April sketches

April ends and we are still locked down. I'm happy to say that I did keep up with my sketches each day in April ...and have begun to do some this month.

Each day there was a word prompt. It seemed to me that most of the prompts were really out of the blue, having not much relationship to each other...unless you have the ability to make some mighty leaps in your thinking!

I posted the first week on April 9th. Rather than bore you with the whole month of April... here are some from the rest of the month:

I guess the images on each of these two pages could be related...

 probably shouldn't walk across a bridge after drinking...

or ship a walrus!

A zebra might eat apples off the tree...

eh, maybe sew something elaborate? (the fancy 50 was for my daughter's birthday!)

I do enjoy the challenge and being accountable daily... And, it's on to May...

Another page in the book

My painting group's project of painting in the accordion books that we pass around (see blog post Group Project, March 12) seems to have come to a halt. Since we haven't been with each other for several weeks, it's on hold for now.

However, in looking around for things to paint, I decided to tackle another page in the book. I know we are all feeling the loss of touching right now. So that was my theme.

I took 'zillions' of pictures of my hands and tried to put them together to make this happen...

Here's a first sketch:

I tried some watercolor wash on the sketch paper...

Then did it in the book...that's always a little scary. Trying not to ruin someone else's book! 

Here's the final version. I changed the word placement a little.

Someday, we will really be able to reach out and touch someone once again. Hope everyone is safe and observing the CDC guidelines!

Hoppy Easter

In this difficult time of "Stay at Home" I think we are all getting creative in new ways. I don't normally blog this frequently, but after all, these are not normal times.

I am NOT a kitchen person, but I keep seeing stories of people spending more time in that room...

So, as we approach Easter, I began thinking about making our annual bunny cake. This has been a tradition in our family for many years...there have been lots of cakes! My children have also adopted the tradition and we have sent each other pictures of our creations.

Here are a couple from prior years...

 The box mix actually makes enough for two!

We have been sheltering in place for a few weeks now and do not need to eat cake... what should I do? I can't not make a bunny...but need to feed our souls!

Yesterday as I was forming a meat loaf... yes! Why not? I mixed up the ground beef and other ingredients and molded it into a bunny shape. Then I took the pink styrofoam meat tray (from the ground beef) and cut out some ears.  I added eyes and nose...Voila!

(please excuse background - hope you can get the idea)

These photos are before cooking - yes, I took the ears and M&Ms away before I put him in the oven.  Unfortunately, I do not have an 'after' photo. Just know that he was delicious!

Happy Easter, everyone!

April - Sketch a day

Several years ago I discovered Marion Boddy-Evans, an artist who posts from Scotland. A few weeks ago she included 'Monthly Word Prompts' in her blog. She said, "I hope my free printable word prompt charts from a couple of years ago ... might be an enjoyable distraction amidst all the uncertainty and social distancing." She offered blank calendars from 2018. As you can see, on each day there is a word or two to prompt a drawing. 

I printed out the April calendar, but I thought the space was a little confining - so I got out one of my small sketchbooks.

Here is the first week of April:

I am hoping that I can discipline myself to keep up with this for a month or two. It is an uncertain time. I think this structure will help with some of this virus anxiety! 

You can find out more about Marion Boddy-Evans here. https://marion.scot/ 

Within/without 6 feet

This past week our Tuesday group assigned ourselves the task of sketching/painting the 'stuff' we see around us. Much of it is ordinary and overlooked. Subject matter for artwork, really?

I had started some sketches the last time we met as a group. I looked around the paint studio where we usually gather. There were rolls of paper towels, a coffee mug and two egg cartons (one of our painters has chickens and brings us eggs!)

Looking around my house, I found a lot of stuff...

Here's a split leaf philodendron which I have had for 30 years... it gets overlooked a lot - probably because it's been part of the scenery for so long.

Then there is the toothbrush holder and a fun mug that holds a lot of pens and pencils.

