In That Case

Early mornings

black sharpie and water color

Westwood 1986

Let me try to explain myself.

When I was a young man I loved illustration.

Perhaps the two illustrators who had the greatest influence on me were Aubrey Beardsley and Jean Giraud aka Moebius. Both artist drew with a fine line and I tried to emulate that.

Here's an old drawing of mine.

pencil drawing

Venice CA 1978

So back then I saw myself as an illustrator.

Then sometime around 1980 I was introduced to Abstract Expressionism and I had an epiphany...

Could I approach Abstract Expressionism with an illustrator's line?

A new world opened up to me and I started having fun with my drawing.

And then, for about 35 years I never drew an identifiable object.

No joke.

Still Life

black sharpie

Westwood 1985

Attitude Adjustment

pen, colored pencil and watercolor

Duarte CA 1996

Time never began

black sharpie on bond paper

San Francisco 2003

Dan's drawing

black sharpie

Rosemead 2011

i did a lot of these drawings. And I really enjoyed making them. For over thirty years I completely liberated myself from the rigors of drawing something that had to look like something. And I loved it. But then...

Sometime around 2015 I returned to illustration. Why? I'll be honest with you, I started to miss it.

Call it full circle but that's where I'm at now.

I still treasure my line though.

little boxes

black sharpie on paper

Los Angeles 2019

Thank you Aubrey and Jean.

Aubrey Beardsley

Jean Giraud aka Moebius

colored pencil, calbayog city, 2025

A new one. I'm waiting for the first layer to dry but it's pretty now. More later.

Jacob Miller - Please Mr Officer

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Cans

watercolor and pen, los angeles, 2015

These will look nice here.

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Carrickfergus

Pen and watercolor on paper

Los Angeles 2016

Carrickfergus

I wish I was in Carrickfergus, Only for nights in Ballygrand, I would swim over the deepest ocean, The deepest ocean to be by your side.

But the water's wide and I can not swim over And neither have I wings to fly. I wish I could meet a handsome boatman To ferry me over to my love and die.

Irish folk song

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Today

colored pencil & pen, monrovia 1996

I started drawing these swirls. And then I went nuts drawing swirls. I must have drawn 50 of these swirl drawings. I drew them at work and at home. On my napkin at the restaurant. It was all I wanted to do. One day a friend came to my place. When she saw I was drawing another swirl drawing she made this sound of exacerbation and said, "Pat! what's going on?"

Tbh I felt a little embarassed. So I moved on to drawing squares...

I still have a bunch of those swirl drawings.

I really like this one.

detail

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colored pencil, los angeles, 2021

After a painting by Jan Bogaerts

Inside of me there's an impressionist lying in wait.

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Darkness blackens even the night

8B pencil on paper

Calbayog City 2024

Daily drawing.

I am happiest when my fingers and eraser become black with pencil lead.

Famous Blue Raincoat - Leonard Cohen

The First Time

The first time ever I saw your face

Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack

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Black sharpie on paper

Los Angeles 2015

I like this drawing.

I know the signature is upside down.

But so is the drawing.

Destiny - Zero 7

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Youth and innocence

pencil drawing

Culver City 1977

This is an old one. 1977.

I can still remember drawing it. I was living at the time, with someone special, in an apartment in Culver City, with a big double bed. When she came home that night she loved it.

I stlll have this drawing tucked away in one of my drawers.

And I still have my memories tucked away in my mind.

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