Sketching and Stitching

 This one was the start of a daily quick sketch practice.  My first few were things on my table in the morning.

Then, anticipating some travel with friends I decided I needed to practice capturing scenes quickly.  I got out some photos from previous travels and set a stopwatch working toward 5 or 6 minutes.  Still working toward consistently getting it and having fun trying.

Vivien was on our anniversary and the sketch is the view as we arrived there that morning.  We did a Viking Cruise which I highly recommend.

I also managed to stick to stitching on a patch in the evening while my spouse and I watched a movie on TV.  Netflex and Prime have good selections.

All this and I managed to clear a lot more clutter from my studio.

So Far, A Good Start

But then it's only been a week.  Well, really a week and a half and I did do one art journal page last week.

And this week got two new grunge journals ready to go.

I did get images of all of the Tuesday Painters' work this week.  

Elaine worked on the gnomes she started last week

 Mary did her tea mug

 I did Connie's hat

 and Beth worked on her gnomes from last week

And Connie watched but she does draw sometimes.

I'm still working on this week's stitched piece and will post it next week. Cleared more clutter from the studio and almost have all of Christmas put away.  It's been a good week.

A New Year and New Practices

Evenings we have been watching movies and I can't just sit and watch.  So getting ready for 2020 I cut 6 inch squares from old jeans and backed them with a stabilizer.  My plan is to stitch on one a week.  This is the start of this weeks.

A new practice with my Tuesday Painters group will be to photograph everyone's work. I'll have to put a reminder on my phone because I usually don't scan or photograph mine until a day or two later.  Here are the two I did at the end of December.

And finally... an Art Journal.  I have long been intrigued with the idea and have looked at many but so far hadn't found zeroed in on just what mine would be.  Finally I decided to ignore what everyone else is doing, just start and see where it goes.  Here's January 1, the quote seemed appropriate for a start.  I haven't done today's yet.

And, as always.... clearing clutter.  Resolve this year to actually purge and clear and keep it clear.  We'll see how that goes.

A Sad Day

I'm feeling so many emotions today that make it hard to write.... yet I need to.  I don't have a painting to go with it... except maybe these two....

The house he grew up in was the same one I grew up in... and today the new owners tore it down.

He was an only so it was easy for him to keep it and raise us there.  But there were three of us, his children and only one still lived there.  Only one could have saved it, but she chose not to try.  And she blames the other two of us for selling it.  Today I'm not liking her very much but I'm sure I will get past it.  

Merry Christmas

Wow, where did the time go?  Are the rest of you ready for Christmas?  I'm not but it will be here anyway won't it.  So why am I not ready?  I have no idea, I can only account for a few days wasted and those weren't a waste; time spent with my Tuesday Painters group is never a waste and here are three sketches I did with them recently.

I also spent some time with my brother's family in Mt. Pleasant where his daughter got her Masters In Public Administration.  Very proud of her determination to get this done. 

And, the annual Gingerbread House with my grandson.  He knows I'm not the best baker so he has preferred that we buy the kit.  However, now that he's done some baking he thinks maybe with his help I'll be able to do it okay next year.

Merry Christmas and a Joy Filled 2020 to all of you!

So much to be grateful for

There is much to be grateful for in my life, I hope that is true in your's as well.

More Dailies, A Class and A Wedding

I'm continuing with the November Dailies Challenge, here are a couple more 

A couple coffee mugs and a collage

I've also been taking an abstract workshop on line, Jodi Ohl's Absolutely Abstract.  It's been a challenge.  With representational work one knows what the focus is, it's what you wanted to paint.  With abstract which I thought of as non-representational until Jodi had us find a favorite vacation photo and use it as the basis for a painting.  Some of what we're doing is non-representational but one still has to design the piece.  I'm still working on the vacation piece, a photo I took in France on our anniversary.  Here is one of the non-representational pieces I did.

And the wedding.... I got to visit my cousins and some of their kids and grandkids in Virginia. It was a beautiful wedding, my cousin Gail's grandson's, and great fun to visit.  I stayed with Gail as did her older brother, Ralph and her oldest son, Rick.  We are all interested in family history and family stories so there was a lot of sharing.  The wedding was beautiful, in the chapel at Langley Air Force Base and we got a quick tour of the base.  

So far the month is going beautifully and now I'm looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving with friends.