Italy Travel Sketchbook 2014

Just back from 17 days in Italy - Milan, the Cinque Terre, Florence and Italy.  Lots of sketching and  journaling on this trip (such great cafes to stop in for wine and sketching!).  Ciao to Italy - but just for now.

 

 

A Week in Paris

Just spent a week in Paris.  Managed to get a few sketches in my travel journal between seeing new sights, sipping wine in cafes and trying new restaurants!

First day:  sites around St. Germaine where we stayed.  Love the 5th arrondissement!

 

Ventured to several small museums we hadn't visited before and also managed to see the stunning interior of L'Opéra for the first time.

 

 

 

What a fun time I had sitting outside a café sipping rosé while sketching artists in Place du Tertre on the top of the butte in Montmartre.  Mikolo (middle) sketched my portrait while I sketched him and his fellow artist friend, Luigi. 

 

 

 

Delay leaving Heathrow so plenty of time to sketch my view out the window and hubby to my right.  Au Revoir Paris!

Travel Sketching in Italia

Just back from Italy, my first European trip with sketchbook in hand.  What a treat to sketch on location in Rome, Florence and places in Tuscany.  Too many sketches to post here so I thought I'd focus on my travel journal-style sketches (along with 1 big plane thrown in for mood). 

 

If interested, my Italy Sketchbook is on flickr and I'm adding to it as I finish a few more sketches started in the streets of Florence.

Arizona Sun Break!

Dark, rainy and cold in Seattle,

I spent my first morning in Arizona

sitting and sketching by the pool

Not for long by the pool. We soon met up with

painter friends and headed for the Grand Canyon.

I tried a quick sunrise sketch, but the paint actually

froze on the paper. Beautiful pile of colored ice crystals,

but...they didn't last.

Did manage a quick color spot sketch in the sun.

The colors changed constantly. I don't remember

a more challenging subject to....."sketch"

Fresh snow on the rim was stunning!

The next day we were back down in the desert

painting the Four Peaks. A much longer

oil study is still unfinished.

At sunset, I sat down on the ground and did this

quick, much more relaxed play with color.

I love sketching!

My friend Susan's baby bouganvilla.....

We spent the next few days in Tucson, and each

morning walked to Raging Sage Coffee, with the best

scones ever! It is so great to be with artist friends

that want to sketch too!

The Arizona Inn is an old classical inn built in the

1930's. It is an elegant, colorful and immaculately

groomed site a short walk from our friends' house.

This got a bit overworked....yes.... I didn't want to

leave.

Pleasant memory.

Back in Phoenix, and 3 blocks of Harley's mostly,

for Biker Night in downtown Mesa. Chrome, lights and

rock bands on each corner, and, well people MY..age,

getting on these bikes .

This happens every month there, if anyone is

in the area, check it out! Sketch overload! Visiting with

family kept us on the move, this, a quick sketch!

Another must, along with the Phoenix Art Museum and

cruising through a handful of good Scottsdale galleries is the

Desert Botanical Garden. We hit a windy day, but

there are endless shapes and colors!

I want to go back!!

Prepping for Italia

Excitement is running very high in my household as we prepare for 15 days in Italy (yes, we will have a house/cat sitter so no break-ins!).  I've officially started my travel sketchbook, recording our itinerary and travel prep.   Looks like I may even hook-up with an urban sketcher in Rome for a couple of hours sketching and sipping vino together!  Magnifico!

Storm day on Puget Sound

The weather was rather windy and rough this weekend and it carried over through today. So Bill and I visited Glendale where the winds were really blowing and surf was high with lots breakers on the shoreline and huge swells with breakers on the tops of them. The Glendale dock was standing strong throughout the storm. I couldn't resist the challenge and opportunity to sketch the wild scene to see how it would turnout

Sketchbook Journaling in Seattle

Took in the fabulous Picasso exhibit at Seattle Art Museum this week & enjoyed a bit of sketchbook journaling in the process.