Venice is the best place to live for watercolor fans due to the fact that every corner of Venice is suitable for watercolor. I have never seen this city’s equal, even having lived in Istanbul. Although I adore my own city, Venice stole my artistic heart. This particular sketch was from the canal tour departure point -full of gondolas and young, doe-eyed love.

Recently, I read the Common Edge article The Unthinkable - A World Without Venice, which had deep insights into Venice. Of course, Venice is on everyone’s bucket list. After reading the article, I went to one of my old sketchbooks which I used on my Italy tour. I was a junior in college and one of my relatives gave us free tour package as she was not able to use it herself.  My sister and I jumped at the chance. This sketch was from the Piazza San Marco in Venice, with St Mark's Campanile and Basilica in the background. A very surprising thing which I learned is that St Mark’s Campanile has the bell which used to be in the Hagia Sophia in Turkey, so we waited to hear it chime, but it sounded just like all the others.

I could not stop myself and I dug deeper to find more sketches from my previous work. Yes, here it is. Those who are interested in the fine arts have to be familiar with the term “proportion.” This is because, firstly, you must learn how to see and then set the proportion which you will draw. This particular sketch was my foray into proportion. Investigating the human body is the best way to understand it and also this is the basic exercise which individuals in the field know. Another point that I want to share is that art is devotion, which demands patience.  

Thanks to Thanksgiving, I had an opportunity to see my family in Turkey, although one week was not adequate. While staying in my old room, I shuffled through my old sketches and I found one of them which encouraged me to persist with my work. This is due to the fact that, during summer vacation, while preparing for drawing exams, I usually went to an art studio. It is hard to maintain your concentration when your friends are living it up at the beach. This sketch is from the art studio. This is actually, where I first learned drawing. It was surprising that after 2 years of studying there, I went almost every summer while being in Turkey as I wanted to hone my lines, and, of course, my future.

Another icon of the city is certainly Grand Central Terminal, which figures prominently in numerous films. In fact, now, social media is replete with people’s selfies and this building. Over 20 million people pass through there each year, but to me this is unsurprising as where I come from -Istanbul-  is over 25 million people. Moreover, this number is increasing, unfortunately, rather than decreasing. However, this building was built in 1915. Before this date, there was an enormous train crash and, then, people decided to rebuild it. The old was almost 6 floors, but the new design as you can see from the sketch is a giant space. Moreover, I have never had a chance to use the terminal as you know the prices of tickets. In consideration of being a student, it is appropriate to take the bus, thanks to enterprising Chinese people. I am still alive, by the way.  

The existence of witches raises curiosity as, actually, they existed and are still seen here and there, perhaps. You can see their settlements where they really lived and died, that is, Salem, MA. I participated in my teacher’s tour of Salem with classmates. Of course, we went in October, but were not so foolish as to go on Halloween. The important information which I learned from this visit  is how English molted over time. We can observe this from the changing orthography on the tombstones. It was very much exciting and interesting. Anyway, this sketch is from the harbor, which was of great importance as Salem was a hub of trading in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The mansions and grand houses that spread out from the harbor are witness to this.  

I had never imagined that this dome could weigh 1,200 tons and clad with copper. In fact, the building could  easily be used by more than 1,000 individuals, simultaneously. If you look at the building with the naked eye, what I am saying does not seem correct / accurate, or an exaggeration, but it is. This week’s sketch is of MIT, again, the Kresge Auditorium, by Eero Saarinen. He was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer. Unfortunately, he left us in his early 50s -at a time when architects normally come into their own. He has a great deal of works around the U.S. Moreover, the MIT chapel, to the rear of the building, was designed by him. I would not say that their design or lines are the best, but I would argue that  it is better to consider what there are around buildings in order to better match their surroundings.