel in the Old Fort Lowell Historic District and to help Al with his "retirement fund".  According to Sue it was a successful event and "a fabulous example of community support."

I've also attached a snapshot of one of the Al Romo paintings that she bought at the event - titled: "Home of Magdelana".

​Thanks Sue for sharing the information about Al's community support and a couple of his paintings.

Greece trip: September 2009

 “I don’t think one becomes an artist, I believe if one is an artist, he or she knows it. The challenge is believing that you are an artist and becoming the artist you know you can be.”
Chuck Albanese, FAIA
http://albaneseart.com/

When travelling and sketching, I am always reminded of a one of the most memorable trips with Charles (Chuck) and Claire Albanese.  Chuck and his wife Claire started a University of Arizona program that allowed them to spend summers in Europe, mostly Italy and Greece, with countless students in tow doing sketches and watercolors.

These trips became famous for all the great places to visit and the opportunity to be taught by a great watercolorist.  For years, Lindy and I wanted to take the time to join these infamous  trips, but we could never find the time.

Finally in 2009, we learned that the Albanese’s were planning
another  trip to Greece, so we signed up.  We soon learned
that the trip included a remarkable collection of former
architecture students, friends, colleagues, and even some of Chuck and Claire’s relatives. It was more fun than we
could ever imagine, and it provided us with the time, and most importantly, the mentor to create lots of watercolors in sketchbook diaries. The trip also connected us to some life-time friends who still get together to reminisce about the trip.

Before we left and throughout our travels, Chuck constantly
encouraged us to sketch and paint constantly.  He showed us some of the most inspirational settings imaginable and also how to enjoy the ordinary in special ways.  He conducted daily classes,
often at a perfect outdoor plaza or coffee bar.  Although Chuck’s work could intimidate most students, his carefree approach and relaxed teaching style brought out the best in his
students. 

As I look back on our sketches 4 years later, I am pleasantly surprised that while we never could pull off a Chuck painting, we did create a few sketches that reflect the fun and spirit of our travels through some of Greece’s most famous places.

Some Greece memories include:

• Starting the trip while wildfires bore down on Athens.
• Beer, sketching, late night jazz, and Naxos harbor swimming with Guy Mancuso and his wife Kay (Chuck’s sister).
• Roof top parties with views of the Acropolis.
• Hot days and cool swims.
• Carrying Kim Acorn and his luggage after he broke his ankle swimming at Kolymbithres beach – he received excellent healthcare throughout the trip!
• An incredible casa of our own at Hotel Kavalari in Santorini with an upstairs
  bedroom loft and views of the Santorini caldera’s blue waters.
• Snorkeling in the Santorini caldera.
• Santorini sketch at a cliffside café with 15 euro “cactus juice! Sketch was not worth that much.
• Chuck and Claire constantly adjusting travel arrangements with poise and patience.
• Drawing boats using Chuck’s “moustache boat” approach.
• Realizing that while each island experience was special, the experience got better with
  each island – Mykonos was surprisingly the island most filled with tourists and  commercialism, but the most picturesque.
• Experiencing “Paradise Beach” on
  Mykonos.
• The red and blue balcony street in Mykonos.
• Lost in the narrow streets of Mykonos, but always finding great food.
• Final days in Athens and a final lunch at the Benaki Museum café.

Thanks Chuck and Claire for letting us join the Albanese
tribe!


[For more Greece sketches see "Past Travels"]

Earl Thollander’s “Back Roads…” books are informative, fun,
and artistically inspired.  As an Arizona native, I always enjoyed re-reading his “Back Roads of Arizona” book but he did many “Back
Road…” books including travels through New England, Texas, and the Carolinas. Each one filled with quick travel sketches of familiar places rendered in a unique spontaneous style.

His onsite sketches of scenery, animals, and people are constant
reminders that you can see more if you slow your pace and take some time to look carefully at the fine grain of places overlooked.

I corresponded with Earl for a short time and managed to acquire
a couple of his Arizona sketches before he passed away in 2001. 
Even his letters were an inspiration with his quick style of writing on a note page that was mostly filled with a large sketch.

Earl’s travel sketches were done with a simple set of tools – an old Rapidograph pen, a fountain pen, or my favorite for the variety of lines was his hand carved bamboo pen dipped in India ink.  Color was usually added afterward.  His family has created a valuable web site that has a good biography and samples of
his work.  He was a prolific illustrator of many books, but his travel
sketches are what inspired me to take a sketch book whenever I travel.

Earl’s web site is at:
http://earlthollander.com/index.html








Here is a list of Earl Thollander’s “Back Road…” series of books:
Back Roads of California
Back Roads of Washington: 74 Trips on Washington's Scenic
Byways Earl Thollander's San Francisco: 30 Walking Tours from the Embarcadero to the Golden Gate
Back Roads of Oregon
Back Roads of New England
Back Roads of Arizona
Back Roads of the Carolinas
Back Roads of Texas
Back Roads to the California Coast: Scenic Byways and Highways to the Edge of the Golden State
Arizona's Scenic Byways
Sunset Back Roads of California
Barns of California: A collection

My watercolour sketches actually started when Lindy signed us up for a weekend workshop with Kath Macauley to do “pocket sketches” (see http://pocketsketching.com).  Kath conducted a fun but brilliant workshop that demonstrated a truly quick approach to doing travel sketches.  Not only did she have a simple technique for quick sketches, but she had the whole kit figured out.  She used a small 6 x 9 inch sketchbook that worked well with felt tip pens and watercolors, a Pilot Razor Pen, the Winsor & Newton Water Colour Compact Set, two plastic film canisters for the watercolour brush, and her specially designed kit that holds everything and also becomes a tummy pack for holding the sketchbook.

Everything was so well thought out and compact - I was hooked!  The other trick that she introduced to us was the concept of letting a felt pen bleed and using that bleeding technique for effect.  Below I've attached examples of her work.

She is a remarkable teacher and I highly recommend her web site and her classes – she makes everyone feel talented and special.

If you have an opportunity to take one of her classes, you will not only learn how to do quick sketches, but you will also learn great teaching
techniques.  Look at the image below from our class with Kath. 
She is celebrating a student’s work by placing it in a frame.  How special is that!

Kath’s web site is at:
http://pocketsketching.com/

Well that depends…for me, I spell it using the British addition of
the “u” to acknowledge the influence of my wife’s watercolours and her schooling in British schools.  Lindy has been doing simple watercolours for many years, and I always watched her pulling out one of her many watercolour kits to capture a landscape.  Although I loved watching her paint quick travel sketches, I kept to my pen sketches with color pencils.  Watercolours just looked complicated, time-consuming, and awkward for traveling.  After all, it required special paper, brushes, numerous paint, and water!   I could not imagine introducing water, brushes, and wet paint to this
effort.  Although, Lindy claims she is not an artist, she perseveres with her quick watercolour sketches with wonderful results.  I love her approach and her sheer joy of doing travel sketches.  In spite of a lifelong insistence that she is not an artist, my humble opinion is that she makes art.

Thank you Lindy - you continue to inspire me (and influence my spelling) after nearly 35 years!