Red Rooster Antique Mall

Another sunny Spring day, warm in the sun, but cold in the shade.  The Rooster beckoned to me as did the funky Green "dress" that is actually a lamp.  Might this be a fun item in a Teens room?

Green "Dress Lamp"

The Red Rooster!

Busy Friday

Sketching at the Red Rooster Antique Mall, then to Natalie's lovely house and studio for Happy Hour, then more sketching at Freeland Hall at the launch party for the new Whidbey Life Magazine. These are some forsythia branches I found in a room in the back of the Red Rooster. 

And here is a sketch of Gloria Ferry Brennan and Sophia Duccini entertaining the crowd at the launch party. 

Red Rooster Antique Mall

The Red Rooster Antique Mall is the perfect place for me to sketch. All the fabulous things, vignettes, set-ups, displays.....and.....yet......I was unable to stay indoors because the weather was so beautiful. The sun felt so good on my neck and back as I sat outside sketching stuff on the exterior of the very charming building. I only had this long skinny sketch book with me, so I could just sketch a slice of the entrance. Looking at it brings back the pleasant feeling of the day. Then on to HH at Natalie's bistro and then on to the fabulous Launch Party for Whidbey Island Life Magazine in print. What a rich day! 

Whidbey Life Magazine

Tonite was a splendid festive Launch Party of the Whidbey Life Magazine!  There were special performances by Gloria Ferry Brennan and Sophia Duccini.  How do I love sketching musicians!  Gloria's dress, by the way, is a wonderful creation by Brenda Lovie ... absolutely stunning.  I don't do it justice here...

Gloria and Sophia ...

 

Gloria Ferry-Brennan and Eileen Soskin on Piano

 

Gloria Ferry-Brennan

Capt'n Whidbey Inn

An early beautiful spring afternoon with the Whidbey Sketchers.  One can't count on it, but sometimes April surprises us with sunlight and warmth.  We gathered on the deck overlooking the Penn Cove mussel beds at the Captian Whidbey Inn and the sun came out and warmed us in its rays. Oh!  Sheer delight!  I couldn't figure out my sketch until I settled in the warmest spot I could find and hunkered down to sketch these two madronas dancing at water's edge with Penn Cove in the background.  Ahh... sweet island life!

Capt.Whidbey's garden

Funny top box covers the drain field/sewage access we think?

I shared the garden at the Capt.Whidbey Inn with our newest sketcher Kathy.  We decided we like the out of the way locations where we can hear the birds!

An Afternoon at the Captain Whidbey Inn

What an unexpected treat to get to sketch outside on the deck at the Captain Whidbey Inn.  Gorgeous day and a deck filled with sketchers, wine, and a glorious view of Penn Cove.

Pt. Townsend Treasures

Sirens' looks like a local favorite. Now my favorite lunch & sketch spot.

After leaving in hopes of finding an outdoor location in the lea of the off shore on the way to the 'what I first thought was the 3:00 boat'  I found my spot in the nice glass-in-closed bus stop right before  the terminal looking at the bank and the buildings on the cliff. As it turned out I checked my schedule,
next boat was 3:45, so I sketched a moleskine panorama. I had to paint it on  the boat by memory & ipad.

Trip Prep: Italy 2014

Now that we're under 3 weeks from leaving for a trip to Italy, it was time to begin the Italy travel sketchbook.  Prep has begun - 1st step:  pick the palette & make sure all the pens works!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Port Townsend

Sketching in Port Townsend…  Back to my Sparse Art….pen to paper never knowing what the end result will be. I sketched a real person in the Better Living coffee shop...always a stretch but I did it.  Great day with the Whidbey Island sketchers.   Sherryl….who gets to call it art? :-)

RED WALLS, love em!

Bicycle Antenna?  Pt Townsend icon!

Inside/Outside

Give me color any day and I will play, play, play!  I must have been inspired by the red walls and green accents yesterday.  The light on Jim Short?, really?  you recognized him? was fantastic and I hurried to catch it before he left.

I also love the funky art and lamps at Sirens restaurant.  Oh, didn't I mention the view.  Pretty bright outside, but look at those clouds heading for us.  I love it when the weather man is WRONG! Beautiful day, hooray!

Red, sunlight and green, Pow!

Port Townsend!

Port Townsend is just a walk-on ferry ride away, and offers hours of exploration

and intrigue to sketch! 

But first I had to catch the camillias blooming just outside our bedroom window.

They are a little late this year, tho ever cheerful! I have been playing with my

quill dip pen and black/brown mixture of ink.

First stop off the boat is  generally lunch at Sirens,  with its upstairs vista over the water, warm

cozy nooks and delicious food! I liked the line weight possibilities with the quill pen, but am not totally

comfortable carrying around jugs of ink....

A high point for me in Port Townsend is Joglo Indonesian Imports, just across the street.    http://www.joglonorthwest.com/

 Two floors filled with imported decor all crafted with renewable or reclaimed materials. Exquisite hand woven baskets of all sizes, fabrics, sculpture. It is filled with beautiful and fascinating objects and furniture. We are always made to feel most welcome in this enchanted space. Not to be missed on a    Port Townsend visit!

This ink mixture has a little flow, interesting how it blended with the watercolor.

Balinese Offering bird sketched on a previous visit.

Judith's home

I seem to be attracted to Shadow Puppets and shadows.  Todays' examples, a multiple shadow of the birdcage from multiple light sources and catching the light above the armoire in the foyer.  Thanks Judith for a lovely visit and all the beautiful setups to sketch in your home.

Shadow puppet

Birdcage and Parrot