SMALL AT LARGE

IT ALL STARTED OUT WITH MY FIRST HOUSE THAT I DREW THAT LOOKED LIKE AN IGLOO WITH A CAT GOING UP THE SIDE.

THE FIFTH GRADE WHERE I WAS SELECTED TO DO A MURAL OF THE SPANISH EXPLORATION OF AMERICA. I NEVER COULD MAKE THE FIGURES LOOK RIGHT, WHERE AS JERRY THE CLASS ARTIST COULD DRAW ANYTHING, I THINK HE ENDED UP AT ART CENTER AND THEN ON TO THE FLINTSTONES . MY RESEARCH WITH MY GRADE SCHOOL CRONIES AT WEST WOOD GRAMMAR SCHOOL, DENNIS AND TOM, PRODUCED ONLY JERRY’S FIFTH GRADE CLASS PICTURE. THE POINT BEING DRAWING REALISTIC OBJECTS TO A LARGE DEGREE IS IN THE GENES, SURE YOU CAN LEARN IT LIKE ME, BUT THE BLESSED ONES WITH THE NATURAL TALENT ARE THE REAL ARTISTS.

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON REQUIRED SOME LIFE DRAWING AND I TOOK IT AT UCLA ONE SUMMER. I WAS QUITE GOOD AND CAPTURED THE AGING OF MY FATHER JUST BEFORE HE DIED.

AT OREGON DRAWING WAS HARD FOR ME, IT WAS ALL SO TORTURED AND STIFF. BUT WHEN I GOT IN ARCHITECTURAL OFFICES I REALIZED TO SELL MY WILD IDEAS I HAD BETTER START TO LEARN THE CRAFT OF DRAWING TO PITCH MY IDEAS. I GOT SERIOUS, BUT STILL JUST DREW THE PEOPLE FROM THE BACK, BECAUSE IT WAS TOO DIFFICULT DRAWING FACES. I WAS WORKING IN ALAMEDA CALIF. ON TEMPORARY LOAN FROM ANOTHER ARCHITECT IN A ONE MAN OFFICE THAT WAS PITCHING SOME CIVIC BUILDING. I WAS DRAWING PEOPLE FROM THE REAR AGAIN AND THE PRINCIPLE SUGGESTED I COPY THEM OUT OF MAGAZINES OR THE PAPER. THAT WAS ALL SO FOREIGN, COPYING, STEALING SOMEBODY’S ELSES SKETCHES. TO MY AMAZEMENT IT WAS EASY TO DO, AND IN NO TIME I HAD A FOLDER OF PEOPLE AND ANIMALS THAT I USED TO TRACE FROM.

I DID A COMPETITION FOR SAN FRANCISCO CIVIC CENTER AND HAD HOWARD BAKEN AND THE LATE BRUCE ROSS, BUDDIES FROM OREGON HELPED ME RENDER. THEY LATER FORMED THE RENOWN FIRM OF ,BAKEN ARIGONNI AND ROSS . BAKEN REALLY KNEW HIS STUFF AND RENDERED A BEAUTIFUL PERSPECTIVE THAT I HAD LAID OUT FROM A PROJECTED PHOTO OF THE THE DESIGN MODEL . THE DESIGN AND DRAWING CAME OUT GREAT, I SHOULD HAVE WON, BUT LOST TO SOME DESIGN THAT LOOKED LIKE LINOLEUM TILES STACKED UP WITH INSCRIPTION OF THE HISTORY OF SAN FRANCISCO. IT WAS SO UGLY THAT IT NEVER GOT BUILT.

AT CRANBROOK WITH MY MASTER THESIS ON THE VERTICAL CITY FOR DETROIT LATER TO BECOME BIOMORPHIC BIOSPHERE FOR LOS ANGELES I TOOK DRAWING SERIOUSLY. IT WAS ALL A WAY OF CONVEYING MY MESSAGE. I WAS FORCED TO LEARN. THIS WAS NOT THE ERA OF THE COMPUTER, THIS WAS WITH YOUR HAND AND RAPIDOGRAPH PENS THAT WERE FOREVER GETTING STUCK WITH INK CLOGS. THE ABOVE DRAWING WAS HUGE AND I USED SOFT PENCILS WAVING MT ARMS ABOUT WITH SWEAPS ACOSS THE PAPER. HARVEY FERRERO WAS THE BEST AT THIS, I MARVELED AT HIS SKILL. IT WAS SO EASY FOR HIM. I THINK HE TAUGH ME SOME THREE POINT PERSPECTIVE TECHNIQUE THAT I MASTERED.
DURING THIS TIME I DID THE DETROIT STUFF, SEE MY BLOG.

