FOUNDATION, a popular bar beneath Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh, will host an opening reception for an exhibition of hand-drawn sketches and brief essays by renowned Raleigh architect/author/artist Frank Harmon, FAIA, from his new book 'Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See.'

Published by ORO Editions, the book is a collection of 64 watercolor sketches that have appeared on Harmon’s popular blog NativePlaces.org along with brief essays about architecture, landscapes, everyday objects, and nature. The sketches convey the delight Harmon finds in ordinary places. The 200-word essays, inspired by the sketches, offer his fresh interpretations of what readers might have taken for granted.

During the opening reception at FOUNDATION, Harmon will discuss his belief that hand drawing is not an obsolete skill — that sketching offers an opportunity to develop a natural grace in the way we view the world and take part in it. Afterward, he will sign copies of his book, which will be available for purchase on-site via a bookseller from Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh.

The reception is free and open to the general public. (Those under 21 will have to leave when the bar begins serving alcohol at 4 p.m.) The exhibition will run through December.

FOUNDATION is located at 213 Fayetteville Street, down a flight of stairs beneath the “American Underground @ Raleigh” awning.

'Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See' is currently available from Amazon and Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh. For more information visit nativeplacesthebook.com.