Sketch Journal: Munich
Lets see, where did we leave off… yes, here were were, on the train from Paris to Munich. We arrived in Munich late at night and hungry. After checking into our hotel we ventured out to find the legendary Biergarten; Hofbrauhaus.
On our way through Marienplatz we saw the Glockenspiel lit up after midnight. It was just gorgeous.
The “after hours” menu at the Hofbrauhaus left much to be desired. My Bavarian friend takes great offense to what I call “The Starch Ball”. I suppose it sits well if you’ve had too much to drink.
Next day we met with a friend who showed us the Viktualienmarket. If the hotel’s breakfast hadn’t been so good I would have stopped to eat again. Everything looked delicious.
There is just something about fish markets that makes me want to sketch.
She took us through the Frauenkirche which was mostly destroyed during WWII and resorted to it’s glory based on photographs taken before the war.
She pointed out the sides of the building where you can see the old shrapnel torn brick and new brick.
Inside you can see some photos of the church before and after the war, as well as a foot print. Legend has it, the devil left it behind when he fled the the grounds, never to return.
She then led us to the Museum of the Hunt, yes, we saw one in Paris too, but you know these places are so very interesting.
I often sketch at the NYC Natural History Museum, I had to do some sketching here just the same.
I grew up with hunting dogs and pheasants. I have a fondness for them in paintings as much as hunting with my father and granddad.
Next day was cold and rainy, we headed to the Munich Zoo to sketch with some artist friends. It was really cool to see Shannon’s art work all over the park.
We had the park mostly to ourselves as we all split off to sketch our favorite subjects.
Then we headed to the Neue Pinakothek and the Alte Pinakothek. We saw Albrecht Dürer and so many inspiring masters.
One of my favorites, “Monkeys as Judges of Art”by Gabriel Von Max, makes me giggle.
I love all the colors melded into the skin of this man’s flesh, in this painting. I once had a mentor who told me; “at every inch change color or value”. Not to mention the line work. GAW!
Our last night in Munich we turned in early to pack for our flight the next day. Just around midnight my friend messaged that we were about to miss history being made. The final match of World Cup was on and Germany was winning. So we threw on our new Hofbrauhaus hoodies and ran to the nearest biergarten for one last brew. It’s worth noting that when we were in Spain in 2010, Spain won. I wonder where we’ll be in 2018.
I still have one more sketch for you, as promised at the end of my Paris Sketch Journal post. That watercolor set I left behind at Charvin Paris made it’s way to me as a birthday present in August. To test out the juicy candy colors I did a sketch of the octopus I met at the Munich Zoo.
The texture, transparency and finish of these pigments is so different from anything I’ve used before, I love them. Next I’m going to have to get me that Lukas set I saw in Munich. My apatite for new experiences is insatiable.
