Sketchalina's Wanderings

New Year, New TV?

2012-01-04T12:56:00.001-08:00

New Year, New TV?, a photo by sketchalina on Flickr.

Every relationship involves a little give and take. There's ours in the text on the tv screen (see below). The painting on the left is of Rufus Wainright. We bought it at an auction at a PAG fundraiser a few years ago. I still love it.

Text says: What happens when your man agrees to buy a house he's never stepped foot in, based only on you telling him you love it? I now know. You find yourself standing in an endless lineup at Best Buy on Boxing Day, despite your aversion to TVs in the living room, cheering him on as he drags over the largest screen imaginable, complete with blue ray surround sound. Five minutes into watching BBC's 'Planet Earth' on our new setpup, I too wondered how we ever got along without it.

New Year, New Home

2012-01-02T01:33:00.001-08:00

New Year, New Home, a photo by sketchalina on Flickr.

We rang in the new year last night in the dining room of our beautiful new home. We've lived here just over a week, and by sheer force of will (my specialty) we're all settled in. This dining room is one of the features I first fell in love with. Last night, with it full of good friends, good food and a glow of candle light, all the stress and strain of making this happen seemed suddenly worth it. Yogi is settling in nicely. He virtually disappears when he lays down on these 'Yogi' coloured shag rugs. All our furniture, including this big ol' pine table I've lugged around for over a decade, fit like a glove. As does this new chandelier we got at Briers. Yep, getting tucked in here just in time for Christmas is about the best Christmas present a girl could ask for. The house is full of cool little details; enough to fill at least one sketchbook. More to come!

Skagway, White Pass, and some Scrabble

2011-09-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Woke up in Skagway surrounded by cruise ships. It's been so stormy here, there was actually one more ship that was supposed to come in, but it wouldn't risk it. I'm glad we came. Mom and I spent the morning lounging on the ship (hence the sketch), then we went in and boarded the White Pass Rail. It's a rail line that was built during the Klondike Gold Rush, taking miners up a really treacherous pass. You see bits of the original footpath that the rail replaced, and there are trestle bridges and some of the most beautiful terrain imaginable. We cut back into Northern BC part way through the trip, into an area where you can see rain forest, boreal forest and subarctic land pretty much all at once. There were some beautiful lakes up there. Fish don't live in them naturally, since they sit on top of an impenetrable granite bed and freeze completely in winter, but they get stocked in the spring so the workers up here have somewhere to fish. I'm sure the bears appreciate that as well. We stopped at a suspensions bridge and had a big bowl of Bison Chili. I should have asked the server "Is this wild bison? I won't eat farmed bison" ;-).

We got back to the ship, had a little rest (I love cruise ship naps!), and let our ongoing battle of several decades continue. Greg would tease me, anytime he saw me playing with the Scrabble ap on my iPhone, he'd say "Practicing up for your trip with your Mom?". Which, of course, I was. This wasn't our best game now that I look at it; a board full of 3-5 letter words. We're usually pretty good. We must be tired from all the excursions. Or dulled by cruise ship gluttony.

Alaska Sketchbook Pages

2011-09-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

The first few pages of my Alaska Sketchbook. More to come!

Back From Alaska!

2011-09-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

What a great week. My mom and I are just back from a one week cruise to Alaska. It poured rain the whole time, and we rocked and rolled in 100 mph winds. We loved every minute of it! I'll post the whole sketchbook over the next while. Forgive any wobbly lines. It was a rodeo ride out there.

This trip was a total gift. Greg was invited to Alaska on a fishing trip last May with his good buddy Ken. He didn't want me to feel left out (what a guy), so he suggested we get my mom this cruise as a birthday gift and I go with her. So, I ended up with the trip AND a freezer full of halibut. Not a bad deal.

It's been almost exactly a year since my dad's been gone. It was definitely time for mom and I to go have some fun. We played endless scrabble games in our cabin, met lots of interesting people, and did some fun shore excursions. More details to come!

Tragedy on the Sea Wall

2011-09-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Cyberdave's Vancouver Sketches, I headed to the Seawall a few days ago to sketch. Yogi and I have been running along this route every morning lately. It's absolutely stunning, littered with great sketching spots.

The day after I sketched this, we headed out for our run. 7am. We had the seawall almost to ourselves to ourselves. I saw a paddle boarder drifting along slowly, fairly close to the wall. Then I noticed a Coast Guard vessel, also drifting slowly in toward the wall. As the two of them converged on a point, my consciousness snapped into focus and I realized what I was looking at. The paddler had spotted a body, and was leading the Coast Guard ship in for pick up. Yogi and I stood. It felt dismissive to turn our backs and walk away, and wrong to stand and stare. We drifted awkwardly together with the couple of other people on the wall, all of us holding our hearts and shaking our heads as a woman was pulled up onto the boat. Nothing has appeared in the news. So sad. I'm carrying a thought for her, whoever she was, with me today.

Lap Dog?

2011-09-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Yogi,
No, this still doesn't make you a lap dog. Besides, I know you can't even read, let alone use a keyboard.
But you're cute.
Love Mom

Goodbye Z

2011-09-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm totally cheating. I sketched this months ago. In fact, I've done a whole trip to mexico since I sketched this. I got a nudge from a reader (thanks Hap) who pointed out how long it's been since I posted, so here's one to get me rolling again.

It's been anti-technology month for me. My email got hijacked, my internet at home went down, my computer broke and I left my camera charger behind on a trip. Do you think something was telling me I needed to disconnect for a bit? This last trip to Cancun, I spent three days at a conference for work, then 5 days chilling with an old girlfriend, reading, paddling and drifting in the water, walking dogs, napping. No email to check. No reports to read. No fires to put out. It was like going to the chiro and getting my spine adjusted. And now, email accounts fixed, passwords updated, chargers replaced and computers functioning, and the cute cable guy (why are they all cute) just left leaving me with a restored portal to the wide world of web.

I'm back.

At Seawall With Dog and Dinosaurs

2011-07-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

I did this sketch at the seawall the other night. I didn't have time to paint it then (if you read the text in the sketch you'll know why) so I just added some colour now. I'm playing hooky from work today. Will go in later, but right now I'm needing to fill my soul with a little art, a little music, and a little actual daylight. Thirteen hour days inside a mall, which is how I spent my yesterday, does not a summer make.

Note to self: Find more excuses to go outside and play.

Pirates and Canucks

2011-06-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

Ahrrr matey. There's something about a black and white striped top that screams pirate, especially with swashbuckler boots. Maybe the only things missing from this outfit are the eye patch and the parrot, but I felt great in it all day. We were hauling boxes in and out of storage at the store, and these boots, already twice revived by the cobbler, are remarkably comfy. The choker is from a very cool little store that used to be (maybe still is) on Ellis, just off of Bernard in Kelowna. The gafas are my new 'lucky brand' frames that I bought online. The handbag was a gift from one of our suppliers (OPI, where the 'chick flick cherry' nail polish came from). Both the sweater and the capri's are about one million years old. I'm thinking they were Winners finds, but honestly I don't really remember.

Today, Game 7 day, I will be wearing blue and cheering on our 'Nucks' to Stanley Cup victory from a Yaletown bar with some friends. This cup run has been the biggest wave of city spirit to ever hit Vancouver, definitely more than the Olympics, and maybe even more than Expo. Crazy. And we're right in the heart of it. I can hear the roar from the stadium and the streets as I watch the goals on TV. The parade up our street after each game, home or away, is unbelievable. And it's all just been a warm-up for tonight. Should be interesting.

