Two of my favorite sketchbooks from Sketches and Travel

 

Look back to San Miguel de Allende

 

International Women's Day celebration graphic poster

 

Mauricio Rocha architectural lecture

Landscape, Earth, Water, Stone, Steel, Glass, Light, Shadow and depth of Purpose

I attended a fascinating lecture by an architect from Mexico on a cool winter evening at Wurster Hall at U.C. Berkeley.  Mauricio Rocha had me from the very start of his talk, when he showed a set of photos of his first project, a house for his mother.  I was entranced by the images and ideas and concepts in his portfolio, each project tied into the earth and landscape, a focus on only five materials, a respect of light and shadow, and a reference to smell and sound.  His project, Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a masterpiece of design, blending all the primary elements that architects and designers dream about in the sleep. 

Mauricio mentioned two of my favorite artists, Gordon Matta Clark and Robert Smithson as key influencers of time and space.  He spoke of how the "Accident" can be important, during the exploratory design phase.  He showed how he chose to weave gardens through his spaces, leaving traces of fragrant flowers for the explorers and users of his constructed worlds.  And he concluded with a mention about the importance of memory, and dignity and how architecture really is all about true and rich Experiences.

Mahi Mahi, Dorado, Dolphins Fish next stage

The mighty dorado fish is a beautiful fish found in the temperate, tropical, and subtropical waters across the globe. They are often called mahi-mahi, which is from the Hawaiian language and means “very strong.”

I caught this one using a spinner rod off the coast of Cabo San Lucas in the Pacific Ocean. 

Mahi Mahi, Dorado, Dolphin fish

Zocalo urban space sketch study

Sketch study of the main urban square, Zocalo, in Mexico City 

Mexico City view

Painted view looking to the south west from the 21st floor of the Torre Diana building, where the AT&T Foundry is located.

The pointed top building is by LBR + A, the tallest in Mexico City.  It sits triangular in plan and features two perpendicular concrete elevations and one glass facade of the hypotenuse of the triangle.  https://www.archdaily.com/office/lbr-a

The BBVA building in the middle features a distinctive fuschia and bright yellow exterior spiral staircase element, and designed by Ricardo Legoretta. 

Courtyard, Los Cabos

Courtyard, Los Cabos, a photo by douglaswittnebel on Flickr.

Painted view of courtyard at Sheraton resort, Los Cabos, Baja, Mexico

Baisoin temple

Baisoin temple, a photo by douglaswittnebel on Flickr.

A lesser known project by Kengo Kuma, the Baiso-in temple, viewed from the 13 th floor of Tokyu stay hotel in Aoyama, Tokyo...

Cabo, beach setting, Baja, Mexico, featured in Interior Design magazine

 

... a lengthy morning time lapse before the sun reached its full power, painted sketch view of the transect from hotel down to the ocean edge,  ipad digital tablet...

detail view of the places and settings above the white sand for relaxation and refreshment of the mind and soul...

Hotel landscape, Los Cabos, Mexico

A quick little sketch version of the view in Cabo San Lucas, close to the hotel entrance.

In the rough

In the game of golf, your ball can travel in directions that you cannot control, sometimes bouncing and landing in the border areas of the fairway.  Here we have a scene that I recall from a recent golf adventure in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico...

Los Cabos, Mexico, beach side view

A. Painterly view of the beach scene, Mexico style, landscape mix of palms, cactus,  bougainvillea, salt and sand ...

succulent and sand

Several cacti caught my eye, especially when the surround sand was raked like Japanese sansui gravel gardens...

Los Cabos, Infinity pool setting, Mejico

A long weekend voyage to Los Cabos, Mejico, allowed for some time to capture the unique landscape and some of the resort developments.  Here is a view of the infinity pool setting at Fiesta Americana, Del Sol...

fold out panorama view of portrait format images of the diving trip

I brewed this up in photoshop with the idea of creating a fold out sequence of images within a watery realm...

Journey to Isla Guadalupe

Have just returned from a memorable journey to the Oceano Pacifico, and Isla Guadalupe, about 185 miles south west of Ensenada, Mexico.   It was a truly fascinating trip that included diving in cages with Great White Sharks and habitat viewing of a variety of pinnipeds on this natural preserve.   I am going to begin with a posting of the maps that I have drawn of the region and the island and then follow up with some details on what can be seen and observed...

Last year in Oaxaca revisited...

The wonderful city of Oaxaca sits on the high mountain plains in southern region of Mexico, with a rich and diverse array of sights, sounds and tastes...Here is a set of three images captured during sit-down sessions in the courtyards and streets of the city...