Water Towers

And a short homage to an artist's work I love

Sometimes I just have to draw water towers.

Apologies if I have said this before, but I am curious as to why I like these structures so much. Perhaps they seem a little old fashioned? Or maybe it’s just their shape and ubiquitousness? Unlike what my drawing above might suggest, I don’t see them all looking alike; rather, slight variations on a theme.

The drawing I did above also pays homage to one of my favorite New Yorker drawings by one of my favorite artists. Robert (Bob) Weber, now deceased, was a lovely man and a terrific artist. He was a humble person, who refused the idea of having a collection of his work published.

Bob worked in charcoal, and if you have ever tried using that medium—it’s not easy. I asked him once how he handles it—he shrugged off my question and said he just starts at one end of the paper and works his way to the other side. His work is just a delight—soft, lightly humorous and poignant.

Here are two more of his that I love. The easy line and simple ideas!!

And my second favorite of his of all time:

This is a photo of him that I took, probably around 1981. A bunch of my colleagues and I were on an Amtrak train to Washington DC for a group show of our work.

Thank you, Bob Weber.