New Style Obsessions

2011-06-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

I have a few new obsessions lately. One of them is work, which is why it's been SOOOO long since I posted (thanks, Hap, for the nudge). I'm spending seven days a week in our stores right now, hiring, training new staff, etc. I'm in the mall before it opens and there usually until after close. I know it's temporary, and the days are actually pretty fun. We're in the beauty industry, so things are pretty, and the new staff are all great people to pass time with. I spend so much time now in consumer/fashion land, and that's led to my other new obsessions: painting my fingers and toes (means I'll chill out and stay still while they dry, plus nail polish is one of our best selling items so it makes sense to 'be polished'), fashion blogs that I cruise while waiting for my nails to dry (http://www.stylelikeu.com/ and http://www.deluneblog.com/ are two of my faves), and buying funky eyewear online (http://www.clearlycontacts.ca/, good deals).
So, that's where I've been; in a mall, living off of starbucks coffee and food court fare. I squint in direct sunlight and know every word to the top 40 songs that play over and over on our instore music system. The new staff is almost trained though, and there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Two, actually. At the end of August I'll be heading off with 499 other industry folk to a conference in Cancun, and two weeks later I'm taking my beautiful mom on a one week cruise to Alaska. Paint bag will be joining me on both trips. And maybe a few bottles of nail polish as well.

Ah, Betseyville!

2011-03-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Text says:
"Oh, how I love this house! I spotted it online when I was googling Zihuat before our trip. It's about 40 minutes south of Z, belongs to American fashion designer Betsey Johnson. We thought we'd go for a drive (thanks for the car Pablo!) and see if we could spot it. The next thing I know we'd talked our way in the front door and were given a guided tour by the caretaker. It is magnificent, if a little faded; two pools, main house plus 3 casitas. There are a few bucket list items that could be crossed off by buying it. Did I mention it's for sale?"

and again in Spanish:

¡Me encanta este casa! Lo he visto en el internet cuando estaba googling Zihuat antes de nuestra viaje. Es aproximadament cuarenta minutos sud de Z, y la dueña es Betsey Johnson, la diseñadora famosa de eeuu. Pensamos que hayamos ido a dar un paseo en coche (¡gracias por el coche Pablo!) para buscarlo. Y de repente, estabamos en el tour con el vigilante que vive alli. Es magnifico, la casa, si un poco descolorido: dos piscinas, una casa y tres casitas. Hay algunas cosas en mi 'lista antes de partir' que podrian ser tachados si lo compraríamos. Y ¡está en vente!

Ok, I'll stop torturing the Spanish language. I know there's a million mistakes here. Please feel free to tell me. I'm wanting to get a better understanding of Spanish grammar.

The house really is amazing. We spent a couple of days thinking we were going to put an offer in. What held me back is the fact that it needs a LOT of work, and soon. And it may be a little too remote for us. A girl can dream though.

The view from Rana Rene

2011-03-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

Text says:
We're at Rana Rene, noshing, sketching and watching the world go by. I just bought a little mariposa from 5 year old Alejandro who works this part of the beach. Around the point here on the right is the home of the drummer from Supertramp, or so says our waiter. How fitting for us, since they're Greg's favourite group, and their song 'Downstream' has huge meaning for us.
And it goes a little something like this...
"Took a boat Sunday, Down by the sea. It just felt so nice, you and me. We didn't have a problem, or a care. All around was silence, everywhere."

We went out to Barra de Potosi yesterday and looked at a house. It belongs to fashion designer Betsey Johnson. We're seriously considering putting an offer in on it.

More to come.

Playa Las Gatas, Zihuatanejo

2011-03-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

text says:
We caught a little ferryboat down at the marina and came across to Playa Las Gatas. It's pretty cool over here. There's a big long strip of restaurants that will provide beach chairs and a wide range of offerings if you choose their location. We walked out to the point where we found this cool eco-info center, then settled in for some serious r + r. We went snorkeling, which I wouldn't do here again. It's all rocky and coral-y. We saw about four fish and spent ten minutes getting trashed by the waves on a big bed of coral just past where these boats are. Not fun. On my toes I'm sporting OPI's 'Yoga-to-get-this-blue'. At home it looks black. Here the sun makes it glow neon blue. Bring it on, I say. Here comes the sun doot 'n do do... it's alright.
We bought some 30 sunscreen on our way to the ferry. Wish we'd thought to use it. Apparently one squirt doesn't cover you for a full day in and out of the water. Who knew?! We are back at Rob's, nursing our sunburns. We went out last night to see our new friends play at Paccolo's, but it was full. We headed to Coconuts where there were some other groups playing, including the two rocker women I most wanted to see at the festival, but it too was full. Then we thought 'Hey, I bet you can see it perfectly from the rooftop of Don Memo's'. We headed up, and sure enough we had the best view in the house! It was awesome. We would have spent a few hundred dollars at Coconuts, and instead we spent a few hundred pesos, had a great meal, great seats, and loads of fun. We made reservations to sit at that table again for Friday's show. Our table is right under the cupola that I sketched a few days ago.

Club Intrawest Zihuatanejo

2011-03-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Spent the day at the Club. My brother Rob has been coming down here for the past three winters working at the club doing member updates. It's a beautiful place; everything I always thought it would be. I worked for this company for many years as a sales person, coach, manager and sales director. I've worked in Whistler, Vancouver, Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Blue Mountain Ontario and San Destin Florida. Every location has its charms. This site was just being finished when I last worked there. Maybe club locations are like seasons; my favourite one always seems to be the one I'm in at the moment, but it certainly seems to me that this'd have to be the winner.

We helped clean up after the tequila tasting event for members at the club (interpret that as you will, there were no mops or rags involved), then left the club and went to Don Memo's for dinner. It's the domed building I sketched the day before. Good food, fun spot, Memo is super friendly. Everyone wants to tell me how much they love my hermano; what a big heart he has. I know, but it's nice to hear it.

We left Memos, then stopped at the bar underneath La Hija del Capitan. There were some really good local musicians there. One of them was a guy my brother knows named Eric who made a guitar sound very different than we do. He also has a good gritty singing voice. Greg and Rob decided it was a good time to see if the chipotle burgers were as good downstairs as they are upstairs at La Hija. Well boys, it's the same kitchen. I couldn't even look at the burger after our feast at Don Memo, but they wolfed it down, and yes, it was apparently as good. We stumbled home, full and happy. Yay Zihaut.

Restaurante don Memo

2011-03-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

We went by bike and scooter to one of Rob's favourite breakfast places, then he left for work and Greg and I wandered the streets. There are so many cool little vistas here. We picked this spot partly because the building is so cool, and partly because there was a lovely little cafe from which to view it. Comfort first. The building is Restaurante Don Memo, which apparently is a good local eatery. Our plan today is to hang out at Club Intrawest, then come here for dinner.

Yesterday we roamed the streets in search of a good burger/cerveza joint (when in Rome...) and settled on one of the beach restaurants. When Rob finished work he picked me up on the scooter and we went in search of a book store. I wanted to find some little novels in spanish so I could work on my reading skills. We drove all over town and ended up at a little book shop about 2 minutes from our beach hangout. I got two books that are just about the right speed for me. Afterwards we took a cab to Ixtapa to go check out the marina. We ended up walking the length of the beach there, then coming back to Zihat for what was probably one of the best meals I've ever eaten. The restaurant is called Espuma, and if you consider yourself a foodie and you happen to have a little cash or some airmile points, get yourself on a plane immediately and see for yourself. Not only is the food completely mind-blowing, but the view/decor/atmosphere is at the top of the world. I'm thinking I may find some time to go back there and sketch before we leave.

