This week Andrea Joseph is leading the charge for Sketchbook Skool. If you’re not familiar with her work, your eyes will soon be wide open! Her style of teaching is relaxed and calming. At the same time she’s packing in the tips and techniques. Andrea’s forte is drawing with ballpoint pens. This was a real […]
Blog
Saturday Sketch
Sketchbook Skool instructor Cathy Johnson had us sketching birds this past week. I tried my hand at a cedar waxwing sketch with watercolor but was disappointed in the outcome. I’m pretty happy with this sketch of a raven though. Click on image for a larger view. I am also taking a class focused on sketching […]
Oakleaf Hydrangea II Accepted
I’m very pleased to share that Oakleaf Hydrangea II has been juried into the 4th Annual International Juried & Judged Show and La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum, La Conner, WA. Click on image for larger view. The exhibit will be on view October 3-5, 2014 La Conner Maple Hall and the Civic Garden Club […]
Embracing Junk Mail
No matter how I fine tune the flow of mail that comes to my letterbox, there is a daily abundance of junk mail. This year I’ve finally embraced the inevitable with new vision. It started with Carla Sonheim’s on-line class here. Recent inspiration from my friend and fellow artist Priscilla Read followed this week! She […]
Sketching Cats and Dogs
My first lesson with Val Webb on sketching cats and dogs was Monday. The first lesson is called Pencil Language. We started with a primer on how we were going to be using our 4B graphite pencils including warm-up exercises to become more familiar with how to create hatching, cross-hatching, scumbling and stippling. I love […]
Sketchbook Skool: Self Portrait
If I had known that Koosje Koene was going to ask me to sketch a self-portrait, I probably would not have signed up for this semester with Sketchbook Skool. I have never attempted any kind of portrait sketching. But I’m in the klass now — and I’ve trusted her before and been pleasantly surprised with […]
Broken Ginkgos II Accepted for Pip Squeak
I’m very excited that Broken Ginkgos II has been accepted for the 12th annual international juried art show at Northbrook Public Library. This year’s theme, Pip Squeak, focuses on small works of art — not to exceed 12″ in any direction for 2D works and 9″ for 3D works. The Call states, in part Pip […]
Junk Mail Artist Book Done
I’ve completed the final lesson of Carla Sonheim‘s Junk Mail Artist Book series. There was more painting, more drawing. . .then changing of the mind involving more painting and more drawing. At some point one has to say it’s time to stop. Done and done. And here it is. Be sure to click on an […]
Back to the Junk Mail Artist Book
Finally! I’ve completed the fourth of five lessons with Carla Sonheim and her method for creating a small book from junk mail. This step was extremely challenging for me — each drawing extended beyond its page to pages behind creating a puzzle to solve: what the heck can be created from the partial marks here?? […]
Sketchbook Skool
This is the first week of the second semester with Sketchbook Skool. Danny Gregory is our first instructor. The focus of this 6-week class is ‘seeing’ — not what we think we see, but what is actually in front of us. The lectures are thoughtful; the homework is challenging. First assignment: Draw a piece of […]
Sketching
Last week I snipped a couple small branches of my friend’s black oak tree to do some sun printing. The black oak is a native California tree and will fit nicely with the art quilt series I’m working on. I am quite taken with the shape of the leaf. It has so much character and […]
Junk Mail Artist Book
I learned about Carla Sonheim from my friend and fellow-artist Priscilla Read and I simply could not resist trying her Junk Mail Artist’s Book class! In just five lessons at Silly U I am turning junk mail — the stuff usually tossed straight into the recycle bin — into a book. I can’t see a […]
Sketching for Fun
Roz Stendahl, one of the 6 instructors of Sketchbook Skool, focused on sketching animals. She particularly liked sketching live animals. She also realized that it can be quite a challenge to sketch a model that is moving, particularly if you are new to the discipline. She recommended going to natural history museums, state parks or […]
Imaginary birds
3-Year Anniversary
Today is the 3-year anniversary of my first blog posting. Keeping a commitment to this blog — really a form of journaling — is part of my sincere wish to be a person who lives in the moment. Being mindful of what is happening — the big events as well as the tiny ones — […]
