Chicago!

It was a blistering 100* day with no clouds in the sky when I decided to sit down and sketch the Jay Pritzker Pavilion by Frank Gehry located in Millennium Park.  A mother and daughter were playing on a beach towel, soaking up the sun while a mixture of locals and tourists zig zagged across the expansive green lawn.  Summer in Chicago is magical.  Residents awaken from their winter hibernation and reap all of the benefits their city has to offer.

Our car was getting pummeled with massive rain drops as the sounds of sirens filled the streets, which we later found out were warning of a potential tornado.

From the solitude of our hotel I sat upon the balcony and tried to capture the stunning lightning storm over Lake Michigan.

In true Chicago weather fashion, the next day was perfectly clear and we were greeted with a gorgeous sunrise.

I have long been fascinated by shadows, the way they alter our understanding of the object that casts them or become the object themself, and the fact that they are momentary, appearing small or large at one moment and gone the next.  The Chicago sidewalks displayed several overlapping shadows caused by the sun and reflections off of nearby buildings.