Playa Madera, Zihuatanejo

2011-03-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

The boardwalk here is very cool, gently undulating along the edge of the beach. There are hand painted signs everywhere reminding people in spanish not to tire their basura, and to keep their playa clean. I sat and sketched while the boys went looking for some speakers for our music at the house and a basketball (there's a bball court in our front yard). When they came back we walked from here pretty much right through this sketch, and then up the hill. At the top is a restaurant called Espuma. The views from there are absolutely stunning. We're heading back there for dinner tonight. If you continue along the hilly road from there you'll come to Club Intrawest where Rob is working. It is lovely, which I will attempt to demonstrate with a sketch a little later in the week.

Airborn Otra Vez

2011-03-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

Yahoo! We're in Zihuatanejo. We're visiting my brother Rob who comes down here to work 5 months a year. We arrived at 7pm last night. I had a good laugh leaving the airport. In Canada, we choose to to put a big grizzly in a mountie suit at the airport. In Zihuat, just outside the airport, there's a giant bottle of Corona, and standing right beside is an enormous sand sculpture of a bucket of Coronas. Interesante.

We decompressed for a bit, inspired by the airport art, having a few cervezas, then saddled up and walked into town for some dinner. We went to Hija del Capitan for some amazing camarones coco. We met some of Rob's local friends and I got to torture some locals with my rusty spanish. Zihat has such a cool feel. I'm in love with it already.

Text says: March 5th. Took the skytrain early this morning to meet jGreg at YVR and catch a flight to Zihautanejo/. I cannot wait to get my winter white toes in some sand/. We're early, thanks to Greg's 6 am flight in from Penticton/ I had planned to use the time to sketch the magnificent Bill Reid sculpture here in International Departures, but for some reason settled here instead/. Interesting choice, the bear in the mountie suit/. I wonder what the designers were trying to say. "Thanks for visiting our country. Come back soon/ We have grizzlies, and they're helpful and friendly!"

A Life (Changing) Sentence!?

2011-02-26T21:11:00.000-08:00

My new scanner is very blurry, so here's the text..

My model buddy lisa invited me out to a runway show for Vancouver's Eco-Fashion Week. "It's fashion-y" she said. "Wear heels." I wore this great little wool strapless Kenzie dress and vintage choker from my sister's closet. The dress has an empire waist, front pleat and pockets. I love pockets! Then for the shoes. I was deciding between these fantastic 4 1/2" slingbacks and my comfy stack-heeled everyday boots.

And then, from seemingly nowhere, the little voice in my head piped up and said "It's February, and you're forty-seven". I zipped up the boots. The show was great. I loved Nicole Bridger (www.niclolebridger.com).

Still not talking to the voice in my head though.

New Hood

2011-02-22T13:48:00.000-08:00

Braved the February chill this morning and sat at the end of our block to capture this view. I've been in Vancouver pretty much full time since November. We took a townhouse in Yaletown, which is about equidistant between our two stores down here. Life has been a circuit of work, dog-walk, sleep. I keep walking past all these great sketching sites every morning, afternoon and night when I take Yogi out to the puppy park and 'poopy island' (the giant grassy median one block over from here). Every day I walk past something and think "this'd be a good place to sketch", and somehow three months have rolled by without taking the time. We just planned a trip to Zihuatanejo, so I thought it was time to get out my bag and get the sketch brain going.

This spot is a busy one. I'm sitting at the T intersection of Beatty and Nelson. There are bikes, dogs, one million cars and busses, several passers-by, and one lady asking directions to Expo Boulevard. Traffic is racing past my toes, headed onto the Cambie Street Bridge via Nelson. Our townhouse is on the left here, obscured by the cars and trees, and that's the lovely Sun Tower Building at the far end of Beatty, on the right.

Art Show Opening Tonight!

2010-11-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

If you happen to be in the Penticton area come by and check out our show! This is such a fun group, and quite varied. I was at the Leir House last night while Glenn, George and Paul were hanging the show, and it's a really interesting range of work. I submitted three lino cuts done from my plein aire sketches into the show. A bit of a stretch on the plein air theme, but I'm happy with them. I did them at Laura Widmer's studio. Laura is a wonderful print maker I met in Wells this summer. Check out her work here. She has a beautiful old press in her garage. I took seven lino plates up with me, and we bundled up and spent a chilly day pulling prints. Thanks for the help Laura! The ones in the show are all images of Apex. I'll post some photos after the show.

Sketching Hibernation Over

2010-10-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Somehow a month has passed without me sketching or blogging. I went into a little hibernation when my dad died, doing nothing but hanging out with my mom and zoning out playing my new mandolin for about 25 hours a day (yes, I have blisters on my fingers). Funny, sometimes sketching is the only therapy that works for me, and this time it was the last thing I felt like doing. It took having to go in to the art gallery to lead a workshop to get me to get my brush wet again.

I'm SO grateful that they invite me to do that! Thanks Glenn. Sharing my love for watercolour sketchbook journaling is always an honour, and always feels good, but especially this time when I needed the nudge to get going myself.

We had a great group. Small (only three people plus me), but fun, enthusiastic and talented. Thanks ladies for coming out! The class was supposed to be en plein aire, but it was a blustery, gloomy day. We hit the tearoom at the art gallery instead and, as usual, I used feet to demonstrate perspective and same-sized drawing.

It's thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. We're heading up to our ski place and I'm cooking a big turkey dinner tomorrow. Mom is coming, along with my brother and his family, and of course our boys. And Yogi, the giant lap puppy. I'm looking forward to it all, and to kicking off the season up at Apex with a good family feast.

Thanks to those of you who left messages and sent emails, popped in to my blog, and ordered books this month, in spite of my disappearance. I'll try not to go dark for so long next time.
xo

My Beautiful Dad

2010-09-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my birthday, and I got to spend it holding the hand of my beautiful dad. The following day, yesterday, he slipped peacefully away surrounded by people who love him. He was larger than life, with a voice that was warm and rich and full of magic. He lived 86 adventure-packed years, the last 58 of them married to my mom. He was a pro ball player (a 'Roughie'), a ski racer, a coach of almost everything, but above all a family man. He was always there for all of us; would quit a job if it created a conflict with some event we wanted him at, would drive across the country to pick us up at the drop of a hat if we needed him to (not theoretic, factual). He loved his wife, his kids and his grandkids to a fault, and we loved him back with the same ferocity.

It's hard saying good-bye, but what I think makes it easier is the fact that he left nothing on the table. There's no void he forgot to fill for us, no question about how he felt, no lingering need to resolve something or have him acknowledge or offer support. He was there for us full stop. He thought we could do anything, and he'd tell anyone who stopped long enough to listen. He kept his dignity in his illness, and even on his very last day, after a panicked ambulance ride back to the hospital, he took the time to give a warm sympathetic smile to the nurse trying to take a blood sample from his failing veins.

He was a great man, and the best dad ever.

I did this sketch of him during the 'every day in may' challenge. I thought many times of sketching him in this past month as he lay in his hospital bed (he was still beautiful even then), but that would have involved letting go of his hand, which I was not prepared to do.

Hooked On Books

2010-08-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

Hooked on Books, Main Street, Penticton

Sketched this over my morning coffee, Yogi at my feet. Hooked on Books, here on the right, is the newest store to carry my book, and they've invited me to do an event in their wonderful shop! On September 23, 7-9 pm, I'll be doing a talk on waking up your creativity. I'll be selling books, including handmade blank sketchbooks and covers. Admission is by donation, proceeds going to 'Raise a Reader'. I'm very excited about the whole thing. If you're in Penticton come on down.