Quilting Sunflower Scrap VI
There have been unforeseen interruptions that kept me away from quilting this large piece. I last shared progress on it here. Sometimes a long period away from a particular work can mean that new layers of inspiration have the time to fully develop. In fact, I’ve made a change to the original plan by adding […]
More Sketching
There are few things that scream summer like strawberries. And we are enjoying our share of beautiful strawberries that arrive each week in our box from Shooting Star CSA. Click on image for larger view. I couldn’t resist a calm sketching moment with the last few berries in the basket. Tommy Kane, one of the […]
Sketching
I think it’s not so much a problem of lack of inspiration for sketching, it’s more a matter of being overwhelmed by everything that could be sketched. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it for now. For this sketch I played with creating the background wash first. When it was dry I simply put […]
Lavender and Sweet Peas
This is the time of year when it is difficult to be indoors. The garden is bursting with new energy and rewards will just keep coming over the next few months. And speaking of rewards from the garden — here is our first box from Shooting Star CSA. Spring is here!
Fiber577 and Angelwood Gallery
Two of my pieces have been accepted for two exhibits beginning in June. The first is Fiber577 at the 577 Foundation in Perrysburg, Ohio. This juried and judged exhibit will feature over 75 pieces of fiber art. Cynthia Lockhart will select recipients of the Best in Show, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Awards. I just […]
di Rosa Art
Last week I had an art date with a friend. We went to the di Rosa Gallery and grounds on Sonoma Highway in Napa. Rene Di Rosa was a passionate art collector who became equally renowned for his famed Winery Lake vineyards and his philanthropy. In 1960, he purchased 450 acres in the little-known Carneros […]
Collecting Art
Next to making art, collecting art is something I do as often as my budget will allow. My collection is modest and well-loved. And I don’t have everything hung on walls all the time. I enjoy moving art into new locations, tucking a few away to find a new home in the future. Rotating art […]
Small Notebook Cover Variation
The handmade papers I am using to create notebook covers has provided new challenges. The specific concern is how the paper will endure regular handling and storage in a purse or other container that will probably have other objects in it. The point of making these covers is to make them practical to use. So […]
Small Notebook Cover
My sister Christy (she gave me molas that I turned into notebook covers) was here for a visit and brought a hostess gift wrapped in handmade paper and tucked into a bag made of handmade paper. A triple treat! I simply could not resist using the paper to create a notebook cover for one of […]
Wordless Wednesday
Sketchbook Skool
I’m in the middle of an on-line class called Sketchbook Skool developed by Danny Gregory and Koosje Koene. The idea behind this 6-week class led by a different instructor each week is to gain skills and inspiration which will lead to making sketching a daily habit. I am learning a lot and having fun, my […]
Eastern Span Coming Down
Immediately after opening the new eastern span of the Oakland Bay bridge the task of dismantling the old span began. The top level is completely gone. And here’s a glimpse at the kind of view we’ll have along the whole eastern span in the near future (click on the image for a larger view): Watching […]
Progress on Sunflower VI
Progress, though slow, is being made. I decided to add a few large motifs in the background fill quilting. Here is the top portion of the quilt where I’ve added a leaf and berry spray (click on the image for a larger view): I have a variety of designs and design sizes with the dominant […]
Buddha Hand Harvest
This fascinating fruit always draws comment when newcomers visit my back yard. ‘What is it?’ and ‘How do you use it?’ are always asked. The short answers are that it is a citron and I primarily use it to candy, though I have plans to use it in jam. For more details, check out the […]
Back to the Sunflower
It’s not usual for me to step away from a large project the way I have with the sunflower scrap piece, but I certainly did. Time to refocus and move this project forward. Progress may continue in a slow manner, however, because I do have several small projects that are time sensitive and need to […]
