Ivy

Ivy on the Coffee Table

I think I have painted this pot of ivy before. This is the last watercolor page in my red sketchbook. So tomorrow I have to decide whether to go back to my summer class sketchbook (the spiral I use because it is the same format as the sketchbooks my students use) OR break out the brand new spiffy handmade book I made a few days ago. Sounds as if I have made up my mind, doesn't it?

This painting is really pretty dull - not too much of a grand finale for the little sketchbook. I drew it quickly in ink, and when I do that I tend to fill in the color in a color-book style. I just woke up from a little evening nap (I had to try out a new queen size fleece blanket which was really too large and twisty for couch napping), I was blurry eyed, the light wasn't good . . . and so on.

Tomorrow in my spiffy new sketchbook I intend to do a masterpiece. Well, maybe not tomorrow, but it's coming.

Watercolor Classes

WATERCOLOR CLASSES BEGINNING DECEMBER 9th and 10th

I have posted the info for these classes on my Class Site.

Tangerines

Afternoon Snack

I love the boxes that tangerines and clementines come in.

I have one page left to paint in the red polka dot sketchbook. I will start next on the book I just finished. It is a little smaller than the 6 X 6 size I have been using, but with a two page spread across the facing pages, it's not bad. It is a little thick for the page dimensions, which makes it a little more difficult to open flat, but I am only going to experiment with one step at a time. This time it was the kind of paper, next time may be the dimensions.

Okay. Moving on. I think for the month of November I have worn out the topics of Glen Ellen, California, Jack London (watching a documentary tonight. Thanks, Karen) and handmade sketchbooks. Thanksgiving is a natural. We'll see where that takes us.

Nothing

I have absolutely nothing to post today. Since it is "Post Every Day in November" I have to at least say something, but I have nothing to show.

My daughter is a writer, so of course she reads writers' blogs, and I think, "But there are no pictures!". I realize a lot of people blog without visuals - but to be perfectly honest - I don't read them.

So, picture me helping my husband pick up six layers of old shingles from the garage and load them into the truck to take them to the dump. Wouldn't six layers be more than a hundred year's worth!? I am not a roofer, but arent six layers just wrong?! Picture me taking a nap.

Can You Take It?

Can You Take It? One More Journal?

After spending the time and money on the workshop, I wanted to be sure I could make these on my own, and I wanted to make sure I could figure out how to use watercolor paper in them.

My friend Karen (we took the workshop together) came over bright and early this morning, and we started bookmaking. The text block is easy, the covers are easy, but putting it all together is the tricky part.

It is pretty labor intensive - it took all day, and we had so much fun, I can't fix dinner now. I think we're going to have to go out. Pity.

Clementine

Clementine, Tangerine, or Whatever

As I was eating this tangerine and looking through an "old" sketchbook, I came across this drawing I had done of a clementine. I should spend a little more time doing pencil drawings - I love doing them.

It is just a little after four in the afternoon, and it is nearly pitch dark. The street lights aren't on, but the lights are on in the houses up and down the street. My studio feels nice and cozy, but I would really prefer another hour or so of daylight. There were LARGE black clouds over the Bay all afternoon. Oh, no - could there be snow in those!!!???

I met some old friends for lunch today - some women I met when we first moved here 20 years ago. It's a good idea to catch up with non-painting friends once in awhile. There is a whole world out there that I am not paying any attention to. We just can't participate in all of it, can we?

A couple of days ago I had lunch with a friend that has written a beautiful book on art, color, etc. We talked about painting, writing, and publishing, and it has me thinking about doing another book. Well, I always think about it, some times more seriously than other times. Writing a book is kind of obsessive, and I guess I just like being in that mode.

See my FIRST book here. My one and only - so far.

Journals

More Journals

We can't stop making them.

This afternoon I went to my friend, Cathy's, where she was helping some friends make journals. I love to see the variety of colors and patterns every time anyone gets together to make journals. The possibilities are endless. I am not showing the end papers/fly leaves in this picture, but they add even more color and pattern.

I haven't taken the time to make another journal since the Ann Arbor workshop, and I am afraid I will forget if I don't do it soon!

What a great "art day" this was. In class this morning, I had my students working on focal points/center of interest. We were looking through art books and finding the focal points of paintings and discussed how the artist arrived at those focal points - what did they decide to leave out. "Leaving out" seems to be a big part of it. Leaving something out can make a big statement - and be a big decision.

After class, I went to join the girls making journals, and of course we talked art all afternoon. We had a delicious dinner prepared by one of the girls. We sat in Cathy's cozy dining room and talked more art. Relaxing and inspiring.

I'm fired up - so many things going through my head - journals, paintings, drawings, workshops. . . .

Glen Ellen Street Scene

Glen Ellen, California
Three different versions of the same view.

I have already posted the two paintings, and I always think it is fun to compare a photograph of a location with my sketchbook version. The sketchbook version is always the closest to how the place really felt to me. The "serious" paintings are always a little too "dressed up".

In my sketchbooks a few little marks can remind me later of how a place smelled, felt, sounded (tasted, but I'm trying not to blog about food all the time) and how I REALLY thought it looked. A snap shot is just that - a SNAP shot. It just doesn't take long enough for me to engage all the senses.

Carrying a sketchbook around (and PAINTING in it) is such an enjoyable part of my life! It enriches everything. When your life influences your art, your art influences your life - or something like that.

Just paint - you don't even have to show anyone. But you'll probably want to.

Zenith Radio

Z is for Zenith

Back in February and March, I did a series of alphabet illustrations. For some reason I never did Z. So here it is. One of my readers has often reminded me - so this one's for you.

This is one of the many radios my husband has all over the house - not that there is anything wrong with that. This is a late forties Zenith. The sketch is very small - maybe two inches square. After doing these sketches last winter, I was going to go on with another series, but I guess I got a little side-tracked. Maybe this winter would be a good time to do that. Series are always fun to do.

Well, the sketch is pretty boring, but hey, it's a Z, and you've been waiting months for this.

My Desk

Cozying Up For Winter

Spellcheck says there is no such thing as "cozying", but we know there is, don't we? Especially those of us who live in Northern Michigan.

A couple of months ago, I moved a lot of my art supplies into this desk. I wanted it useful and colorful. It makes me happy every time I come in the room, or see it from the back door. I left the file a little larger than I usually do, so if you want to click on the photograph to enlarge it so you can take a closer look, go ahead.

I spent most of the day clearing up a couple of projects so I can move on to whatever is next. I have lots of things that could be next, it's just a matter of deciding where to start. Maybe I should put all my plans and ideas in a jar, pull one out and work on it until it is finished and . . . Okay. It's clear to me now. WORK ON IT UNTIL IT IS FINISHED.

Blue and White Dish

Blue and White Dish With Garlic and a Cut Lemon

This is a small watercolor sketch in my journal of some of my favorite things ~ garlic, lemon, and blue and white china. This is just a quick little painting so I would have something to post.

When we went downstate last weekend for the book-making workshop, we went to a great antique shop. I'm a sucker for blue and white, and the six-sided shape of this makes it a little different to draw.

Last night's maple glazed chicken breasts turned out great. The glaze/marinade is actually for a pork loin ~ recipe here.

Speaking of food. Aren't I always? Right now I am off to the kitchen to fix tacos. Hope everyone is having a good weekend. The weather is pretty nice here ~ so nice in fact that my husband is roofing the garage and I have been shamed (because he is working so hard and the weather is so nice) into getting some things done in the yard that I was going to let slide. Just a few things ~ I don't want anyone to expect this fall clean-up every year.

SKETCH SOMETHING THIS WEEKEND. ANYTHING.

In Progress

Grace Cathedral Garden Painting in Progress

I'm working on this from a journal sketch I did in California. I have a lot of students asked what the process is from sketchbook to watercolor paper. There are various ways to do it - one is, of course, to just draw it again, but that never works for me. Because I was pretty happy with the composition of the journal watercolor sketch, I simply traced the important shapes onto a piece of tracing paper, scanned it, enlarged it to the size of the wc paper, and printed it out (a copy shop will do this for you too), then traced it onto the watercolor paper.
Before I started to paint, I worked out all the light, dark, and middle values on the enlarged sketch. It is very easy to trace a sketch onto wc paper at a window or on a lightbox. The watercolor paper is much more transparent than you might guess.