I haven't been blogging much lately. My dad hasn't been well. He's in the hospital in Kelowna, an hour away, and we've all been taking rotating shifts sitting with him. He's 86 and has had a wonderful life. It's hard to see him struggling now, but we're glad to still have him with us. I've been so busy between working, sitting with dad, and putting together my new book proposal (more on that soon) that I've forgotten to go sketching lately! Today was the first time I've dipped my brush in water since the Wells trip. It felt good. Sketching is always like a little brain holiday from everything else that's going on. Love it.

Walking Tour of Wells Sketchbook Video!

2010-08-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

There's a new video on youtube of my time in Wells. It's a sort of a 'Walking Tour' of the town, in sketches and drawings. I hope you check it out. It's about four minutes long.

Click here or on the Journal cover to view

Enjoy!

Another Panoramic View of Wells - Pooley Street

2010-07-29T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here's another almost 360 degree view of Wells, this time from just outside the Island Mountain Arts Gallery on historic Pooley Street. These images all connect. If you include one of the panels from my Wells sketchbook it'd make a continuous loop around the scene.

Writing an Artist's Statement

2010-07-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

I've been working away on my Artist's Statement these past couple of days, and guess what, it's hard work! I found a great online guide that I thought I'd share with anyone going through the same pain at the same time. Here's the link:

How To Write An Artist's Statement - Molly Gordon

Molly Gordon is a small business coach for 'reluctant entrepreneurs'. She puts out an eZine called 'Authentic Promotion' that can have some good info in it for artists and other creative professionals.

Thanks Molly for the guide to writing an Artist's Statement. Your questions are good; they get the brain rolling, and it was actually fun to follow the steps. My statement isn't finished, but at least it's started now! I've 'Filled the Pot', and now I'm 'Simmering the Stew' (it's in the guide).

Hope that helps.

Wells Sketchbook 2

2010-07-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Wells Sketchbook: I know I posted a few of these while I was en route, but the images were from snapshots and not that clear. Here's the whole book scanned. This is such an amazing place, I could have stayed and filled another three books if my real life weren't beckoning me back home.

Front Cover Wells 2010 Journal

back cover

Wells Community Garden Panorama

2010-07-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

These ten images all link together to create one 7.5 inch by 112.5 inch scene. I did two of these panoramic scenes during my stay here; one here at the Wells Community Gardens, and the other at the intersection of Sanders and Pooley Street. They're each a full 360 degree view. If you took the last panel and moved it over, it'd line up with the first. It was a real challenge, dealing with changing light and perspective, dogs, kids, mosquitos and moving cars (although in Wells they really don't move that often). I always seem to be a little bit invisible when I'm sketching on location, sitting there overhearing all the goings-on in the neighbourhood, children playing in the playground, people gardening, strolling, enjoying life on their street. It was kind of funny how the locals had all been stepping around me for days, but when they came in to view our work at the end of the project they were surprised to see their homes and all their familiar buildings around town captured here. Their delight at having their homes captured made me very happy!

I had a couple of real challenges while doing this piece. The first was, after laying it all out and doing most of the initial sketching, I discovered the paper I though was watercolour friendly was not at all. The first drop of water made it puff up like one of those compressed sponges getting it's first dose of moisture! Normally I would have panicked, but here in Wells everything is so laid back I just sort of stared at it and thought, 'hmmm'. Good thing I happened to grab a box of pencil crayons just before I left Penticton. It was much slower than it would have been in watercolour, but I think it was a good exercise. Next 'argh!' moment was after I discovered this cool sepia pen and ink on a side trip to historic Barkerville. I was having great fun with it, had sketched maybe a house or two in this lovely ink, when I dropped the pen and bent the nib. No more pen. Again, I could have freaked, but instead decided to head back to Barkerville to buy another one. It meant packing up my camper in order to get mobile, something I hadn't banked on doing during my stay here. On my way back to where I was parked, I popped in to one of the little galleries on Pooley Street. I told my tale to the woman working there, an artist I met up here last year at a workshop. She walked in the back of the gallery and came out with a fist full of pen nibs for me to use. How nice is that! I just seemed to meet so many generous people here. I can see how people come here and decide to stay.

Wells Trip Part 1

2010-07-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

I'm here in Wells, more than halfway through the artist's project. I finally found internet, and I'm too tired to write anything, but here are a couple of pages from my sketchbook. I'm working on a big series that I'm having fun with, but I'll save it and post once it's all finished.

I'm off to grab a bite and then go watch an arty movie with the rest of the group. Hope I can keep my eyes open.

More to come soon.

Folding Hard Cover for Handmade Sketchbooks!

2010-07-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

I recently switched from using hard-covered watercolour field sketchbooks to making my own flip sketchbooks out of watercolour paper (how-to video here). I love the books, but the one drawback was that, without a hard cover, the books weren't protected and would get a little beat up with use. The other challenge was that I no longer had a hard surface under my paper to work against. So... I made this cool cover! The folding sketchbooks just slide in under an elastic on the spine.

When I finish one, I can take it out of the cover and pop another one in.

Both sides have flip-out panels, so no matter which way the paper folds out, there's a panel underneath it. There's a silver elastic down the centre spine to hold it in, and a white ribbon to hold the whole thing closed in my bag.

This fabric was a dress I bought (cheap) for a French themed dinner party. I never really wore it in real life. Looking at it now, it's kind of funny how much the sketches look like Yogi and me. They are even the kind of outfits that I wear (when I'm not in paint covered sweats). The dress looks much better on a sketchbook cover than on a person.
I learned a few things that I'd do differently next time, but overall I'm totally happy with it.

Tomorrow morning I leave for Wells! The camper van is packed full of art supplies and fun toys (guitar, good books and music). I've prepped a ton of canvi. Ten days of sketching/painting/yogaing/camping. Beam me up!

One New, One Updated

2010-07-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

Fib's Open Mic
Acrylic
12x24

Did this from a sketch made during the Sketchcrawl last November (blogged here). This place has such a cool feel. There's always something going on; open mic, movie night, live music. The painting over the table (which isn't really there) is of a carving I picked up at the JJ market in Bangkok. I wanted to bring something home that carried a bit of the serenity I found tucked in between the chaos and the angry demonstrations in Thailand. I love this little yogini. I have another half-done painting that I think she may find herself in. She sits beside my bed, and is one of the first things I see in the morning, reminding me to breath and relax into the day.

Speaking of yoga, I'm in a good yoga groove right now. I signed up at www.myyogaonline.com and have been doing a different practice pretty much every day for about a month now. It's great, because I don't have to leave Yogi at home, and there's no travel time, and at about $10 a month, it's pretty bargainous. The videos are good quality, and there's a huge range to choose from. If you're using streaming video you can use any of them for that $10. You can download the ones you like for a fee, which I did with a few of them so I can practice outside when I'm camping. The Jivamukti ones are my fave at the moment.

This other painting is one I did quite a while ago. There were parts of it I liked, and parts that made me wince when I looked at it, so I just 'adjusted' a few things. I'm much happier with it now.

Gun Barrel at Night

Acrylic

24x36

Life: a l'Orange, and a Happier Puppy

2010-07-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday's life drawing session - it's all a little orange, but that was the mood of the evening. Her hair was fantastic to draw. It's a wig. I'd like to borrow it for date night. Sassy.

And of course, a happier puppy at the bottom. He has a fresh cast on, and the ice cream boys gave him a puppy cone to celebrate. He much prefers them to the plastic ones you wear on your head.

'Morning Honey' and 'Guitar Heads'

2010-07-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

'Morning Honey'
Acrylic 12x12

I'm heading to Wells for the Toni Onley Artist's Project in 9 days!! I'm so excited. My plan for the project is to make a sketchbook, fill it with local scenes, and then rework them in the studio in acrylic. I've been working on some at home in preparation. I want to make some of the mistakes I'll make here in private - get them out of the way before I get there.

