We have an enormous Magnolia tree blooming like crazy in our front yard. It has been fun to watch the activities in this tree since we got here. We had a huge nest filled with baby Blue Jays the day we moved in, lots of squirrels and the blossoms themselves provide us with great entertainment!
As I sit and sip my mint julip on the front porch...that's the way I see it!
Lisa
This may not look like Texas, but it is! I found a very cool place in Denton, the Yoga Hut, that has wonderful Meditation Gardens suurounding it. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Or, maybe I was in such pain from the kick-tail yoga class!
I have scribbled/doodled my entire life, whether in class, on a conference call or in church. (It just means I am concentrating on what is being said---REALLY!)
It may appear I am not sticking with the Texas flavored theme..but I am. This is what THIS Texan was doing on the back of the program at 11 a.m. today!
Something we missed in the past 4 years was good Mexican food! Texas has plenty of it and we are working our way through the Mex restaurants testing their Grita's, hot sauce, chips, queso and well...everything! One of the older restaurants relocated from their run-down (quaint) building to a fancier (not as interesting) building. I did this little sketch in front of the old building-- Fun Texas setting--they should have stayed where they were! At least, that's the way I see it!
Hi ya'll :-)
I said I would resume sketching once I got unpacked in Texas and we are real close! My hand and brain are not communicating after a just a couple of weeks! My intent is to participate in the "Every Day in May" Sketch Group. Mine will have a twist as I start my Texas Sketches.
I am getting warmed up with a quick sketch on our little Aubrey Cottage.
I had some health problems over the past few months that required frequent visits to my doctor's office. As I sat on the examining table, I looked out the window at a beautiful view of the hills and the highway as it disappears into the tunnel headed to San Francisco. I really wanted to paint this picture and give it to my doctor, who is really an angel named Elizabeth. Little did I know that I was at a major fork in my own road, as I painted this one. Rather than obsessing over painting the perfect picture, I simply framed it, with it's many imperfections, and gave it to her, as an expression of my gratitide for her gentle care of my health. I am still not sure which way the road is taking me, but I know it is in the right direction!
No painting can express my gratitude for a Doctor that has taken so much interest in helping me re-gain my health. Thank you, Dr. Elizabeth Maier, in Orinda, California.
You are one of a kind.
Lisa
I am playing around with Palm Trees! These trees are at my brother's house in Florida. I tried sketching them a couple of ways, including just outlining the shapes. Fun!
This weeks EDM challenge is to draw a fish. One of the few things that is not yet packed is this little hinged metal fish sitting on my art table. Charles gave him to me when I was jabbering about Feng Shui and the fact that Fish symbolize abundance, prosperity, wealth. Also, Carp swim upstream and are known for their strength. I know there's more to it in the Chinese culture, but that's how I see it. I focused on abundance and strength while painting the little guy, so I expect plenty of both in the days to come--and hope you have enough, too!
So, I see everyone in the EDM (Every Day Matters) group is drawing their houses, so I joined in. It is fun seeing paintings of so many homes around the world! The first one is a re-post from November, soon after I started sketching and blogging. It was done on very thin paper (not watercolor paper) with my "little kid's" box of paints. I didn't dare use much water, and whatever paint I did lay down, dried instantly. Now, I am almost at the end of my first Moleskin= that I re-bound with Fabriana hot press paper. I used mostly Windsor Newton paints. I sat in a different spot this time, so I could paint the whole house. This would be a fun exercise to do every few months, but this is my last painting of this house since we are moving very soon. Next house painting will be of our new place in Texas!
There is so much blooming in our yard...well.. actually all over the Bay Area. I will never get over how gorgeous it is here! I played around a little and painted a sampling of some of the "show-offs" in my yard right now. It smells FANTASTIC, too!
I will surely miss the many Farmer's Markets in California. You can find one pretty much any day of the week, in several communities, within a 20 minute drive of our house. Today I stopped by the one in Concord on the Todos Santos Plaza. I listened to the lady play the harp, watched an artist paint portraits, smelled the fresh flowers and brought home some beautiful artichokes and kettle corn. The colors of the tents, flowers and the sky were all so vivid, I really should have painted straight out of the tube. The way I see it, the scenary on a Tuesday afternoon doesn't get much better than that!
