Graham Downes, my larger-than-life friend, architect and urban designer extraordinaire, rugby champion, pilot, lover of life, beauty, and friendship, was taken suddenly from us 12 days ago.
San Diego is still reeling.
This is a sketch work of art he made for me last summer, when I ran into him at Bassam Cafe’. Graham saw me painting and I invited him to try out my new watercolor pen and other tools. Less than five seconds, and I witnessed a building parti take form. What a treat to see genius at work. He immediately declared he wanted us to plan Sunday sketch dates (and later informed me that, following our chance encounter, he visited the art store and went a little crazy there).
That was my friend G, enthusiastic, full of life and passion and always wanting to do everything, his schedule and reality notwithstanding.
Here is a beautiful piece of writing he sent me. I love it because it shows a contemplative side that not a lot of people got to see, and yet was always there behind the infectious energy, the million-watt smile, the glint in those blue, blue eyes.
‘… Just flew back from Bako a couple of hours ago – so meditative and surreal cruising over LA at 9k feet – pitch-black sky and all those lights representing so much life and goings-on below…puts everything in perspective every time – and i do that trip every week- mostly not at night.
Tonight we had 14 ghost-busters come over to the hotel with all their fancy machines to record/bust the reported ghosts there! Weird.
From years of studying the physical structure of things, the built environment, I am now also preoccupied by behavior of people, their aspirations, real intent, how they think, etc. This is an excellent avenue to initiate a better approach to design of structures and spaces as a leap back into new projects…especially commercially-driven ones.
Have a great time in my very fave city!
Ciao,
GD ‘
But… I would be remiss if I didn’t also share a more typical Graham message:
’10 IS A PERFECT TIME TO START A DANCE PARTY 🙂 !’
Ciao G.!!!!
sketchbloom.com 
That work of art he made , is genial .
Thank you for the share!
Graham Downes was well represented by your words!
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Thank you 76sanfermo!
Please google my friend…he was so much more than words can describe him. It has been said he was one_in_a_million.
He brought a cosmopolitan urban vision to the core of San Diego before our city even had what could be called legitimate works of contemporary urban design. He always thought BIG.
He was such a force.
I feel so extremely blessed to have met him and to call him my friend.
Thank you for your most kind words!
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Thank you for sharing this side of Graham and for opening up your heart right now and letting love and goodness flow. Love you, my friend.
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Ti voglio bene anch’io Jana….
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Graham could sketch like no tomorrow…he sketched perspectives in seconds (upside down while you were sitting opposite of him getting the right view) while he kept talking. With him being left handed it looked even more unbelievable…never seen anything like it. I miss his presence.
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I miss his presence too…
Focusing on how fortunate we are to have met him in this life and the wonderful memory he leaves of himself is a solace.
I did not know this..but I read he was ambidexterous..starting a drawing with one hand and finishing it with the other.
The talent!
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