I'm never sure when these things are finished. I just paint til I stop. This is from this sketch I did on Sketchcrawl day in May. I just realized that the scan cut off the big O on the tree in the upper left hand corner. My 13x17" scanner, it turns out, is really an 11.5x15" scanner. Those little rascals at Brother. Oh well.

'Guitar Heads'
Acrylic 12x16

This one is from one of my 'Every Day In May' sketches. Original here. Border is cut off, but looks cool on the orig.

Scene Of The Crime

2010-07-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you who followed us through the 'Yogi vs. The Waterfall' ordeal, here's a look at the chain of events:

Scene One - Dog sees water just off the edge of the trail and decides to go down for a dip

Dog gets sucked under the trail (dog-mom oblivious to this)

Comes out the other side (uh-oh)

And over the edge

down to the rocks 20 something feet below

and swept down the creek. He was found over a kilometer from here, broken and bloodied.

Remember these?

And now we're fine: happy, not afraid of water. The only change in him is that he's become even more of an attention hound. He recognizes the sound of sympathy from 20 yards away. As soon as he hears an "Aw, poor puppy!", he rushes towards it for an attention bath. He'll be sad to see the cast come off.

Ice Cream Shop Chalkboard Sign

2010-06-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

I finished the board for the Ice Cream Shop boys last night. This puppy is about 5' wide and almost 4' high. It'll go over their ice cream cake fridge. If you are EVER in Penticton, you must go there. The shop is called Ogo's (like Ogopogo, our parasailing lake monster here). It's on Main Street, in the first block from the beach. Not only do they have great ice cream and the best cones ever, but the shop itself is a wonder. You just have to see it for yourself.

I'm excited to have this finished. We'll drop it off this morning. I can't wait to see Mike and Brian's reaction. I hope they like it. It's the reason I ordered the chalk ink markers, and hopefully it'll be the first of many boards I can do for businesses around town. I'm lovin' these chalk markers.

For my favourite triathlete - A Tri-Training Calendar

2010-06-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

My friend M.E. is such an inspiration. She does nothing half-way. When she wanted to donate her long red locks for cancer, she had me shave her head down to the wood and invited the media to raise awareness. When she got in to triathlons, she made the commitment to do ironman, and did it well.

I made this chalkboard triathlon training calendar for her birthday. It's 2 ft square, and each square is over 2". Should be enough room to schedule a workout or two. How she juggles Ironman training, mommying, her business interests, volunteering and having time for friends and family is a wonder. But, she does it all, and does it well.

That's her on her bike, and us yelling 'go red racer!' from the sidelines. Now that she's gone from red to platinum, do we have to chant something different? She'll always be Red Racer to me.

Happy Birthday M.E. Sorry it was late. Was waiting for paint to dry. xo

Chalkboard Calendars!

2010-06-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

Over the past week or so my dining room has been a chalkboard making factory. I'm doing a chalkboard for the local ice cream shop, and I thought I'd try to make something else while I had the blackboard paint/chalk markers et al.

These boards are 2x2 ft squares. I did up four of them, and once I realized that the two cans of chalkboard paint I had were so different, I decided to use them to make calendars. I like that there's no month or days in here; I can use it as a regular calendar, or if I'm doing some kind of challenge (like the yoga binge I'm currently on) I can use it to track progress.

The scene is the view from our living room last night. I really wanted to try the chalk markers so I could get the ice cream project done, and the view was so pretty I just started doodling. These markers are FUN!! They're called Chalk Ink, and you can get them here. They took about a week to arrive from Texas. I know I missed the second friday with the darker paint. Oh well, this one is just for me, so no biggie. I've got another one done, but it's a birthday gift, so it's not going up here until after I drop it off tonight, just in case a certain someone is surfing the net on a friday afternoon instead of working (Yes, I mean you. Back to work!). It's fun. I'll post it tomorrow.

I have so many ideas for these. More to come.

My First Mural

2010-06-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

There's a new daycare opening up in the basement of our office building, where my little studio used to be. It's the wife of one of Greg's partners who's doing it. She's having incredible murals painted all over the walls by a really great mural artist named Luke from Kelowna. They asked me if I'd take a wall and do a piece too. I said yes, and then after watching Luke go at the rest of the space got totally intimidated. I put off starting it for about a week, and then finally yesterday I went in and took a look at 'my wall'. It's in the kitchen, and she asked for a fat chef, and requested he be black, as they're trying to have a good representation of different cultures in these murals. I did up a little sketch, and then dove in. I really had no idea what I was doing, but Luke was helpful. Most of this is done with good ol' wall paint. I did a little modeling with my acrylics. I don't think it's finished, but I got a lot further than I thought I would before my attention span expired.

I had no reference photo, other than my little line drawing. The face needs a little work, and I may make his feet a little bigger. Other suggestions welcome.
Also, can you tell he's throwing pizza dough, or does it look like some strange capt'n crunch thing on his hat??

Dandelionfest

2010-06-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've had the acrylics out. There's been an ongoing oil vs acrylic debate in my mind. I've been invited to the Toni Onley Project in Wells this year, which is a very big thrill for me. What happens there is a group of artists gather in this very cool little town that has more art galleries than people (almost true) and we work together, along with two mentor artists, to develop our artwork. One of the artists ends up getting a show at the Penticton Gallery next year. I didn't want to show up with my little bag of watercolour sketch toys. It seemed to demand something a little more substantial. But what? The look and feel of oils is so lovely, but I'm not sure they're a fit with my 'paint it today, hang it tonight' approach. In other words, I'm not that patient. Also, I'm painting at home now, and I think oils would be too stinky in our little place. And so I thought I'd give the acrylics another try and see if I like them. I had mixed results using them in the past, but I had so much fun painting this! I think one of the things that worked for me, which I didn't do before, is using a medium instead of water to paint with. The other thing that worked was having sketched this same scene in crayolas recently. They're so unavoidably vibrant, and I used that as a guide to keep things on the lively and clean side colour-wise. I learned some things, did some things I'd do differently in the future, but ended up deciding that yes, acrylics are the way to go. Good timing too since Opus is having their annual inventory blow-out right now. I took the van up there and loaded up: canvi, paints, palette, gel mediums, modeling paste, and a mitt full of brushes. Wa-hoo!

Weird Life Drawing Night

2010-06-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

I had kind of a weird time at life drawing last night. I think I was just in a very different head space. I was feeling like my life drawings lately have been sort of 'all the same', and even though I've been thinking I'm capturing a more realistic slice of life than I was before, that it might be safe and boring. I wanted to get looser. And I wanted to get over my Payne's Grey addiction that was starting to creep into my sketches. The results seem to be lacking in any accuracy, and not yet loose enough to be worth it. There are a few moments I like though, like the warm reflected light under this one's chin and on her far arm. I'm also trying to draw more with the paint rather than outline and fill. Sometimes working, sometimes not. The other thing I was feeling aware of last night is that when I spend this much time in art brain, I stop being able to communicate very well. I get all tongue-tied and quiet and insecure, which if you know me you'll know is unusual. I'm so deep into observe mode that I stop being able to express. Not every time, but sometimes. I wonder if that happens to everyone?

This red one was done during a particularly crashy and aggressive piece of music. It's funny how those things filter in, probably a combination of how it affects both model and artist.

These reclining figures were fun. I think the weirder the perspective, the more I have to rely on observation rather than knowledge. That's probably a good thing. Didn't want to believe I was avoiding the foot that fell off the page in the lower one, and so there it is poking in at the top.

This model is always so good. She knows what'll be interesting, and really holds it well over the 20 minute poses.

