Coffee sketch again...

Out of Postcards, baker paper was all that was at hand. Loved the response to the water...Gift to Katy and Chris at the Bakery.

PETRIE dESIGN goes Live!!!

I have been absent for a bit from the blog as I have been gearing up to go live with this new site/venture: petriedesign.com . Give it a look and see the broad range of architecturally centric explorations that are occurring! Meanwhile I hope to be uploading more sketches, coffee and others...as the days of summer unfold.

America 2.0

This is a commission from 1791 Supply Company (http://1791.shop.musictoday.com/) interested in re-envisioning several iconic pieces of american architecture. Each makes a combined statement of the values of the past while interpreting an architectural response of the aspirations of our future. Detail images to come.

The series is planned for production in early 2013 and will be available for purchased through the 1791 site:
 http://1791.shop.musictoday.com/

Tis the Season

After a very fun exhibition at Skaneateles Bakery from August through November, I had the privilege of receiving 3 commissions for Christmas cards. Below are the three plus the one I did for our family.

top left: Petrie Family Card; Top right : Skaneateles Bakery;
Bottom Left: Western Lights Liquors; Bottom right: my friend Marbeth Sweeney.

Kids sketches

My oldest boy turned 5 last week. To carry on his dad's obsession, I had him draw a picture for friends and family on postcards to be sent out as 'thank you' notes. Here are three of my favorite. our little girl got in on the fun when she asked me to draw her a dinosaur. I obliged and then she began to color a story around it.

top left: a turtle ( I added the eyes)
top right: a 'mixed up' rainbow
bottom left: a hammer head shark ( i added eyes, etc.)
bottom right: a red dinosaur

Salt Lake City Coffee review

I have no idea how much money I have spent on coffee. I am sure if I had invested every dime instead of downing each caffeinated concoction, I would probably have more time to experience coffee...around the world with out fear of being late to work...that or I would have had enough to get the first of my children through school. Either way, my habit continues and having visited recently Salt Lake City, I got into a search and discover mode of trying to discover the local coffee fare.

Two discoveries were made. Sugarhouse Coffee and Coffee Garden. Both have a type of grunge chic, with minimal decor and and various seating options. Sugarhouse seems to have found itself in what looks to be a gentrified area of SLC. The coffee was okay, the house, spacious. Compositionally the colors were magnificent and the volume allowed for an interesting sketch. The girl at the counter is the same girl sitting at the table on the left, writing vigorously in her journal.

The second discovery was found at the Nines, the intersection of 900 East and 900 North. a very small intersection of arts trying really hard to be hip. This coffee shop was dense with very studious people, all distressed staring into their laptops as if to say every noise at a busy coffee shop was intruding into their personal endeavors and temporary occupancy of an uncomfortable bench. The coffee was very good. and while the seating area seemed typical the counter space was decadent. It also helped that a genuine gelato shop was just east at the next corner.

Atlanta to Syracuse

On an early morning flight from Atlanta to Syracuse, I was able to have breakfast in the Atlanta airport (cafe intermezzo) and then for lunch, coffee at cafe Kubal in syracuse...then off to teach. Busy morning.

Skaneateles Bakery Morning Sketch

A calm morning and an interlude after dropping off my oldest boy at preschool, I stopped by to see how the exhibit was holding up at Skaneateles Bakery. Not too crowded and wanting to generate a postcard for a recently re-acquainted friend from school, I took the opportunity to do some morning "exercises".

In Memory.

This sketch was done this day 11 years ago while living in Washington DC.

Riding my bike into work I saw the black column of smoke rising over the Pentagon, riding home...it remained, dark and still rising. Work was meaningless that day as the news of the attack stumbled in.

That evening...in an act of grieving...came this sketch...

in memory.

Cafe Impressions : on exhibit

Skaneateles Bakery + Cafe has been one of my and my wife's favorite little cafe ever since we got married. For awhile we have watched art work go up and down from their walls and just recently the owners, Katie and Chris, invited me to display some of my work. I decided to go with a small show of cafe postcards, appropriate for the venue, with 9 cards being specific to Skaneateles bakery or skaneateles the town. (displayed on the right as you enter) We even made bakery post cards for customers to purchase and post!