Sorry I've been gone from here for a few days. It was crazy busy in Cape May, and the internet access was less than stellar. I'm now home and trying to catch up on everything.

I know a number of artists, many in the Memphis Urban Sketchers group, who are great about keeping personal sketch books. I've mostly painted on watercolor blocks instead, so I can exhibit the work I'm pleased with. However, I'm starting a new chapter in my life this year, and I decided to keep a sketch book of my summer to mark that transition. It's been fun to have it with me on my travels.

I started it in St. Louis a few weeks ago, when I went to the Twelfth Night production in Forest Park (above) and Circus Flora (below).

I also took it to Cape May. I was crazy busy doing watercolors for them most of the week, but the last couple of nights, I took a little time to paint for myself. Below is the view from the porch of my hotel, where I sat out for a bit most evenings to play banjo, relax, and watch the moon rise.

The great thing about a sketch book is that it is NOT intended for exhibition, so an artist is freer to play with materials and styles. I do think I get too tight when almost all of my work is possible show material. I really enjoyed playing with the idea of of doing part of a sketch in color but leaving parts of the drawing in just pencil as well. This isn't a style I'd worked in much in the past, and I had a lot of fun. I hope to keep playing with it.

My last night was up there quite near the full moon, and the moonrise over Victorian homes and power lines caught my eye as I was out for a walk. I put my butt cushion down on the sidewalk, up against a store front, and painted with the light shining out of the shop window to work by.

I'm noticing how much of the sketch book is about the moon. I seem more and more drawn to it each year. Below is a very quick sketch of the moon as I glimpsed it out the window before dawn the night of the super moon. I did the sketch from memory the next morning after I woke up for good and found the image was still dancing in my brain.

The hotels I'm working for have color coordinated umbrellas and cabanas for each property, and they want paintings of each one. Working under a beach umbrella with a cold diet coke definitely balanced out painting in a pigpen earlier in the week.

I continued my tour of the farm animals today by painting chickens. They have a darling coop, and there is a prodigious number of chickens. Far more than I managed to get in the painting.

As I was working, one of the farmers appeared with baskets of eggs. That was also an image on my to-do illustration list, so she was nice enough to let me paint one of the baskets before she cleaned and packed up the eggs.

I continued my tour of the farm animals today by painting chickens. They have a darling coop, and there is a prodigious number of chickens. Far more than I managed to get in the painting.

As I was working, one of the farmers appeared with baskets of eggs. That was also an image on my to-do illustration list, so she was nice enough to let me paint one of the baskets before she cleaned and packed up the eggs.

I continued my tour of the farm animals today by painting chickens. They have a darling coop, and there is a prodigious number of chickens. Far more than I managed to get in the painting.

As I was working, one of the farmers appeared with baskets of eggs. That was also an image on my to-do illustration list, so she was nice enough to let me paint one of the baskets before she cleaned and packed up the eggs.

The hydrangeas are in full bloom up here in Cape May, and I'm having fun painting them. They're everywhere, so I'm getting lots of chances.

They have a farm stand on the weekend at the farm that grows lots of their vegetables. It's on the far side of their cutting garden, so I got lots of hydrangeas with it too.

And finally the full sweep of Congress Hall itself.

I love being here at Cape May and painting for the owners if Congress Hall. There are days, however, when it is distinctly less than glamorous. Yesterday, for the first time in my artistic career, I found myself painting in a pigpen with genuine muck underfoot. I used to ride horses, so it's not a totally foreign environment, but I certainly didn't pack stable boots for this trip.

I was painting the adolescent piglets through the Dutch door of their hutch. A friend asked recently for a photo of my set up. Here it is, complete with two milk crates to sit on and an appropriated, upturned bucket for a table. Often I just sit with the inflatable cushion on the ground, but that was not an option under the circumstances.

Here are the finished piglets

Today was much more comfortable. I was up and out at 6:30 to do four more paintings at the farm, but wandering among blueberry bushes is much less taxing than trying to keep all your gear from falling in muck.

Then I had the artist's version of a working lunch. One of the illustrations on my list is a fancy lemonade, so I ate while I painted. The beet and goat cheese salad here is marvelous.

I sketched another wedding last weekend, this one in my home church. I began before the ceremony, doing a full view of the sanctuary that I could add to as the ceremony began. So the main watercolor I have for them is the overview.

I did stay during the photos afterwards, though, and did a number of much quicker sketches as well. It was special to get to be a part of the celebration for a family I've known all my life.

I'm in Kentucky now dancing with some sisters, but here is a leftover sketch from St. Louis. I adore Ted Drewes, and I hear about it on the radio every night listening to the Cardinals broadcast. I like to get there when I can.

I don't often do it this intentionally, but I have started a new sketchbook for the summer. I found a neat new size before Paris but did not end up using it there. With various travels coming up, I thought it might be fun to keep a visual journal.

The front piece is above, a sketch of my favorite tree. And here are two sketches of the tent at Circus Flora.

The Delmar Loop is an old street car section of St. Louis with funky shops, a craft alliance, and some wonderful old buildings. I sketched the first one that had been calling my ne this morning, and if the weather holds I will try another one or two this week.

I am taking a bit of a vacation after working hard in Paris and some frantic printmaking last week. Last night I saw the free production of Twelfth Night in Forrest Park, St. Louis. I had fun sketching the set while waiting for the show to start.

Today I am taking my walk on the funky Delmar Loop, which includes the St. Louis hall if fame. If I feel motivated tomorrow I may sketch along here tomorrow.