Around My Neighbourhood Sketchbook Video

2010-06-15T22:09:00.001-07:00

Here's another one of my little sketchbooks all filled up, this time from in and around my neighbourhood. In fact, every scene in here, with the exception of The Cannery Building, is on my morning dog walking route.

Just click on the book front or back (or right here) and it'll take you to the youtube video version.

The video how-to for making these little flip journals is right here

Workshop at Kettle Ridge!

2010-06-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of our Watercolour Sketchbook Journaling Workshop. We moved up to Kettle Ridge to work (play) in the sunshine and enjoy the amazing views. Everyone made their own journal from a single sheet of watercolour paper (see how-to vid here). We did a little session on different ways to keep or create white with watercolours, and then we scattered around the property to capture the view. These two were smart enough to tuck into the shade of our big sign. What a great group - thank you everyone who came out. One thing we talked about was painting in public - what to do when someone is looking over your shoulder. My suggestion was to try what I do: ask them if they themselves paint. Odds are either they do or they want to, or they wouldn't have commented in the first place. They'll be off on a tangent about what their own art experience has been, and the focus/pressure will be off of you. Plus, you'll hear a good story. I personally like it when people come up to talk. After my first few times sketching in public I realized it's only the nice, polite and friendly people who approach. No one points and shrieks "You're no artist! Go home!" Never happens. I'll post a local paint out soon, so we can go brave the crowds together.

Video: More fun with folding book - life drawing style!

2010-06-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

Click on either the cover of my life drawing journal or right here to view my folding sketchbook on youtube. I was going to scan the images and post as usual, but after the first session with one of these books, I realized that not only would they not fit on my scanner when they're folded out, but they're also much better viewed in motion. So, there you go. Music is me playing Jewel's 'Morning Song' on my guitar. More to come, and if you're interested in making your own sketchbook like this, the how-to video for that is here, on youtube as well.

Fun With Folding Book!

2010-06-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm having great fun experimenting with these new folding books I've been making (how-to video here)! This was from my workshop at the Penticton Art Gallery on Saturday (finished later).

Next stop? Sitting outside the Convenience Store on Main Street today - looking across at Grant King's, Mykonos and of course Nite Moves, where Austin worked while he was home last summer.

Here it is before the page gets flipped out, with a little peek at the Cannery Building sketch on the next page:

Another Workshop at the Penticton Art Gallery

2010-06-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

A great group came out for my Sketchbook Journaling Workshop at the Penticton Art Gallery yesterday. This time I had everyone draw their own feet. It worked out really well - they all did wonderful drawings, and then when we hit the Japanese Garden, they had the concepts clear and were able to dive in without hesitation and got some great results. Fun!

I was working at Kettle Ridge earlier in the day and did this little sketch in one of my new sketchbooks as well. I thought that using a crayon as a resist would give me the burst of yellow that I was seeing in the weeds. Not so. Needs a little work to figure out how best to show that profusion. It's beautiful in real life.

Finished!

2010-05-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Day 31: Draw something you collect. I have another rack up the hill that has another probably three times as many as shown here. This is a bit rushed and wonky (no, the bottles weren't really changing size, and no I'm not drunk), but it's done. They don't call it a challenge for nothin'! I started this May Challenge after seeing a post from Borromini Bear on May 1st. I happened to have crayons handy, and so with no planning or forethought I found myself hanging in there, every day, drawing the things on the list. What did I get out of it?

a rekindled love for crayolas
a new appreciation for the group of artists with whom I shared this trek
a daily habit
a sense of accomplishment
31 new drawings

Bienvenido a Barcelona

2010-05-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Day 30: Draw a Chair. I drew this chair once before, as a little mini demo in my book. I think I also sketched a few of them 100 years ago in design school. I've always liked them. They're kind of the Audrey Hepburn of the chair world to me. Beautiful lines, elegant without being fussy. Hard to believe it was designed in 1929. That Ludwig, he was ahead of his time.

Little known fact: It was actually a collaboration between Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich, the first woman the join the Deutscher Werkbund. It's usually attributed just to him, but not so.

Oh my God. I sound like Cliff Clavin from Cheers.

Dreaming of Wells...

2010-05-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

Day 29: Draw Something Architectural. I took some photos of this house when I was at an art workshop in Wells last summer. I'm just planning to head there this summer for the Toni Onley Artist's Project, and dreaming of camping in my van, painting all day, picking a little guitar by the campfire at night. Ah, Wells...

Only two more of these crayon drawings to go, and I'll be done! Woo-hoo!

How To Make A Watercolour Sketchbook Journal - Video Tutorial

2010-05-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is my first attempt at making a how-to video, and it happened at about 11 last night, when I turned to Greg who was watching a movie on the sofa and said, "Hey, wanna come video me making one of these books?" And so a video production was born.

Here's Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 on youtube.

Forgive the weird lighting and the 'where am I going with this again?" tempo of it, and go make a sketchbook! I really hope you do. Let me know if this makes sense, or if you have any questions. And if it works for you, please let me know (and send me pics!)

I watched a bunch of videos online to figure out how to do this, but biggest credit goes to Teesha Moore. Thanks Teesha. And thanks Greg for turning off the movie you were watching and playing cameraman for me.

Return of the Cone Heads

2010-05-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, only three more of these 'Every Day in May' drawings to go. I almost want to just crank through them right now and be done.

We've been stepping over the boobie-dog and his giant cone head for two days now. He lays in the most central thoroughfare he can find and gives a couple of wags each time we pass by. When he eats he places the cone over his bowl, making perfect contact with the floor, and eats inside his own personal dome. I knew when he tried to take off after a marmot today up at my work that he's on the mend.

I've been spread out on our dining table with my crayons 'Every Day in May'. It's kind of taken over our living space. I had a little studio up until recently, but the space is being converted into a daycare and we had to move our stuff out. Now I'm setting my art gear up in the second bedroom here. I think I'll use it more this way anyways. I'm having fun unpacking and setting up. There are all kinds of goodies in these boxes - yet to be used. Fun times ahead.

New Journal in Action

2010-05-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

I LOVED using one of my new journals I've been making for life drawing last night. Perfect timing, since Day 27 is: Draw a Book. I hand-bound this one with wine coloured hemp, same for the closure. The format was fun to work with. I loved having the fold-out flaps. It really let me play with the composition. Two sessions will fill one of these little books (maybe three). I'll be able to use the covers, inside and out, for painting as well, since it's all the same sturdy WC paper. They'll be fun to decorate up.

2010-05-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

Day 25: Draw a Glass - The kind you drink from. That'd be one of these. I was going to put the UB40 lyrics in this sketch, but after asking Greg if he remembered exactly what they were we both found ourselves droning over and over "Red, red why-e-eye-e-ine, goes to my heh-e-eh-e-ed". I couldn't do that to any and everyone who ever looked at this. So, it's Lord Byron instead. This excerpt is from a poem called LINES INSCRIBED UPON A CUP FORMED FROM A SKULL It's worth a read. It's here if you're interested.

Thanks for the Yogi inquiries. For those of you who're interested, here's the update. He's home. Surgery was successful. Getting around is pretty tough; he can hop but he gets tired and sad - big woeful eyes. I've been carrying him everywhere - all 75 lbs of him. We're a sight in the elevator, huge cone like a bonnet on his blonde head, limbs sticking out everywhere as I wrap my arms around his middle and try to keep him hoisted off the ground. Oh well, it is what it is.

When Is An Herb A Veggie?

2010-05-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

When is an herb a veggie? Today. Day 26: Draw a vegetable. I'm at Mom and Dad's, not really wanting to get the broccoli out of the fridge and draw it before dinner. I've been eyeing these couple of herb pots in her window for a while now. I was loving the smell of the basil as I sketched this. Funny, looking at this now, I realize I sketched my own pots on a window at almost the same angle! I think it was one of my first posts on this blog. I'll find it and post it again below.

