What's New at Island Recycling?

Obviously I'm catching up on my blogging posts. Our visit to the Freeland Recycling Center, and then on to the Goldfinger's deck was a great day. What a classy dump! They even played classical music! The weather was gorgeous and the junk was absolutely fascinating, and beautiful in it's own way. I'm including 4 sketches from the day, 2 from the recycling center and 2 from the Goldfinger's. Of course I had to include the ubiquitous wine bottles.

Stephanie and Alyscia

I'm finally getting around to posting the sketches I did of Stephanie and Alycia. What a great day that was! And they were beautiful and terrific models. I enjoyed sketching them and being with my sketching buddies at Studio 106.

Watercolor Sketching on Orcas Island

Just back from Orcas Island where I took a Plein Air Watercolor Sketching class taught by Caroline Buchanon.  Went with several Anacortes Sketchers.  We sure enjoyed our 4 days at "Paint Camp".  Here are some results of the techniques we studied.

practicing perspective on a barn downhill

negative painting of East Sound

shadow painting at Lieber Haven

contour painting of a hanging basket at Orcas Hotel

and just a good ol' sketch of a classmate

Evening Concert at Whidbey Island Winery

I had the great fortune of hearing Levi Burkle (guitar) and James Hinkley (cello) play at Whidbey Island Winery. They sure make beautiful music as a duo. As well as independently. They're both great musicians. And the Winery's setting made it even more heavenly. Grape vines, tree canopies, grassy lawns and people picnicking, each with a glass of wine, all made for some good sketch subjects. Here's a few...

Waiting for the concert.

James and Levi

Sketched with eyes closed.

Romeo and Juliet at StoryHouse Theatre

Romeo & Juliet set

I tried to sketch the costumed players in this visually stunning performance of Romeo and Juliet at StoryHouse Theatre in the woods at Chinook on Sunday. But after wasting several sketchbook pages on false starts, I gave up and sketched slower-moving elements of the experience instead -- namely, the set and the audience. Too bad, because the costumes, hair and masks were magnificent and the theater setting in the woods was magical. Next time I try something like this, I'll bring a cheap, large-format sketchbook and be prepared to waste the whole thing on quick, gestural impressions, call it practice and not worry about the results.

Romeo & Juliet Player

Audience member with great hair

The audience on the grass

Front Row Seats

Summer Bouquet

The cool Whidbey Island summer has been good for the flowers in the garden this year.

Changing Colors at the End of Summer

This morning while walking through the Greenbank fields of tall grass and deeper into the tall treed forest, I collected a handful of dried grass, weeds, beautiful deep red leaf salal, green leaf salal with the large purple berries still on it and other weeds I could not identify. I brought all of these home for a fun afternoon sketching the changing colors of plants with the end of summer.

Sketching Some Suspicious Characters

Mob hit man or Land Trust board member?

Another scary-looking character, making a Unibomber fashion statement.

Marmalade (Looks innocent, but he hissed at me.)

The company was a little dicey, but the wine was good, the view great!

Coupeville Arts Festival 2011

Crowds galore at our annual Coupeville Arts Festival.  What a wonderful two days here in my town.

I was super excited to have my piece "Oh No!" (below right) accepted into the festival's juried gallery show.  Whoohoo!  And to top it all off, it sold! 

 

Sea of Sinks

A nice sunny day for sketching at Island Recycle. These sinks were placed in an interesting arrangement so I gave it a shot.

Later did this sketch of Phyllis. The only one to date which looks remotely like her. I think the best of the day.

Travelin'

Just on East Coast to teach.  Flying coast-to-coast and taking train from Baltimore to DC offered some good sketching opportunities.  Waiting readers and sleeping travelers are great sketch subjects; they sit still!

Sketching on an OTHER ISLAND

In the middle of TWO GLORIOUS WEEKS on Beaver Island in the middle of Lake Michigan. Sketching the houses, the harbor and anything I can see!

Here is the "Wendy Ann" in Paradise Bay Harbor at the Beaver Island Marina. In the background, across the Bay, the CMU Boathouse.

 

Quintessential Beaver Island!  Along the main street, across the street from the harbor, the lilies, daisies, lavender and bright flags of Dalwhinnie's Deli and Bakery.

What's New at Freeland Recycle

Sketching at Freeland Recycle is always fun with tons of old rusty items that one might like for their garden art or just great for sketching. The items in the three sketches are only a few of the many items spread throughout several acres.

Short eared owl

Wow, what a surprise to see this short eared owl fly across the road to an alder tree this a.m. while on a walk. It turned it's head 180 degrees to keep an on eye on me until I was out of site then it flew away but not before the small birds tried to harass it with loud chirping and close charging fly bys.

A day of Sketching on-Island

I saw this vibrant green worm or bug crawling across the road while on a walk. It has four long legs, and shorter ones on each side. I scooped it up with a leaf to take home to sketch while it kept crawling toward my hand holding the leaf. I had to keep a close eye on it while attempting to sketch it. It's a brilliant green with yellow head with red streaks on the side of the head. Don't know if it's a good or bad bug for the environment.

The Oregon Grape has bloomed and now the berries have ripened with hues of blues, purples and greens to attract the wild birds in search for food. I picked this branch, with the one red leaf, off the plant growing on the side of the road. Eventually, some of the other leaves will also turn beautiful colors of red.

Sue, my painting friend, who is a member of Tuesday's painting group, invited us for a plein air painting day in her beautiful flower garden. So I brought my sketching supplies and had a fun day doing quick sketches. This group of colorful plants, Asiatic Lillies, delphiniums, and a hazelnut tree in background created a great composition that I attempted in watercolor.