Wednesday, July 02, 2025

sketchbook

Someone online recommended this book, published in 1997 and I was able to get a used copy. I like the author's style and attempted a few copies-- which I hasten to say do not do his thoughful, subtle paintings justice ... But which were fun for me to do iny sketchbook on a rainy day.

Tuesday, July 01, 2025

ref photos

.                     7x9
A couple of friends and I were complaining the other day that we all have so many ref photos but we never paint them.
So I challenged us to use one a day... Can be small or large, finished or not, a painting or a drawing.
I decided for my first week I'll do a photo from Scotland every day.
Starting with this picture of lambs--I fell in love with lambs in Scotland ... And goats, and cows...

Sunday, June 29, 2025

10 minutes

Have been admiring the sweep of this geranium. This morning I made an exercise of painting it: no drawing, except the vase!; paint loose and quick.

Friday, June 27, 2025

shells

A couple of shells. This is multimedia paper; I think they come out better on watercolor paper.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

burchams farm

                        6x12
No plein air class yesterday due to the ongoing extreme heat. I painted this from a photo.
Also started a painting of the farmhouse, which I am going to try to keep light and loose.
.                      7x10

Sunday, June 22, 2025

hosta

Hostas starting to flower!
And some lavender for a friend.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

burchams' farm

                8x5 sketchbook
                   8x10 block
.                       5x12
Second outing at the farm.
There were amazing cloudy, changeable skies but for some reason I focused on the land! Those dark tree shapes compelled me.
I started with small sketches to try to figure out what went where.
Then small watercolor sketches where the idea was to simplify shapes and develop a plan for the greens--neither of which I did.
Then, finally, unhappy with the watercolor sketches, I started something that may work out!
My first little sketch, at the top of the sketchbook, was the best thing I did all day.

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

classwork

.                    10x12ish
A couple of paintings I did in a Birgit O'Connor class on waterfalls. It's a good class: very freeing.
I'm not sure if these paintings are overdone or underdone!

Monday, June 16, 2025

bike-friendly plein air kit

Rene PleinAir expressed an interest in seeing what I bring when I go out to sketch on my bike. Here you go, Rene!

This looks like a lot of stuff! But it all fits in a 5x7 zippered bag and I think gives me a lot of options:
a small watercolor pan set
a few Derwent inktense pencils
travel brushes 
a mechanical pencil 
a sepia watercolor pencil
a permanent ink marker
a Tombow water soluble marker
a water brush
a wax crayon
a couple of clips
a little pot of Paynes gray
a few Derwent blocks ( new to me--great for covering larger areas and being bold)
a Sailor fountain pen
a plastic tube for sucking up water (forgot what it's called!)
a bamboo dip pen, used to draw or scratch
And two of the sketchbooks I've been bringing on my bike: a 4.5x9" handmade book and an 8x8 Ranger-brand sketchbook.

I put the sketchbooks and my little pouch in a larger bag--with water, sometimes a hat, a scrap of an old towel, and a small tarp to sit on--that fits in my bike basket.


I filled an 8.5x12.5 Moleskine sketchbook, which I really liked. It wasn't watercolor paper but you could do some painting in it:
But I thought the Moleskine cost too much ... Which began my long and even more costly search for a sketchbook that would be as good, or, more accurately, would suit my needs.
I'll do a post on my larger plein air kit soon.

Sunday, June 15, 2025

beginnings

Beginnings of exploring two ideas I have.
1. To do a series of panoramic views of the Delaware Bay at low tide. This one is on sketch paper... And not "panoramic" enough: I need to pull out further.
2. To do a series of oyster shells. I have a good pile of them, most picked up on the beach, a few from oysters I've eaten.
Some of my collection


Saturday, June 14, 2025

daylilies

In order, the day Lily sketches I did yesterday. All about 11x15.
I feel like I could've maybe gone bigger.
The daylilies aren't done. So maybe

Friday, June 13, 2025

classwork

                       11x15
Painted a killdeer in SaltyWaterArt's class, the last before taking a little summer break.
I don't usually like to paint the background when I paint birds, but this one worked out well, I think.

Thursday, June 12, 2025

daylilies

Orange may be my favorite color, after blue. And I love these roadside lilies, as I call them.
Later today my friend Gina and I will be painting lilies.
I tried a couple of stems on my sketchbook. One came out pretty well, the other didn't!!

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

plein air

                  Sketchbook
Yesterday was the first day of a 7 week plein air class; we'll meet at a farm on the Mullica River from around 4 till around sunset.
i was trying to catch the alternating light and shadow falling across the lawn. Probably worked on it too long.

Next week we'll bring chairs and maybe my little popup screen tent: the little flying bugs were a distraction!

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

more clouds

                      11x15
Painted these in a tutorial in Watercolor Workout, which you can find on Patreon.
It really is about controlling the wetness, which I can never do!
But honestly I think I like not being in control even if I am sometimes disappointed with the results!

Sunday, June 08, 2025

plover

                     5x7
Just a little piping plover.

Saturday, June 07, 2025

classwork: American avocet


.                      10x14
Painted in a SaltyWaterArt class.
I am resisting the urge to go back in and fiddle.

Friday, June 06, 2025

sunset

                     11x15
A little sunset practice.

Thursday, June 05, 2025

classwork

For class, Ronna, aka SaltyWaterArt, gave us a, to me, rather messy/confused landscape to paint. We began by trying to just pick out 5 shapes, then we did a value study--wh8ch usually turns out to be my favorite painting and makes me wonder why I don't do more of them.
6x8 study using DS shadow violet
11x15, first try
6x9, 2nd try but on 90lb paper, which was to hand
10x13, beginning of 3rd go, rough paper

Wednesday, June 04, 2025

plein air via bike

     5x5 book, 5x10 spread 
     8x8 book, 8x16 spread
Pages from the two sketchbooks I take on my bike rides.
All the times I've looked at and drawn and painted dune grasses ... And my mind still can't figure them out.

Monday, June 02, 2025

classwork

.                         10x14
Three warmup exercises in Birgit O'Connor's Expressive Waterfalls online class.
Don't see waterfalls here at the Jersey shore so I'm not familiar with their forms. But this is "expressive," so  i won't stress.
Birgit has a lot of recorded classes available. They're well organized, with a lot of info, and you can get lifetime access.