Just finished this bright little poppy this morning. I worked from a photo taken this summer. They were so very brilliant. It is for sale on this link.
Poppy Sketch
Poppy Sketch
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Category Archives: Sketches
Waiting for the Blink
Portraits have been a love/hate relationship for me. When I’m painting them, time just flies by. The brush nudges a cheek into existence and with just a dot and swirl, there is an eye and I almost expect to see a blink. I often say, “Well, hello!” I honestly don’t know if other artists have this response. I don’t wait for it and I don’t expect it, but it almost always happens. That is the love part.
The hate part is that it might not work. This isn’t a problem unless it is a commission. In one commission, I had a parent ask if I could take off some fat and add some hair to her child. What child did she want me to paint? Another commission, the parent gave me a handful of photos and said to paint anything that moved me. I did. They said my painting looked just like the photo, but not like the child. “Can you make her look more like a monkey?” You meet all kinds.
This year I’ve joined some amazing artists from around the world in a special small group on Facebook. We post sketches online and the only obligation is to interact and exchange positively. We can’t just “like” an image. We are encouraged to say what works and what might need some tweaking. Sometimes there will be a challenge to sketch an “assignment” and they are always fun. Last week some of us sketched a portrait based on photos from their Facebook page. I chose Laura. This sketch took a little less than three hours from paper to “hello”.
“Laura” 10.5″ x 7″ watercolor
Autumn in Alaska
Snow is creeping down the mountains in the North as the earth tips away from the sun. I find myself leaning toward the equator. Mornings are stunning this time of year as the golden aspen leaves sing against the brilliant blue sky.
Anthracite Ridge, behind our house.
Our greenhouse produced lots of beautiful tomatoes this year. I brought this clump in and sketched them. A red tomato just glows, doesn’t it? I didn’t try to stay in the lines with this one. It sits contentedly in my sketchbook, but I’ll carefully cut it out if you would like it. For sale here, on my Etsy site.
“How Do You Like Them Tomatoes?” 7″ x 9″ watercolor
Sketching the Change of Season
The Sketch Project was quite an accomplishment and your kind words of encouragement helped so much. Thank you for cheering me on. The sketches will be on display in Cape Town, South Africa during the month of October. They will return to Alaska, then finally land in Kihei, Hawaii where the buyer lives. Amazing how such a piece of art can get around.
Seeing that I was able to sketch every day with such great response, I’ve decided to sell one sketch a week. I haven’t done this before and I will admit I’m a bit nervous. I’m not nervous about sketching, but the commitment of getting the image up for sale on a regular basis. It isn’t really that big of a deal if I look at it one sketch at a time, so with that confession, I’ll show you this week’s sketch. This is an original and I’m not planning on making prints because that is a commitment I don’t even want to look at right now. Here is the link to my Etsy store if you would like to purchase it. I’m going to put it on Facebook tomorrow, but I wanted to give my blog friends first opportunity. I’m going to keep the cost low on these because I want you to have a chance to buy them and it will motivate me to sketch and sketch.
“South Fork Sketch” 5″ x 8.5″ original watercolor and ink sketch
The leaves are turning and some have blown off the trees. Last week I took this photo.
Last of the Thirty Sketch Challenge
Finished! All 30 sketches are complete and on their way to Cape Town, South Africa, to be displayed there for the month of October. The booklet of sketches is on Ebay and the winning bidder will receive them when they return in November. Here is a link to see a thumbnail of all the sketches.
Down on the Matanuska River
Clouds…because.
Our fireweed signals that summer is over.
This gives you an idea of the layout and the size of the sketches. There are sketches on both sides. Each sketch is 4 inches wide by 3.5 inches high and they all fold into a small little packet!
Thank you so much for joining me with these sketches. Your comments are so kind and encouraging. Now I’m off on another project. You’ll just have to wait and see!
Sketching a Mailbox, Rose Hips, and a Glacier
Day 21 through 26 of the Sketching Project. I tried to choose a variety of subjects, but I tend to spend as much time outside as I can since winter is just around the corner.
Our son’s mailbox looked so pretty in the sun.
