Sketching at the home of Patti and Jeff White in Clinton

Another fabulous art filled Island home, (of course!) tucked into the woods, this one belonging to watercolor artist and instructor Patti White. So much to see and sketch inside Patti and Jeff's home (western art! Navajo style blankets! Birch bark and Tramp Art picture frames!), but I was caught before I even got inside, by the view of the house itself and of Maxwelton marsh glimpsed beyond from the top of a winding brick path. I plunked myself down to catch the hues and textures of the shakes, the varieties and colors of plants, and the stones and brickwork. This is to say nothing of the collections of bright blown glass bubbles and forms in vessels, various rusted metal art pieces, trickle and drip water features, and a Georgia Gerber bronze madonna and child otter sculpture. It was a very pleasant day made more so by the great turnout we had from the Sketchers who were not off to Europe and Mexico!
Sketched onsite outside, then added color at home after throw-down, and checking out Paula's awesome cards!!

One is Silver and the other Gold

Being a sketcher has another advantage, the ability to connect with other like souls. I've been to a few outings with the downtown Austin group and a north suburbs group called Hill Country sketchers. Fun thing is that all feel like they know you/us just a little bit from the places and things we did together. I love the shared language!

Unchain My Heart: 60's Night at Bloom's

I probably did a dozen sketches at Bloom's Friday night, but this one of David Gregor is my favorite. I find sketching on cheap paper very liberating. Fountain pen and brush pen on recycled rough brown butcher paper.

 

David Gregor

 I'm including this one below just to share process. Just look at all those crazy lines searching for the shapes in the folds of his clothes, fingers and the guitar! I like the way his left hand seems to be in motion. Nearly blind contour.

What a Doll!

We sketched in the Bayview Cash Store yesterday. I scoured the building and settled on these charming handmade dolls hanging on the walls in Side Market. I also met the artist, Valerie Johnson, who happened to be working there yesterday.  An interesting factoid: her dolls are dressed in garments made from artist Peggy Juve's fabric scraps.  Valerie also makes costumes for local theater, including Island Shakespeare productions. I'm looking forward to sketching more of her creations. I love art that makes me smile.

Glass Making with Katrina and Althea

We sketched at the Greenbank glass studio of Katrina Hude and Althea Holden last week. Katrina had the furnaces going and helper Brian on site to help with creating the magic. We got 2 hours of demos, and our hostesses were the mostest. It was a smokin hot sketcher venue and very happy hour!

Brian on one end of a long glass rod

Katrina

Katrina

A bowl of floating hellebore blossoms on the kitchen counter

The World on Your Shoulders

At last month's C.R.A.P. (Creative Recycled Art Projects) show at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, I sketched Janet Pheifer's wonderful "The World on Your Shoulders". This piece is made from a mannequin, an old globe, wine foils, buttons and chains. It is a magnificent thing to behold and always steals the show. (I see I dated it 3/9/2017, but it was really 3/9/2018.)