Alka

The final, climactic day has arrived. The knights are clothed in historical uniforms, the horses draped in finery, stepping high and proud through an admiring crowd. The band plays. The trumpet blares. The crowd holds their breath as the knight thunders toward the alka. A roar through the crowd, a cannon blast— u sridu! — 3 points!

I was again standing toward the start of their run, this time because we would have needed tickets for the bleachers. That said, I really do prefer it there. I don't catch the dignitaries and the moment of pierced alka, but I do witness other aspects that are wonderful, such as those moments of tremendous potential energy before the horse sprints down the dirt path, or the knights in repose. It's the cheap seats, but rich in liveliness and earthy joy.

And, when it's all over, we then sprint down the path and into town, to sit at a cafė and toast the knights one last time.

The cannon blasts up above, on top of the hill, and in the distance the procession begins

With historical guns, swords and knives, the 'boys' - knights helpers - soldier past

The knights parade

His name called, the knight mounts his steed and confidently tests his skill

In between rounds, the knights relax and gossip while a young boy holds a horse

  

Through the crowd, a blast of speed and power

He is like a heartbeat, running through the crowd

"u sridu!!!" a cannon blast, the crowd thunders applause - 3 points!

Through the town center, the winner is celebrated one last time.  Bok Alka sijnska!

Čoja

Yesterday was day 2 of the 3 day Sinjska alka festival, called Čoja. It followed the same structure as the prior day - the same pageantry, processions, and colors except for a slightly larger monetary prize and 3.11 meter bolt of fine red cloth, rather than the shorter bolt of green cloth given to the prior days winner.
I stood in a different place as well, closer to the start of the run, rather than in the stands near the alka that is lanced. Where I stood today had revealed a different chapter of the story. There, I saw the knights as the waited for the trumpet to blare and their name announced. Children would hold the waiting horses, and then when the time approached for their run, some knights would ride in circles around the Sinjska alka statue at the head of the path, while others would sit and relax, only getting up at the last moment. There was no rhyme or reason as to which was the better method. The man who won was one of the guys relaxing, cool as a cucumber, until the last moment. It worked wonders for him - of three runs, twice hit lanced the alka right in the center.
In less than an hour I leave for the final final day of the festival, when the knights dress in the fanciest clothes, replicating the uniforms of the soldiers 298 years ago. It's 37 degrees celsius outside right now. I think it's a good guess that tonight a lot of beer will be drunk by the glorius Alka sinjska knights.

I shot these drawings on my ipad, so the quality is a bit weak. When I'm back in Geneva, I'll make some higher quality scans and create an album on my viewbook site. I have to go now - time to prepare  for Sinjska alka!

The knights assistants - called 'boys' -  parade

No parade is complete without a band

A boy holds a waiting horse

A horse bursts with expectant energy, ready to bold down the lane

2 knights pace around the statue while one begins his run

The horses quickly bolt past

Another knight begins his run toward glory

And the winner receives 3.11 meters of fine red cloth (and some money)

Afterwards, in Sijn, people relax and mingle into the evening

Bara

I'm right now vacationing with Ana in Croatia, in a little farming village where her father was raised. Not too far away, in the city of Sinj (pronounces 'seen'), is an amazing event called Alka. Commemorating a victory in battle over the Turks almost 300 years ago, they hold a 3-day 'tournament of knights' on the very place where the battle was fought. Only men who are born there and can can trace ancestry to a soldier who fought in the battle can be selected to participate. It's living history, and directly related to the origins of the carousel. Coming from America, and having enjoyed carousels since I was a small child, that link allows me a portal through which I can relate to this spectacle.

I drew it last year, and Ana's mother kindly drove us there today to view it again. Here is a link to what I did last year, where I also include some carousel drawings to display the connection.

http://nathanielmiller.viewbook.com/album/alkacarousel

And here are some samples of what I did today, from the first day of the festival, which is called Bara. I'll be returning tomorrow and Sunday capture even more.

The captured horse precedes the parade. 

The horse sprints down a path between filled stands.

The rider approaches with the lanced alka, to present it for scoring by the judges. 

The alka slides down the spear, onto the ground.

The score is announced.

Horse and man, in full flight.

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Genevois&Co.

I've been riding the busses and trams of Geneva a little more frequently the past couple weeks, ever since I injured my right ankle. Something is pulled or strained, on the outside just behind the ankle after hiking down a steep mountain. Too much steep road on the way to Montreaux. It would have been better to stick to the paths and then hop onto a train when the road started. I'm not bothering to see a doctor because they'll tell me to do what I've already been doing (rest, ice, compression, elevate), and then charge me a thousand franc's. Over the past 6 days I've started to see improvement, so hopefully I'll be cycling and running again relatively soon.
The upside to all of this is that I've been drawing on the iphone more often. Here are a few of the people on the trams and busses fortunate enough to sit in front of me.

Costa Brava, Catalonia

Up until this point I've been keeping this blog focused on iphone drawings. These were primarily done when I was riding the NYC subways. But, now that I live in a place without a subway, my infrequent postings have become even more sparse. This also meant that some of the other stuff I create doesn't get shared here. So, I'm going to expand the blog with more of my work, and I'll begin with some work I did in Catalonia recently.
After a long, shrouded winter in Geneva, it was very nice to go someplace sunny and warm. The rocky cliffs, churning clear waters, and bold sun created a graphic panorama that was a pleasure to walk through. The strong beauty of the landscape was then spiced by the pleasure of seeing so many topless sunbathers. It was like witnessing the Ages of Woman through breasts, from lively youth to emptied old age.
I hope you enjoy these drawings. I'm going to add a few here, but if you want to see more, click on this link:  http://nathanielmiller.viewbook.com/album/costabravacatalonia

Back in the Big City, part 1

Recently, I returned to NYC for 2 week visit. It was nice to return to my city, and in ways it felt like I'd never left. Most of my time was spent going through the storage locker, and other whatnot related to my move. Here are a few people I saw while riding the Q train. 

It's been a while since I've posted something here, and a lot has happened since then. I've moved to Geneva, and have done a fair amount of travel. But what I haven't done is ride a subway, which is where I tended to do most of my iphone portraits while living in NYC. I may have to expand this blog a little bit, and put up more of my work. A scanner will arrive here in a few weeks, and that should be remedy that problem. Until then, I do have a few iPhone portraits that I can share. Here are a few from my time in Croatia with Ana's family in the pretty small village of Bisko. These were done while sitting under a chestnut tree as the family talked about... well, I have no idea, because I don't understand the language, except for a couple words. The first image is the local priest, who at first meeting seems like another local dude hanging out, shooting the breeze with the fella's. I forget who the 2nd image is. The third and fourth images are of a man who is afraid of letting people know how old he is - when people wish him 'happy birthday', he becomes very defensive, which causes a lot of comedy. The final one is Ana's father, who relishes his time there so much. I can assure you that shortly after the moment of this drawing, there was a witty comment and smile.