I went on my second Worldwide Sketchcrawl yesterday http://www.sketchcrawl.com/. Can you imagine people in 50 cities all mobilized at the same time to sketch the world as they see it? I am so priviledged to have had the chance to enjoy sketching in the glorious city of San Francisco. And, WOW, the number of talented and experienced artists that show up is incredible! Me, I just bumble along with my amateur sketches, enjoying the heck out of it!
Martha http://www.trumpetvine.com/ and I could have spent all day in the lobby of the charming Argonaut Hotel http://www.argonauthotel.com/index.html I am glad I got to see it again, as it was the first hotel that Charles and I stayed in when we began the process of moving to the Bay area, fours years ago. We are moving back to Texas in April so it was nice to have a little farewell sketching of the hotel and the city. The lobby is a design feast--every detail is impeccable. The furniture is all oversized and makes the place feel fantasy-like.
Stop by every now and then. My sketches will surely change flavor, as I start sketching my home state of Texas. Plus, Martha and I plan to meet around the globe for our own mini-crawls. How lucky I am to have made such a good friend in this world of sketching!
These sketches are just a tiny bit of how I saw San Francisco ...
I have the most incredible nieces and nephews. This is Krissy, my unbelievably talented dancing niece! I had the chance to see her perform recently and she took my breath away. Her hard work has paid off and her passion for dancing fills the room.
I did this as fast as my fingers would move! It was fun doing it on the bright colored paper and barely hitting it with my water brush.
Martha and I designed our own sketchcrawl, visiting some Sparkling Vineyards in the Napa area. We got a real bonus on the way to Mumm. There was a private home that had thousands of bulbs in full bloom! Boy, did we want to trespass! We got pretty darned close, peeking in the gate--we could not believe our eyes! This is my only painting of the flowers, but I intend to try some more and can't wait to see Martha's sketches posted. Sketching and sipping in Napa--that's the life--that's HOW I SEE IT!
Since I submitted EDM #160 "draw a trophy", I guess I need to participate! If you have followed some of my life via this blog lately, you know that I am currently unemployed. I am also relocating/downsizing...therefore cleaning/clearing. I have liberated myself of boxes of awards and trophies and decided to draw some of them.
They have already been collected by Waste Management, and I must say THAT was liberating. Here are some of the shapes, and they will continue to have names on them, just not mine...that's the way I see it!
Sketching is survival in airplanes, airports and BART! It turns mass transportation into massive fun. I hadn't sketched people before, but tried it on a recent trip. I sketched fast (for the fidgeters!) and didn't worry about details --like faces! I'll get to that someday--at least...that's the way I see it!
My sister in law wanted my brother to have a painting of their house for his office so I did this little ink and watercolor for him. He seemed to really like it! It is a delightful home and I will be spending lots of time there very soon!
A crazy year for my niece landed her and hubby "back home"! A darling place where they can settle in!
My son, Chase, and I spent the afternoon at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. We had to eat at Taylor's Refresher one more time before heading back to Texas. Two words, Garlic Fries!
These are really quick sketches of what we were looking at from the sidewalk while eating. I wanted to remember a really fun day with my son in a wonderful place!
I sketched this building while eating sushi with Gretchen and Heather in Naples. What a relaxing time with my sister-in-law and niece!
When I first saw Martha's instructions http://www.trumpetvine.com/sketchblog/moleskine-reloaded/ I thought she surely must be crazy! I would never, ever have the time or take the time to do such a thing just to get the right paper in the right book! Ha! Soon after catching the sketching bug, I wanted one of these of my very own! What a priviledge to spend the day making this with THE TEACHER. The sunny day, champagne, strawberries and chocolate cookies topped off a delightful day! I am so proud of the pretty stitching, I haven't inserted it into the Moleskine just yet. I want to admire my handiwork before covering it up. Then, I have to make my first marks in it! EEEEKK! Sure hate to mess this beauty up!
Today was a tough day. I got confirmation that the company that I shed blood for has "eliminated my position" while I am on medical leave. Many people that I believed in and swore by their integrity and loyalty have sold their souls to the devil. Lives are torn apart, incomes stolen and friendships thrown away. Aware that the betrayals would affect me, we have spruced up the house and put it on the market--complete with fresh camellias from the yard to make it look perfect. How wonderful it was to go to the mailbox right after the call from a emotionless HR person and have a painting from my SWAP (Sharing with Artist Partner). It looks as if an angel stopped by and painted the very flowers I had just placed around my house. It could not have come at a better time.
Please enjoy the GRACE in both the photo and the painting. I am filled with gratitude for both.