I've always loved this little frog that keeps the door from slamming shut.

Oh, and then there are tools! I was a woodworker before I discovered painting. Here's my drill press. The perspective is not quite right, but it was a fun challenge to draw.

It was a fun project  - and I will probably continue to do some more looking around with a renewed appreciation for the 'stuff.'   

Tuesday morning it was good to have a Zoom critique and see what everyone else had done. We are so different in our painting styles, but all grateful to be together and to share our stories.

Daffodils

This weekend was supposed to be 'Daffodil Days' in St. Michaels. Thousands of bulbs have been planted in the past couple of years. There is yellow everywhere. Store keepers and homeowners were encouraged to decorate  - prizes were to be given for the best displays. In the past, there was a parade showing off specially decorated hats and dressed up dogs...

Many of our art league plein air painters were poised and ready to paint all around town during the festivities on Saturday. And then came... COVID-19! So many people are disappointed...and frightened.

My Tuesday painting group hasn't met for awhile (we have been social distancing for a few weeks) and have been feeling disconnected. One of our group suggested that we all focus on a common subject and then share our work on line. Our theme for this week was daffodils.

Tuesday morning came and there was a flood of emails and texts. Some of us were posting one place and trying to join in critiques. Others were texting and my computer was pinging with conversations. It was a little crazy, but fun to be connected.

For future critiques, we are exploring some other options of being together.

It was interesting to see how differently each of us had treated our assignment. Lots of vases of flowers or a single blossom.

I was working on being connected so I offered a bunch of daffodils...  This is called "For you"

Next week's suggestion is to look around us - we are observing the 6' rule. Draw, sketch, paint what you see close by. Someone commented that we might better appreciate the things we take for granted.

Group project

Last fall one of the women in my "Tuesday Painters" group presented us with an idea for a project. (an aside - this group was formerly "Barbara's class." Our 96 year old instructor had died and we decided to stay together and continue to paint and support one another. Not knowing what to call my painting mornings on my calendar, I just now type in "Tuesday Painters".)

This proposed project involved painting in accordion sketchbooks.

We had never heard of accordion sketchbooks. It turns out that they are small (pocket size) books that have pages that are not turned like a 'normal' book. They fold back and forth so that you can hold the front and back cover and stretch the book out like an accordion.

The idea is that we would each have a book. We would begin by writing 'something meaningful' on a page along with our name and date. Then we would paint something.

Our painting group meets weekly on Tuesday mornings. At the beginning of the first month we would pass our book on to another group member and receive a book from someone else. We would take a few weeks to paint in the book we receive and then the next month, pass it on and receive another book. There are eight of us. So, at the end of eight months (or longer depending on vacations, etc) we would receive our own book back again and everyone in the group would have painted in it!

We all thought that would be fun. The originator of the idea ordered the books and we passed them out in December. Then decided we wouldn't start passing them on until after the holidays...

Well, a good idea, but what would I paint?

Once we were all faced with the actual book, we got anxious about painting in someone else's book! Yeah, all the 'insecure artist' stuff surfaced. What if we messed up in a book that wasn't ours? Predictable anxiety, but, what the heck, we are all friends and are there to support each other!

So I began... I thought about my group and how we are there for each other. I started writing down words and phrases: friendship, trust, joy, playfulness, love, fun, respect...

Then out of the blue, the image of a cairn came to mind.
I wrote in my book..."Cairn: a stack of rocks...indicating a path or important landmark - balancing the spiritual side of life. Marking one's personal (or group) passage.

I think our group has turned a corner. We spent years being taught by Barbara. We are now using what we learned to teach each other with friendship, trust, joy....

Knowing that I would be away for a few weeks during the winter, I did mine right away and passed it on.

I also managed to paint in the book I received. I wanted to carry on the theme of treasuring our group.

Now, I have another book in which to paint... fortunately, I have a couple weeks to come up with another image.  Stay tuned...