Bible Point Sketched

On this morning, I started on a sketch walk on part of the Y-360 trail that I had not yet hiked.  This is my first sketch on the back side of Bible Point, on my way to the Overlook Chapel.  There is a cross and a mailbox visible at the top of those rocks, where one can leave prayer requests and sign a book.  The mountain view is stunning from that peak, truly a view that inspires reflection and gratitude.  This sketch is painting number 4566 in 4566 days. 

Oldsmar Beach

 

I'm sketching the reaching trees of Oldsmar Beach in my journal tonight, and looking forward to sketching mountains soon.  Getting to spend time in nature like this is so very rewarding.  Sitting on the beach, feeling the warmth of the sun as it casts shadows across the sand, is therapeutic.  Cares of the day melt away as pen glides over paper, and words spill out describing my day. Studying the colors brings on a childlike wonder, how beautiful is the sparkle of water.  I am missing my friend, and remembering her, as I work through the pages of this journal.  How very healing it feels.  Painting number 5121 in 5121 days. 

Cypress of Brooker Creek

 

A sketchbook is more than a place to capture the beauty as I travel.  It can be a trusted friend for my hopes, dreams, and tears at the loss of a dear friend.  We were high school friends, dancing together as Shawnee Mission West Vikettes just yesterday, it seems, and now she isn't here.  She was a kindred spirit, and always the sweetest soul, ever kind and thoughtful.  We had so much fun back then, and she even stood up for me as my Maid of Honor as Mike and I married all those years ago. As our families grew, we had less time to talk.  I thought there would be plenty of time. I thought we'd grow old together, sharing family tales over hot tea and glasses of wine.  Susan was so young.  There was so much more life for her to live.  I can only lift her family up in prayer, and it doesn't seem like enough.  Live every moment with purpose, hug every family member each time you see them, and tell everyone in your life what they mean to you.  Cherish. Every. Moment.  Painting number 5117 in 5117 days. 

Eastern Red Cedar

 

It is so very peaceful to sketch among these beautiful cedars!  My grandparents used to cut a small one from the woods each year for Christmas, and I remember the smell and prickly edges of the branches.  I love them.  When we first bought this place from my Grandma, there were no cedars in the main pastures.  Even though we have two mature ones by the house, and they were hard to come by even on the woods.  Once every few years i would find a tiny one, and move it to the front, in a hedge row or protected area.  Over the years they began to spread on their own, and now we have some beauties that dot the landscape and naturalize the views.  I still move baby cedars to the fence rows, and perhaps I'll be painting them one day, too.  Painting number 5084 in 5084 days. 

Flower Benches

 

Thanks to Suburban Lawn and Garden on Overland Park, for welcoming a few artists into their greenhouse to sketch on a cold January day!  The blooms are always inspiring, and they greeted us with a tray of cookies and bottled water. They had THE CUTEST valentine cacti that were literally the shape of a great in a tiny red pot. They are painted on that bottom shelf - and I bought one for each child and two for me (and three other plants)!  Who wouldn't love a living heart shaped cacti greeting them every day as a little reminder of how much they are loved? Painting number 5083 in 5083 days. 

Ferris Wheel at Scheels

 

It was fun to meet inside to sketch the Ferris wheel on this very cold day with artist friends and Mom!  Lunch afterwards at their Cafe was icing on the cake.  Scheels is a great place to shop, with painting subjects ranging from architecture to the grand aquarium and taxidermy.  I brought a sketchbook today, wanting to immerse myself a little deeper in my methods.  Many subjects would have been far easier than this Ferris wheel, but when I think of Scheels, this is what comes to mind.  I've left the upper left corner a little dreamy because I plan to write about my day in that area.  I find it best to sketch on scene and fill in the words later - when I'm not so distracted by family and friends.  I can paint all day while talking to others, but it takes solitude to pull together the right words that really 'paint' my experience.  Painting number 5068 in 5068 days. 