I drove Austin back to Vancouver yesterday afternoon, picked him up this morning and drove him to work, then beetled up to Kelowna in time for family girls weekly golf game (fun). Dinner at Mom's, then off to life drawing in Summerland (tomorrow's post).

Yogi had his surgery today. The doctor called and said it went well. We can see him tomorrow, then we're hoping he'll be home the day after that. Miss that boobie-dog.

Recycled Fruit

2010-05-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Day 24: Draw a Piece of Fruit.

We were out all day, first visiting Yogi at the hospital, then at work, and then at the funeral of one of Greg's hockey buddies (very sad). We went for dinner with friends afterwards and got home late, tired, and with no fruit in the house for me to draw for the May Challenge. It was dark out, so no going down the elevator and drawing the Giant Peach concession stand in front of our house either. I'd done this watercolour sketch of it a while back, so I pulled it off the wall and reprised it. I was laughing at myself as I hit the upload button on flickr at 11:59. Just like college days.

This peach is such a cool thing. The opening each year marks the start of beach season. There's a bikini clad sunbather in the original, but I clothed her and gave her a buddy in this one. It's too early in the season for solo sunbathing.

Here's the original. Now that I see them side by side, I think I'll add a little more crayon inside the peach. It needs to be darker.

Sketchbook Adventure Journals!

2010-05-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

I've been on a journal-making binge. I love these little ones. They are:

7 1/2 inches square
140 lb watercolour paper
hand stitched with fine hemp twine
double folded closing flap to create a spine on the front edge
18 pages (counting both sides and flaps)
several pages fold out to create a 22" landscape

They're just the right size to fit in my paint bag. I love the fold-outs, allowing some more ambitious landscape moments if I need them, but keeping the book size small. The spine on the closure will allow me to do up fun titles for them when they're complete that'll be readable when they're lined up on the shelf.

Can't wait to see how this will look all painted up!

I made a bunch of them yesterday, using blue, purple, wine and wheat coloured hemp, then filling the journal letters in to match. I'm heading back to Opus to get some sheets of drawing paper too, so I can pack some up with boxes of crayons and give them as gifts. Just spreadin' the journal bug :-)

Yogi update for those of you who've been reading - He's doing Ok. We went in this morning and laid on the floor of the animal hospital for awhile, sticking our heads in his big plastic cone so we could whisper nice things to him while we scratched his ears. Every time he tried to wag his big tail the blanket thumped up and down. It was pretty cute. I saw the X-ray today. He broke a bone clear through, and very close to the joint. Looks like we'll probably have to go the surgery route. They haven't been able to splint it, and can't cast it either since his skin is too roughed up to be encased in plaster. I've a feeling he's about to become a very expensive dog.

Not A Good Day To Be A Dog

2010-05-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Day 23: Draw your foot (or someone else's).

I'd planned to draw mine, or Greg's, but our day took a sad and near tragic foot-related turn. Our water loving boy wandered out of sight, jumped in the creek, and was swept over the falls. He traveled a long way down a cold and angry creek, until a stranger heard his cries, searched through the woods, and waded into the strong current to rescue him. His foot is seriously broken, and he's all cut up, toenails worn off from struggling against the rock, but alive. Thank God. And the stranger. And our dog walker Linda who knew who's dog he was and where to find me. And Dr. Rob and Mary-Ellen who came to the hospital with me, and of course Dr. Harvey and the x-ray tech who raced in on a long weekend and took such good care of him. He's overnighting there.

Other dogs have gone over the falls there who didn't fare so well. I'm just so thankful he's alive. He was such a brave boy. Hardly whimpered once we'd settled him down (and not at all after they gave him the magic juice). He wagged everytime someone new came in and said hi to him. Friendly boy through and through.

Have a good sleep Yogi. We'll see you in the morning.

Wedding Book

2010-05-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

I made this little book for my friend Johanna's wedding to the lovely Tom yesterday. It's made of watercolour paper, 18 pages inside, some of which flip open to make a three panel spread. It's about 7 1/2 inches square and has a nifty folding closure that is fastened with rich burgundy hemp. I wrote out quotes about marriage on the edges of several of the pages inside. My camera battery was dead-deady-dead, so we had to grab a couple of pictures of it with Greg's phone before we gave it to it's new owners. Poor photos, but I think you get the idea. I hope she fills it up with lots of notes, sketches, keepsakes and photos of their life together.

I really like the way the little spine on the closure allows room to put a title on a sketchbook that can be read when they're stacked on a shelf. I'm constantly looking through reams of identical black coil bound books for something. My idea is to make one hardcover folder, then use these little inserts inside. When it's full, I can take it out of the folder, paint and decorate it's cover and spine, insert another one of these and keep going.

They're smallish, so they could be easily filled up in one trip. I'm using 140 lb watercolour paper. On this one I used binding thread, but I think I'm liking them bound with coloured hemp more. They'd be good trip journals, wine touring notebooks, garden journals, that kind of thing. I'm going to make up a handful of them for my workshop next weekend (Saturday, 1-4, Penticton Art Gallery, part of a two Saturday thing) and see how they go over.

New Header for this blog

2010-05-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

I painted this new header for my blog today. It was fun to do, pulling pieces from a bunch of different sketchbook sketches and repainting them into one. The elephants are from my Thailand sketchbook, the swans from Hawaii, the grape vines and market scene are from home, the dandelions from a trip to Wells/Barkerville, and the foot and sketchbook in the corner are a variation of a sketch I did on the plane to Vallarta years ago. It was interesting trying to figure out how to sketch and paint them all so they blended together. I'm really happy with it - makes me think of all the places I've, well, wandered. Now I just need to figure out how to get it up there.

The Electric Pink Robe

2010-05-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Day 22: Draw a Piece of Clothing. The Electric Pink Robe. It's actually not me at all, in fact I find it a bit heinous. It is, however, the comfiest thing I own, and therefore a weekend morning ritual. The lyrics are Lyle Lovett, also a bit of a morning ritual.

Here's the whole verse:
"I like cream in my coffee
And I lke to sleep late on Sunday
And nobody knows me like my baby
I like eggs over easy
with flour tortillas
And nobody knows me like my baby"

How's that for a little weekend morning fare?

Last night was the opening of the Penticton En Plein Aire show. My piece was hanging right in the middle. Greg was so proud of me, hanging back and listening to comments, then coming and sharing them with me. Austin came to, as did Diana and the whole Mary Ellen crew (thanks guys). There were a lot of really great pieces there. Nice to be a part of. And a good cause, so if you're in the area (or not) come and bid on a piece. It doesn't have to be mine.

Now it's off to the street market for breakfast, then up the hill to work.

Bookshelf Angel

2010-05-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

Day 21: Draw something vintage, antique or old. I don't know how old the bookshelf angel is, but it's got a little patina, so it's in. All my old stuff is either in storage or up the ski hill.

The lyric is from Holly Cole's 'Make It Go Away Or Make It Better'. It's the song my girly-friend Mig and I sing to each other on the phone when one of us is going through something hard. We change the words to 'I will be the angel...'. It's pretty nice to come home to that sung with abandon into your voicemail box when you're blue.

I love peeking at what's in someone else's bookshelf. Says a lot. If you're into sketchbooks and sketching (and you must be or you wouldn't be reading this blog) check out The Doyle Diary by Charles Altamont Doyle. It's Sir Conan Doyle's father's sketchbook journal, unearthed in recent years. He created it while in an insane asylum. Doesn't make much sense, but it's fascinating, and the sketches are lovely. I picked up this old copy at The Book Shop in Penticton.

