Eucalyptus

My morning walks take me past this stand of trees. I have painted them many times but they always present a different chanllenge. Today I was working on contrast and depth.

Quick sketch

Ivy (my greyhound) and I walked to the local coffee spot this morning and I had an opportunity to do a few quick sketches. I noticed that few people just walk and look around and listen to the sounds around them. They are busy talking on cell phones, or listening to iPods, or in one case not even looking around because she was texting as she walked. I look at everything when I walk. In fact the things that I see and hear can distract me from a conversation. I guess that is why I sketch. It is a way of seeing better.

Plant shopping

A friend and I went to Roger's Garden to shop for plants. In this sketch she is selecting some plants and I am sitting in the shade at the edge of a fountain sketching. I don't know what I like to do more.....sketch or buy plants. But on this day I could do both. This was a perfect day with the coastal breeze, shade and plenty of people and plants to draw.

Restaurant Dinning

I had another concrete leaf class yesterday. I set up tables on my driveway because there is plenty of shade in the morning. I will be able to turn them over and photograph them tomorrow. Can't wait!

I had the opportunity to go out with my family to a great restaurant last night. It is called Amazon Churrascaria and has an interesting way of serving the entree. The wait staff brings a skewer of meat (beef, chicken, pork, lamb, alligator, turkey, rabbit, etc) to the table so the diner can choose the portion size. The waiter continues bringing selections and choices until they are told to stop. There is plenty of time for talking and sketching. I also got to sit next to my grandson and we sketch together. I have posted our sketches above. He is a great artist and he loves to create visual art like I do.

Brea California

I was sitting in a CoCo’s restaurant eating breakfast and I looked out the window and saw this beautiful view. I have taken out the bank and other buildings because I wanted to see the land without buildings. I could see the distant hills that have been graded and readied for new home construction. At some point there will be houses and no open land. As artists we have the opportunity of changing the landscape as we see it. Some days I record every telephone pole, garage sale signs and trash can. Today I wanted to see the land as it might have been 60 years ago. Of course I would not be eating pancakes with fresh peaches and having someone fill my coffee up and comment on my painting.

Hospital Waiting Room

A day in the hospital waiting room gave me an opportunity to do some sketching of unsuspecting models.

Bread and Butter

I did my walking exercise yesterday morning and then I had breakfast with friends.
This is a fast sketch of the bread board and butter. I wonder if I walked off these calories.

Dana Point

I sketched for a few hours, just watching the waves until I lost my shade. My camera doesn't do justice to graphite sketches, however, this is one of my favorites because it is so simple and I also like the unfinished line of the cliff.

Dana Point

The clouds have been slow to pull away from the coast in the morning. It has made it a little cooler in the past few days but today and for the rest of the week the heat will increase. The painting is on Yupo. It was windy and there is sand on the painting surface.

I will be spending a few days at the beach till I get a painting that works. I find that I have to be in front of a subject to paint it. The water and wave movement is still a chanllenge to me. I think I will plan a day of drawing. When I draw I slow down and see better. I look, draw, then look what I have drawn comparing it with what I see, then look and draw more. The more time I look and draw, the more I see.

Geranium Society

Our Geranium club met yesterday and the speaker spoke long enough for me to do this rendered sketch of an un-named, as of yet, Ivy Pelargonium. I, of course, brought home more plants and will need to put them in the ground soon. I have been cleaning up the veggie garden as the heat does in some of the cool loving plants and have enough land to plant a few flowering plants. I picked up more scented plants with nutmeg, lime and apple scented leaves that will work nicely in flower arrangements for those winter weddings or if they are slow growing June weddings.

It’s fun to hang with like minded fellow gardeners. After the meeting I visited my friend Clair’s garden and marveled at her clean, well maintained gardening process. Mine is more of a, “I can’t remember the name but it smells (tastes, looks, etc) good, doesn’t it?”, kind of gardening. If it grows it stays and if it dies it gets replaced. I have cantaloupe melons growing right now that came from the worm box. The seeds just came up so I planted them next to my front door and have been watching them take over the pathway making melons since March, I think. We will see if they are any good.

Eucalyptus

I walked this morning in the same area I always walk and painted the same trees I always paint, but I left out the houses this time. I have been painting this stand of trees for years but it always looks different. This little tree is young yet. Maybe 15 years old, I can't remember when it was planted. After the children were out of the house but before my mother died. That is the way I remember things now. Let’s see, before the knee surgery after the first grandchild was born. I don't seem to remember dates at all, or your birthday or when we met. That gives me the advantage of buying a gift at anytime of the year just because it is something I know would be just what you need.

I have finally purchased a pedometer. I have been trying to use one that is not very accurate. So now I will start keeping track of the steps I take. It also keeps track of heart rate, but doesn’t do dishes. Oh well. I guess I can’t have everything.

Hello everyone.
I haven't posted in a while but I continue to sketch and walk daily. I noticed that many of you have taken a step back from your computers for the summer also. Just why I don't have the time to post daily is a baffled to me but I keep thinking that I will get my life back soon and be doing just what I want to do. Paint and sketch, Paint and sketch and then Paint and sketch some more. Here is some of my work from the last week.

Have a great weekend.


