Sunday, August 14, 2011

JET-LAGGED IN BERLIN

Jet-lagged in Berlin, 9.5 x 6 inch ink drawing by George C. Clark

Just back from two weeks in Germany.  I arrived in Berlin at lunchtime after having slept only a fitful hour and a half on the transatlantic flight.  Had lunch at Savignyplatz and reacquainted myself with the neighborhood before returning to the hotel for a 90 minute nap.  ”Must stay awake until local bedtime,” I told myself, then headed for a Helmut Newton exhibition at the new Museum für Fotografie located in an old imperial court building behind the Bahnhof Zoo.  Fortunately it was Thursday, the day most Berlin museums are open late.  Then I had a late supper and finally crashed at 10pm local time.  What do you do when you find yourself suddenly wide awake in a foreign city at 3 o’clock in the morning?  If you’re me, you go in the bathroom of your Kurfurstendamm hotel room and draw a portrait of yourself reflected in the mirror and the adjustable round magnifying mirror.        

Thursday, August 4, 2011

ILLINOIS CENTRAL MOGUL

Illinois Central Mogul, 14 x 10 inch watercolor by George C. Clark    AVAILABLE
I painted this at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.  The name "mogul" describes a type of steam locomotive based on the number and arrangement of its leading, driving, and trailing wheels.  A mogul is a 2-6-0, meaning it has two leading wheels, six driving wheels, and no trailing wheels.