Blast from the Past #275: "Futuristic city" drawing inspired by a novel by Joan Vinge

Years ago, when I had one of my drawings accepted as the winning entry in a competition to determine the artwork which would be featured on the posters and t-shirts of the UMass science fiction convention "A World Beyond: A Happening", I met the author Joan Vinge at that same convention. She was very nice and interesting to talk to, and that encounter led me to seek out her novels. I read several of her works, of which "The Snow Queen" was my favorite.



In reading "The Snow Queen", I was inspired to do this almost-finished drawing of one of the settings in that book, a city the name of which I have forgotten. But I remember that her description of it was quite compelling. -- PL

Blast from the Past #273: Another "alien bar" scene (unfinished)

Much like the "Blast from the Past" #134 I posted back in Jauary of 2009, this is yet another drawing inspired by the original "Star Wars" cantina scene. I can't recall whether I drew this as a stand-alone piece or if it was intended to be part of a comic book story, but I am pretty sure it was done in the late 1970's. I can't remember why I didn't finish inking it. It's kind of interesting how I used almost the exact same perspective for the bar scene in both pieces. -- PL

Blast from the Past #271: World trees

There is no date on this drawing, but from the style I would guess that it is something I drew in the late 1970's or early 1980's. I can't recall why I drew it -- I don't think it was ever published.



I wonder if this piece was inspired by the concept of Yggdrasil, the "world tree" of Norse mythology, which I'm sure was mentioned from time to time in the "Thor" comics that Jack Kirby drew. -- PL

Red on the snow

During the winter, Jeannine keeps a birdfeeder outside our kitchen window, and it's fun to watch the various hungry winged critters who visit it in search of nourishment. This morning, I spied a somewhat rare visitor...



... a cardinal. Using the zoom lense on a new camera I was trying out, I managed to get a pretty decent shot of it. I like the contrast of the bird's brilliant red plumage againast the stark whiteness of the snow. -- PL

Blast from the Past #270: Toothy monster doodle

I found this while going through some old stuff a couple of days ago.



I can't say for certain, but due to the fact that it was doodled in ball-point pen on yellow legal pad paper, I suspect that this was drawn during one of the lengthy meetings with lawyers we used to have at Mirage in the 1990's. -- PL

What are these?

I'm hoping someone who reads this blog can help me to identify the plants in this photo.



I see these things often around here and think they are quite beautiful. Any ideas? -- PL

Back to Chapel Falls

After posting those photos of the frozen waterfalls at Chapel Falls, taken last January, I decided I had to go see what they looked like THIS January. So two days ago I braved the 17 degree temperatures and drove up to Chapel Falls. It's interesting to contrast this photo...



... with the first one from my last entry and see the different shapes the water froze into. I think, too, that the fact that the left side of the waterfall in the newer photo is free-flowing water is a good indication that even though it was 17 degrees the day I took that photo, we have had, overall, a milder winter this time around. Last January that entire waterfall was frozen, with only a little flowing water visible through some cracks and holes in the ice.

Of course, while there I couldn't resist the urge to take some shots to turn into panoramas, so here's a panoramic view from near the top of the upper falls...



,,, and another one from a spot near the lower falls. -- PL