Okay, here I go. I'm still working on that to-do list (they aren't supposed to END, are they!?) and we're having guests for dinner tonight. I am trying a maple glaze on chicken breasts - we'll see how that goes.

Figs and Produce

Glen Ellen, CA

This painting was done from the journal sketch I posted a few days ago. It's a watercolor done on Arches 140 cold press, 11" X 15". After I photographed the painting, I grayed down the fence in the background to set it back a little more.

I could almost smell the eucalyptus trees as I painted this. The scent is very strong in this area of California.

I accomplished quite a bit today ~ mailed out the summer schedule for the Bay View publication, delivered my card order ~ even went to the grocery store! ETC. I have been blobbing around for so long, that it feels good to be catching up. Of course the blobbing felt good too.

Food Blogging Again

A Huge Breakfast the Morning After Having Nothing to Eat but Potato Chips and Milk for Nearly 24 Hours.

We really know how to live, don't we?

This is one of those "quantity" not "quality" posts that I squeeze in when I'm doing the "Blog Everyday For the Month of November", or whatever it is. The chips and milk story may be useful toward the end of the month, so I'm not saying any more.

I tried to show some things I'm working on, but nothing seems to be working out just right tonight.

In class today we worked on laying in the shadows in Manganese blue (everything that wasn't going to be left white) and then filling in the colors and details. The class did a great job with it! My brain is too fuzzy to explain right now, and it would make a good post someday with a little step by step demo.

As I was plowing through my to-do list today after class, I found out that I have to have my summer schedule (part of it at least) turned in SOON for publication. OK, I can do that.

I'm heading for bed now. Who's going to remind me to do the step by step demo?

Kids Painting

The Kids Painting at Cherry Park

Very quick sketches of wiggly grandkids painting.

We were actually at Paul Moore Park in San Jose, California, but it is on Cherry Street, so it's Cherry Park.

I'm not that great at figures so if the figure is in constant motion that just gives me another excuse for not doing it well.

Running through my to-do list today, and it is going quite well. I am running on empty now, however, and still have a couple of things to do. I just did a little painting to put on a card and it was the most hideous thing I've ever done, so maybe at this point folding the laundry is the way to go.

Handmade Book

Fresh From the Bookmaking Workshop.

All the struggling I have done trying to make hand bound journals ~ this weekend I went to a workshop and learned how to do it correctly! We all know doing something correctly is so much easier. All the time I was stitching the signatures I kept thinking, "I'm doing this! I'm doing this, and it is so easy now!" The class was from 10 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. and we were exhausted when we were finished.

So seven and a half hours and $130 later I have a beautiful hand bound book. That $130 doesn't include shoe shopping the day before, and buying extra book materials that I just couldn't live without. It was a perfect girls' weekend.

Well, so much for blogging every day in November, huh? I will really try to stay on track for the rest of the month. And I think I am home for awhile. I have info to get out for my next class session, a card order to fill, some new cards to design for an order, and some things to get ready for the Art Center Christmas show. And of course, I have to stay one step ahead of my Wednesday class ~ they just get better and better every week.

Giogios

Dinner for Four at Giorgios
San Jose, California

This place has linen napkins, so we were careful how we splashed around with our watercolors. It was a very crowded little table with pizza (best pizza ever) a big salad bowl, bread baskets, drink pitcher, many plates, and three sets of paints and sketchbooks!

So here I am only into the first week of blogging everyday for a month - and I MISSED yesterday. Last night was an "author event" at my husband's library. The author was David Oliver Relin, who wrote Three Cups of Tea. It was a very interesting evening, starting off with a Central Asian menu for dinner, and then David's inspirational presentation, then a book signing. I have been asking myself ever since sitting down to dinner with him, "Cath, what have YOU done lately?" Everyone was asking themselves that by the time they left the auditorium. I'm just hoping the inspiration lasts awhile. I have a very short attention span.

Rainy Day Still Life

"Baby" Fruit from the Backyard.
A Rainy Day Still Life.

I was painting one day after school with the California grandkids. It was too rainy to go out and paint, so we picked some very small citrus fruit in the backyard, along with a trumpet vine-type flower, and set up a little still life on the coffee table. It was very colorful and we had a great time.

For my class this morning I did a demonstration using the Grace Cathedral watercolor sketch in my previous post. I had worked out a value sketch and had it ready to go on watercolor paper. I was just going to show a few things to get them started on their own projects, but they wanted me to keep going. That class! They ask the best questions, and really make me think about what and how I am painting. Sometimes I just paint along without giving it too much thought, but when I have to give them a reason - that's better yet.

I'll post the painting when it is finished.

While I painted, we talked about California and listened to music from China Town in San Francisco. I'm stretching that vacation out as long as I can.

Garden Area at Grace Cathedral

A Small watercolor done in the garden and labyrinth area
of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

I wasn't about to tackle the Cathedral itself in my little sketchbook - and that's just why I use a little sketchbook - so I won't have to tackle the big stuff.

I think I would like to live in that apartment on the right - the one with the fire escape across the window. Just the way the light was going through it. It was calling my name. But no one else was interested in living there with me, so . . .

It was a nice day to do China Town and walk UP THE HILL to the Cathedral.

I am working on a value sketch of this scene now. I may turn it into a "serious" painting.

The sun is shining off and on today, and the Bay is a beautiful dark blue. Very fall-like, moving into winter. That's okay - bring it on!

Glen Ellen Street

FIGS
TOMATOES
PRODUCE
END OF LANE

A small sketch in my journal, looking down the street in Glen Ellen, California. I am working on a larger painting of this view. It is such fun to paint vacation pictures ~ it takes you back to that place and time.

This afternoon I was supposed to go to District Court Jury Selection for the months of November and December. I figured selecting a lot of jurors for a lot of trials was going to take awhile. About two hours before leaving, the court clerk called and said, "Never Mind." Or words to that effect. So I cranked up my music and continued painting. But in the back of my mind there was this little "Gee. They don't want me?"

Moss Covered Tree

Moss Covered Tree in the Jack London State Park.
Glen Ellen, CA

Mentally I am still in California, and yes, I am still obsessing just a little bit over Jack London.

There was moss EVERYWHERE and on EVERYTHING in the woods here. It covered the houses, the trees, the rock that marked Jack and Charmian London's grave . . . . the pathways were muddy, rocky and and a little slippery . . . . and it was verrrry verrrry quiet. I even started thinking about Charmian living here in one of the big stone houses alone for forty years after Jack died. Not my problem. Besides she had an affair with Houdini, so I guess she wasn't moping around back here in the spooky woods by herself.

For the third year I have signed up for the "blog Every Day in November Challenge" so you can expect quantity not quality. As you can see already.

The Fig Cafe

A Contour Drawing While Waiting for Dinner

The Fig Cafe was small and crowded and had wonderful food! The food was pretty upscale, but the prices weren't bad. I loved this place.

I think this is the first place I have ever hauled out my sketchbook and had my husband say. "You really think you should paint here!?" I said, "I paint everywhere." and he said, "You usually don't have someone DINING twelve inches from you." I assured him I was just going to draw. And it's the first time a waitress ever said, "Oh, what are you drawing?" They usually politely ignore me.

There was a fig tree growing outside next to the building - I don't think I have ever seen a fig tree. The area is full of olive trees, eucalyptus trees, and mandrones. Spellcheck doesn't like mandrones.

We had some sunshine here today, so I went outside and raked leaves for awhile. I think I will actually have something out for the leaf pick-up in a few days. I haven't put the garden to bed - I usually leave it to fend for itself - I would rather clean it up in the Spring when it MIGHT be a little warmer.

I did paint a little today, but it wasn't of the obsessive nature that I posted yesterday that I was hoping for. I'll keep at it.

The Jack London Lodge

In the Garden/Pool Area of the Jack London Lodge, Glen Ellen, California

Sitting with my sketchbook and a glass of California wine, enjoying the last of the warm sunshine before dinner.

Now ~ back in Michigan ~ my class came this morning, and I feel grounded again. We did some two-minute paintings of single objects, and then five-minute paintings of three object compositions. The class did a great job with this assignment. They turned out some beautiful little paintings!

I haven't obsessively researched anything about Jack London today, and I have only played BejeweledBlitz (or whatever) a couple of times, so maybe there is some hope of getting a few little paintings ready for the art center Christmas Show. I'll make that my next obsession. Some people have goals, I have obsessions. Whatever it takes, right?