Mission Antique Mall 305

Browsing through an antique shop is like stepping back in time, and I could spend hours in such a place!  The experience is amplified when I am immersed with my ink and paints at my favorite booth!  With only months left open, the Mission Antique Mall will be closing, so I am capturing the magic while I still can. I use one of my Pendora artisan pens for the sketching, testing the ink lightly to see if it moves. The fine nib is a little hard on this handmade paper, so I lighten my pressure.  The ink is softer and grayer than my usual, so it is an experiment as I add watercolor to it!  It moves more with a wet brush than anticipated, so I'm careful not to work that pigment into the ink too much.  The pen handles well, and the beautiful barrel makes it a joy to use!  I like the sassy dressform on the left, as she is outfitted with a leather hat, red cowboy boots and a holster slung around her waist!  That holster just may be calling my name! Love it!  Painting number 2044 in 2044 days.

Rural Kansas Sketched

I have several painting journals that I pick up from time to time, and each time I do I wonder why I don't use them every day!  I don't like to remove journal pages if someone wants one, so the individual sheets make more sense.  Here, I show my tools, all so compact I can take them anywhere.  I like these watercolor half pan sets so much, I think I'll get a couple more classic sets.  One for the car, and one for another bag.  An artist can never have too many supplies!  Painting number 2040 in 2040 days.

Ha Ha Tonka - journal

The Ha Ha Tonka ruins are majestic as they sit high on the bluffs, above a winding spring.  I start first with my TWSBI mini, filled with Caran D'ache Cosmic Black ink.  I most often use black when sketching a scene.  It wasn't long before my pen ran dry - oh why didn't I check it?  It is a demonstrator pen and I can clearly see the ink, if if only pay attention!  So, I move to another favorite, the TWSBI Eco filled with a fancy J. Herbin Caroube de Chypre ink.  My favorite part of this ink is the tiny gold flecks!  I use a little watercolor to tint and a little water to move my ink - which is a little new for me.  I almost always use India ink when using watercolor because it can be tricky to control the ink on a wet surface.  But, I'm growing more adept at the media, and like the depth I can achieve here.  Cool pens, cool ink, cool paper - how can one go wrong?  Painting number 1901 in 1901 days.

View from World Mark

Finally, the sun is out - and the view from our condo is amazing!  The sunrise woke me up and I inked and painted before the others were up.  I left my India ink pen in another bag so I'm using my favorite fountain pen for the initial sketch. I tried not to get into it too much with the water afterwards, because I didn't want the ink bleeding into the gouache.  This is the first time I've used gouache on this extra rough cotton paper - and it worked well.  I don't realize how heavy and rough this paper is until I return to it from the soft, buttery papers. I do love to try them all!  Painting number 1899 in 1899 days.

Roasting Coffee

If you've never been to Messenger Coffee in Kansas City, you have got to stop in!  It is three floors of fabulous!  There is a wonderful rooftop sitting area complete with a fireplace and bird's eye view of the surrounding cityscape.  The second floor is where I found this young man roasting coffee.  The sun streaming through those windows was the perfect backdrop for roasting and baking alike. Just to the right, several bakers were busy with their treats, it made me so hungry!  The first floor is the busiest with a constant stream of people ordering coffee and baked goods, sitting at tables and visiting. A wonderful place to draw with a hot beverage in my other hand!  Painting number 1887 in 1887 days.

Starbucks Sketched

A coffee house is a really great place to sketch people.  There are often some waiting in line, waiting for coffee, standing with their beverage, or sitting around the tables.  All of these situations are relatively still, offering a few minutes to get down those poses.  I like to get all my drawing finished before adding watercolor, but this is not always the case.  This week is the #oneweek100people2018 challenge, which means each artists renders 100 people however they wish.  Yesterday, I used pen and ink, today I'm using India ink and watercolor.  I did this challenge last year, too - and I can see the improvement in my figures.  Not only is my speed better, but their shapes are more life like.  I should probably do this challenge monthly to nail those quick pose skills!  Painting number 1875 in 1875 days.

Sketch Montage!

The #oneweek100people2018 challenge begins today, so this is today's work.  I am working with my varsity pilot fountain pen (because I left my bag in the car which has my fancy pens) on various watercolor papers and my sketchbook. I just started this book, and I think I'll save it for figures only.  I use a water brushpen to get my middle values, and I'm writing working loose.  The whole idea is to improve my quick draw skills on people, and what better way than drawing 100 of them in 5 days?  I've got a meeting tonight, perhaps I'll sneak in some paper and capture them in ink!  Painting number 1872 (I'm lumping them all together for the count) in 1872 days.  Join me in the fun and get out your pens!

