in print

Guess whose winning Fluevog Creative ad is in this month's issues of BUST, Inked, and FILTER magazines? That's right! Many, many thanks for all your votes— we did it!

spring?

Just when I thought winter had ended,
the sun ran off and took its warmth with it.

calling all artists of istanbul!

How would you like to draw on an island with me and fifty Spanish artists?
Is there a better way to spend a Sunday? Perhaps, but what a unique and fun opportunity to meet other artists and get your sketch on!

Please join me for an art-filled afternoon on Büyükada this coming Sunday.

When: Sunday, March 28 2010
Where: Kabataş Iskelesi
Time: 10:15

We will be taking the Büyükada ferry at 10:30— don't be late!
Bring loads of pens, paper and pencils.

no ordinary sunday

It's the first day of Spring!
What better way to celebrate than with a nice breakfast of buttered toast with honey, black olives, fried hellim cheese and a big mug of English Breakfast tea? Maybe... oh I don't know, paint portraits of pigeons?


As many of you know, I love pigeons. I find these overlooked and often despised birds to be beautiful and fascinating creatures. They have such marvellous shapes and colours— truly, is there anything more lovely than the heart-shaped curve of a pigeon's shoulders? I love watching the males twirling around in their silly, unappreciated mating dances, their tails fanned out like a matador's cape, charging unimpressed and fickle females. I love their gentle cooing as they snuggle up together on a branch or window ledge. Yes, I adore the pigeon, and have been honouring these humble birds in pencils, ink and paint, for a very long time.


I was thrilled to discover that Turks have a passion for pigeons as well. I have never seen such clean and healthy-looking pigeons in a city! Piles of stale bread scattered in grass or on the side of the road are a common sight, and birdseed sellers can be easily found along the Bosphorus walkway or in parks. If you examine the sides of buildings and the upper branches of trees, you might even see beautiful little houses constructed especially for these birds.

Once, as I was walking down Istiklal street, someone's yellow lab decided to take a bite out of a frightened pigeon he had been tormenting. Within seconds, people were scolding the dog's owner and forming a human barrier around the bird, and a woman swept its trembling little body into her arms and began whispering to it, as though trying to comfort a child. When I asked her if the pigeon was harmed, she told me she was taking it to the vet, and would care for it until it was well enough to fly away. Needless to say, this warmed my heart.

A couple of weeks ago, I walked by a colleague of mine's desk and noticed a bunch of pigeon pictures up on his computer screen. I let out an "Ooooh güvercinler!" at the sight of all the colourful birds, and he, caught off guard and perhaps a little embarrassed, fumbled to shut the browser window. After professing my love for pigeons, we clicked through picture after picture, and he wistfully told me about the pigeons he had as a child. Oh how I would have loved to have pigeons as a little girl! How wonderful that would have been— but the life of a nomad makes it hard to keep such pets.

Moved by his story, I thought I'd surprise my colleague with a couple of indoor pigeons that don't need to be fed or looked after.


I hope he'll like them.

as night falls

not much to say

but I thought I'd share these.
The sight of sheep makes me happy.
Perhaps it's their cloud-like bodies.

drinking mountains

I was really inspired by my friend Ramires' beautiful sketch of tea, and I thought I'd try drawing my cup of Lapsang Souchong. If you've never had this smoked black tea, you must change that— it feels like you're drinking a mountain. Seek it out, have it on a day when you need to feel transported. Lupicia was one of my favourite tea shops in San Francisco, and fortunately, they have an online store— although I don't know if they ship overseas. Twinings also makes a decent Lapsang.

Sometimes you have to draw the little forgotten things right in front of you,
to get back on the right path.

when words become clumsy strangers

And here it is: my first entry in my second book for Moly-X13.
I had this idea of trying to capture that feeling you get when your heart is bursting with all the things you long to say, but they just can't form in your mouth— when that certain person can tie your tongue with their mere presence.

I used a combination of pencil, India ink, acrylics, Prismacolors and white nail polish. I like how the layers of nail polish kind of "fog" out the words— I wanted the words coming out of my heart to look like whispers. There was absolutely no plan in my mind when I started working on it, everything just sort of unfolded. I'm pretty pleased with the result.


Please click on the images to see them larger.

rusts and ochre

I am fascinated by machinery— anything with dials, switches, red buttons and levers. So naturally, I fell in love with the Museum of Energy at santralistanbul. Santralistanbul was built on the site of the old Silahtarağa Power Plant— the Ottoman Empire's first power plant, which supplied electricity to Istanbul from 1911 to 1983. Reinforced and partly preserved, the museum is a haunting space of rusting machinery and contrasting new metal, wood and concrete.


Connected to the Museum of Energy is the very modern and geometric Main Gallery. While it certainly doesn't blend in with the old plant, somehow the use of raw, exposed metal and smooth concrete works harmoniously. The gallery space is enormous, full of light and minimal— perfect for displaying artwork— and what an exhibit I was about to see!