Pacific Ocean

Sketchbook Journal entry at Fort Ross In California

This is what I was painting in the photograph in the previous post. While I was sitting there it became so foggy that I couldn't see those rocks at all.

I'm having a little trouble with "re-entry". I loved Glen Ellen, and really got into the history there regarding Jack London. I have been reading so much about him, that I actually feel sad that he died!!! Get a grip! He died in 1916. I've been going through my pictures and my sketchbook, missing the kids (!), missing the weather, and then I hear "California Bloodlines" on my mp3 player. . .

Tomorrow morning my class will be here - they'll get me back in the groove.

Painting in California

Sketchbook Journaling Along Highway 1 in California.

We have just returned from a great trip to California. While we were staying in Glen Ellen in the Sonoma Valley for a couple of days, we drove over to the coast and up Highway 1 because we had never done that. I do prefer the valley to the coast - just because I like cozy spaces, not wide-open spaces. However, there were some magnificent views!

I will post some of my sketches as soon as I get settled in a little at home - a trip to the grocery is first on my list. Wishing we had a Trader Joe's here . . .

Down the Street

Cottage at the Curve in the Road

It is cold and windy, raining, almost snowing here. As I was going through my summer sketch books I came across this painting of a cottage in Bay View. I painted it on our last evening of painting for the season. We sat down to paint this because there was a nice, bright, warm spot of sun shining on the front of the cottage. By the time we set up, it was gone. And by the time we were finished painting, we were cold!

My class didn't do very quick little paintings of autumn objects this past week. We did do autumn objects, but we got pretty wrapped up in loosely rendering them. I didn't have the heart to stop them and move on to the next. They were doing some really nice little paintings. There is always next time.

Lemons and Peppers

Multiple Views of a Still Life

In yesterday's class we set up a still life, divided our paper into four rectangles, and painted four different views of the still life. I was a little sick of it by the time I got to the fourth painting ~ the top left. I may try this again someday. The whole idea is to zoom in, zoom out, pan left, pan right . . . . I think I could have zoomed a little more and panned a little less.

Next week the class wants to do very quick paintings, just a few minutes each, using autumn related objects such as pine cones, leaves, squash, gourds, pears.

We had a pretty heavy frost last night. Goodbye summer. As always, fall is bringing out my nesting instincts, and I have been switching my upstairs studio space (which never really worked out up there) back downstairs. I think I had better make a few trips to the Salvation Army/Goodwill to get rid of all this stuff I don't know what to do with. My new philosophy is "if I don't know where to put it, I certainly don't need it". I know that this philosophy is not new to some of you. We'll see how this works out.

Reflective Objects

Small Demo of Silver Cup

I'm a little paranoid about posting this class demo after my husband looked at it and just shrugged his shoulders. I tell my students NOT to show their art work to their spouses! Also, I tell them we aren't after perfection. So here it is.

The class did a great job with the reflective objects ~ glass, silver, white porcelain, etc. Everyone was really paying attention to the details. It is one of those "paint what you see and paint it boldly" things.

I'm into my nesting mode now. It happens every fall. I think most people have it. I always just hope it last long enough to get a few house projects finished ~ like maybe dusting!

Big Creek

Spending the Weekend at Big Creek

Big Creek isn't big. But it's sparkling, fast, and bubbly. Deep in the woods where the Kirtland Warblers live. They are endangered and only live in a few places in the country. We didn't see any, that we could identify anyway, but we did hear a bird call that was unfamiliar to us.

We could see this part of the creek from the deck of the cottage owned by my husband's sister and her husband. We used to live in the woods ~ in Interlochen, Michigan ~ and sometimes I miss it. Not often enough to want to move! I love it where we are. I like being able to walk to the post office, the library, the park for concerts, the playground ~ you get the picture.

My class wants to paint reflective objects this week. That'll be fun. If I do a good job with the demos, I'll post them. If I don't, you'll never hear about them again.

Are you sketching, painting, writing, singing, dancing, designing . . . this week? Let us know what creative things you are up to.

Painting on Location in September

Sketchbook Journaling at a Farm Market

I spent a beautiful, warm, autumn morning (as opposed to an ugly, cold, summer morning - sorry, I'm a little bitter about the reversal of seasons here) painting at a farm market with friend Cathy. Journal painting takes a lot less concentration than "serious" painting, and it is always fun to do it with a friend.

My newest obsession is finding something interesting and colorful to string with pearls. Disappointingly, the 30 inch strand of pearls that belonged to my great grandmother, Triffina, turned out to be FAKE. Or is it faux when it comes to pearls. Well, let's just say I expected more from someone with a name like Triffina. So now I have to decide if they are worth restringing with turquoise, amber, glass, Etc. Also, I'm not sure I'm a pearl kind of girl. Well, we all know I'm not ~ so I guess that's what makes it fun.

Now I am off to buy MORE ink carteridges for my printer ~ I have a card order to get out today. And today is my husband's birthday. He wants TUNA NOODLE casserole for dinner! He's easy.

More food blogging.

Food Blogging

Of all the things we have been doing in the past few days, I'm posting food pics. Can you believe these "sandwiches"?! They were great!!! We spent the day at The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village and these were ALMOST the highlight of my day.

The previous day we rallied at the state capitol for the Michigan libraries. A lot of people from all over the state turned out. I must admit that I have never "rallied", and I was pretty excited about this. Dull story - no one got arrested. We did cram a lot of fun into that day - had lunch at the hamburger joint where we went on our first date, visited the Lansing Art Gallery, went to the Historical Museum, the MSU gardens, the dairy store on campus, ate dinner on the sidewalk at a Mexican restaurant . . .

Now I am sorting and filing and getting ready for a new round of classes. It is still good sketchbook weather. I need to paint a little faster to fill up all those journals I have been making. I know - I should be painting instead of eating.

Labor Day

Labor Day Picnic at the Waterfront.

This is it. Wrapping it up for summer. We spent a nice relaxing afternoon at the waterfront having a family picnic and just doing whatever - tossing the Frisbee and football, eating, splashing in the water, eating, dozing , painting, eating, poking at dead fish . . . Then in the evening half of the family went downtown to a political rally and half stayed home reading kids' library books on the porch.

Youngest granddaughter insisted we would need a "bucket" of flowers for the center of the picnic blanket, so there they are in the above photo.

I hope you all had a good weekend and are looking forward to a productive new season.

Walloon Lake

Watercolor Sketch of Walloon Lake

On a beautiful morning spent with some very talented ladies in a beautiful spot on the lake. This is the sketch I promised yesterday (and I know all of you were waiting with bated breath).

This morning some of us got together for a great lesson on color. It is so inspiring to get together with other painters! And the person giving the lesson is so knowledgeable.

This afternoon I made the first soup of the season. Not because it is soup weather (it has been all summer, but not today) but because it is time that I accept some responsibility here and COOK. Oh ~ where did that come from? Did I take Julia and Julie a little too much to heart? Remember yesterday I said I had pearls and a string of chili pepper lights ~ and now I want to COOK!?

Food Blogging

Went to see Julie and Julia last night, so I thought maybe I could get rich and famous if I got a little food blogging going here. I have pearls and a string of chili pepper lights just like Julie!

Actually this is a picture of my lunch at the Thai restaurant yesterday. It was very tasty ( I don't know what it was). I love their blue and white china, but the food just didn't seem sketch book-worthy. And, no, I really don't think it is that photogenic either, but I didn't have a sketch to post, so . . . Oh, I do have a sketch. Well, tomorrow.

My friend Mary Lou came down from Mackinaw City yesterday and after lunch at the Thai Restaurant we are walking down the street and a woman ML knows comes out of a store. There are other people coming out of the door, and an older lady is kind of jostled against us. Thinking she is the woman's mother, we pull her into our group and include her in our conversation. After a minute, she says, "You girls are fun! I'd like to spend the afternoon with you, but I'm just trying to walk down the street".

Doesn't take much to make my day!

More Journals

Seriously. I CAN NOT STOP making journals.

Actually, only three of these are mine. I spent Friday making journals with friend Karen. The Friday before I spent making journals with friend Cathy. Karen and I spent two hours in Joann Fabrics putting together fabrics and papers. Now I understand why people quilt - it's that mixing of colors and patterns thing. Look at that paisley - wow, I love that!