THE NEXT AWAKENING WAS WHEN I STARTED MY OWN PRACTICE IN VENICE CALIFORNIA DOING APARTMENTS. THE COVER SHEETS ON THE PLANS OFTEN BEING A RENDERING. I WORKED ONE SUMMER FOR JOHN LAUTNER ON THE BOB HOPE HOUSE AND I DID TWO GREAT RENDERINGS. THE INTERIOR LIVING ROOM WAS THE BEST, BUT JOHN DID NOT QUITE FEEL IT HAD THE CORRECT ANGLE OR SOMETHING . HE DID SUBMIT THE EXTERIOR ONE AROUND THE POOL TO SOME GRAPHIC RENDERING BOOK AND GAVE ME FULL CREDIT.

I DECIDED TO GO COLOR AND TOOK AN EXTENSION COURSE OF INDUSTRIAL RENDERING AT UCLA WHERE I HOOKED UP WITH A PROFESSOR, HE LIVED ON A YACHAT AND CUSTOMIZED HIS VOVO SPORTS CAR WITH MAJOR BODY DESIGN LINES. HIS NAME SLIPS MY MEMORY BUT HE WAS WILD. HE TAUGH ME TO HIGH LITE FORMS, SHADE AND RUN COLOR. ONE NIGHT MILICA AND I WERE ON HIS FRIENDS YACHT IN MARINA DEL REY AND WERE STOPPED BY THE HARBOR PATROL. I DO NOT DO DRUGS, BUT THE YACHT WAS FULL OF THEM THAT NIGHT, LUCKILY THE BOAT OWNER TALKED HIS WAY OUT OF BEING BOARDED AND SEARCHED. THOSE WERE THE DAYS WHEN YOU WERE SENT AWAY FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME WHEN IN POSSESSION.

I LOVE SYD MEAD, AND I USED HIS COLOR WASH TECHNIQUE TO DO DRAWINGS FOR THE BIOMORPHIC BIOSPHERE. RECENTLY DID A COLOR WASH FOR AN AQUATIC PARK.

I REPLACED DRAWINGS WITH COLLAGES, THIS IS MORE COMPOSING THAN DRAWING. PHOTO OF MODEL, CUTTING OUT OF STUFF FROM MAGAZINES AND ARRANGING AND PASTING.
WHAT I REALIZE IT SHUT ME DOWN FROM DRAWING, AND I WENT INTO A LONG DROUGHT. ONLY RECENTLY RESURRECTED BY ORHAN FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMPETITION FOR LOS ANGELES WHERE I DREW OUT OF NECESSITY.

IN NICARAGUA I TEAMED UP WITH DAVID CADiA TO DO THE COMPUTER RENDERINGS. DAVID COULD COMPOSE ANYTHING WITH INSTRUCTION FROM ME. I WOULD BUILD A QUICK MODEL, TAKE A DIGITAL CAMERA PICTURE OF THE MODEL AND SITE . DAVID WOULD SUPERIMPOSE THE TWO AND WE WOULD TURN THE CRUDE MODEL PHOTO INTO A COLOR REAL LIVE PICTURE WITH ALL THE GOODIES. THIS TOOK ABOUT A DAY FROM BEGINNING TO END. THE IMAGE FOR THE ACOUSTICAL SHELL LOOKED LIKE IT WAS BUILT, SO DURING CONSTRUCTION WHEN FABRICATION MISTAKES WERE MADE I HAD TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS WITH THE SKIN TO SHOW THE BUILT AS IT HAD BEEN PORTRAYED IN THE IMAGE. THE DRAWING WAS IN CONTROL.