Martha and I sipped champagne, nibbled on Tapas, chatted, sketched and finished off with unbelievable bread pudding and this cappuccino at Cesar's in Berkeley. This is my newest favorite thing--my little sketch box that Martha helped me concoct. It doesn't get alot better than this combo!
The Bad Girls were on the loose again. This trip was to Pacific Grove, California--within walking distance of Monterey. Truly, this is one of the most charming places imaginable. If you ever go, you can't miss the White House on the main drag. Depending on the color of the sky, it looked look peach at one time of day and lavender another. So pristine!
I have been using what could be described as a child's set of watercolors--until now! Martha helped me choose colors from her paints and we filled up an old tray of hers. We had such fun! As she said, "It's like candy!" I am just starting to use them--it is a whole new world! (Thank you Divine Ms. M!)
Aren't they yummy?!
I am trying to learn what watercolors do. The first pears are wet on wet. It might take me awhile to feel comfortable with those happy accidents people talk about when wet paint hits wet paper! The second group I painted on dry paper and completed in just a few minutes. I think the second looks crisp and contemporary while the other attempts to be more realistic. What do you think?
One of the things Martha, Cathy and I did on our Sketchcrawl was to explore the more quiet alleys in Chinatown. We went to the Fortune Cookie "Factory" which was so tiny, we had to stand single file to watch the one-woman process. Very cool....squirt...fold...cook. We resisted purchasing the "adult" fortune cookies and went for the chocolate ones! My fortune said, "Now is a good time for a new collection or hobby" :-)
Here is the way I saw the view of this short alley.
Charles and I had a fantastic time in Mexico. We stayed at La Fonda, south of Rosarita, and it was absolutely charming. Although, we had a beautiful view of the ocean and I took tons of pictures of sunsets, I ended up painting a ROOSTER in the restaurant! This colorful character runs the place and was the only other living creature in there besides us. Everyone else wimped out because of a little dreary weather. Sure was cozy with the fireplace going while we listened to the waves crashing below. Highly recommended for a total get-away!
I wake up every day to a beautiful view of Mt. Diablo. I did this little this little watercolor sketch while on a plane to Virginia last week. We are getting some glorious winter skies this month as a backdrop, and it may drop a little snow up there tonight.
I sewed some watercolor paper into a neat little leather sketchbook I picked up at Half Price Books. That's what the little hemp thread is that you see down the middle of the page.
Not sure what possessed me to start drawing Texas "things" while I was on a flight to San Diego. Some sub-concious home-sickness? I don't think so--I believe it was the SouthWest Airlines magazine that was taking my mind there!
What a grand day we had--75 sketchers crawling through Chinatown in San Francisco! I met my friend Martha at the Montgomery station and we proceeded to meet the group at a park before breaking out our sketchbooks. Turns out Martha is quite famous in the sketchworld! I couldn't draw worth a flip yesterday, so I didn't even share when we all met back up after a day of drawing. There was so much talent there, it was fantastic to see what everyone had done. I added a little watercolor to a couple of my sketches and am going ahead and posting them. I don't want to forget what a great day it was! There is just no better way to enjoy a small corner of the world than to look at it as if you were an artist!
Here is one of the delightful lamposts on Grant Street--at least that's the way I saw it!
My friend, Tamara, is just the best gift-giver! I painted the beautiful mouth blown bottle she gave me for my birthday. The personalized note cards (at the top)-- one of the things she gave me for Christmas. I even cherish the little metal gift tag with my name on it. Her details are so thoughtful and make these gifts so special!
The bottle looks deep purple until the light shines on it. It truly has dozens of colors that change dramatically depending on the light. At least, that's the way I see it!
Not for me, not with this. I eat, sleep, dream GOALS, always trying to get better, help people achieve theirs, win, be at the top of whatever it is I am doing, be the best I can be. I am watching everyone post their ART goals about how they will stay on track, take more classes, paint more, post more, try harder. And, that is good for many. I am enjoying the process so much, with such passion... that being goal-oriented will take away the pure joy of a few minutes a day of putting something on paper. If I sketch some, that's neat...if I take a class and enjoy it...good for me. If I post something every day or never again...who really cares? This is purely for pleasure (for me) and that's HOW I SEE IT.
My niece recently got married on the beach at Marco Island, Florida. When my sister got home with the keepsakes (like the place cards from the reception) she placed them carefully,took a picture and sent to me. I painted this from the photo and then added some of the shells collected from the beach near the wedding.