I put aside the journal stuff for a day or two because we had a demolition thing going on here. We demolished a wall, reconstructed it and installed a new window. I love demolition! It has so much potential . I mean, when something is gone, you can put anything in that spot, right?

So today I am going to paint the new wall, scrape and paint the back door and stay away from the journal stuff. There is more to life than making journals. My husbands says.

Figures

Small Watercolor Figures

I spent a nice morning painting with Walloon Lake friends. After painting a sketchbook landscape, I turned around to face the other painters in back of me and do some very quick, juicy sketches of them. I need to do more figures. These will be fun to look back at to remember the day.

In the upper right hand corner you can see yet another (!) small palette that I've set up. Someone in one of my classes this week had this great pill box palette and I HAD to get one!

I am a little worried that my STUFF has become more important than the art I do with it. But we all need our stuff, don't we?

Tea Party

Tea Party

A friend celebrated her birthday today at the Terrace Inn with a tea party for her friends . What fun! How long has it been since you've been to a tea party? There were about a dozen of us there and the conversation was lively and the food was wonderful.

What a nice gift to give to friends. Thank you , Beverly.

I did this very fast ink drawing and then threw on a little color - not necessarily the correct color, but color. I was so busy talking. Who, me? Every time I look at this sketch, I will remember a nice afternoon with very nice people.

Take your sketchbook with you next time you go out!

Sketchbook Journals

I Can't Stop Making Them!

I had seen a journal that looked like pretty easy construction, so I spent the day Friday with a friend working it out. We are trying to simplify and still have them sturdy and comfortable to use. Simplify, as in easy to teach and construct in a day. Comfortable, as in opening flat.

Now I have a block of paper of one size with no cover, and a cover of another size with no paper. So, I guess that means I have to construct two more journals.

The sketchbook journals are stacking up ahead of me ~ I am not painting that fast. I'd better get with it.

This week I have some "fancy" events, and I need to figure out what to wear to them. A fancy event means it is something that jeans and a t-shirt would be inappropriate. How hard can this be?! Why is figuring out what to wear always so difficult. Get over it!

Demo Page

A demo page from yesterday's journal class.

I spent the entire day teaching in the garden area of the Woman's Council building, on the education campus of Bay View Association. When I was finished and started picking up my things, there was trash from morning coffee, lunch, and afternoon snack. The sun had moved from due east to due west, and I had materials strewn all over from watercolor class, drawing class, and watercolor sketchbook journal class. It was a fun day!

Today we are looking at thunder showers, so we have picked out a large porch with some good views to accommodate the journal class this afternoon. It is pretty quiet around here now, so we had our pick of large porches ~ public buildings, not private cottages of course. Well . . .

I didn't sleep well last night! Besides the visiting grand-dog, Dexter, thinking he should sleep with us, and Rudy the cat thinking Dexter shouldn't (that's Rudy's spot!), I kept waking up worried AND excited for our daughter-in-law getting three kids up, dressed, and in the car at 3:00 a.m. and heading downstate (in the pouring rain) to catch a morning flight out of Detroit. They are going for a long weekend to visit their daddy/husband/our son in Texas in the Air National Guard. I bet he didn't sleep either.

Today is the last day of the last class for me in Bay View. I always hate to see it wind down. I look forward to the time to do my own thing for awhile ( and a couple of classes a week) but it is a big adjustment. Slowing down should be easy, shouldn't it?

Library Door

Bay View Library Door #3

No, this little library doesn't have three doors, but I have painted it three times this summer as a demonstration. As three demonstrations. It is near where we meet the first day of classes and by the time I am finished going on and on about all the "stuff" and how fun and easy and blah blah blah ~ we don't have time to go very far and still have time to paint.

It also has some good demonstration points such as simplifying perspective, simplifying windows, mixing browns, painting bricks . . .

We are having some real summer weather this week. Some areas have gone back to school! Well, I guess this weather is better late than never. It is almost time for me to start complaining about the snow.

P.S. I don't know "Don at the library door". As I put the figure in, someone in the class said, "Oh, that's Don". So if anyone knows Don, please tell him he's here, okay?

Still Life

Fast and Juicy.

In a painting group that meets during the summer, there is an artist that I just love to watch paint. I watched her do a demonstration this morning, and this is the painting I did after her demo.

Her application of the paint seems slow and deliberate, but then you realize it is really moving right along. Her shapes are large and her colors are juicy (is that the trick?).

It was a beautiful summer day and we were painting on a long porch overlooking the lake. We also had lunch there with a wonderful breeze coming in.

This was a fun painting to do - my glass is a little screwy and not exactly what I wanted, but I'm not complaining. Sounds like it, but I'm not.

Karen's Watering Can

Another Evening Painting in Karen's Beautiful Garden.

This is a small journal painting done in my hand bound journal of Aquarius II paper. It was a great evening for talking and painting ~ although the talking does slow down my painting ~ or is it the other way around. Either way, I don't stop painting OR talking. It is always fun to paint with friends. After a couple of hours, it started to rain a little. We don't seem to go for more than a two hour stretch this summer without some rain.

We have decided to extend our watercolor class. We will go for four more weeks to get in some more painting time before the summer people start to leave. Some students have requested some drawing instruction, so I am adding an optional hour at the end of each two hour painting class for four weeks. Most of us may not be able to go that long without lunch, so this will probably turn into a picnic/drawing class. Works for me!

Stephens Lane

One of my Favorite Gardens in Bay View

In reference to my last two posts, I have not figured out how to make the piano "fit in" in the kitchen, and the excavator guys did not come to excavate our property, but the driveway across the corner. That's it for excitement around here ~ none, actually. That can be a good thing.

No classes today. I have cards to package, a lesson plan to fine tune for tomorrow, the sun is shining, and I am inspired to work on some sketches.

Wishing you a productive and creative day!

Memorial Garden View

Memorial Garden One More Time,
but probably not the last time.

This is not a huge garden, but the views are amazing, inside and out. I'm always telling my students not to try to paint the whole world in one painting, and if it's in a sketchbook IT"S A SKETCH. Looks like I got a little carried away here. Maybe I will go back today and do a view in another direction. There are several views I want to do from the inside looking out, but I need a nice warm day to sit in the shade.

Right now, as we speak, our house is surrounded by a lot of big excavation equipment. "Hey, guys, it's not us. You do know that, right?" It wouldn't be the first time someone has had the wrong address and started to do something drastic to our property. Guess I'll go check this out. Whatever it is, it is more distraction than I need today. Remember how the big, hairy, drunk guy's little red car kept me running to the window? You can imagine what lots of excavation equipment could do to my day.

Educational Gardens

Finally ~ a nice evening for painting.

I spent the evening painting with a friend who had never painted before. That was fun, and she really enjoyed it. She is even carrying her sketchbook around with her everywhere she goes.

My class schedule is light this week. July is always very busy, and I hate to see it wind down. I like the structure of it, but I certainly couldn't keep it up all year. Now I have time to notice what a terrible mess the house is. Every surface is covered with watercolor paper, sketchbooks, palettes, books . . . .

I am afraid of slowing down and diminishing the creative impulses, but maybe my next creative thing should be to figure out how to make the piano look like it really does belong in the kitchen. Is that even possible?!

Contour Drawing

Contour Ink Drawing of the Back of the Bay View Post Office

We were able to have classes outside for a couple of days (after a COLD weekend) and then the rain hit again. I am packin' my bags and heading for . . . somewhere. Looking through my sketchbooks, I see that last summer wasn't much better, so if this is becoming a trend, I'm outa here. Idle threats. I'm staying.

I am teaching a multi-media drawing class this week, and we are doing ink, charcoal, and pencil. The above sketch is a contour drawing (my favorite kind of drawing) of the back of the Bay View Post Office. Contour drawing is so forgiving - what are a few more wiggly lines, and the perspective never works out anyway. I like to use contour to get the information about a subject before I get serious with it.

Contour drawing, by the way, is starting at a point on the paper and drawing the entire object without lifting the pen. If you haven't tried it ~ do! It's really fun.

Memorial Gardens Again

Another journal page done at Memorial Gardens.

I always say I could paint here everyday, and I'm coming close. My classes always want to paint here, and then they want to return.

This has been a hectic week. I have had fewer classes, so what makes it hectic? I dunno ~ it just is. You know how some weeks are like that. It has all been good. It has been filled with things like packaging and delivering cards, framing and delivering paintings, getting things ready for classes, doing the classes, helping a friend hang window treatments (if you know me personally, you will wonder why she ever asked ME to help with window treatments!) getting things together for a yard sale (and if you know me personally you'll wonder how THAT is ever going to happen), and the week is only half over.

