Tag Archives: armchair travels

ARMCHAIR TRAVELS – CHICAGO

September 29, 2020 Greg Betza

Welcome to Armchair Travels, an invitation to travel around the world through the reportage illustration of Studio 1482 .We have gathered art from our travels to share with you in the hopes that, while you can’t get out and see these places (yet), our experiences may bring some happiness and light to your day. Please check back often as we will be posting new adventures weekly.

Enjoy Chicago by Greg Betza…

The first drawing I remember making looking down the Michigan Avenue Bridge.

I first visited Chicago back in 2010 or 11, I can’t remember exactly, but what I do remember is that I fell in love with what I saw. Now Chicago is a sprawling area and I only had time to see the “downtown” area, but it was beautiful. Being from New Jersey New York City is my major U.S. city of record, and it is second to none, but Chicago is similar to New York just less crowded, congested, and to my eye, much cleaner (probably due to the almost 6 million! less people than NYC…). The major differentiator though for me is the Chicago River that cuts right through the city.

Chicago River

That was my first visit. What I missed, and a major reason why I came back, was that I did not have the opportunity to spend time drawing the city. In 2013 the opportunity arose when the Workbook announced their Creative Carnivalwould be held there. Fellow Studio 1482 member Dominick Santise and I decided to hit the road and head out to the windy city to attend…and spend a few days drawing!

Cloud gate, better knows as the Chicago Bean

Willis Tower

And draw is what we did. All day. For two guys in their late 30s (at the time) we really got around. Looking back at the drawings I’d think we had bikes, but I assure you we did not.

Trump tower Chicago

Chicago Theater sign

Chicago Theater

The city had a great energy, and for October it was quite comfortable. It was the perfect time to just be out drawing. And what I enjoyed so much about my time there was that the time was just spent drawing, for the love of doing it and nothing more. I picked up whatever materials felt right at the time, played around, made a mess, found something new here and there.

Chicago Theater and passers by

Picasso public sculpture

Rides at Navy Pier

Navy Pier ferris wheel

Chicago is a city full of incredible architecture, attractions, food/drink, and friendly welcoming people. I’ll always remember fondly the time I spent drawing there and the late night meals Dominick and I had to end our long days. A cider for him and a few local craft beers for me, not to be missed!

To see more Armchair Travels from the reportage artists of Studio 1482, please click HERE.

ARMCHAIR TRAVELS – TIMES SQUARE, NYC

September 1, 2020 Greg Betza

Enjoy Times Square, NYC by Greg Betza…

Times Square, that section of midtown New York City that has been referred to as the “Crossroads of the World”amongst other things (both favorable and not so much). It is a place that many native New Yorkers avoid at all costs and yet it is a not-to-be-missed destination for all tourists.

As a New Jersey native that spent a great deal of time in New York City, I have a certain fondness for Times Square, though I completely understand why you’d want to avoid it as well. What a contradiction!

Speaking of contradiction, could there be a place more antithetical to our current “new normal”? To think of the thousands of people that would traverse the area each day; have it reduced to a near ghost town in a matter of weeks. Chalk that up to things I’d never thought I’d see.

It was the masses of people that first brought me to Times Square to draw. It was a challenge. So many people, so much movement, even more personality. The architecture, the advertising, the lights! To learn to capture and tell that story was a lesson so important in my development as a reportage artist and illustrator. Here are a few early attempts.

Trips to draw here gave me the full sensory experience. Ears assaulted by honking horns, indiscernible shouts, tourists asking for directions…, music, discernible expletives, and of course, the pigeons!
The smells. Oh boy. From hot garbage in the summer, to the constantly wafting smell of something frying from the endless row of chain restaurants.
And watch your step, the garbage cans often overflow!
Now while this may sound horrible, it is what makes Times Square unique and as an artist you need to take it all in…the good and the bad, to tell the truth with your reportage. And despite all of this (and there is more) people flock here anyway and stay awhile. As did I, many, many times.

On a more positive note, looking up and around when you are here is inspiring. On the surface it can appear a soulless theme park devoted to consumerism, but if you can get past that tired and overused criticism, Times Square is home to so many visions realized. As a student of advertising I love to see the campaigns compete with each other publicly. How each brand approaches this space and how they utilize technology to bring their message to the masses is truly impressive. It’s a constantly evolving gallery.

