Martha Kelly Art blog - MARTHA KELLY ART

Published on: April 10, 2015

Urban Sketchers visit the Old Forest

I got to show off one of my favorite places on Saturday. I led the Memphis Urban Sketchers into the heart of the Old Forest in Overton Park my wildflower glade that was blazing with wood poppies, trillium, phlox, and mayapples. I'm continuing my love affair with mayapples this spring. I'm planning a possible three part print of them (I'll do one first to see how it looks), so I sketched some more closer up to give me a bit more information to work from.

Even some long time Memphians didn't know the beauty we have hidden in the forest. It took me years to find it myself. People didn't much go into the center of the forest when I was growing up, but I have loved finding it. I always say that I have the best of all possible worlds. I live in the heart of the city and walk in a forest every day. It was fun to share the magic.

Before diving into the forest we met up by my favorite tree. Elizabeth laughed at me for sketching it yet again.

Of course Mr. Darcy went with us. I don't go the park without him.

Published on: April 6, 2015

GPAC Art Opening of Paris work

My show at Germantown Performing Arts Center this month has its opening reception on Friday night from 5:30 to 7:00. The show is new watercolors from Paris, done on my last trip there, so come have a mental vacation and a glass of wine if you're free. It's open to the public, so bring any friends you think would enjoy it.

Above is the Place des Voges. All watercolors are 7x9" and $135, except one larger one. Come see!

Published on: April 2, 2015

Forest Sketching, part 2

I've kept thinking about that mayapples watercolor sketch, and I'd like to try a print from it. So I went back today on my dog walk to do a couple more sketches for some more information to work from.

It depends on the time I have available, but now that it's nice, I'm trying to carry sketching gear more regularly on my daily walk to just have when something catches my eye. I'm not a huge fan of butt packs, but I won one in a kayak race years ago, and it does do the job nicely without making my back hot while I'm walking. I've got one pencil case in there with pens, an ink brush pen, a water brush pen, and a teeny-tiny watercolor kit in a mini Altoid tin. I usually take the smaller square Handbook journal, which is my new favorite sketch book, and I put in my trusty Thermarest inflatable butt cushion. It's not only nicer to sit on, but it protects from both damp and cold as well. It deflates, folds in half, and rolls up. In a week where we've had a lot of rain, it's essential for sitting on the ground in the forest, although a folded up plastic sack would also offer the essential damp protection.

I'll be sharing these and other tips at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens when I teach a class on the practicalities of outdoor sketching on Saturday, May 30th from 12:30-4:30. More information here. I'm excited to get to teach at Dixon in their beautiful gardens.

Published on: April 1, 2015

Forest Sketching

The weather has been largely gorgeous lately, and the wildflowers are popping out. It's my favorite season in the Old Forest of the park by my house. I've been going out sketching in between deadlines and another dance weekend. Above are Mayapples, which have got me thinking about a print. Below are trillium, first budding and then fully open.

I've been running around meeting a few deadlines and turning in a show, but when I'm lucky, this is what my office looks like for the afternoon.

I'm excited to get to lead the Memphis Urban Sketchers in the Old Forest this Saturday. Come join us and draw. We'll meet at Veterans' Plaza in Overton Park at 10 am. I'd suggest long pants for poison ivy, which is just starting to come back up, and something dry to sit on. But it's been lovely to take my sketch pad and journal and hang out in the woods the last week.

Published on: March 11, 2015

Quick Sketches

It's finally warm enough to sketch outside again. Cloudy, but warmish. I ran down to Elmwood Cemetery today to drop off some prints for their gift shop, and I also sketched this gorgeous magnolia while I was there.

I've been having fun with the fountain and brush pens. I got a new bold tip Lamy fountain pen, and I tested it out last night. I was mostly carving a new print block, but I took a couple of breaks and sketched Mr. Darcy while he lay beside my chair.

Mr. Darcy also accompanied me to the farm today. The daffodils are blooming on a hilltop out there. Every year I try to sketch the beauty, and every year I fall short, but here is this year's effort.

It feels good to be out in the world sketching again. I hope spring has really come.

Published on: March 5, 2015

Snow Day

Memphis is on the ice line, so if there's winter weather, it's usually sleet, freezing rain, or the occasional truly debilitating ice storm. Today we got 4-5" of lovely, actual snow. I'm totally ready for spring, but this is the best option if there has to be frozen stuff on the ground. It's in the 20's, but I took my tiny watercolor set and waterproof inflatable cushion and did two very quick sketches on my dog walk today. It was too rare an opportunity to completely pass up.

In other news, I'm working on a new print today while listening to the very first game of spring training, and I could not be more delighted that the boys of summer are getting started back. Hopefully the weather will soon follow.

Published on: February 28, 2015

Winter

It's been a darn cold couple of weeks here in Memphis. We had a week of ice. Not snow, just a sheet of ice. I've been managing to walk the dog, but mostly I've been hibernating and waiting for better weather. So here are a few sketches from earlier I forgot to post. Hopefully I'll get going again soon. Nice that I'm at least having a non-busy period to go with my winter sluggishness....

Published on: February 17, 2015

Mr. Crump

I did a Valentine watercolor commission for the current owners of Mayor Crump's house here in Memphis. For music lovers, this was the Mr. Crump of W.C. Handy's song "Mr. Crump down allow..." You can see the historical marker over to the right. I love our music history here in town, and Andy Cohen had sung the song just the night before at my regular old time jam. (Which becomes slightly less old time when Andy's home from touring and rares back with occasional blues songs.)

I had such fun thinking about those connections that I walked over and painted Boss Crump's statue in Overton Park the next day. I was trying a new marker, and it got a bit muddy, but for the curious, here he is.

Here's a wider view of the statue from several years ago. This corner is a part of my regular walk.

The song was written during an election, and Handy had been asked to write a song for, instead of against, Mr. Crump. After the song came out, Boss asked him about it, and Handy told him he'd gotten a better offer from the opposition. Boss asked him how much he himself had offered Handy and then how much his opponent had, and when he heard the higher figure, he reportedly said, "You did right." And now it's his name that is immortalized in the song, so it worked out well for him in the end.

Here's the statue of W.C. Handy on Beale Street.

Published on: February 8, 2015

Urban Sketching at the Flea Market

The Memphis Urban Sketchers met at the Cleveland Street Flea Market on Saturday. It's a funny little indoor flea market, right in my neighborhood, that has its own community inside. There are not only booths with regulars manning (or, more often, womaning) them, but a cafe and a barber shop tucked in the back also. One of our urban sketchers works there part-time and made us very welcome, with drinks and snacks laid on. It's an almost overwhelming place visually. I did all three sketches from one chair, near a window, instead of wandering around too much and having too many options.

I was playing with minimal color choices that morning. I liked my sketch above with just the sky colored in. (Watercolor and a Stabilo grey fine liner.) My second one I tried to pick out mostly the blue and yellow in the hat display, but I wasn't happy with the watercolor splashes in that one.

I switched over to Faber Castell markers, also with a Stabilo fine liner, for the last sketch. I've had better luck with them in the streamlined color sketches. Also I've been working a lot in watercolor lately, and I find I lose my touch with the markers if I don't use them regularly. This seemed like a good opportunity to play with them again.

Both this sketch and the scene itself reminded me of a brocante (French for antique/flea market) I sketched in my neighborhood in Paris, so I scanned it in for comparison. It was one of the sketches from that trip I was really happy with.