From my sketchbook...

I find sketching so relaxing... Several years ago I took a two-day sketchbook workshop. One of the best 'rules' that I learned was that there is NEVER anything wrong with whatever you draw in your sketchbook. It's so OK to make 'mistakes'... actually, they are not really mistakes, Each one has taught me something.  Yeah, some of them are embarrassingly awful! But, I never rip/cut anything out of the book.

I have filled several books over the past few years. It has been fun to look back at some of the places and things I have sketched.

So, here are a few more of the sketches from this winter.

Occasionally, a friend and I sketch/paint together. Her terrace is filled with plants. One corner had several different pots. I liked the idea. This sketch is a composite of several plants that were in different places. I put them all together. My own little arrangement.

There were other plants sitting around. I did them individually.

We went out for dinner on Valentine's Day. All the women at the restaurant were given a rose. Our rental unit did not have a bud vase, so I improvised with a lovely green bottle. (It may look suspiciously like a discarded Heineken bottle...)

At the end of our trip we had a bit of a surprise. We were on our way to the airport when I received a text that our flight was cancelled! I guess there are worse things than having to stay two extra days on a lovely island rather than return to winter in Maryland!

We found a small inn near the airport. It had lots of little comfy nooks filled with plants and a lovely rooftop view of the ocean. I didn't get out my paints there...just sketched away...

Interestingly, I had a conversation with another artist today. We both commented that sketching is so freeing...  gotta do more of it!

Puerto Rico...

We have returned from our winter break in Puerto Rico. For the first year in a long time, I had no commitments - nothing that I had to do while I was there. Last year I was working on sketches for a book - was busy every afternoon.

What a blessing this year to swim every morning, relax and read... and then just sketch a bit here and there. Here are a few pages from my sketch book.

In September of 2017, the island was devastated by hurricane Maria. It was heartening to fly into San Juan and see fewer blue tarps on the rooftops. Puerto Rico will be recovering for years, but it's good to see that the vegetation is coming back. 

There was a tall palm just outside off our balcony that had been left to see if it would survive. It had some sad looking fronds hanging down. One morning as we were having breakfast, its top just fell to the ground.

Other places, the trees continue to struggle and are making it. I love seeing this new growth!

Other reflections...there is resilience about the Puerto Rican people. They are survivors and look for ways to convey this. The town of Humacao, near where we stay, now displays amazing murals on many of its buildings. To read more about this project click on this link  https://www.elegel.com/grita
We took a walking tour  - here is a quick sample of some of what we saw.

It's worth seeing in person...or at least visit one of the websites! Enjoy...

Sketches...

It's early March and it's cold and rainy. The forecast calls for a "mixed mess," (my term). I am wishing I had my lazy February back!

We are back from a very relaxing time in sunny Puerto Rico. In looking back at my blogs, I see that I haven't written anything for over a month. I really was in 'slug mode.'

I need a 'kick-start.' So, as a way of catching up, I am just going to post some random drawings from my sketchbook...with a few simple stories. 

1. "What washes up..."
This past year we have had many storms and high tides. We live on a cove of Broad Creek and have discovered lots of 'stuff' that washes up on our shorefront. One unusual thing recently was a piece of picket fencing. Actually, another piece just like the first one washed up as a result of a second storm a few weeks later. We have no idea who lost their fence. It's leaning against a tree in our yard!

2. "Charlie Boy"
My mother was born in 1906. I inherited her doll. Charlie Boy is dressed in his original clothing - a dress - looking suspiciously like a girl. A some point Charlie Boy's skull got cracked. I put a hat (that my mother had brought back from one of her trips) on him to cover the crack.

Charlie Boy sits in an antique rocker that belonged to my mother. I was told that she used to sit in it as a little girl.  There are things that we cherish - the stories handed from generation to generation.

3. "What's a Bable?" (It rhymes with table)
Last summer we had our dock replaced. It had been repaired several times over the years and it was now time for major work. The old dock had a bench that we used a lot when the grandchildren came and we went crabbing and fishing. That would need to be replaced also.

When we talked to the dock guys, they gave us a price to replace the bench. What they proposed was pricey and much more elaborate than we thought we needed. They would have scrap lumber left over. We would make our new bench from the leftovers.

Much measuring, sawing, hole drilling and screwing it together... voila, we had a new bench. Well, sort of. We discovered it was really tall - more like a table. Thus, we are calling it our "Bable."

4. "Candycorn Candle"
I friend gifted us with a bag of goodies for Halloween. Among the goodies was a candle in the shape of a candycorn. I loved these candies as a kid! It was fun watching the candle burn.