I am going to try something different for tomorrow's morning class. I will have them do some flower studies - three paintings - zoom in, zoom out, and leaf detail. I'll let you know how it goes. In the afternoon I have a private lesson with a man and his grandchildren. Sounds like fun.

Hope you're all having a good week!

Huddling on the Corner in Bay View.

A very cold day to be outside painting. We actually huddled in a tight group to keep warm. It's a good thing we are using limited painting supplies ~ it is easier to huddle that way. Everyone seemed to have fun and they really turned out some great watercolor sketches. What a group ~ they didn't even complain when we did the octagon house on the hill. The perspective of a house on a hill is pretty different anyway, and then to have it an octagon! They did a great job.

It was just tooo cold for the morning class to go out. We stayed in and worked on composition. They have been such good sports about the weather. Maybe next week we will be able to paint at MemorialGardens. We keep trying! I think maybe summer starts tomorrow.

Bay View Library

A Demo Sketch from a June Watercolor Journal Class

Another class starts tomorrow and rain is predicted again. NO! I can't stand it!

We are having a nice sunny weekend, so I guess I shouldn't complain. It's a lazy, relaxing weekend after a very busy, productive week. Today I want to work in the garden a little, go to the grocery, finish the book I'm reading, get things together for next week's classes . . . . Maybe I shouldn't have been quite so lazy and relaxed yesterday.

Contour Flowers

Contour Drawing Demo for Class

This is a quick contour sketch for my drawing class. I did it to show how easily and quickly we can capture the basic shape and gesture of an object. It is far from perfect, but this is how this bunch of flowers "felt" to me.

Just had a phone conversation with a friend about perfectionism. It sure can stand in our way! It can actually keep us from doing what we want to do. Why do we let it do that!?

I am a little overwhelmed this morning. I don't have to be anywhere. I don't know what to do with that. I have a lot to do ~ things that really need to be done ~ you know, as in making-a-living-type-of-things. I am still in my jammies and really need to move forward into the day.

Hope you all have a great 4th of July weekend. Whatever you do, or don't do, I hope you'll carry your sketchbook with you. Oh yeah, and open it and make some marks in it. Have fun!

Karen's Arbor

Karen's Garden on a warm, beautiful evening.

"On a warm beautiful evening". Did ya catch that?

If you live in Northern Michigan you know I didn't do this sketch this week. It has been cold and wet all week ~ how can it do that for so long?!

It has been a good week anyway. My afternoon group is the most enthusiastic drawing class I have ever had. They want to try it all! I am sorry for my morning watercolor classes that they can't be outside, but they seem to be having fun anyway and are turning out some good work.

I have been running in and out, doing some classes in the studio and some away, and dumping art supplies, books, etc. all over the house. Tonight we are having guests for dinner and I am not even sure I can find the dining room table! I've got to come up with a creative way to make all this look OK, and I have just about a half hour from the end of my last class until their arrival. You probably wonder why I am sitting here writing this. Me too.

Memorial Garden Again

Allium at Memorial Garden, Bay View

I could paint at Memorial Garden everyday. There is something to paint in all directions, and the garden changes daily.

And speaking of painting at the garden everyday ~ that is where we planned to be yesterday and today, but it is COLD and rainy. You know, Mother Nature, this is NOT what summer is all about! Oh well, it is still fun to get people together to paint, inside or out.

For yesterday's afternoon class in Bay View, I wore a thermal shirt, a turtle neck sweater and a very warm fleece jacket. I was comfortable in that ~ and we met indoors.

Okay, enough complaining about the weather. I have some great class participants this summer and I'm having FUN! AND I get paid for that!

A Bay View Porch

It was a sunny, warm, wonderful week to paint in Bay View.

I also had a couple of watercolor classes along the Bay. It was hot, but there was a nice breeze and we had shelter there. It just seemed sooo good to have it actually feel like summer.

Last night we walked home from the park in the rain with the kids, then spent the evening reading and playing checkers on the porch. Now, that's a summer evening ~ complete with hamburgers, hot dogs, and root beer floats.

Sturgeon Bay

I took my sketchbook ( and my husband) to the beach today.

I had intended to really sketch up a storm, but I felt really fuzzy brained in the sun and this was all I did. I didn't read. I didn't even think. I was just there. Nice.

Now I am trying to shift gears to be ready for classes tomorrow. Shifting gears is about the hardest thing I do. If I didn't shift, I would just kind of drift into neutral, and that wouldn't be good, so here I go ~ paints packed, sketchbooks packed, clothes ready, rain plan in place . . . .

A Nice Life

Sketches from the Concert in the Park.
The Northern Michigan Chorale

It was a beautiful evening to sit in the park and listen to this great group of people who obviously love singing together. One of the fun things about living in a small town - we can just grab our chairs, walk down the hill (oh yeah, we drove) and sit with friends and neighbors for an evening of entertainment. I am still waiting for Van Morrison or Leonard Cohen to come, but . . . nothing personal, Northern Michigan Chorale.

Yesterday I bound a new sketchbook - red cover, black and white polka dot end papers in the picture above. I still have a lot to learn about book binding. I over-compensated for all the mistakes I made last time, so NEXT time I ought to get it right, huh?

Next week I have a very busy week of classes - seven in four days. I love it! Actually I think the next few weeks are like that, but I am afraid to look at the calender more than one week at a time. So if I act dumb when you ask me, it is because I am trying to live in the moment. And loving every moment. Last week my youngest granddaughter said, "Grandma, you have a nice life." Yep, Sweetie, I sure do.

Radishes

Radishes from the Farmers' Market

It was a beautiful morning at the Boyne City Farmers' Market. I love it there. It has such a feeling of community, and the produce, baked goods, fish, cheese, ETC are wonderful.

I am really not a radish person, but when I saw these with the sun shining on them (through them!) I had to take them home with me. It was either that or stand and look at them, holding up the line for awhile. I decided it was more appropriate to give the guy my $1 and move on.

There was a little nibble out of one of the radishes and the market guy said, "Everybody's hungry this time of year". I kind of hope the hungry critter was a little mouse and not a big slug. Wouldn't you have to have teeth to nibble a radish?

1st Friday Summer Kick-Off

A Demo Page from my Workshop.

3rd Annual Watercolor Sketchbook Journal Summer Kick-Off

Did we ever luck out with the weather! PERFECT! And what a fun group of journal painters! Everyone was so enthusiastic and talented. We all have to be reminded at the beginning of "journal painting season" (called summer in some places, but we don't seem to be having that here) that the journal pages are very personal and we put what we want in them ~ what a we want, how we want.Everyone picked up on that in a hurry and really did some beautiful pages!

Thanks to everyone who attended ~ you made my day!!!

Now today it is cold again, but we have been pretending all day that it is summer. We sat in the sun and read, had lunch, painted outdoor furniture, etc. We are SICK of being cold, so we are pretending to be warm. It worked pretty well until the outdoor temp dropped to 45 late in the afternoon, and it was only 62 in the house!

Maybe tomorrow is the day summer begins.

Pineapple and Strawberries

Plans for dinner: Sketch first, cook second.

We had friends over for dinner last night, and when they arrived I was sketching the food instead of cooking. They're very patient people - it was okay.

We made fresh pineapple and ham pizza, and a salad of red leaf lettuce, strawberries, oranges, toasted walnuts, and Gorgonzola.

By the way, does anyone have a tried and true trick for getting red wine out of a white table cloth, a butcher's apron, and tennies? It is probably already too late to say "Please hurry", isn't it?

Cute Little Red Car

Where's the big, hairy, drunk guy?

Yeah, I know. This has nothing to do with art, but I'll zero in on any distraction that comes my way. For those of you who know me personally, you may know that I love incongruities.

So ~ about 2:15 A.M. two cops haul a big, hairy, drunk guy out of this CUTE, shiny, little red car, and stuff him, handcuffed, into the police car ~ just like in the movies. In the morning sun this car is as happy and innocent looking as can be. But why is it still there? Is the drunk guy coming back for it when he gets out of jail in 30 days? It has no plates, just a permit. Permits don't last forever, fella.