I PREFER THE SLICK REALISTIC LOOK DONE WITH COMPUTERS, BUT SOME PROFESSIONAL PREFER THE ARTIST LOOK OF HAND DRAWINGS LIKE I DID ON THE ABU DHABI ECO RESORT.
THAT HELPS ME, BECAUSE SO FEW ARCHITECTS CAN DRAW THESE DAYS. A DYING ART THAT WOWS THE WORLD.

THERE IS ONE THING I HAVE LEARNED FROM DOING VARIOUS APPROACHES, ANYTHING GOES. BY THAT I MEAN COPY, PASTE, COMPUTERS , FORCED PERSPECTIVE, FUDGE A LOOK, FAKE PERSPECTIVE WITH ELEVATIONS ETC. WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET A LOOK IS THE NAME OF THE GAME. THERE ARE NO RULES.

THIS IS FROM AN ELEVATION OF A HOTEL IN NICARAGUA. I USED RUBBER STAMPS TO DO THE TREES. A BIT OF CROSS HATCHING AND SHADOWS TO GIVE IT DEPTH, A FEW BIRDS ALWAYS HELP, PEOPLE AT A DISTANCE ARE EASY. OFTEN WHAT IS LEFT OUT IS THE TRUE TEST OF THE ARTIST. JUST ENOUGH TO LET YOUR EYE READ IN. A PHOTO APPROACH CAN NOT DO THAT.

THE VISUAL IMAGE BEING A POWERFUL TOOL OF THE ARCHITECT. ALMOST UNFAIR IN A WAY, BECAUSE CLIENTS FALL IN LOVE WITH DRAWINGS AND MISS WHAT IS HAPPENING.
I KNOW THERE ARE SKILLED RENDERS DOING GREAT DRAWINGS TO SELL BAD BUILDING. A COMMON TALE.

ARCHITECTURE IS A PRACTICAL ART. ARCHITECTS THROUGH HISTORY ARE THOUGHT OF AS ARTISTS, SO TO BE ABLE TO SKETCH OUT A LOOK OR DIRECTION ON THE NAPKIN OR THE BACK OF THE CHECK AT THE RESTAURANT WORKS, BIG TIME SELLING TOOL. CONTRACTORS CAN NOT DO THAT, SO THE MYSTIC OF THE CREATIVE ARTIST IS THE ONLY REAL SPELL TO PITCH THAT IS LEFT FOR THE ARCHITECT.

MY BLOG MAN, TIM BARNS, FEELS I SHOULD JUST THINK UP IDEAS AND DRAW ALL DAY. THAT IS A POSSIBILITY. IN MANY WAYS MAKES MORE SENSE THAN PRACTICING ARCHITECTURE WITH THE NEXT COMMERCIAL VENTURE. WE JUST TAKE MINI STEPS FOWARD AND BACKWARD HOPING WE ARE ADVANCING IN A POSITIVE MANNER.

IN MY LAST BLOG, THERE WAS A PITCH TO DO A RESEARCH LAB AT SCI-ARC. THAT IS UNDER CONSIDERATION. I AM JUST BEING WASTED CREATING PLAY THINGS FOR THE SOCIETY, BUT THAT IS WHAT WE DO AS ARCHITECTS, AND CLIENTS APPRECIATE THAT. BEING DOWN TO TWO SUIT CASES, AND NOW A $400 CAR MAKES ME REALIZE MY SELF ESTEME AND ABILITY TO SKETCH IS NOT ENOUGH TO CONTRIBUTE, I NEED SOPHISTICATED TOOLS TO GENERATE SERIOUS DIALOGUE. AT 74 THERE IS A DEEPTH OF WISDOM THAT MAKES CLEAR VISION. A BOOSTER ROCKET TO CONVEY THE MESSAGE WOULD BE COOL.

MARK TWAINE HAD A WAY OF CONVEYING HIS MESSAGE WHILE LAUGHING AT HIMSELF AS WELL AS OTHERS, I RELATE TO THAT. ARCHITECTS ARE SO UP TIGHT ABOUT REVEALING THAT WE ALL SIT ON TOILETS, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, GIVING VENT TO FOUL ORDORS AND SMELL NOTHING.

STAY CLOSE AND COMMENT.

GLEN