Cultus Bay Nursery and other events!

Cultus Bay Nursery, 

A "Whiff of England" on South Whidbey

according to an article in the New York Times

a few years ago. So charming and inviting, tucked back

into the trees with chirping treefrogs and busy hummingbirds!

This is one of our planned stops during the Landscape Sketching

weekend coming up September 13-15

http://www.whidbeyislandfas.com/workshops/fcastle_2013.html

Playing with quill pens and colored inks and watercolor

in the midst of sketching friends!

And a little oil sketch of our kyaks! 

Sold at the Studio Tour!

Cultus Bay Nursery

The Sketchers scattered around the gardens and among the plants might just have well been beautiful flowers themselves. In the case of the sketchers we were troping toward the shade. And the shade was so gracious, surrounded by such plants and trees! It was hard to focus on any one thing. Who was the fairest of them all? I finally found myself drawn to the area between the little garden house and the sleeping porch, two wonderfully interesting buildings seemingly growing from the land. I really couldn't do them justice, but as usual I had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon doodling amongst the flowers, both human and botanical. 

Cultus Bay Nursery

Cultus Bay Nursery

Yesterday it rained so hard, it felt that autumn was quickly descending after such a warm and sunny summer.  Worried sketching today would be dampened by rain & coolness ...  but my goodness it was incredibly warm, sunny and beautiful at Cultus Bay Nursery!  I love wandering around and seeing the beautiful established gardens as well as the generous garden of plants in their pots ready for take-home.  What to sketch? First, I did a quick botanical study of fuschias.

And then I decided to paint a loosey-goosey spontaneous grab-the-sensation-of-the-moment kind of sketch, capturing the feel of the back path along the row of hydrangeas.  This is very different than my normal style, but what fun!  Thank you, Mary, for inviting us to Sketch at your nursery.

langley dock on a summer afternoon

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Glendale Shepherd Dairy

Summer cruising

 Mt. Baker, Echo Bay Sucia Is., &. Thetis Is. B. C.

Visiting Salt Spring Island

Managed to get in a few travel sketches while spending a long weekend on bucolic Salt Spring Island - part of the Canadian Gulf Islands. Loved the goats with the insatiable appetites!!


A few of the places we visited - Sand Dollar Beach, the Harbour House Farm goats & Ganges Saturday Market

A local salty dog sketched waiting for the Fulford ferry

Coupeville Draft Horses

Sketch Three for the "When Your Plow is a Paintbrush: Artists Interpret the Farm" show. Coming home from Fort Casey yesterday afternoon I took Keystone Hill Road, a road I've never taken before. I almost caused mayhem when I made a screeching U-turn to get off the road to sketch these guys. What beauties they were. They were even black! I would love to go back to spend some quality time drawing them in detail!

City Sheep and Lavender

Sketch Two for the "When Your Plow is a Paintbrush: Artists Interpret the Farm" show. This lavender borders the sidewalk at the end of the field of "City Sheep" on the east side of Langley, WA. An overcast Saturday morning and a quick start of a sketch done out a car window while parked on the side of the road hoping it doesn't bust out raining. Finished in the comfort of home with a cup of tea. 

"WHO PUT THOSE SHEEP IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN?"

Today we accepted the Swanson Family's gracious invitation to sketch on the grounds of their incredible Glendale Shepherd farm in Clinton. After the adventure of finding my way down a mile long winding trail through deep virgin forest, I was greeted by Jet, the sheep herdin' sheep dog. I settled in to sketch while I waited for the others to find their way in through the trees. 
The main building on the grounds is a huge log home, with a wing dedicated to the cheese the Swansons produce here. My host told me that the building I was sketching used to be a horse barn, and the stalls now hold hay and supplies for the farm. There were sheep, but they were in the fields down below, and in the building behind me, so I used some "artistic license" to move a couple to a nearby pen (which was really a vegetable garden).

Island farm

Quail's Run Farm

A beautiful day at Quail's Run Farm.

Quail's Run Critters

I loved trying to draw the charming chickens and cats at Quail's Run Farm. Yes, the ducks held a pose much longer than cats or chickens, but their colors were a bit dull. Thanks, Imes family, for letting us sketch at the farm. It was fun!