Living in the city, on a corner, can be pretty distracting. We have had some interesting things happen, literally, just a few feet from our bed!!! I won't bore you with it. I'm sure we all have things to do today.

SUMMER CLASSES 2009

My summer class schedule is posted on my CLASS SITE.

I hope one or two of these will fit your summer schedule. This is such a great area to find "paintable" subjects!!!

SUMMER KICK-OFF

Third Annual Summer Kick-Off
One Day Watercolor Sketchbook Journal
Friday, June 5th, 10:00-4:00

Please check out my class site for more information.

Plants and more plants.

A Carload of Plants.

And more in the backseat ~ a lot more.

My friend, Karen, and I started out this morning at 9:00 to hit a couple of garage sales, a resale shop and two greenhouses. We were having so much fun, we just kept going. . . and going. . .

I wanted to get some pots of flowers going so they will be ready for my journal class the first Friday in June. I got a little carried away and bought things I really didn't need to get at this time, but that's the way it is this time of year ~ SO tempting. I want to have it all!

Oh ~ I have to plant this stuff?!

What a Mess

This is what my studio tables looked like Monday morning!

We had a fun weekend with the kids - lots of messy art projects, trips to the park, the library. . . But Monday morning was back to reality (isn't it always?) I'm still plugging away at my illustration project and firming up my class schedules so I can get them posted.

I finally gave in to a sinus infection and went to the doctor. So with my little packet of antibiotics and a nap now and then, I am doin' okay. After I finish up some current obligations (obligations to myself to make a living!) I am heading for the greenhouses! Can't wait to smell the dirt and see something blooming!!!

More Sketches of . . .

I'm still thinking of the great time we had in California. It is still cold and dark here in Northern Michigan, and just looking back through my sketchbook keeps the memories intact.

Everything here at home is still brown. That's not true - the grass is green now, but that is it for color. Yesterday I raked a little in the yard, and there is promise of plants to come - and eventually to bloom.

I suppose I could do something productive to be ready for our short summer season. Something like firm up my summer class schedule, get a couple of illustration deadlines off my list, and then paint porch furniture. All of those things sound fun - and that's what it's all about right? Fun?

More California

The Lemon Tree

This is a beautiful little tree, absolutely weighted down with fruit. The fragrance of the citrus trees right now is fabulous.

That orange thing in the bottom left-hand corner is a petal from a bright orange California poppy. We were going to go down and sit on the sidewalk and paint them, but something more interesting came up ~ ice cream cones, I think.

California

A Two page spread in my handbound sketchbook.

I took sketchbooks and paints etc for the grandkids and they were completely uninhibited about painting at the table in restaurants. Every restaurant had something suitable for painting - flowers on the table or something within view. They were eager to paint anywhere and everywhere. We had a great time.

We're home now and it is cold here!!!

WATERCOLOR CLASSES, SPRING, 2009

WATERCOLOR CLASSES

Spring, 2009

Please see my class site for information on the Wednesday and Thursday six-week classes that are beginning April 29th and 30th.

We all need some splashy COLOR about now, don't we?

Asparagus

Some Spring Green

Unfortunately I ate this bunch of asparagus before I did a good sketch of it. I guess it wasn't unfortunate - I was hungry. I am pretty indifferent when it comes to asparagus ~ I don't get what the big whoop is, but I do love the look of it!

I roasted this bunch and it was really good. Google it on allrecipes.com. It is sooo easy.

I have had a couple of very busy weeks and it's not over yet, but I am working my way through my to-do list. It is all good busy ~ you know, as in positive stuff ~ painting deadlines, framing, packaging cards, delivering, classes, family togetherness. And the level is all relative, isn't it? I have been careful not to say "whew, I'm so busy!" to my daughter and daughter-in-law. You can just imagine what their level of busy is ~ young moms with full time jobs and all the stuff that goes with it.

I know ~ I have yet to do "Z" from my alphabet series. I will. We do need closure on that, don't we?

Have a good one! Here I go, back to the list.

Gerbera

I love gerberas!

Don't gerbera daisies look like something someone made up? Maybe a seven year old? I love 'em.

We woke up to lots of snow this morning. Not a pretty sight. And the Bay is just as white and frozen looking as it was in mid-winter.

I just realized that I never finished the alphabet squares! I still have "Z" to do. I knew from the beginning what I was going to draw for it too - so what's my problem!?

Figures and Landscapes

Small Landscapes and simple Figures

These little landscapes could be habit forming. They're fun to do in various color combinations and compositions.

The figures were done from old photographs. I tried concentrating on the shadows to give a simple form, using very little detail. My Wednesday class is so interested in figures that they are beginning to convert me. Trying to keep one step ahead of them, and at least come up with some simple demos, I have become interested in drawing and painting figures also. I always thought it was definitely necessary to know how to do figures, but could never quite get enthused. I'm almost enthused.

Is it Spring yet?

In the sketchbook I made a couple of weeks ago, I put in some brown. acid free, lightfast construction paper. I love how it works with Prismacolor colored pencils. This is the first time I have scanned the sketchbook. An open spread just fits in my scanner. I didn't plan it that way, but I guess if we want to scan our sketchbooks, it is something to consider.

It was a little disappointing to wake up to a very gray sky and more snow this morning, but it can't last much longer. Tell me it can't last much longer.

Y is for . . .

"Y" is for Yard.

The snow is receding and the little green shoots are appearing. Finally. We still have a long way to go before spring-like weather here, but every ray of sunshine helps.

One alphabet square to go.

X is for . . .

"X" is for St Francis Xavier.

This is a view of St. Francis from our front window - over the rooftops and through the trees. It is only a few rooftops away ~ kind of kitty-corner across the block. It is visable from the water front, out on the bay, across town. I like being able to see it from the dentist's chair ~ I know home isn't far away and I'll be there soon. We all need these little landmarks in our lives, don't we?

The second finished page of the alphabet project.

Two letters to go.

W is for . . .

"W" is for Watercolor.

This is my tiny watercolor palette that I made in an "Altoids Smalls" tin. Painting this little square was the first time I have used this palette.

I have had a couple of people asked what's next. I only have X, Y, and Z left for the little squares project (maybe this isn't big enough to be a project - big as in important). What I plan to do is go with some themes. Just looking at the finished squares bring to mind a few ideas. For my ancestor square, I can see doing some things along the lines of ancestors, family, antiques . . . I could just kind of expand the idea and do four or five drawings or small paintings a week in that catagory. Some may even turn into "serious" paintings. That would be good! I could use a serious painting or two right about now. As small and simple as these drawings/paintings have been, I do think they are good for taking a chip at the old painter's block that crops up now and then.

V is for . . .

"V" is for Vase

On the bottom of this vase is "Albion Ware". I can find a few pieces of Albion Ware on the Internet, but only one vase that is at all similar. It is called a tapestry pattern and it is a little glittery. It is not this yellow. If anyone reading this happens to know that it is very valuable and we could sell it and be set for life, let me know, okay?

U is for . . .

"U" is for utensils

I have done this pot of kitchen utensils previously in another sketchbook. I LOVE the red whisk.

I was thinking of doing "ultramarine" for "U". The dictionary says ultramarine, besides being a pigment, means "beyond the sea". I like that! However, one of the rules I have set for myself for this project (I don't very often set rules for myself - or follow any one else's if I can help it) is that I have to be able to see what I am drawing. It can't be a fantasy, in-my-head subject. Right now ultramarine, beyond the sea is a fantasy here - our Bay is as white as white can be. It is going to be awhile before we see ultramarine out there.

And Daughter, if you are reading this, please tell me what I should have done with "else's" in the preceding paragraph. Yes, I know, I shouldn't have started this sentence with "and".

T is for . . .

"T" is for Thread

I was surprised to find these very small, beautiful, jewel toned spools of thread in a box in my mother's sewing supplies. The colors surprised me - they are like little shining gems. I wonder where they came from. She wasn't a little sewing kit kind of person - she had serious supplies.

Recently I have been obsessed with the idea of making a bound sketchbook. My poor husband got pretty sick of hearing about it as I planned it out for two weeks - out loud of course. He never really said anything, but I could tell by the way his eyes glazed over, that he had heard enough.

I did make it (can't seem to get a good photograph), and it was really fun. I made a few mistakes, but that is what learning to bind a book is all about - or learning anything, right? I am certainly not going to go into the bookbinding business, but I will definitely make more.

