September 2, 2011
I looked through my sketch books and found some drawings that were made when visiting Vern Broe back in the seventies.
His house was small. The inside was covered with old boards he found at the dump. Those were the days you could pick the dump and could find some good stuff. Vern constructed all the draws and shelves. His lighting was tin cones hanging down on wires.
Vern didn't eat much. He smoked and drank coffee all day. In one sketch is the stove cover with a board with stuff on it.
There were no screens on the windows and when they were open as in a couple of drawings the bugs came in and some, those little nats, got stuck on the wet paintings. He did the paintings of boats in series and about 10 would be lined up on a board against the wall. I guess he must of sanded or scraped the bugs off.
Vern played the guitar and he had piano keys with no piano, so no sound. Sometimes Vern and Charlie talked about music theory .
The house was in bad shape and you see in one sketch the leaning door. Outside on the propriety the bushes and trees were never cut so the house was being taken over by nature. Vern had a lot of art books and he collected pots and things like wooden tackle for boats, and tin cans that got crushed by cars. These things would be hanging from beams or on shelves and I found them interesting to sketch.
The memories of Vern will be with me always.
