Istanbul

            A couple of years ago, my wife Jane and I spent a few weeks travelling through Turkey and enjoying the hospitality of this fascinating country. We spent some time in Istanbul and I realised later that I had drawn many pictures of the  people going about on their daily business. From street vendors pushing their carts to carpet salesmen plying their craft, there's always something unusual to see. The busy street picture (below left) was painted from our bedroom window.

                  "You've got to draw quickly to capture the essence of the persons character, before they disappear into the crowd."

         I normally draw the picture first and paint later. Even though the subject may have left the scene and the colours that I use are inaccurate, it doesn't matter to my mind. You're not doing the work of a camera, but capturing some of the mood or atmosphere of the place. A one-legged man on crutches hobbling down the street, happened to pass by, so I put him in the drawing.

At Istanbul's hippodrome, a throng of tourists surrounded this obelisk (left side drawing), clicking away with their cameras. I enjoyed drawing the reaction of the locals. Even if the drawing leans closer to a cartoon style,  I still think you can get a sense of   individual character out of some of the people.

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Copyright Frank Gapinski 1998