Pat's Pears at Greenbank Gallery

Whidbey Island Sketcher, Pat Brookes, is showing her Pear series at Betty Rayle's Greenbank Gallery throughout the summer. Pat will be working there on Sunday, June 13th, and says she would love some company from the sketchers. The gallery is located at Greenbank Cellars Winery - a great place to sketch. The gallery is open on the weekends 11-4 or by appointment.

You can also find a couple of Pat's Pears at Open Door Gallery at Bayview.

The Chocolate Flower Farm 2

I love this place. I do wish the flowers there were real chocolate. When I was a kid that was a fantasy. Everything made of chocolate. I guess a beautiful garden will just have to do.

And the scene of the yard and a boat near the marina from the Edgecliff.

Chocolate Flower Farm

Just a quick little painting of the garden this week.  Can we return next week?

Whidbey Island Winery

With Tuesday's break from the rain, I did some quick sketching at the Whidbey Island Winery. The tasting room wasn't open so I couldn't enjoy a glass of wine afterward, darn. But, the objects and scenes to paint make great subjects.

Whidbey Wild Weeds

These four watercolor sketches of noxious wild weeds are from the fields/woodlands on Whidbey. I placed them in a vase so I could sketch them with graphite on watercolor paper and then paint. I used walnut ink for the text so it harmonized with the colors of the paint. The weeds are sour weed; it gives the red color to the open green and yellow fields; geranium robertianum found in shady gardens and woodlands; western starflower clustered in shady areas under trees; woodland strawberry a ground cover in open areas in the woodlands. This was a fun challenge.

Whidbey Camano Land Trust Event in Crockett Barn

I attended the Whidbey Camano Land Trust Conservation Partner Event in the historic Crockett Barn Saturday night and did some quick sketches during the program. This is my favorite kind of sketching. I really get in the zone and don't stress about the results. It's just a sketch.

By the way, Whidbey Camano Land Trust is a remarkable nonprofit organization doing an amazing of job protecting our open spaces and working  to keep Whidbey Island as beautiful as it is. Right now they are pressing hard against a June 10 deadline to raise $4.2 million to save 600+ contiguous acres of Whidbey woods from development north of Freeland. I hope they make it. Give if you can. I'd love to see Whidbey Island Sketchers do an art project someday in support of the Land Trust.

Captain Whidbey Round 2

Joined Sue and Lisbeth for great food, wine and a few sketches at the Captains.

This bear head in the bar was interesting. Though I don't like such trophies.

Later I sat outdoors on the deck overlooking Penn Cove and did a little sketch of the Madrona seen through the porch pillars. What a fabulous evening and sunset.

Captain Whidbey Inn

This is Wendy sketching under a beautiful chandelier in the lobby of the historic Captain Whidbey Inn outside Coupeville. I seem to have a thing for light fixtures. The Captain Whidbey is such a wonderful place to sketch, we agreed that we need to come back again and again.

A few of us did come back for drinks and a bite to eat Friday night. This is a couple of patrons having dinner in the bar in the early evening. The food was outstanding, by the way. If you haven't eaten there lately, do. You won't be disappointed. We had spinach salads, mussels and white bean salad - all highly recommended!

Another lamp in the lobby. This was actually part of a larger sketch that I ruined, which included the stone fireplace and ship on the mantel. I cropped out the offending parts.

 Here's the full sketch. Warts and all. This is for Kris, who claims she loves it.

Congratulations, Kris!

Congratulations to Whidbey Island Sketcher, Kris Wiltse, on her first gallery showing!

Stop by Brackenwood Gallery in Langley and check out the new show, "A Family Affair," featuring Buffy Cribbs, Bruce Morrow and Briony Morrow-Cribbs. The opening reception is tonight, Saturday, June 5, 5-7 pm.  Look for these four of Kris' framed pieces on the walls and lots more of her unframed block prints in the bins.

"Calico Lucy"

Pastel Drawing

(Hanging in good company over Georgia Gerber's bronze cats.)

 

"Lucy Reflecting"

Framed Block Print

 

"Indiana Hiker"

Framed Block Print

"Saplings"

Pastel Drawing

Mirror, mirror

Call me crazy, but the dining room wall of overlapping mirrors at the Captain Whidbey Inn and view through the mirrors of the dining tables and small landscapes outside was a challenge I couldn't resist.  Robert Motherwell:  "I begin a painting with a series of mistakes."  I think I know what he means, particularly now.  It has been a difficult challenge and I am crazily wondering what it would look like painted larger with more detail.  My biggest problem was the wood walls; what was I thinking trying to replicate that color, aargh!  Nevertheless, challenges are what keep you learning. Look for the ghostly images of a couple of sketchers in the mirrors.
Keep on painting.  Pat

The Wonderful Captain Whidbey Inn

Fantastic morning as the Whidbey Island Sketchers spanned out in and around the Captain Whidbey Inn on Madrona Way outside of Coupeville.  This 1907 historic inn is one of the island's real treasures. 

Here's Virginia sketching in the lobby.  I always like sketching Virginia - great glasses and a wonderful casual style.

I don't usually sketch with just watercolor/no pen, but I enjoyed the challenge of trying to capture the reflections and glow of this antique lamp in front of the window.  Well, the window pane is a little slanted but I blame that on gabbing and laughing with Sue and Sherryl while I was working on this.  And isn't that half the fun of sketching with the Whidbey Island Sketchers?

Lisbeth Sketching and Chatting by Wendy Shearer

Captain Whidbey Inn by Wendy Shearer

Antiques

I spent the weekend showing my art at the Antique show at the Fairgrounds.  Setting up for sketching at an Antique show could be fun.  I found the vignettes appealing.

June 2010 Challenge

"What's for dinner?"

Lois sketched this beauty when her neighborhood gals walked to Maxwelton Beach to celebrate solstice with champagne, chocolate wine, chocolate covered strawberries, candles, poems and fun. It's not a meal one would have for dinner but a great one for after dinner – or to celebrate Summer Solstice!

And speaking of summer - Lisbeth sketched her husband's backyard grill on the occasion of the first bbq of the summer. 

While in Seattle this month, Wendy went to Pike Place Market, saying: “the best place for getting ideas for dinner! Broccoli, red onions, cherry tomatoes, cranberries, walnuts, cheddar cheese and voila! My favorite salad! Great place to sketch too! Makes us ‘urban sketchers’ when we're in Seattle. See you there.”

Sue’s friend Larry gave her these new potatoes dug directly from his garden that day. Steamed them for dinner. The verdict: “they melt in your mouth!”