The Matanuska Glacier with the river in front as it converges with Caribou Creek.
Rose hips are plump and red now. I’m thinking of making some syrup with them.
Wonderful GrandView Lodge, where they serve the best coffee, pizza and pie!
How I love laundry dried outside…
Thought I’d make a stunning dried arrangement with these four-foot beauties. Placed them carefully on the back seat of the car, then started to drive, then pulled over to heave them out of the car. Wow, did they stink!
Almost to the end of the month. Five more days of sketches to go.
Sketching Berries, a Bottle, and a Bus
I hope you’ve enjoyed looking over my shoulder during this sketching challenge. You might wonder how I choose what I’ll sketch. During the day I’m on the lookout for interesting subjects-interesting to me and to you. Sometimes sunlight will land on an object and I’m just drawn to it. Sometimes I want to share a view or something like these luscious blueberries with you.
I nibbled on nearby berries as I sketched these, then I ate them!
I’m sure the neighbors were wondering why I was staring up at this power pole.
This bottle of olive oil looked so humble in the light.
This is a bit of a self-portrait. I drive my big yellow studio about 200 miles a day. I often stop and sketch after I’ve dropped off the students.
Our living room and the door to my studio inviting me in…
At Eureka Summit I stopped and sketched this from my big yellow studio. The poles are there to mark the road during snow storms.
On the Glenn Highway, there is a section where the land flattens out and little lakes dot the landscape. I always feel like yodeling here. It’s a bit Narnian, isn’t it?
Sketching a Harrow, a Hat, and a Few Feathers
I wanted to share the sketches from last week for the Sketchpack Project for Artsource, an art supply store in Cape Town, South Africa. So fun to join other artists around the world in this August project.
Half of a harrow in the sun.
A few feathers I found recently
Our neighbor’s flowers. How could I resist?
Oh, we had a lovely, warm summer!
As I drove home, I looked over my shoulder and saw this. I turned the car around and sketched this on the side of the road.
This candy is SO good! I don’t know why it has a resealable top.
My daughter in law’s sweet grandmother gave me this spice grinder.
This little restaurant is in Palmer, across from the fairgrounds.
Sketching with a Policeman, a Biker, and a Friend
I’ve been asked to take part in a sketching project originating in South Africa. People from around the world are joining me to sketch every day in August in this sketch pack they sent. The owner of an art supply store in Cape Town, called ArtSource, invited me and I had to say yes. At the end of the month, we all will send our little packet back to her and they will be on display and for sale for the month of October. I’m posting my sketches daily on Facebook if you would like to follow me there. I’ll post here every week as I don’t want to overload your inbox.
Our deck is going crazy with nasturtiums!
My guitar waiting patiently for me to stop sketching and play.
Palmer with the mountains as a backdrop.
Most of the time while I’m sketching people just walk on by, but when I sketched the little scene of Palmer, above, a policeman, a biker, and a friend stopped to visit. The policeman wanted to tell me about his sister who paints, the biker thought I had a flat tire and stopped to help, almost deafening me as he went by (twice) on his motorcycle, and the friend was happy to just visit. The pastoral vibe in the sketch came from somewhere, but not from the atmosphere around me.
I’m having a hard time not sketching just flowers because they are just amazing this year with our record heat.
I made a wonderful pizza on the grill last week and a peach galette. Maybe I’ll sneak in a post with those recipes for a change of pace. Food is always a good idea and it has been awhile since I’ve let you in my kitchen.
Hiking and Sketching Near Glaciers
Our windows look out to the Chugach Mountains, where sunlight bounces around, revealing fissures and snow packs . Monument Glacier rests deep in the crags like a jewel in a setting. Surrounded by higher peaks, it glows with reflected light. I sketched it while the sun made lovely shadows on the ice. 
This has been a busy summer with lots of outdoor activities. We hiked near the Matanuska Glacier, just ten miles from us. There is a knob, known as Lion’s Head with a trail leading to the top where you can see for miles in every direction.
Facing east toward Eureka Summit, Glennallen and the border.
Looking south into the glacier toward Prince William Sound.
Facing west toward Palmer and Anchorage. Our house in the upper right.