One of the last times I spent a long day drawing in Times Square was back in 2010 when Mayor Bloomberg closed several sections to traffic, allowing the area to become more pedestrian friendly. I remember it was a very peaceful day, the people seemed to enjoy the space more than they had in the past and I believe I noticed more native New Yorkers hanging around that day too :)

Armchair Travels, Reportage

ARMCHAIR TRAVELS – HONFLEUR

July 2, 2020 Greg Betza

Enjoy Honfleur, France…by Greg Betza

Port d’Honfleur

Five years ago, thanks to a very good friend, I had the opportunity to visit northern France. We stayed in a small port town called Honfleur. I had not heard of it, but once seen, I understood why many artists including Courbet and Monet had traveled there to paint it.

Saint Etienne Church

No matter where you turn there are picturesque buildings, boats, and so much beauty in the details. We only spent 2 nights there so I “braved” a chilly rainy morning to make this series of black and white drawings. I had to. I remember sharing the early morning with only a cat. There was quite a bit of action at the local bars and restaurants the night before so I guess everyone had slept in.

View of Sainte-Catherine church, the largest church made out of wood in France

Port d’Honfleur

Leaving Honfluer was only tolerable as we were on our way to Mont Saint-Michel. This place is a fairy tale. I can’t imagine there is another place on earth like it. Its abbey appears to be literally reaching for God.

Make a plan to visit northern France, it is magical.

Mont Saint-Michel

Armchair Travels, Reportage

ARMCHAIR TRAVELS – BOSTON

June 12, 2020 Veronica Lawlor

Enjoy Boston…by Veronica Lawlor

It seems like eons ago, but this past Fall I was commissioned to create on-site illustrations of Boston, Massachusetts, to celebrate the opening of The Newbury hotel, near the entrance to the Public Gardens. The hotel is the featured building in the image above; it sits on the corner of Newbury Street and Commonwealth Avenue, overlooking the park.

It was such a pleasure to document the history and elegance of one of America’s oldest cities.

For four delightful days, I focused on Newbury Street, the Beacon Hill area, and of course, the Public Garden itself.

Founded in 1837, the Boston Public Garden is the first public botanical garden in America. According to the sign at the garden’s Commonwealth Ave. entrance, the park was founded in 1837. Many iconic fountains and statues – including Thomas Ball’s monument of George Washington in the drawing above – were erected in the 1860s. The landscape design of the park was created by George F. Meacham, and the plants, flowers and trees were laid out by James Slade and John Galvin. You can read more about the history of the park HERE.

For my part, I enjoyed the quiet, personal feeling of the park, and I probably spent more time than I needed to drawing the large pond by the Commonwealth Avenue entrance. The Public Garden really made me feel the notion that public spaces are for the community. Little kids and their grandparents feeding the birds, local residents jogging, happy couples getting married, young girls in their Quinceañera dresses – the overall feeling was very intimate.

And of course, those swan boats drifting amongst the willow trees added a sense of romance…

The park also has amusement for the children – the carousel is, appropriately, Revolutionary era-themed.

One of the hot spots for the kids is the statue dedicated to the children’s book, Make Way for Ducklings, written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey. The statue is the cutest; a row of little brass ducklings led by their Momma, whom the little ones love to climb on. I dare you not to smile when you see that – I certainly was smiling when I drew it. Speaking of hot spots, early September still holds plenty of heat in the city, and so I was also able to draw many of the local children enjoying the fountain and wading pool of the Frog Pond, below.

Overlooking the Frog Pond is the entrance to the Boston neighborhood known as Beacon Hill. Wow, what an elegant place. I felt a bit underdressed in the company of all of the grand architecture and tree-lined cobblestone streets. Standing in front of one of the most famous, Acorn Street, I could feel myself transported to the late 18th Century (drawing below.)

There are and have been many famous residents of Beacon Hill, including Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, whose home is on the left in the drawing above. (Drawing her home was kind of a fan-girl moment for me.)

Strolling back down from Beacon Hill, I then took a tour of Newbury Street, to draw some more lovely architecture and fashionable shops. There are many small restaurants and cafes along Newbury Street as well, so I would usually end my day of drawing here, to relax, have a little late supper, and review my work for the day. At times like these, I feel so lucky to be a reportage illustrator. My work combines all of the things I love to do – drawing, traveling, meeting people, and spending time in beautiful places. What could be bad?

This last drawing is of the entrance to The Newbury hotel, which those of you familiar with Boston may recognize as the old Ritz-Carlton, reborn.

The nicest part of this whole story is how The Newbury hosted me during my stay in Boston. What a beautiful room, what a lovely view, what a delicious breakfast buffet every morning! I still think about that breakfast, served on bone china in an expansive dining room with damask tablecloths. The service was exquisite, too: I felt quite pampered.

My first night back home, I was looking for the slippers waiting next to my bed. ;)

I highly recommend a stay at The Newbury, and if you go, you just might see one of my drawings on the walls.

To see more Armchair Travels from the reportage artists of Studio 1482, please click HERE.