I found this Giant Bird of Paradise plant to sketch while waiting for someone to get out of the doctor's office. Finally it wasn't me in there. She was getting a Colonoscopy. This is such an important test for anyone over 50. The test showed no cancer or polyps or anything bad. Next test will be in 5 years for her. What better reason to have the test then to prove that your health is good.

Bird of Paradise graphite on paper

These ducks were so interested in what I was doing. I had walked around Balboa Island, sketched a in a few different places and found that they had followed me the last few drawings. Do you think it might have been the sandwich I was sharing?

Mallards graphite on paper

I have been working in my garden in the early morning because of the heat of the day. My first pumpkin has grown and turned orange now but this one is the smaller one and is still yellow. The same color as the blossoms. I have been using these leaves for the cement leaf workshops I have been having. Great fun and so easy to do. I am going to be making many birds very happy with all the bird baths that are being made.

Pumpkins with Blossoms watercolor on paper


tomatoes graphite on paper

I have been harvesting tomatoes twice a week and the crop is enough for a few families. Composting and worm composting really works.

This is my Sketchercise sketch for this morning. This is on a hill in Fullerton looking toward Knott's Berry Farm amusement park. The morning was a little hazy today, over cast because of the marine layer coming in from the beach. It cools the air, keeping the heat down. Today it was only 83 degrees and that is bearable. OK, have I mentioned that I don't like the heat?

CONCRETE LEAVES

We turned the leaves over last Wednesday and removed the leaves, sand and any casting debris.

Yesterday we painted the leaves. Here are some of the results.

GARDENING

These are the new Pelargoniums that I got for the back yard fountain area. I need to make one more leaf to complete my fountain and then find a pump and I will be ready to install. The plants are going in tomorrow. I hope!

INTERNATIONAL GERANIUM SOCIETY

This is an apple scented geranium that I sketched during the lectures presented during the IGS meeting. I can't sit still for very long before I start to draw and if I don't have the 'proper tools' I have been known to use anything including the 2 crayons that are given to children in restaurants (ususally red, blue or yellow and not all three, only 2). This sketch was a blue ball point pen. Then I found my Sharpy.

Sorry, guys, if you recognize yourself, just don't admit it. No one will ever know.

Malvern Steet, Fullerton

I walk through these trees during my morning walk. The street sweeper comes on Wednesday mornings after I have walked, but while I am walking the street is covered by these wonderful violet purple flowers. Everything has the same purple glow. I will be painting this sketch tomorrow. Today I am conducting the second and last day of the concrete leaf class so I couldn't take the time to paint it today.

SKETCHCRAWL JULY 11

This is the 23 Sketchcrawl where fellow artists from all over the world sketch where they are and what they are doing that day.

I started out with a walk to the nearest coffee house for a cup of coffee and a quick sketch. Then walked back home to get my car to drive to the train station to pick up a friend.

I stopped to do a quick sketch of Harbor Blvd. a main street in downtown Fullerton.


I captured the El Camino Real sign and the bell that is displayed along this famous old trail. It is a 600-mile (966-kilometer) California Mission Trail, connecting the California's 21 missions.

Then off to the Fullerton train station for a few quick sketch of people, luggage and umbrellas.

I ended my day with dinner and one last sketch at Bucca di Beppo, an Italian food restaurant.

Doctor's Office

Here is yet another special look at the inside of a doctor's office. I wonder, do all doctor's offices look pretty much the same? I am getting my 50 thousand mile check-ups.

Concrete Leaves

The Wednesday class this week and next is concrete leaves for garden ornaments. It was great fun and everyone was playing with concrete and sand for hours. Here are some of the results and I will post more after the concrete dries.

Doctor's Office

Seems like now that I am going so often many of my sketches are of Doctor's offices. Here is one from inside a room waiting for the nurse to draw blood. Just some jars. Could be small and cute on your bathroom counter, but they take on a different feel when you know they are doctor's office stuff.

Here it is the dreaded "Doctor's Office Scale"

Shopping

I have been trying to walk more so I have started either walking to the store for groceries or parking the car as far away from the store as possible then walking to the store. Sunday I went to Costco. It was the day after 4th of July and I had no idea there would be everyone in the world in the store. Who knew? The lines were a 20 minute wait at least. So I found a nice place to sit on some display furniture and pulled out my sketch book to pass some time till the lines got shorter.
This is a sketch of the pineapples stacked boxes and some of the display furniture.

GARDEN

The tomatoes are turning red now, squash and greens are abundant. The garden is so satisfing. I did my part with composting and tilling and planting, but it is such an amazing thing to see hard work be so productive.

Eucalyptus

I can't seem to get a good picture.

This is a eucalyptus tree that the bark peels off paper like during this time of year. I did a fast sketch during my morning walk and have plans to go back and do a more complex rendering.

DOCTOR'S OFFICE

Just another day at the doctor's office.

Dana Point

This is a rock off the Dana Point cove. I spent the day painting and sketching the waves breaking into the cove. After the sun moved past the cliffs I moved my chair to get a good view of this rock and the pelicans.

Close up.

Everytime I pull out my camera and set art work to be photographed, Sam comes over to see what I am doing. It makes it difficult to take pictures.