COLD and WINDY here! One of my students this morning turned around and went back home, one was rear-ended at an intersection, three had to take detours . . . THINK SPRING.

S is for . . .

"S" is for Spoon

Spoons are challenging, but fun. There is a surprising amount of dark value when drawing shiny objects. The bowl of this ended up too rounded, but - oops - we weren't going to judge, were we? Sometimes I will draw spoons "around the clock" - that is from the 12:00 angle, the 5:00 and so on. This one, I would say, is the 8:00 or 2:00 angle.

We are digging out this morning from last night's blizzard. The snowplows dumped an amazing amount of snow at the ends of our driveways and REALLY socked in the cars on the street. The sun is shining now, so all is well.

R is for . . .

"R" is for rocking chair.

This is one of those subjects that you could spend hours on, trying to get it correct. Since that is not my objective with these two-inch squares, I had a few relaxing minutes of concentration, getting into the zone and not worrying about the outcome. A few minutes of lower blood pressure.

It could go either way, couldn't it? If it's a difficult subject we can drive ourselves crazy trying to do it right - make it good enough. Then we raise our blood pressure and wear out our erasers. I think it all depends on the reason we're drawing - are we drawing for the fun of it, or do we really need a good rendering of the subject. One reason is just as valid as the other, but we seem to have to give ourselves permission to just draw for fun.

Forty-three degrees here right now! That is something like sixty degrees warmer than it was a few days ago!!!

Q is for . . .

"Q" is for quilt.

No, I didn't do the pattern from a real quilt. I was going to, but I was a little distracted, so this is what we get.

I was working on some very simple landscapes today with figures in them to show distance, scale, and a center of interest. Fun. They didn't scan well and it is past my bedtime. I'm feeling a little blurry eyed and fuzzy brained, so until tomorrow . . .

It's ten degrees tonight. It's warming up.

P is for . . .

"P" is for Pottery

I think, from what I have found on the internet, that this is a Hopi Pot. It has been in my family for more years than I know, and I have no idea where it came from. I'm really not sure why, when things were sold, given away, or split up among family members a few times, why this made the cut. It must have meant a lot to someone, and I'm glad it did. I think it is beautiful - sooo old and so comtemporary at the same time.

It has been a very quiet weekend around here. Too quiet. I didn't accomplish much of anything and I didn't really enjoy the nothingness of it. Lethargy - " the quality or state of being sluggish, lazy, or indifferent" (according to Webster) and I say if you're going to be in that state, you should at least enjoy it. It is 5:00 p.m. I still have time to accomplish something, or at least adjust my attitude toward my lethargy.

P.S. I had an email from a friend that says we have to have "nothing" weekends once in awhile to let the week catch up with us. Thanks - I needed that. I just fixed fried potatoes and french toast. Feelin' better now.

O is for . . .

"O" is for orange,
or it could have been "onion", but the oranges are really good right now and, of course, more colorful than an onion.

I just wanted to show you that I actually am working on something larger than two inches. I'm trying out this "test" mat to see how this quarter sheet watercolor is working out. I had not intended for it to be a finished painting. I was just playing around with some very dark darks and backlighting. Then I got to a point where I thought I could probably crop it and have a decent small painting, and then I thought, if I'm going to crop it, I may as well play around with the rest of it - it was an experiment after all.

It might be okay. I'll have to live with it and see what I think.

N is for . . .

"N" is for Nickel

This is the most boring little drawing I have ever seen in my life. You should have seen it before I added the funky green. I had intended to do Nuts and Bolts. I went down the basement - and I don't do that any more than I have to - and looked through every little drawer on my husband's workbench. Nothin'. Evidently the nuts and bolts are all out in the garage, which seems pretty simple, but here it means putting on my boots and coat, wading through the yard, uphill, blah, blah, blah . . .

This has nothing to do with nickels OR drawing, but this morning I noticed the bird feeder was empty, and I knew it wasn't last night before we went to bed. It is one of those finch feeders that is a tube with perches and small holes (not slits). It didn't seem as if a raccoon could have reached in there and pulled out the seed, but maybe. When I went outside, I checked to see what kind of tracks were around it, and there were deer tracks! What do they do - stick their tongues in there!!!??? The tracks came right up to the window, and when I followed them around the house, they went right up to the bathroom window. So not only does this deer think he's (of course it's a "he") a finch - he's a peeping tom! He's creepin' me out.

Do I have to bring the bird feeder in at night!?

M is for . . .

"M" is for Mugs

A quick little ink drawing with watercolor - a couple of my favorite coffee mugs.

So here I go on my second page of alphabet paintings/drawings. Yesterday in the comments, Karen asked what we are going to do next. I'm thinking "themes" would be fun. Maybe a week for each theme - such as five to seven days of something like "windows", "flowers", "things that I love", "things that are red".

Sooner or later I have to do something a little more serious. Maybe a lot more serious. Some small acrylics are appealing to me right now. I have some canvases all primed - what's stopping me? Nothing! I'll keep you posted.

L is for . . .

"L" is for lamp.

A colorful little lamp base that really isn't crooked in "real life"

This what what the whole page looks like - "A" through "L".

This is kind of exciting - getting the first page of these drawings finished. I like the way it looks. Could I sustain this for - you know - a long time? I know other people do. The internet is full of them. Look at all the "Painting A Day" people there are out there. This is a two-inch square for heaven's sake. Well, we each have our own level of ambition, desire, drive, sustainability, need. . . . whatever.

Actually, the drawings take much less time to do, than it takes to do the blog.

I've been considering going on a media fast. A friend suggested that I blog about it - that people might be interested in it, but then she realized if my readers (yes - there are a few) liked the idea, they wouldn't be reading my blog anymore. AND if I went on a media fast, wouldn't that mean I couldn't write it anymore? So - that's not going to work. I have to finish the alphabet and show the whole world (!?) that I did it.

How are you doing with your little squares?

K is for . . .

"K" is for Keys.

If keys could only talk. Because they can't, we just stash them in drawers and boxes and maybe someday they'll learn, and tell us what they unlock. I threw out a bunch of keys last week that were in a small basket by our back door. If we actually needed them, we wouldn't know what they were for - but that is soooo hard to do.

Because I wanted to draw them, I kept an old brass ring of keys that I found when we went through my father-in-law's tool boxes. There is something a little mysterious to me about old keys. Also, they're fun to draw.

I am a couple of days behind in my alphabet drawings - well, maybe not - I never said I'd do them every day, did I? Or did I?

J is for . . .

"J" is for Jump,
as in Jump for Joy.

These are little scribble figures done in pencil. They are happy because they are under the fan and next to the island in my sketchbook - because I painted all day - because I have leftover homemade soup for dinner - because we didn't get that ton of snow - because I am caught up on the laundry - because I am on a news fast and not paying attention to all the stuff going on in the world . . .

I is for . . .

"I" is for Island
Mackinac Island

This is a tiny drawing of a huge bluff with huge summer homes on Mackinac Island.
The colored pencil didn't scan well, the proportions are WAY off, those yellows are really green - but aside from all that - I like it. It was fun to dig around in my old sketchbooks looking for references of summer on the Island when we are knee deep in snow here. Well, not knee deep, but deep enough, with more on the way.

Today was the first day of a new eight-week watercolor class. Such a great bunch of people! We played around with mixing darks (very dark) on the paper. Some of them brought their sketchbooks with alphabet drawings in them.

We may be socked in by morning if the weather predictions are correct. Sometimes the weather changes its mind out over Lake Michigan, so maybe not. Either way, I have a painting that I want to work on. What a nice way to spend a snowy day!

H is for . . .

"H" is for house.

This is really a cheery little house down the street. It doesn't look so cheery with the dark, midwinter sky in the background.

This is watercolor, which doesn't work well on the moleskine sketchbook paper - just kind of slides around.

The house doesn't actually have an orange door, but I think it should. The people living there have, for some reason, left the orange plastic bag with the Saturday ads in it hanging on their door knob for quite awhile now. Maybe they think the front of the house needs a little orange too.

These two inch squares are so liberating. You just put down a feeling - there isn't room to worry about perspective or detail, and how much time can you spend in a two inch square?

G is for

"G" is for game

One winter we were playing dominoes every evening. Maybe I will just leave these out on the table and it'll get us going again.

Drawing dominoes is a real challenge in foreshortening and perspective. These were done with Pitt pens and pencil.