You'd better run if you want to catch the incredible Yüksel Arslan retrospective— it ends on the 21st of March. I wish I had gone to see these imaginative tea-toned drawings months ago, but better late than never. Over five hundred pieces are on display— which is undeniably impressive, and his expressive linework and gorgeously muted colour palette is drives me wild. A truly unique and inspiring Turkish artist, a great discovery for me.


I might need to use some tea and yellow ochre in my next drawings...

the coming of spring

Today
the first flock of white storks soared in
from their winter
in Africa.

Hundreds
of black-tipped white wings
long necks, stretched
toward Europe.

pencil + pen + paper + gouache

the lady at the yeniköy spor kulübü

Breakfast was a humbler, less exotic (and much less expensive) cheese and tomato tost with a çay at the Yeniköy Spor Kulübü, where I have enjoyed sketching in the past. Every time I have been at the YSK, there's been this fabulous old lady who always, without fail, is sitting somewhere inside, frowning over a newspaper in her pearl necklace or faux-fur coat. I love drawing her. She sits alone, generally in the same spot or its vicinity, mutters to herself and shakes her head in disapproval as she reads.

Here she is today— and I've decided to share some of my previous sketches of her below:

I had one more, but the owner of the Spor Kulübü decided to keep that one. He's been known to whisk sketchbooks out of my hands and show my "models" their portraits. Our lovely lady here has seen my work— but I have no idea how she feels about it.

dim sum!

Holy Cow! Istanbul has dim sum!

Having spent the better half of my twenties in San Francisco, the dim sum capitol of the United States (I'm sure there are plenty of New Yorkers who would fiercely disagree with me on that), I have what can only be explained as a passion for dim sum. For those of you that have never experienced this visual and delectable delight, dim sum is like a Chinese meze; a variety of light dishes to be enjoyed over tea. I love dim sum. So imagine the gasp of surprise and excitement I let out when I heard of Istinye Park's latest culinary addition— Dim Sum. Easy to remember, right?


So what did I have? To accompany my flowering jasmine tea, I chose steamed wasabi and prawn dumplings, squid cakes, steamed chicken and spinach dumplings, steamed lamb buns (normally they'd be filled with pork, but pork is not generally found on menus in Muslim countries), and the most exquisite and unusual mango prawn pastry. This pastry is something I could dream about at night.


An inventive spin on tradition, Dim Sum is located on the uppermost floor of Istinye Park, right next to House Café. Dishes of two to three pieces go from 7 to 11 lira— from what I can remember. Grab some friends and brave the mall crowd for a yummy, yummy experience.

tuesday

Nothing like a few wasabi peas, a hot cup of jasmine tea, a pen and some ink. Oh— and a tin of colour pencils and Moleskines. I've been trying to catch up on some work for various Moleskine Exchanges I'm in. The lovely Mr. Behemoth in the top Moly is Emma's book for Moly-X48. I happen to know that she's a fan of The Master and Margarita, so I wanted to draw a few of my favourite characters for her. The book below him is my second Moly for Moly-X13.
I hope to finish these soon and send them on their way to the next artists.

birds and powdered orchids

I always wanted to be a bird. As a child, I collected feathers in a secret wooden box, and leapt off walls and swings while vigorously flapping my arms. I took up the trapeze as an adult. As I stood atop Galata Kulesi, cold hands on the even colder railing, I marvelled at the labyrinth of Istanbul spread out below me. Red-tiled crumbling roofs, salmon-walled buildings, grey cobblestones and silvery Bosphorus, Golden Horn and Marmara beneath my feet. Seagulls and jackdaws soared and plummeted in the wintery sky, this, their daily perspective.


After wandering around Beyoğlu all morning, I hopped on a ferry to Kadıköy for a heavenly lunch at Çiya, which has got to be my most favourite restaurant in this city. The waiters and guys behind the counters were so friendly, happy to explain what was in every single dish and offer recommendations. Beet salad and cooked turnip greens, oregano salad, dolmas, something with eggplants, a spicy nut purée— oh! There was this soup with chickpeas, lamb and yoghurt that just enveloped me in warmth— a silver bowl of comfort on a perfect rainy day. Fresh herbs, bold spices and subtle sauces. Every bite was exquisite, every scent a delight.

Belly full and happy, a walk in the icy rain was in order. Fishmongers and grocers called out the names of fish and fruit, as people huddled under umbrellas splashed by.


I warmed my fingers with a paper cup of sahlep on the ferry ride back to Beşiktaş. Sahlep is a hot, sweet beverage made from the ground tubers of orchids. It's thick and delicately flavoured— a flavour hard to describe— a wonderful winter treat.


Even though the minibuses of Istanbul will terrify you with their speed and irritate you with their stuffed-in-a-can sardine feeling, I love them. I love watching people lost in thought. What are they thinking? What worlds live behind their eyes, inside their hearts? When I sketch someone, I hope to feel even the tiniest bit of what they are feeling.