FPN's PEN ART GALLERY

[inkstainedruth]

He had enough hobbies already -- he was a ham radio operator and was an amateur astronomer besides the photography.  He would take lots of pictures on trips (especially later on when he and my mom would go abroad) and then have them processed as slides (he didn't do his own processing) and do slide shows for the residents of the home for old ladies my grandmother lived in).                                            

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

(edited for formatting -- out of the blue my return key stopped working just now....   And don't know if it's at my end or the site's....)

[Frank C]

On 8/18/2021 at 1:46 AM, Andrew_L said:

 

He just didn't see enough sense in drawing. I believe that anyone can learn to do something well if he(she) strives for it, and abilities can only speed up this process. If your father had an innate sense of noticing (framing), then he could learn to draw well, of course, if he wanted to.

That is an interesting idea. I always considered the ability to draw to be innate. I had friends in elementary school who could draw effortlessly; I was not able to do that. But, as with so many things, if one practices, one gets better. One of my Covid-19 projects has been to improve my handwriting. I try to write one or two pages per day—sometimes with my Montblanc Calligraphy 149 pen. I have seen a noticeable improvement in my handwriting. 

[Andrew_L]

15 hours ago, Frank C said:

I try to write or two pages per day

 

YEEEES! Ability (predisposition) - yes, it helps a lot to master this or that skill, but work, perseverance and desire are the main engines of your progress. I also started with write sticks and curves for 10-15 minutes per day for 2-3 months :). I still have these notebooks and photos of these practices :).

 

18 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

He would take lots of pictures on trips

 

Cool! For some period in my life I was also fond of photography and even was a professional sports photographer and I think this acquired skills of a photographer help me now in drawing.

[Andrew_L]

Continuing the theme of photography

 

“Whatever we do, Kertesz did it first.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson

 

(Pilot Myrex, Rober Oster Graphite, Double A(A4))

 

Full review: http://lenskiy.org/2021/08/pilot-murex-mr-500ss/

[Andrew_L]

"Who am I, really? I prefer to leave that up to the observer, because I will never finish answering that." - JN

 

(Pilot Capless VP w|custom UEF nib, Platinum Carbon Black, Double A(A4))

 

http://lenskiy.org/2018/06/ground-f-to-ef-modern-pilot-vanishing-point-pilot-capless-vp/

 

[Andrew_L]

The Robert Oster Graphite ink test on @kimkanone__ Instagram challenge (again:))

 

(Pilot Myu, Robert Oster Graphite, Double A(A4))

 

http://lenskiy.org/2021/04/pilot-black-striped-myu-m-500bs/

[Frank C]

Wow, another two posts in one 24 hour period. You've been busy. I always liked Julie Newmar and Catwoman. Thanks for posting these. 

[Andrew_L]

10 hours ago, Frank C said:

I always liked Julie Newmar and Catwoman.

 

Thanks!

I try to draw every day if possible :). Let it be a little, but every day.

PS: I have one extra if you want (this draft sketch, what you see in the photo above).

[Andrew_L]

In dreams ... (Another ink from recent purchases that I wanted to see)

 

(vintage Pilot Myu BS, Robert Oster Barossa Grape, Double A(A4))

 

http://lenskiy.org/2021/04/pilot-black-striped-myu-m-500bs/

 

[GlenV]

I drew this one last night from a photo I took, but the Sheaffer was leaking at the packing unit though so have to go back in and fix, so at the moment looks like this... (ha) I hope I can get it writing ok as great fine drawing nib (these are hard to work on so I must have done the seals poorly the first time )

[bill88]

On 8/18/2021 at 2:57 PM, inkstainedruth said:

he was a ham radio operator

Would you happen to remember his callsign?

It might be found on a QSL card if you don't happen to remember it off the top.

[inkstainedruth]

12 hours ago, bill88 said:

Would you happen to remember his callsign?

