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I'm slow getting these scanned in (it's been a somewhat eventful summer), so here is a report on one lovely day taking the ferry out to Friday Harbor in the San Juan islands back in the middle of July. Jude's cousin Liz, an artist and photographer and all around delightful person, was visiting, so it was the three of us. I sketched on the ferry the way I did several years ago. I've been doing passenger seat sketches this summer, and the ferry is about the best version of that -- not as fast flashing past everything, but a kaleidoscope of a changing view. Such fun.
There were many more people in the way of the view in July than there had been in September, but it was still fun. I think my favorite ferry sketch was this simple one done only with green ink in a brush pen.
There were many more people in the way of the view in July than there had been in September, but it was still fun. I think my favorite ferry sketch was this simple one done only with green ink in a brush pen.
We had a lovely lunch on a deck at Blue Water. My friend Chrissie says, "Always get the pink drink." I got the orange one instead, a mango mimosa. And of course I had to sketch it to remember the treat. The crab cakes were another fantastic treat for this generally landlocked Memphian. Later I bought books (always a treat) and peppermint ice cream with hot fudge on top, but I didn't take time to sketch it. Just dove in. Sometimes you have to just savor instead of sketch.
I'm not sure if it's the mimosa or not, but my favorite sketch from that day is the vertical with the view of the bay, the mimosa clearly featured, and the teal of the ceiling paint making a lovely contrast with it.
I had also sketched the entryway of the restaurant while we waited a few minutes for our table. It was fun to have just a full on sketching kind of day.
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My last post was about Feature Show Falls, which was indeed a stunning feature (even if the name vaulted me back in time to my Rocky Horror Picture Show days). Almost as stunning, though, were the trees on the trail to get there. Especially this one, growing over a rock. After lunch at the falls, I left the others to explore a little further and came back early to sketch this one. Along the way I did a few other, much quicker sketches, of other gorgeous trees. Sometimes it's fun to just do line gestures and leave the paints in the box.
That original tree was so stunning, and my sketch of it so inadequate to convey its magnificence, that I'm adding a couple of photos from that day as well. The second one is for scale. It was just remarkable.
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This hand painted thistle stoneware was our everyday set when I was a kid. My mom graduated from the University of Edinburgh and loved all things Scotland, especially if they had thistles. My dad has some of it out at the family farm, but I haven't had any pieces. My favorite antique store here is run by an Englishwoman who also likes tea properly presented (teapot, cup and saucer, pretty small spoon). She had this cream and sugar set in her shop, and I was delighted. We always just had mugs growing up, never tea cups. I asked if there were any teacups also, and she kindly rummaged around at home and found a couple on a shelf she wasn't using and let me have my pick. It's been so special to use these this summer and think of Mom and flash back to really happy childhood times before she got sick. Such a gift. I did a sketch page to remember. I also found this teapot in Eastern Washington as I was driving across. It perfectly takes my new tea infuser, so I've used it a lot this summer.
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We hiked the other day to a gorgeous, tall, lushly green waterfall and miraculously had it all to ourselves for the whole of a picnic lunch and sketching break. It was glorious for this Memphian and flatlander to sit and drink in the beauty. I did a couple of sketches there also just sat to enjoy it a while. The road to the trail head was appalling or I would go back every week, but I'll definitely be returning again next trip out here.
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The power station built in 1924 in Newhalem was piloted early on by a Scottish horticulturalist who put in public gardens and trails for everyone to enjoy. The standout spot is a trail built along the side of a gorgeous high waterfall that turns corners and falls again to a different spot below. I couldn't get the whole thing in a sketch, but I loved this section that peeks out from under a stone arch at the top and drops in several levels. It was a magical place to sketch.
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Eight miles in each direction there is a state park, and they are two of my favorite haunts out west. I spent a morning walking in Rockport, the more forested of the two, and did the trail sketch above and then sketched the moon hanging among the treetops.
Another recent day I went to Rasar and found that they had hayed the big meadow there. I was sorry to lose the field of daisies, but I hope the revenue is good for this fantastic park. And I had fun sketching the tractor that was still siting in the middle of the field after the fact.
Another recent day I went to Rasar and found that they had hayed the big meadow there. I was sorry to lose the field of daisies, but I hope the revenue is good for this fantastic park. And I had fun sketching the tractor that was still siting in the middle of the field after the fact.
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We've been driving around a lot to various appointments, and I've used some of that time to sketch and keep loose from the passenger seat. These sketches are a great test of memory, and they make a day of errands go faster. I'm still using the little Sennelier kit for ease and smallness and to keep testing it out.
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I've been doing more landscapes than anything else lately (which are always the primary draw for me), but I've done a handful of smaller scale, daily life sketches lately, and I really enjoy them as well. Here's a round up from the last month, since they haven't been fitting thematically into the posts I've made lately. I always enjoy opening sketchbooks back up later and remembering a favorite luncheon, a date at an ice cream parlor, or an especially yummy dessert.
Or even a medical check up...
And my very favorite -- Belgian torte from a dessert shop I had tried two years ago up in Bellingham on a day out up there. I was delighted that the place had made it through the pandemic. The torte was at least as good as I had remembered.
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I've been taking the new small set of Sennelier watercolors out to keep testing them. I miss some of my regular colors, but as I've said, I love the sap green that is a little cooler and darker than the Windsor and Newton one I generally use. The lighter green is fun, but it skews a little acid, and I try to tamp it down a bit instead of using it straight. I ended up loving those top two that I did, but the second time out for bigger pieces (instead of the tiny, quick passenger seat sketches I've been doing), I couldn't get the colors right, and everything felt overcooked. I'm pretty much at a loss to explain why I had such disappointing results the second time after feeling pretty good about the first outing, but there you are. I miss the transparency of my normal W&N set, and on the forest piece, I really missed the burnt Sienna that I depend on a good bit. I think the cobalt blue is also a little edgier than I'm used to, and that didn't come into play much until the tree trunk study. Overall, it's fun to switch things up sometimes, and I enjoy having this kit that's the right size for a purse or tiny project, but W&N still has my heart.
