The Samath Sketchbook

The Rykami Samaðena is a travelogue in words and pictures. Drawings alternated with a handwritten account of the travels. The addresses of friends grace the drawings. Some of my finest on-site ink drawings appear in the book, some winning awards. Many of the drawings are architectural analyses of places I see along the way. In the middle of the trip, stuck in various train stations leaving France, I resort to questioning myself (here appearing again as “Icarus”, the Son of the Flyer, a nickname taken from my last name, De Vlieger, which means the same thing) and where I am in my mid 20s. I identified with Icarus' excitedly pushing limits, possibly to my own tragic end. The goal had been to visit Ronchamp, France along with many of Lecorbusier's work. A French rail strike had me flee to Italy, to the familiar Val di Chiana to see friends there. The sketchbook is one of a series named after girlfriends, by now this particular dedicatee, a lover from 1993, long lost. The early intention of sketchbooks dedicated to lovers was to give them to the girl; thankfully this never actually happened.

a00
Rentika Samaðenâ

This is the dedication page for the Rykami Samaðene, an ink drawing of a former girlfriend.

a02
Des Bátiments de France

Studies of buildings in Paris (left), Chartres (right), and Marseilles (top). This drawing won the 1998 AIA CPC Award for Architectural Drawing.

a03
Studies in Aix en Provence

Ballpoint ink drawings produced on site at Aix-en-Provence and on the train from Paris.

a04
Rainy Day Doorstep Sketch

This ballpoint ink sketch was produced during light rain from a doorway in Aix en Provence.

a06
Icarus Countercurrent and Study of a Tuscan ceiling

In 1997 I felt I was running against the currents around me; the people in the picture are coworkers and friends going the other way. Tuscan ceilings are fascinating and we had time while the meal was coming to study it.

a07
«Sei un ragazzo splendido»

This is a floor plan of my friends’ apartment in Foiano della Chiana, Italy, accompanied by a sketch of a hospital room in Arezzo. The page is signed by a couple friends.

a09
Piazza della Signoria, Firenze

A drawing of the palazzo and the piazza. The foreshortening of the tower really bugged me, so large did it loom. The sketch attracted a decent crowd.

This page last modified Friday 12 May 2012.


a00 Rentika Samaðenâ This is the dedication page for the Rykami Samaðene, an ink drawing of a former girlfriend.	a02 Des Bátiments de France Studies of buildings in Paris (left), Chartres (right), and Marseilles (top). This drawing won the 1998 AIA CPC Award for Architectural Drawing.	a03 Studies in Aix en Provence Ballpoint ink drawings produced on site at Aix-en-Provence and on the train from Paris.	a04 Rainy Day Doorstep Sketch This ballpoint ink sketch was produced during light rain from a doorway in Aix en Provence.

a06 Icarus Countercurrent and Study of a Tuscan ceiling In 1997 I felt I was running against the currents around me; the people in the picture are coworkers and friends going the other way. Tuscan ceilings are fascinating and we had time while the meal was coming to study it.	a07 «Sei un ragazzo splendido» This is a floor plan of my friends’ apartment in Foiano della Chiana, Italy, accompanied by a sketch of a hospital room in Arezzo. The page is signed by a couple friends.	a09 Piazza della Signoria, Firenze A drawing of the palazzo and the piazza. The foreshortening of the tower really bugged me, so large did it loom. The sketch attracted a decent crowd.

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The Samath Sketchbook