Lakeside Retreat

I am putting pen to paper and filling in with watercolor.  This cotton rag paper has a rough texture, so I must use a fine or medium tip pen for the drawing.  The super fine seems to skip around too much, only hitting the high spots.  The paint flows freely on this paper, staying wet long enough to add more colors to mingle into the wet areas.  Each painting is an exploration in the media, pushing and pulling to see what evolves! Painting number 1818 in 1818 days. 

Bullard's Market in Watercolor

This fall season has been so busy I have rarely finished the sketches I start in my journal.  Often they are the pre sketch for the painting to come, sometimes I draw them afterward while waiting for the next event. I try to lay down some color marks in case I run out of time, then I can finish them later,  which is where this one lands.  Bullards Farm Market is such a cool place - and I've become very familiar with it this year.  I've painted it twice in oils, once in ink, and now in ink and watercolor!  I had to get just one more in before I switched gears for the holiday!  Painting number 1779 in 1779 days.

Bjorklunden in Bailey's Harbor

This chapel in the woods is stunning, and so unexpected in the park. In all these years, I've never been to this location, even though I've stayed just across the road each time I've visited.  Just past this chapel as the forest clears, the beach begins and Lake Michigan steadily rolls in.  I'll be painting here again, now that I know how beautiful it is!  Painting number 1776 in 1776 days.

Sister Bay Barn in Watercolor

I've not used my watercolors for a while, and yesterday, I could have used them in the field.  So, today finds me filling in ink drawings with color!  Sometimes, I only have time for a sketch, which I can come back to later, if I choose.  This is one of my favorite journals, and I especially love the rough texture and how that paint glides over the surface.  The sizing is a little thick in this particular journal, so my watercolor brushes are far more effective than the brushpens.  When I use the brushpens, I need water handy to rinse out the gunk periodically.  I sketch in my line drawing with India ink, which is waterproof, and then follow with paint.  I'm using my watercolor confections for this.  They are small and can be slid in a pocket for in the spot plein air.  I almost never get out my Daniel Smith's now, strictly due to the convenience.  I'm having so much fun, I think I'll do another!  Painting number 1768 in 1768 days.

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House on Walnut Inked

I had a large installation this afternoon for the Now Showing program of Arts KC.  I had so much help deciding where to place the 40 paintings on three different floors  - it was a breeze!  The space at the Bank of Blue Valley is really wonderful, showing the art to best advantage.  I took most of my large paintings, holding a few for an upcoming exhibition at the Albrecht Kemper Museum.  I met Mike to visit his mom in the hospital, followed by dinner out with Michael.  Finally arriving home, I am posting one of the many drawings that slip through the cracks of my daily posting.  I really like the composition and flow of this sketch in one of my favorite places - Augusta!  I often finish more than one piece a day, so there is no telling the number I'm really on for the daily count!  As I progress, I weed those old paintings out...sometimes even painting over them.  If I wouldn't show it now, I don't keep it.  So, there's another number hard to figure out....how many actually still exist of my daily paintings...! Painting number 1673 in 1673......or what could it really be?  Am I a hundred ahead?  More?  😉

Lavender Rows

Oh the beauty of a lavender field is a feast for the eyes and for the nose!  The fragrance surrounds me as the gentle breeze whispers through the blooms, and I whisper back with paint.  It is truly a joy to submerse myself in a place like this, and then to capture my experience in the moment with paint. This is what plein air is. A living and breathing thing, only to be shaped by the one holding the paintbrush.  Here, I capture the essence of the place in my journal, to commit to oils another day.  Painting number 1673 in 1673 days.

Abandoned Ranch

I love these old, abandoned homesteads.  Each one tells a story of the family who built it, loved and lived here, and the how such a beautiful place could come to ruin.  This ranch is on the side of the mountain, with the ground rising sharply behind it.  A row of aspens trails up the mountain, and ends just above the buildings.  No other trees are here, and this northern part of Colorado is so desert like. Even the rock formation in the background is right out of an old western.  Such a cool place, I only had time for a quick paint.  Next time in Colorado, I am definitely going to make more painting time!  Painting number 1671 in 1671 days.