I went to a meeting tonight and one of the artists there asked me if I was being productive. I didn't tell him I was drawing, alphabetically, little two inch pictures. He's working on large sculptures. But this whole thing started in an effort to keep the pencil moving, and I know several of you are doing just that. Good for us!

F is for . . .

"F" is for fan
Westinghouse Electric

This started out to be a contour ink drawing and ended up being a whatever-it-takes drawing.
I'm struggling with drawing today. Nothing seems to fit together. It's certainly not falling off my pencil, or pen, as in this case. It doesn't matter. I did it anyway, and whether I was aware of it or not, something was working it's way around in my brain to remember and put away for another time. I sure hope anyway.

We went to pick up sandwiches tonight and when the girl went to ring them up she asked us what it was we had. She said, "I have a good memory - it's just really short."

My theory is, whenever you draw or paint something, it is a learning process no matter what the outcome. You may not see it, but everytime you put that pencil to paper, you're learning something.

"F" is for fun. Keep drawing!

E is for . . .

"E" is for Eyes.

And "W" is for wiggling model. I said, "Oh, "E" is for eye. That's what I'll do. Could I draw your eye, Isabelle?" "Sure, you can draw both of them if you want to." So that's what we did. She sat close enough to watch me.

My husband had suggested I do envelopes. I just could not find any that were stamped, and what good is just a plain old envelope?

"E" is not as easy (Oh - "easy") as I would have thought. Elephant. Eggplant. Eggs.

D is for . . .

"D" is for Dundee Marmalade

A two-inch square done in my moleskine sketchbook with prismacolor pencils and ink.

I've had this Dundee pot around for as long as I can remember. I love the black-and-whiteness of it with colored pencils in it.

I have a mustard pot that I keep colored pencils in too. I'm not starting a collection - two is good.

I stopped in at my favorite second hand store today and it was pretty sparse. Maybe I should step up my decluttering process and restock their shelves. I am wading through stuff I have been dumping in my little studio room. It's pretty comfy and a nice place to work and relax when I can get in it! I'm looking around right now at things that don't belong in here - a sweater that needs mending, two lampshades that don't have lamps, a box of silverware (?!), Christmas wrapping paper, a geranium that is not going to make it to summer . . . Why do we sabotage our creative spaces like that? Do we think somewhere in the back of our minds that we don't deserve a nice place to create? Well, we do!!! So after doing a sketch in our sketchbooks, let's work on our creative spaces. Whether it is making one or cleaning one, winter is a great time to do that.

I don't know where this little rant came from, but I'm done. I'm going to go eat that orange that's next to the Dundee pot.

C is for . . .

"C" is for chair

Another two-inch square in my moleskine journal. This is a child's chair that has been in my family for, probably, a hundred years. Maybe more.

Doing this alphabet thing, I am looking around at everything in my house with the possibility of drawing it. I'm looking at the way the light hits things, and the most interesting angle of objects. So far I have just been thinking in terms of nouns, but there is always the possibility of verbs and adjectives. That would take a little more creativity, and right now I think nouns are all I can handle. It's just that time of year - drawing two inch squares of nouns is better than nothing.

This is fun. Try it.

B is for . . .

"B" is for Bottles

I know I said I was not going to judge right or wrong, good or bad, or let any perfectionism get in my way as I draw my way through the alphabet. The whole idea is to just DO IT. I told my daughter I was paralyzed by perfectionism when it came to drawing the second square. The second square! I couldn't decide on the perfect way to lay out the page. So I reread the article she had just written as a guest writer on Victoria Mixon's blog. I think you can easily see the parallels between writers' and artists' block, and the "cures" that Amy suggests.

If any of you are doing the alphabet thing with me, I'd love to hear about it. If that's too much of a commitment, just draw something every few days. Anything!

I'm going to go start looking for something that starts with "C".

A is for . . .

"A" is for Ancestor

This is a poor likeness of my grandmother as a young girl. According to Webster, an ancestor is usually more remote in the line of descent than a grandparent. So - this is an ancestor of my children.

She was a wonderful grandma. She was in poor health and lived with us when I was a child. She couldn't take us anywhere, do things with us, or buy us things, but I loved her with all my heart. I learned from her that love has absolutely nothing to do with things - it's all about how someone makes you feel. I hope I could have figured that out for myself, but I give her credit for it. I loved to be with her.

In yesterday's post, as a motivation to keep drawing and painting, I suggested picking a subject each day, alphabetically - something small and simple. This is a two inch square in my moleskine sketchbook.

By the way, I probably shouldn't have mentioned that it is a poor likeness. We are trying to be NON-CRITICAL here. Just draw - no judging.

Sketchbooks

Sometimes I feel unmotivated and don't draw or paint for several days - maybe a couple of weeks. Sometimes we artists stop doing our art for long stretches at a time.

When I say "artists" I mean anyone who draws, paints, etc. I don't think an artist has to be a selling, recognized artist to be one. But you do have to do it - not just think about it.

I think often about how, when our life inspires our art, our art inspires our life. I'm not talking about ART - you know like museum art or art fair art, I'm talking about personal expression - from-the-heart-nobody-else-has-to-see-it kind of art. The kind that keeps the pencil or brush moving without regard to a finished piece.

This is where our sketchbooks come in. Sketchbooks are a very important part of our creative selves. Sketchbooks are where we try things out - colors, compositions, techniques, but MORE than that, sketchbooks are where we see out life close-up (life inspires art etc.). No one else has to see it!

If we are thinking about a subject being too boring or too difficult, we must be thinking about the possibility of sketching or painting it. If we are thinking about it, doesn't this mean our creative self wants to be expressive?

In my sketchbooks, I have done many simple sketches and sketchy paintings with no plan of using them for "serious" paintings. These objects were just sketched because they were THERE.

How about dividing up a sketchbook page or two into two- inch squares labeled A through Z? Do a quick sketch each day of an object beginning with that day's letter - or just a fragment of the object. Use pencil, pen, paint, whatever.

Let's see - A is for apple. Too simple? I do love painting apple wedges, so maybe . . .

More Triads

This is a page in my sketchbook (Aquarius II paper) comparing three triads.

When I use a triad to do a painting, I am just using three colors which are a variation of the primary colors, red, yellow, and blue.

For the top sketch, I used cobalt violet (as my red), hansa yellow, and manganese blue. These are light pigments and will never give you gutsy color. I like to use this combo for shadows sometimes, but they make a pretty wimpy painting.

The middle sketch is done with a stronger, more "serious" triad. The "red" is quinacridone burnt orange, the yellow is quinacridone gold, and for the third color I used prussian blue. This is a rather somber color combination, but I really like how it worked out for this subject. If you notice the color wheels on the right, this combination will never give you purple, so if you need a nice purple, don't use this triad.

The bottom sketch was done using quinacridone rose, new gamboge, and ultramarine blue. This is a good mix for anything - pretty much all purpose. It mixes great purples, nice greens, bright oranges, and mixes into a nice neutral.

Every once in awhile I will paint with triads, just to get back to basics, think about color mixing, and just plain simplify things.

Now if I could just figure out how to "triad" the rest of my life - could that be a verb?

Tiny Palette

Like I need another small palette.

Let's see how tiny we can make these, okay? This one is 2 1/4 inches by 1 1/2. I used empty half pans from Daniel Smith to hold the paint - (clockwise from the top left) quinacridone rose, manganese blue, thalo yellow green, ultramarine blue, and new gamboge. The tin is an "Altoids Smalls". I had made one a little larger than this a couple of years ago, and I use it quite a bit. I really don't know what the purpose of having a palette this small is, but why not?

It's the LITTLE things in life, right?

Little Red Barn

This was a quick little demo painted with a large brush.

This demonstration in class today was to show color mixing on the paper, mixing blacks, or near blacks, and laying the shapes in without getting fussy.

We only have one more official week of class, but I am tacking on an extra because we had so many interruptions in the eight weeks of this session. We made up the missed classes, but I don't feel there was as much continuity as I would have liked. I will be starting the next eight week session on February 18th and 19th. I will post more about it in a couple of days.

Several of the people in Wednesday's class are interested in doing figures, simple portraits, and working on skin tones. That'll be fun!

I picked up some ingredients for a recipe that looked good to me - a pasta dish with feta cheese, roasted red pepper . . . OOPs - it's done in a food processor. I don't have one. Hmmm. I let you know how this goes.