TIM & JULIE
Gorgeous Australian-French couple staying at Kybele.
THE CHECKERED COAT
Hüseyin “Lady Killer” Mataraci — Beautiful girl glimpsed in the street outside Ayasofya —
Pretty Kate singing at a nightclub in Taksim — Ludwig——
JUST UNDER YOUR FEET
Sadi—— was the manager at Asia Minor Carpets, where this was drawn. Under their showroom, now Palatium Resataurant, is a Byzantine ruin I now know is the lower level of the Corridor of Lord. This drawing is the entrance, with the showroom windows and the Four Seasons Hotel across the street.The ruin is still there to be seen. Thing is, anywhere in the Old City you are likely to be standing over something like this…
DENNIS THE DANE
“Ay am Dennis the Dane” — Celebi —Mustafa Volkan Kösk——
TEARDROPS AT THE BAZAAR
Takkeciler Cadde Grand Bazaar—— Electricity out? No matter, it’s always light in the Bazaar, thanks to these ingenious windows running along the central corridors, created by the Bazaar architects in 1461, before electricity and plumbing were added to the original structure.
THE CARPET MERCHANTS
Şengör — Grand Bazaar — 4th Generation carpet merchants — Şemsi & his father, Asim—— His grandfather and his mother were drawn from photographs in the shop. I met them while drawing the teardrop windows.
UP TOP GRAND BAZAAR
Here I am during and after creating the next drawing. A happy day spent with folks staying at Kybele, one of whom was kind enough to send me these photos years later.
Veysi — Outside Lakai Antiques—— And my later great friend Aziz’s fabulous shop. This place still looks pretty much the same.
INSIDE THE WALL
Cafe Ist Grand Bazaar — Ferhat, Yasmin & Mustafa—— Coming from Los Angeles, where ‘an old wall’ is created by the boys in Set Design, I am fascinated by the sight of 20thCentury technology in an actual 16thCentury brick niche.
YASMIN AT CAFE IST
In the Grand Bazaar, right in the center in the oldest part. She wanted her own cafe. Hope she got it.
CAN’T RESIST POSTING THIS BALLSY POODLE
Cutsie-poo Turkish poodle with big black balls on windowsill in Topkapi — Wallpaper pattern in restaurant @ Kariye — Salih Karaca – Bun seller in Sultanahmet——- and a quick take on the arches at Kariye, done properly on the next page.
TRIPLE ARCH AT KARIYE
Kariye, The Church of the Holy Savior at Chora, was built in bits over many centuries, beginning with a monastery possibly as far back as the the 3rd. I believe this bit is 10thCentury. Chora has been in restoration for years now and has been reverted to the mosque it became in 1453. I’m very glad I drew it in 2003.
GEORGE AT HONDA
George Nasi – Kurdish – Honda dealership in LA—— Kurdish people are all over the world and proudly tell me so. After I came back to LA, still carrying this sketchbook, George sold me an Accord- best car I ever had, so I drew him on the only blank page.
DANIEL BOZHKOV
Artist — Daniel Bozhkov from Bulgaria via Nw York — At And Restaurant, Sultanahmet—— He sat still as a rock and I was able to get this fantastic portrait. Never saw him again. Hope he’s happy.
SULTANAHMET NIGHT
From the terrace at And Cafe. That’s Daniel Bozhkov below the Blue Mosque, and me just below him- a pre-iPhone selfie. A happy night!
CRAZY ALI
“I play hide & seek with your eyes…” Crazy Ali & a new poem! —— Here we have Ali, my coffee cup, a Kapadokyan spinning wheel, and his new poem…
END