Armchair Travels, Reportage

ARMCHAIR TRAVELS – GREECE

Image June 1, 2020 Greg Betza

Enjoy Greece…by Greg Betza

In August of 2009 I traveled to the Greece, visiting the islands of Crete and Santorini, as well as spending a few days in Athens. My wife is Greek-American and much of her family lives in Crete. Through our years together I’d heard countless stories about everything from the smell of bread baking in the early morning to the blue sea just steps from her Yiayia’s home.

Town square, Kalyves, Crete

The village was a new experience for me. Visually it was both everything I imagined and things I had not considered. The streets and buildings felt like they grew there and had always been, but the modern world and the demands of tourism in the 21st century had definitely begun to impose themselves on even this smallest of communities. Turn your head one way and see the most beautiful flora and deep blue sea and turn back around for a small internet café and car rental parking lot.

A main village road. Cafés, bakeries, etc.

Bouzouki player at summer festival

Boats sit in the small River Xydas, Kalyves, Crete

Olive grove Kalyves, Crete

From there it was on to the magical island of Santorini. An island, more specifically a caldera, or volcanic crater! Aside from the cliffs dotted with white washed homes that look like candy, I remember so clearly the sound…or lack of it. At the top of the caldera where most of the dwellings are, you are basically up in the sky. A vast, silent sky.

Drawing of Oia, Santorini

One of the many blue domed Orthodox churches famous on the island

We did make it down to sea level to visit the Bay of Amoudi. A small bay below Oia full of restaurants, fishermen, and a few windmills too.

Bay of Amoudi, Santorini

Returning to Crete before departing out of Athens we spent a long day in the capital city of Chania. Throughout its history the city has been occupied by the Venetians, Ottomans and Greeks. The architecture reflects this in the most beautiful way. You can just draw buildings all day! Again, the balance of old and new exists here as well. There are many beautiful restaurants and bars lining the waterfront.

Streets of Chania

On our way home we stopped to see the many sites in Athens. Among them, of course, the Acropolis and Parthenon. I’ll leave you with this last drawing made before my trek to the top.

To see more Armchair Travels from the reportage artists of Studio 1482, please click HERE.

Armchair Travels, Reportage

ARMCHAIR TRAVELS – JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

June 1, 2020 Margaret Hurst

I’m excited to introduce Armchair Travels, an invitation to travel around the world through the reportage illustration of Studio 1482. We have gathered art from our travels to share with you, in the hopes that, while you can’t get out and see these places (yet), our experiences may bring some happiness and light to your day. Please check back often as we will be posting new adventures weekly.

Enjoy Joshua Tree National Park…by Margaret Hurst

My trip to Joshua Tree National Park in southern California is an experience and an adventure that has made a lasting impression on me, both visually and emotionally. Although my visit to the park was only for one day I have frequent memories of the unique landscape of Joshua Tree National Park.

The Joshua Trees are extraordinary and different from any tree that I have seen. They wildly spread out in every direction with unlimited energy. The colors of the trees are bright and exciting and varying in so many ways.

They flare out and exude energy and vibrate against the sky.

Other than the Joshua Trees there are rock formations that are also intriguing with various patterns and colors.

The park landscape is a beautiful mixture of the trees and the rock formations and is also a combination of the two deserts, The Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert.

Originally declared a National Monument in 1936, Joshua Tree was redesignated as a National Park on October 31, 1994, by the Desert Protection Act. The park is named for the Joshua Trees native to the Mojave Desert. Native Americans knew the Joshua tree as a source of food and fiber.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Joshua Tree National Park please do not hesitate to go. You will love it and cherish your memories of it always. I am thrilled that I could make a few watercolors to add to my memories of my day in the Joshua Tree National Park. Right now the park is under quarantine, but hopefully it will open a little later this summer.

To see more Armchair Travels from the reportage artists of Studio 1482 please click HERE.

Armchair Travels, Reportage

ARMCHAIR TRAVELS – VATICAN CITY

May 29, 2020 Veronica Lawlor

I’m excited to introduce Armchair Travels, an invitation to travel around the world through the reportage illustration of Studio 1482. We have gathered art from our travels to share with you, in the hopes that while you can’t get out and see these places (yet), our experiences may bring some happiness and light to your day. Please check back often as we will be posting new adventures weekly.

Enjoy Vatican City…by Veronica Lawlor

Here I post some memories from an afternoon in Vatican City and an audience with Pope John Paul II…

Looking at the current images of Rome under lockdown: empty streets, deserted piazzas; I can’t help but contrast them to the Rome I found back in 1998, when I spent a week drawing the scene in Vatican City. PEOPLE make the heart of any city, and in a place that is sacred to so many of the Catholic faith, that rule applies even more, despite the gorgeous architecture. The crowds were immense, almost as immense as the heat that August.

