Sketchbook Challenge - May

May’s Theme – “Can’t resist this!”
A challenge to create images of things you can never resist or to use a ‘resist’ - a medium that masks off areas in your work that you want to preserve. I played with several different ideas and techniques. Here are 3 of my favorites:

Wax paper resist - Pieces of wax paper ironed onto paper to transfer wax and then watercolor over to fill in wherever the wax did not transfer.

 Wax crayon resist - Stencil drawing with crayon and then adding a watercolor wash over top.

Gesso resist and freezer paper resist - learned about this technique from one of the Sketchbook Challenge hosts Jane Davies.
Click here to see the video demonstration on her blog.

North Carolina

I can remember listening to James Taylor sing ”Carolina in my Mind” and thinking what a beautiful place it must be to have inspired him to write that song.  Just having returned from a trip to North Carolina, I’m pretty sure I know why he thought it was so special.

The gardens…

The Sarah P. Duke Garden, Durham

Botanical Gardens, University of North Carolina, Asheville

The food…

Barbeque in the River Arts District, Asheville 

The arts…

Roxy Paine's 'Askew' in the sculpture garden of the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh.

The scenery…

Views from the Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville

Precious Water

Each Spring the Mystic Arts Center has a juried exhibition with a theme that is open to all artists. This year's theme and title is 'Precious Water: A Personal Response'. Being a coastal town with a large artists community you can image the popularity of this theme so I was thrilled to find out that this print of mine had been chosen to be in the show.



'Drifting'
15" x 15" Gelatin Print Collage

The exhibition runs until May 21st. If you are in the area be sure to stop in to the see all the wonderful works on display. 

Spring

 If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom.  ~Audra Foveo 

 Yes, it's finally here!

Sketchbook Challenge - April

I found this months challenge the most difficult so far. I love experimenting, taking classes and trying all different kinds of mediums. So I was thinking about what isn't so comfortable and what I tend to avoid so I could I could figure out how to take a "risk" and participate in the April themes of "Branch Out" and "Go out on a Limb". 

In April there were sketch crawls all over the world. The Mystic Art Center planned one for Saturday the 9th. I thought this would be a good way to challenge myself as I haven't participated in one before and I don't draw in public (OMG what if someone were to look over my shoulder to see what I was drawing!)

We had a cool but sunny morning and four of us started out at Bartleby’s for some coffee to get us going and a little sketching. Then onto a few other places around town including Mystic River Park and a playground.

I usually sketch in pencil so I was interested to hear Cathy (the sketch crawl organizer) explain that if she uses a pencil she spends too much time erasing, reworking and trying to perfect each drawing. Another small challenge - I switched to a permanent pen to give it a try. It changed my approach as I noticed I was taking more time to observe before I made a mark on the page.  I definitely need lots of practice but it was a fun morning.

Planter box at Mystic River park

Quick gesture drawings of people

 watching their children in the park

Leaves and debris on the ground and tree in the park

Logee's

I’ve wanted to visit Logee’s Tropical Plants ever since I first heard of it while taking UConn’s Master Gardner course back in 2007. On Sunday two friends and I took a trip to Danielson, CT and I finally got to see the greenhouses that have been around since 1892. Unassuming from the outside you enter a whole different world once you go through the front door. Walking up and down the very narrow isles you are surrounded by tropical plants of all kinds. Beautiful large specimen plants that have been growing for many years and bins filled with small potted plants that are for sale. I could feel my hair curling right up but I didn’t mind because the warm, humid air felt wonderful. In a year like this where Spring seems to be taking its sweet time to get here what a great destination to see some exotic plants and to warm up and forget about winter for a few hours. 

What did I come home with?

It wasn’t easy but I was able to control myself to leaving with just one plant - Goji Berry (Lycium barbarous ‘Crimson Star’). They are hardy to zone 5 so it should be able to survive our winters here in zone 6. It’s only a bit more than 2 feet tall but they say it could fruit this first season. Each year I like to try one new plant that I have never grown before. I hope the Goji Berry plant will be happy in my garden.

Blue Birds

These little birds that arrived in a package as fired, unglazed pieces were a gift from my friend Pam.  So cute, but I wasn’t quite sure what I would do with them. They got tucked away for a bit and I found them while searching for some framing supplies in my cabinet last week.

I had just seen a photo of some beautiful bottles lined up on a window sill and thought the birds would look nice lined up in a similar manner. I painted them my favorite color of the moment, turquoise, searched for just the right piece of driftwood from my collection and glued them down. I love how they brighten up my plant stand – Thanks Pam!

Sketchbook Challenge - March

March's theme - "Spilling Over".
The Vernal Equinox will be here at 7:21 PM tonight. We've had a couple warm (72 degrees on Friday!!!) sunny days and signs of Spring are everywhere. I took a break from yard clean up yesterday to sketch the crocuses that are popping up all over my backyard and a branch of Magnolia buds. The tree is covered with gray fuzzy buds that will soon be a fantastic but short lived burst of pink flowers. 

Irish Soda Bread

I've never made the boiled dinners of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes that my Mom did every St. Patrick's Day while I was growing up but when I found this recipe several years ago I started my own tradition. I look forward to making this every March.

White vinegar and milk is used in place of the buttermilk called for in most soda bread recipes. Perfect for me as I could never figure out what to do with rest of the quart before it would spoil. This bread is great served with soup and salad for dinner and is just as delicious toasted for breakfast the next morning. 

Irish Soda Bread

1 cup milk

½ cup white vinegar

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ cup butter

2/3 cup raisins

Mix milk and vinegar in small bowl and set aside.

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients with the raisins and stir until just blended.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly knead about 10 times.

Shape into a round loaf and place on prepared baking sheet.

Cut a ½ deep “X” into the top of loaf with a sharp knife.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Recipe adapted from the Culninary Arts Institute's The American Family Home Cookbook

Sketchbook Challenge - February

February theme - "Opposites".
Writing down a long list of opposites as they came to mind I chose "straight and curved". I wanted to use my new Sharpie pens and was thinking about the Zentangle class I missed earlier this month because I was sick. Not having any official instruction these are not Zentangles, just doodles I had fun with. No thinking, just kept the pen moving while I was relaxing in front of the TV.