Kati Nawrocki

I try to make it to at least one free play in Central Park every summer, and this year I decided to join some friends to check out New York Classical Theater‘s plein-air production of Moliere’s super-entertaining 17th century Vaudevillian slapstick classic The School for husbands. Central Park becomes both stage and auditorium for these productions, and the audience follows the actors as they move from scene to scene, and sometimes the action simultaneously takes place in front of and behind the spectators. This is a neat way of keeping everyone engaged, though at an hour it is a mighty quick and high energy production anyway. The following illustrations were all done on location.

The gorgeous 2011 Studio 1482 calendars have just arrived from the printer, and sandwiched between some unusual drawings by yours truly you can let artwork by my fellow Studio 1482 artists accompany you through 2011! To order, please visit the Studio 1482 website today!

Here are a few more recent drawings from the rehearsals of the New York Repertory Orchestra. I used a quill pen and a reed pen with india ink for these, and I am really happy with how these came out. They really capture the feeling of the music and the atmosphere in the church and in my heart that evening…

The first one is of the cello section, which includes the classically beautiful first cello, the old-school “godfather” second cello, as well as the my collegue, whom I usually do not draw for fear of making him feel self-conscious. I adore the sound of celli, perhaps because their pitch is so close to that of the human voice..

The second one is a drawing of the entire orchestra. I was thinking of German Expressionism while I was doing it.

This third one is a portrait of the orchestra’s soloist, Olivier Fluchaire, performing the gorgeously jazzy melodies of Piazzola’s Four seasons of Buenes Aires. And the last drawing is of the “papa” of the cello section again, his gorgeous face merging with that of his precious instrument…

Who knew that my testosteronic salesguy-collegue harbored the soul of concert cellist? Certainly not I. Originally I had started coming to his orchestra’s rehearsals to get some much-needed drawing out of my system, but soon enough I found myself enveloped by the breathtakingly beautiful sounds he and his fellow musicians managed to coax from their instruments under the starry dome of the elegant mid-town church where they rehearsed.

I was especially intrigued by the sliding dissonances in a deliciously asymmetrical piece by Argentian composer Piazzola, who is known primarily for his tango compositions. The piece in question was his interpretation of The Four Seasons, and the conductor made the musicians rehearse the dangerously off-kilter melodies over and over, until even I could hum along to what at casual listen would surely sound like a slip. This internalizing of the formerly heart-stoppingly dissonant gave me an intense happiness that made me return week after week to see the same pieces dissected in myriad different ways. New each time, and increasingly familiar. Last week I stumbled into the first rehearsal held with their immensely talented soloist, which opened up a another, completely different  dimension of the music, and I had to pause my drawing at some points because the sound was just too overwhelming.

On a recent trip to California I stayed in a classic Old Hollywood haunt called the Culver City Hotel, an idiosynchratic red brick wedge of a building that towers over the diminuitive Epcot-esque Art Deco buildings around it.  The hotel lobby greets visitors with august, dark-wooded, faux-Patrician charm complete with piano bar, wooden globe, and enormous furniture, next to which the tiny check-in desk disappears almost completely.

From my window I had the disconcerting view of the somewhat crusty top of one of those grandiose golden balls that sit atop 1930ies buildins like cherries, which was cringey in that way that spotting a balding patch on the head of one of your friends is when you’re not sure if they themselves are aware of it.

I also made a few drawings at the farmer’s market, which is held right next door to the hotel, between the mansion from Gone with the Wind (really!) and a Trader Joe’s supermarket, and saw what I am reasonably certain are real hippies, which excited the anthropologist in me quite a bit. I also bought some unbelievably tasty organic apricots there.

Despite thunderstorms earlier that day I found myself seated in the heart of Times Square to attend the premiere of Mad Men season four, an hour ahead of the rest of the country. I was later upgraded from puddle-seat to VIP area (admittedly way comfier than the  wet bleachers (thank you V!). The majority of the drawings were done during the pre-show costume contest, and my personal highlight was seeing the “falling man” intro of the show at the bottom of Times Square signage canyon.

