I go to the best English learning program in Boston. I think James, who is the owner, is the most patient teacher I have ever seen. I know this from personal observation. Regardless, thanks to James, he, his students and I have attended opera performances at Longy, a music school in Boston, to see his students’ performances, and not only one time, but several times. This sketch was from one of his lovely students’ final performances. I was upset as, perhaps, we can not come again, but do not worry, James has a great deal of organization to support people who would like to learn this damned English!

I was looking for my old sketchbook and found this quick sketch. It was from a City Lab assignment. The instructor showed us MGH and revealed the design process of the new building. We discovered many spaces within it, as you can see from my previous sketches. During this trip, we sketched extensively. In an entrance to a floor, we had only 5 minutes to draw an interior space. I got my place and started to draw. At the end of the day, everyone did a good job. This sketch was one of them.

The best place in the U.S is Boston! At least, according to one of my friends. Although I have seen many places in Europe and beyond, I have not yet formed an opinion of Boston as I have not yet seen many places in the U.S. However, I need to heed my friend as she wandered the world, including the Americas. She is a real globe trotter. This week’s sketch is from a picture taken from John Hancock Tower during my City Lab class. It was greatly beneficial for understanding Boston as a city as we looked out over it. After 3 years, I can not say it is the best place, and yet it has potential -it is still Istanbul for me!

I am pursuing a portrait project entitled “OCA2, or ‘Seeing Through Color To Colorlessness’ ”. I started to shoot subjects who wanted to participate in this project. I have very much enjoyed this experience thus far. Thanks to one of my Turkish friends from college introducing me, I made my first ginger friend, who is a lovely person. Until then, I had been under the impression that the South Park definition of gingers as soulless to be absolutely correct! But, I both jest and digress. I am recruiting more subjects to complete this project. The sketch was in front of my computer. A that time, I was trying to line up shoots.

I felt as if I were a plane! -What security! I just wanted to see the Statue of Liberty! As there are a great deal of security issues in the U.S, people who take care of the country pay attention to everything, researching and scrutinizing everyone. They are right so far! After passing tight security, I ultimately arrived at Liberty Island. I would say that the cityscape was great and it was worth shooting, actually, and I did. I subscribed to the children’s tale that the statue had been intended for what was then Turkey. I assumed that the statue was made genuinely for Ottomans and yet, at that time, some problems came about and it never arrived in Turkey. I needed to check my history notes to remember. The sketch was of the island with the city in the backdrop

This semester, I often needed to pass long hours in libraries as  a large quantity of readings from the contemporary architecture class ruined my daily life. Of course, it is hard to read and understand academic papers in English when your mother language is another. I need to say that I had tough times with these readings. Usually, I, therefore, go to the Boston Public Library and yet, at times, my school’s own library is my preference. We are fortunate as the college is located on Newbury Street, having a great street view. When I am bored of reading, my escape is sketching. This sketch is from there, overlooking the Back Bay and the Prudential.

While taking a class at the BAC (Community Practice),I learned a plethora of information on East Boston as our focus was in that zone. Most importantly, the issue which East Boston will seriously face, at the time, is extremely challenging after some floods -that is, the sea level is rising. This problem will be destructive as I have been informed. I think that the city council is in very serious discussion of this case due to the fact that many people’s lives are at risk. The sketch was from East Boston looking at Boston. Sketching, I thought upon the people who will not have the opportunity to see the cityscape as there will be no land in 50 years.