It might be found on a QSL card if you don't happen to remember it off the top.

Oh, no, I remember his call sign quite well: W2SZJ.  He got a vanity plate for one of the cars at some point when I think I was in high school (if not earlier), but we knew what it was long before that.  It got to the point though that he was only basically doing a weekly chat on Sundays with a couple of his friends who had moved out of the area.  And I don't know how active he was when my parents moved to NJ beyond that (I don't remember if there was a big antenna in that yard the way there was where I grew up), which got moved to that yard from where we lived when I was little.  He died a couple of years after my mom did, and she died about six months after my husband and I moved to our current house, which was in 1998, so it would have been about 2000 or 2001 (I remember that it was just before Christmas).  But he had Alzheimers by then and was in a nursing home.  My brother arranged for both my parents' ashes to be interred in a military funeral in southern NJ. 

He had gotten interested when he was a radio operator in the Navy during WWII.  I'm not sure where all he was, or what specific ships he was on, but I know he did Liberty Ship convoy duty in the North Atlantic and then towards the end of the war was on a tanker refueling other ships in the Pacific theatre.  He never really talked about it much, though.  I know he was in Italy after that was liberated, because he had a small marble bust of himself made in IIRC Sienna, but I think he was on liberty at that point.  And I know that he went through the Panama Canal on a troop ship (although possibly as a passenger) probably going to his next post.  My mom said he slept on deck because so many of the other people were seasick.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[bill88]

15 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

slept on deck because so many of the other people were seasick

Wow!

Lots of awesome memories there.

 

I'm a Ham Radio guy too.

A long time ago, when I was studying for my first license, my uncle happened to be visiting and he told me about his time as a radio operator in the Navy. 

 

I asked him if he remembered Morse Code.

He assured me it was much too long ago for him and he was certain he wouldn't remember any of it.

 

However, I had heard from some of the local 'old timers' that you never really forget.

So I asked him what the callsign of his ship was.

Well, he certainly remembered that right away.

 

I began tapping it out in Morse code.

He was absolutely astonished that it came back to him.

I 'sent it' several times and he said he really was able to pick up every single character after just a couple of times.

 

He didn't think he would remember any of it, but the old timers were right... It's rather like riding a bicycle, if you like.

 

Did you happen to notice if he pronounced the Z as 'Zed' ?

 

Was his name Norman by any chance?

 

[inkstainedruth]

The answers to your last two questions are "yes" and "yes"....

 OMG -- are you one of Uncle Bob's kids?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[bill88]

9 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

are you one of Uncle Bob's kids?

Nope, no uncle Bob here, but us Hams are a tight group 🙂 

Did you ever live in Brick?

 

[inkstainedruth]

New Jersey?  No, but that's where my parents moved after my dad retired.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[bill88]

26 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

that's where my parents moved

I see... I was going to ask if you were there for the Laurelton vote.

[Andrew_L]

I am sorry to dilute your conversation.

 

Congratulate all those who are not indifferent to Ukraine on its holiday - “Independence Day! Glory to Ukraine!

 

(vintage Pilot Myu BS, Robert Oster Barossa Grape, Double A(A4))

 

http://lenskiy.org/2021/08/independence-day-of-ukraine/

[Frank C]

Happy Independence Day! And I wish you many happy returns. When I was little, living in New Jersey, USA, our neighbors were from Ukraine. My mother, who is 99 years old, still says that they were the best neighbors we ever had. 

 

Is your drawing of a historical figure?

[ParramattaPaul]

3 hours ago, Andrew_L said:

I am sorry to dilute your conversation.

 

Congratulate all those who are not indifferent to Ukraine on its holiday - “Independence Day! Glory to Ukraine!

 

(vintage Pilot Myu BS, Robert Oster Barossa Grape, Double A(A4))

 

http://lenskiy.org/2021/08/independence-day-of-ukraine/

Blessings on the 🇺🇦 Ukraine!