I’ve been uploading images from my archive to Instagram, if you don’t have an Instagram account you should be able to view my pictures and comment on them (using your Facebook account) with this link: http://iconosquare.com/johnotterart
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Sunday walking adventures in downtown Los Angeles
I spent this past Sunday afternoon walking around downtown Los Angeles. I planned out a walking route over morning coffee that included some places I’ve never been and some places I try to visit anytime I’m downtown.
I arrived at Union Station around 11:30am, from there I headed down Broadway to 3rd Street to see the Bradbury building. I’ve been there many times, I try to pop in anytime I’m downtown. If you’ve never stepped inside I highly recommend it. It has a pretty unassuming exterior, but inside is a feast for the eyes: marble staircases, beautifully ornate iron railings and an amazing skylight ceiling.
After that I stopped by the Grand Central Market, just a brief meandering.
Over coffee in the morning I decided I’d shop for some art supplies downtown, primarily a white colored pencil and maybe some brush-pens. A quick Google search pointed me to Raw Materials Art Supplies, which was recently voted 2015’s Best Art, Craft & Design Store by the readers of Los Angeles Downtown News.
I headed over to Main Street (between 4th & 5th) to Raw Materials but I had arrived a few minutes too early. They open at noon on Sundays and I was there about 11:50am – I was glad they open on weekends and decided to head around the block to 5th and Spring Street to the Last Bookstore.
Outside the Last Bookstore the Historic Downtown Farmers Market was going on (every Sunday from 9am – 2pm) so I wandered through there and then headed back to Raw Materials
After purchasing a pencil and two pens I walked to 9th and Hope Street to see Grand Hope Park, a 2.5-acre urban park next to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) Beautiful green lawns, plenty of benches, a couple nice fountains and an iconic clock tower.
After relaxing in the park for a while I walked over to the Ace Hotel where on Sunday afternoons they have Vibing Time, where a rotating posse of dublab DJs share sun-soaked music selections.
I hung out for about an hour while I sketched in my sketchbook and then returned to Union Station.
Have any favorite spots in downtown L.A.? Let me know about them in the comments.
Art supplies
Over the past week I’ve been cleaning and organizing art supplies – old printing ink, rollers, paper, pastels, paint, brushes, pencils, pens, etc.
A lot of it seems impersonal (e.g. a burnt sienna Prismacolor pencil) but some supplies bring back a flood of memories, specific times and places (both physical and mental).
Last night I bought some 90 lb Fabriano and 140 lb Strathmore watercolor paper for a small series of mixed media studies and experiments. I really enjoy shopping for art supplies, even if it’s just for paper.
welcome to the new John Otter art website/blog
Welcome to the new John Otter website/blog. I migrated years worth of posts over from Blogger which seemed to work fine. I’ll try to post updates a bit more often than I have over the past few years.
On the site I’ve added portfolios of paintings, drawings, mixed media and prints: artwork by John Otter – I’ll continue to refine and update the site as time goes on so check back soon. Take a look around, I’d love to hear what you think of it so far, feel free to comment.
John Otter art on Instagram
so, apparently it’s been about five years since I’ve posted here.
I’m surprised I haven’t been kicked off the platform for inactivity.
Things have been good, I’ve been writing a bit more than drawing, and drawing a lot more than painting lately.
I haven’t been exhibiting or working on any sort of publicity in the last several years, but was recently invited to a summer group exhibition. The opening reception was nice and I received several compliments on my work, which made me realize I’ve been (artistically) isolated and hoarding my work lately. Little by little I’m emerging from the shadows. Updating resumes and statements, digitizing drawings.
I signed up for an Instagram account and will be adding art on a regular basis -check it out and follow me if you’re on there…
https://instagram.com/johnotterart/
(I promise I won’t wait another five years for the next update)
John Otter 