While I definitely felt it was important to capture the majesty and the sheer crowd size of the square, what intrigued me the most about Vatican City was how everyday it was for the people who lived there – not only the priests and nuns, but also, the vendors who made a living from the hordes of tourists coming to visit the shrine and perhaps catch a glimpse of the Pope. To help me feel immersed in this world, I decided to stay at a convent while visiting. When the nuns found out that I was busily drawing their city, they arranged for me to have an audience with the Pope to complete my story. And so, one morning after our communal breakfast, I headed into town for my day’s work.

Vatican City is a bustling little metropolis in it’s own right, and actually, it’s an official country within Rome. There is no difference between commuting here and in any other urban center, except in Vatican City, many of your fellow commuters are wearing the garb of the clergy, and saying the rosary is a common commuting past time. Above, a group of nuns wait for the bus to take them down the mountain to St. Peter’s Square.

Vatican City is also a place where many secular Romans make their living. Here, two vendors argue on the outskirts of the Piazza, exhibiting the famous Italian body language and hand gestures as they emphasize their points.

Not far from them, a group of nuns and priests take their lunch break. Different suits, but in many ways, the same activity as the folks on Wall Street.

I soon arrived at St. Peter’s for my audience with the Pope. That sounds so intimate, but actually, you need a ticket to get in, and when I arrived to the entrance of the smallish theater where the audience is held, there was a line complete with vendors hawking umbrellas and water to protect us from the August heat while we waited to get in. Most of the people on line were from the clergy, taking their vacation to visit the holy site. There were nuns and priests visiting from all over the world, and as Pope John Paul II walked on to the stage, there were nationalistic cheers from the various factions of religious folks. It was quite a rally! He waved to the crowd as he slowly made his way to the chair set up at the center of the small stage.

Pope John Paul II was very old and frail by 1998, but his aura was still quite strong. He was multi-lingual, and people were in tears when he spoke to them in their own language. Everyone lined up and walked across the stage for a personal blessing. It was kind of like a graduation of sorts. The Pope was surrounded by many bishops and the Swiss Guards at all times. It was quite regal.

It was also quite moving to see how the people responded to him. After the audience ended, we all went through St. Peter’s Basilica, where the tradition is to kiss the feet of the statue of St. Peter, which at this point are nothing more than thin worn down slabs at the end of his marble legs.

On my way out, I stopped to make some drawings of the Swiss Guards.

I was quite enamored of the Swiss Guards – after all, when you are a young Italian man wearing a uniform designed by Michelangelo, it’s hard to go wrong. I can’t say that my motivation was entirely religious here, but I think they were good with it. Even in Vatican City, that holiest of places in Rome, bella figura rules the day!

To see more Armchair Travels from the reportage artists of Studio 1482, please click HERE.

Armchair Travels, Reportage

ARMCHAIR TRAVELS – MAUI

May 28, 2020 Greg Betza

I’m excited to introduce Armchair Travels, an invitation to travel around the world through the reportage illustration of Studio 1482. We have gathered art from our travels to share with you in the hopes that, while you can’t get out and see these places (yet), our experiences may bring some happiness and light to your day. Please check back often as we will be posting new adventures weekly.

Enjoy Maui…by Greg Betza

2016 marked my 10 year wedding anniversary so my wife and I decided to take our family of 3 to the islands we’ve heard so much about. For a number of reasons we settled on Maui for the majority of our stay.

To say we were happy with our choice would be terribly understated. This vacation was perfect, just as perfect as the Hawaiian weather. In fact, that is the first memory that comes to mind. I remember making the paintings below from our balcony and thinking, with disbelief, “this is perfect weather…it never changes…it’s just perfect all of the time.” And to me that was a great place from which to start this adventure.

Of course there was more than just the weather. A few days into the trip we braved the legendarily beautiful and dangerous Road to Hana. Of the many stops along the way, and there were many, I particularly enjoyed the Maui Garden of Eden. With a name like that, what more is there really to say. We spent a few hours there among the rare flowers, plants, vistas and peacocks! Here are a few watercolors from the stop.

The natural beauty of the island seems never ending. We took a day trip to Lahaina, Hawaii’s former capital, to see their famous banyan tree. Lahaina Banyan Court Park is rich with history and the islands oldest and largest banyan tree. This tree has 16 trunks and is nearly a quarter mile in circumference! The trunks create a sort of maze where people find spots to rest, pose for pictures, find relief from the sun, or as I did, paint.

From the weather to the natural beauty to the people, Maui is a magical place.

Illustration