It is hard to believe that it has really been five years since we held our first Studio 1482 meeting at 1482 York after a long day at the Metropolitan Museum of art. The intervening years have brought us a few cultural phenomena (Twitter and  Twilight , to name just two), yet we are still here (thanks to your support)!

As my official work to celebrate the five year anniversary of Studio1482, I have decided to draw a five dollar bill. This is not the first time I’ve created work around the theme of money: Below is a piece from my silkscreen series “American dream”

For more information about my work or Studio 1482 or money or Epiphany cards or anything else, please contact me at Kati@studio1482.com

Every day there will be a new EP!PHANY card, so visit the Daily Epiphany whenever you need a little inspiration. For updates on new Ep!phany products and events, or to ask questions and give feedback, please visit our facebook page, we love to hear from you!

To learn more about the Ep!phany method, please visit our website or email info@theanswersareinside.com for more information on training and how to purchase cards. The answers are inside.

“1791″, named for the year of the Haitian Revolution, which resulted in the abolishment of slavery. This is an ink painting on paper, done with pen and brush. Hand-signed prints of this piece are available for donations of $50 or more to CARE. Please visit our blog Onedrawingaday for more information on how to participate in this fundraiser.

All three images in this post were created for a book about a man who was born a slave on an 18th century plantation in Haiti who grew up to become one of the most admired citizens of the new world. (age 7 and up, fully illustrated). For more information on this project please contact me at kati@studio1482.com

above: “Haircare for ladies”, below: “George Washington’s inauguration”, both from “The barber of New York” by K. Nawrocki, copyright 2010 by K. Nawrocki

The Washington Heights barber wraps a young Latino in a cape emblazoned with day-glo palm trees, and nods into the mirror. They’re both silent and serious, the only sound is the boxing match on the wall-mounted television set. The young man is about to get a shape-up, a term referring to the removal of any hairs outside of a perfectly-drawn hairline, which creates an airbrushed look popular with many Latin men.As the youth settles into his chair and briefly explains the desired shape of his mustache, I realize this is a ritual, a way for men to be with each other, the way women relax into the competent hands of their manicurists, and I suddenly think back on meeting my Japanese father’s family in New Mexico for the first time many years ago.I remember noticing the my half-brother’s flawless hairline, and finding it had nothing in common with the fuzz that framed my own mixed features. I kept staring at it, trying to figure out how it could be, and pondering my obsession with touching the hair of any other half-Asians I met, trying, I suppose, to figure out my own identity. I compared my straight black tresses to my half-sister’s shiny brown curls, and recall alternately reveling in and despairing at the complicated composition of my “heritage”.The barber is now carving out a perfect edge by trimming all hairs to a quarter of an inch with an electric buzzer, then flips open a straight razor and attacks the fuzz daring to grow outside of the shape (mostly around the temples, it seems). “Old school”, he assures me proudly, pointing at the blade.One day my half-brother had grabbed me by the hand conspiratorily, promising to solve the mystery, and so I’d come to sit in on this ritual for the first time. I’d watched in silence as the evidence of his heritage was cut away, shaping and reshaping a new identity that perhaps better matched his surroundings, making him look more like his Latin friends.Back in the Heights, the barber trims the young man’s mustache and sideburns (both skinny, as per fashion). He is almost done. He gently sweeps the young man’s shoulders with a brush, disinfects the freshly razored skin with something that smells like essence of cinnamon, and holds up a mirror for his client. The young man is satisfied, and tips the barber. !Hasta la proxima vez! They’ll meet again in a few days, when nature has once again messed up perfection.To get a shape-up next time you’re in New York City, visit Nick at Magic Touch Barbers on 181st Street.This article was published in GDI magazine.