"I love to check your blog after our sketching days.. to see where we were through your eyes because what you drew is sure different than what I did", said my friend Linda after our Saturday outing to the Portland waterfront. We found a lovely park on the riverbank and after wandering through the plantings awhile we parked ourselves on a shady bench and set to work. Of course it's much more pleasant to sketch en plein air on sunny days with a slight breeze in a beautiful place and we agreed that we'll return many times.
I worked in my little Moleskine journal with my tiny limited palette of 6 colors and a miniature waterbrush. I love being unencumbered by unlimited art supplies when I venture out of my studio to work... no heavy bag to weight me down... just the things I always carry so that it's becoming a habit to pull out my sketchbook whenever I have a few minutes to see my world through artist's eyes. And of course the more I do it the better I will get.
A couple of days ago my youngest granddaughter and I drove to the coast to deliver an order and to enjoy a day together. She's nearly 9 and a joy to be with one on one. She has boundless energy and yet is content to let grandma sit on the park bench while she plays. We found a great park with monster playground equipment, walked the beach and played in the wet sand, ate lunch at a popular seafood cafe, and managed to get home in time for her gymnastics class. I started one on one 'grandma days' with my grands years ago and we all look forward to this time together, building relationships and memories, as we do a variety of fun stuff including lots of art making and museums. 
Ah! Your days sketching sound so perfect Jo! I'm sure that "grandma days" are times that your granddaughter will treasure!
ReplyDeleteBTW.... love the sketches!
I like how loose your sketches are and how you capture so much with a limited palette.
ReplyDeleteWhich watercolors do you include in your palette?
Wow, Jo!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI came over here from stencil class, and I looooooooooooooooooove your sketches!
Gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)
My mom, whose name is also Jo, loved to do the same sort of grandma things when the kids were little. :-)
So glad to have found your blog; I'll be back!
Lovely sketches of the waterfront!! It looks so beautiful there.
ReplyDeleteAnd how fortunate you are to be able to spedn a day with your granddaughter...very special!
PS: thanks for the link, I've put it in.
ronell
Jo you are quite the talent. These are just fabulous! What fun to take little trips with your grandkids. it's good for kids to understand that people over the age of 40 have vital interesting lives. you're imprinting onto their little brains so much good stuff you're probably not even aware of.
ReplyDelete