She looked like a "Jessica"

Jessica is a big fan of our work. She loved her portraits.

Under a gnarly old apple tree. Just us chickens . . . and a duck

Quick kitty gestures

Sweet face

Quail's Run Farm

Quail's Run Farm, late summer colors and red barns.  The smaller one

was filled with racks of drying purple and gold onions. Lots of vegetable

patches too,  being harvested for the Saturday Market.

                                                        And a grand old red rooster.

Quiet Bell at Quail's Run Farm

Friday was a beautiful day in South Whidbey and a perfect day to visit Quail Run Farm where Loren and Patti Imes and their helpers were busy harvesting produce for the Saturday Farmer's Market and working with their bee hives.

I found a quiet spot under a pear tree that brought to mind the tree that Ferdinand the Bull liked to sit under. I had a peaceful view of this bell and neighboring farm and forest.

Learn to Sketch with Faye

3-Day Sketching Workshop with Faye Castle 

Sept. 13 - 15, 2013 

$325

Greenbank Farm Trails/Sketch by Faye Castle

Did you know that Whidbey Island Sketchers was born in one of Faye Castle's sketching workshops 4 years ago? Faye is a skilled, nurturing and generous teacher. She inspired us to start this group and we continue to learn from her every time we sketch together. She takes our breath away with her lines and color. Many of us have taken her classes/workshops and give her the highest recommendation as a teacher and a beautiful human being. Now here's the official workshop description:

Pack up your pencils and pens and spend a weekend sketching and exploring some of Whidbey Island's special places with Faye Castle. From picturesque Langley to historic Coupeville, join other sketchers in a visual treasure hunt.

This workshop will encourage lots of simple quick drawings that offer a creative and fun path to strengthen observation and drawing skills.  You will build mastery of the visual language in a way that fits into everyday life, and creates a wonderful record of memories.

Topics covered will include how to organize and simplify materials for easy portability, getting comfortable on location, selecting a subject and freeing up to work more quickly and spontaneously.  Instructor demonstrations will involve recognizing and understanding the descriptive qualities of line, light and dark,  color, and drawing people.

Open to all levels, anyone wanting to get away for a weekend, play and learn in your sketchbook while enjoying a beautiful and friendly environment.

Register at Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio

Pronkin' Pastures Alpaca/Sketch by Faye Castle

Beach Buddy Art

A couple of buddy art masterpieces done on Faye's beach. A total right brain collaborative explosion of color and line -" put something down and pass it around". Group therapy for artists.

Beach buddy artists:, Faye Castle, Cynthia Winzenried, Sherryl Goldfinger, Sue Van Etten

Cowgirl in Wonderland

Ghost Town

Pronkin Pastures Alpaca Ranch

Nap time for a relaxed alpaca

A model alpaca

Faye's Beach

Things I saw at the beach last night . . .

A Vision in Blue (hat, nose, lips, freckles)

A Sketchy, but Handsome Fisherman

A Beached Sailboat

Another Vision in Blue (with cowboy hat)

Do you recognize those feet?

Lazy Afternoon at Pronkin' Pastures

I caught a couple of the Pronkin' Pastures ladies during their afternoon Siesta.

Guard llama Jessica takes a load off.

Sweet Dreams

Peaceful Pronkin' Pastures

It was so sweet and peaceful at Pronkin' Pastures. These lovely ladies hung around us, looked at us with their big liquid eyes, lay down beside us, nibbled the grass at our feet, and generally seemed to enjoy our company. Or at least they accepted our presence with great grace. Just to set the stage, we were greeted by our charming hostess with iced tea and unbelievably delicious brownies. Then we were surrounded (someone said guarded) by these lovely creatures while we tried to capture them on paper with ink and watercolor. Sherryl's sketch of the llama still stands alone as the best of the lot!!

Pronkin Pastures Delightful Afternoon!

 Relaxing afternoon with lots of friends at Pronkin Pastures yesterday.

Llama protecter, made me think of a Daumier caricature! 

These two seemed to be real buddies. Baby Gus, just four days old, did not stand still for more than a second!

This guy with the fancy trim is a new resident male. Different look and personality.