Sunday Sketches

Finished another sketch for the Sketchbook Project 2012. I took Carol's advice to use better quality paper and glue it into the sketchbook.

I have been looking at this photograph of the Quechua school children waving good-bye to us after our visit to their school. It was a memorable day for both the children and us.

I love the line up and knew one day it would be a painting. It was challenging to capture their faces with a single line of ink. The watercolors were applied after the ink drawing.

Mama Robin Attack

Although I was under attack from Mama Robin, I was able to capture (pun intended) her little one nesting in the Rhododendron in my front yard.

It was challenging finding the nest while zooming in with the camera. After several attacks, she buzzed my head, I decided to just snap a picture and hope for the best.

Surprisingly the attentive little one was captured. I thought the photo was striking and wanted to share.


What big eyes you have.......

Fascination With Rocks

My grandson, Haeden, came to visit me the other day, and he was fascinated with the pile of river rocks boarding the deck.



What is it about rocks that is so fascinating?

The colors and shapes attract me. When I was in Greece not only did I take photographs of rocks, but also brought some home from various locations, especially beaches. I have these small piles on a counter and not sure what to do with them.

Rekindling my love of rocks with Haeden, I began a watercolor painting from photographs of one of the beaches on the island of Antiparos in Greece.

This is just the first day painting:


A close up:




To be continued.......

How About a Self-Portrait?

Recently an e-mail came to me which requested my submission of art for a self-portrait show. I realized that I had not done a self-portrait since high school!

Do I hear a challenge?

Vincent Van Gogh might hold the record for the most self-portraits painted.



The first step for a portrait: need an image.

Taking a photograph of myself was an experience in itself! I learned, after several attempts for a "good picture", that we prefer the image of ourselves to have a certain look. How many times have you looked at a photograph of yourself and not liked it?

This brought back ancient memories of when I was drawing children's portraits. I photographed them and drew from the photo. When I presented the finished portrait to the parents they either loved it or hated it. I even tried to make some changes in their presence, but this did not always correct the problem. Sometimes the child did not like the portrait; my niece for example.

Finally, I have an acceptable image for the self-portrait. The next question is what medium to use......pencil, watercolors, or maybe even oil paints?

When I painted the portrait of my grandson, I enjoyed the dialogue with him as I painted and the study of his features. What will it be like to stare for hours at my face? I believe I have embarked on an insightful journey......

Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Wonder where that comment originated? Do you know?

It is so true in respect to this photograph taken at Whistler, British Columbia on this awesome sunny day. I would not know how to describe the incredible vistas nor the phenomenal skiing. I skied five days and spent the time with my good friend, Elaine, and my son, Brian.


Another thousand words later.....





Brian on top of the world

Return to the Scene

Today I returned to the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington to capture the the Trillium with my camera. The image with my phone camera was not acceptable. I wanted a clear photo of this magnificent specimen.

I must admit that I have never seen a Trillium bud before, so this cluster of two with one blooming and a bud is exceptional. What are your feelings?





Stay tuned for the future watercolor painting.......

Work in Progress

I have mention before how walking by on a daily basis a watercolor painting in progress helps me to see aspects of my paintings that while in the mist of creation, I might miss. Not only does it give me an opportunity to see what the next step is but also if the painting is complete. Completion can be challenging as sometimes one can "over work" a painting and lose its freshness.

Another helpful way to observe my own paintings is to take a digital image. When I bring it up on the computer it changes perspective and gives me a different feel.

Tonight I decided to photograph a painting in progress, so the lighting and the fact that it is taped to the drafting table are handicaps to viewing. Yet, it helps me to study my painting progress and assess where to go from here.

This is what I am working on:



Jayme and Vienne

It looks like I need to darken the shadow of the hat on the baby's face. Kind of scary to do without loosing the details of the eyes.........