It opens with, "Keep steadily in view that this Book is ascribed wholly to the produce of a MADMAN. Whereabouts would you say was the deficiency of Intellect? or depraved taste? If in the whole Book you can find a single Evidence of either, mark it and record it against me."

Sorry Mr Doyle, but it all looks a bit crazy to me.

Day 20: Draw Something 'Dad'.

2010-05-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

What could I draw that's more 'Dad' than Dad. This is from a photo taken of him, well into his 70's, racing in the Master's Series. If you read the text (and look closely at the photo) you'll know why this was his last moment ever in a racecourse.

He's 86 now. No longer ski racing, but still the same guy on the inside. When he was sick in the hospital last year with a heart condition, I wanted to print a t-shirt with a picture of him, young and sooo handsome, that read "Treat me like I still look like this".

He's still as charming as ever, though. Just ask the ladies in the drugstore downstairs from their apartment. That's his current slalom course, making it through the labyrinth of doors from the lobby to the shops on the ground floor on his scooter. I get lost in there myself if I'm not paying attention.

Thanks for the good genes Dad.

The Great Austini

2010-05-19T22:50:00.000-07:00

Day 19: Draw Something You Made.

I think I'm a creative person. I had searched our house. Other than 2-D things like paintings and lino cuts, the only thing I found here that I made was a very clunky gravy boat. It would be charmingly naive, except I was well into adulthood when I made it. I wasn't feeling inspired.

But truly, the best thing I ever made was riding in the car with me, coming up from Vancouver for a little break from city life. We visited Grandma and Grandpa on the way through. Dad lit up when Austin came into the room. It was so nice to see. They went for a cruise around the neighbourhood, Aus walking and Dad on his scooter, while Mom, the nieces and I played a good ol' game of garbage rummy. Then we feasted, as we always do there. I'm so full now I hurt. That's how those visits always end. It's a good feeling.

Tomorrow is: Draw Something 'Dad'. I'm so looking forward to it. May have to start now. That sounds like more fun than going to bed.

I did a portrait of Austin in chalk pastel for Christmas two years ago. It's blogged here. Funny, I like the quick crayola one better.

Lion Drawing

2010-05-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

This drawing is for tomorrow, but I couldn't wait. I'm supposed to be on a Vancouver run, and I didn't want to fall behind again with this May drawing challenge.

This deck is such a sanctuary. This is where my early riser hangs out every morning while I'm still sleeping. There are a million great views with every fractional turn of the head, but this is what I see when I sit in the comfiest chair. Most mornings it is a sheet of glass with the view repeating itself perfectly in the lake. This morning is a little cloudy with a steady ripple, but it's nice enough for us.

I used my own advice (it's in my book) and drew the thing that can move first. While I was doing the rest of the drawing, Yogi was in about 15 different positions.

"Lie down like you were, or you'll end up as a line drawing".

"I think I would like to be a lion" he replied.

"No, not a lion, a line. Line drawing.".

"Oh" he sighed, and resumed his former position.

Flute Music and Ear Candles

2010-05-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

Ah, memories. I played the flute a little in elementary school. It didn't last long, but a flute was purchased and we hung onto it. When I was expecting Austin, my dad dug it out, had it refurbished, and gave it to me as a gift. I took a few lessons, but we lived in a cramped apartment with lots of neighbours - not the best time to learn an instrument. After our flautist in the woods experience, both Austin and I took it up in earnest. We had a good teacher, and we played a few duets, his flute with a bent head joint so his little fingers could reach the keys. I got almost proficient, good enough to play with the Whistler Chamber Music Group while we lived in the region. But of course, life got busy and they were put aside. I pulled mine out yet again when I moved to Penticton, joining the flute choir here. I finally played it enough to enjoy the sounds I was making. I bought Greg a clarinet for Christmas one year, since he's often boasted about how they cut an album (yes, we're that old) when he was in Junior High Band. It mostly stays in the box, and my musical interests are usually expressed on my guitar now, stomping around the living room like it's a stage, singing my heart out and having an all 'round good time. But now that this is out of the box again, who knows?!

The Champ

2010-05-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

Day 16: Draw a favorite tool
I was planning to sketch the tool I use to do lino cuts, but I couldn't find it, so the wine opener got to model for me yet again. We had Kassia and Miss Lily here this weekend while Rob and Mary-Ellen were away. It was nice to have some company at the colouring table. Now they've gone home, Greg is watching Avatar on TV, and I'm blogging and watching the amazing flash lightening show happening outside right now. We get some great lightening shows here, often followed by forest fires. Last year we were up in Kelowna taking Mom and Dad to the theatre when a forest fire struck in Westbank, blocking the road and cutting us off for days! An hour from home and it took us three days to get there. We had Austin and Chelsea with us, camped out on Grandma and Grandpa's livingroom floor. Family bonding at its finest.

Lightening is still flashing, the intergalactic battle still raging on tv, but I'm tuckered. Going to bed.

Drawing Trees, Escaping Death and Dodging Coyotes

2010-05-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

Another tough day at work. I slipped out to draw a tree for today's challenge, and ended up drawing the entire scene. This is where I work; my office is a trailer that sits about 8' past the right border of this view. That's my car. Yogi is running around the hillside behind me, but never very far.

I saw a big ol' coyote here the other day. He was right about where I'm sitting now. Every time Yogi barks with any urgency I turn my head expecting to see him on the hill behind me. But no.

This is the cross view of the lake. I'll do the North view at some point. It goes forever (well, about 70 miles) up past Kelowna, Vernon. It's so stunning. In fact, the beauty of this view almost killed me today. I was driving home from here on a little ribbon of a road above the main road, and a guy came over the hill, fast, completely on my side! I had steep bank to my right and nowhere to go on the left. I wailed on the horn and he snapped his head back from the view to the road, swerved back onto his side and carried on. Happy to be alive yet again.

Sketchcrawl!

2010-05-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

Sketchcrawl day. I hit the market early because I have to work today. It's always such a cool scene here. Good food, good music. I just had time for a couple of quick ones.

Day 12: Draw A Phone

2010-05-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Finished colouring this drawing today, which means I'm all caught up on these May Challenge sketches. Tomorrow marks the half-way point. Woo-hoo!

Here's the whole list:

1 - Draw a shoe

2 - Draw a desk lamp or other lamp 

3 - Purses, Wallets or Bags 

4 - Draw your mug or cup 

5 - Draw your bed 

6 - Draw your favorite well-loved object … or a childhood toy 

7 - Draw a bottle, jar or tin from the kitchen 

8 - Draw your watch or other piece of jewelry 

9 - Draw a bit of “organized chaos” - your messy desk, your table stacked with books, etc. 

10 - Draw your hand or hands (or someone elses if you like)

11 - Draw your glasses or sunglasses 

12 - Draw what you ate for dinner 

13 - Draw your telephone (land line, cell, old-fashioned?) 

14 - Draw what you see in the morning when you get up 

15 - Draw a tree or trees, leaves or branches 

16 - Draw a favorite tool 

17 - Draw a musical instrument 

18 - Draw the view from a window of your house, apartment, office, etc. 

19 - Draw something you’ve made 

20 - Draw something “Dad” - in honor of Fathers Day 

21 - Draw something old, antique or vintage 

22 - Draw a piece of clothing 

23 - Draw your foot 

24 - Draw a piece of fruit 

25 - Draw a glass (the kind you drink from) 

26 - Draw anything you like. If you want to draw a vegetable, that’s fine, too. 

27 - Draw a book or anything else you want. 

28 - Draw an appliance or anything else you like. 

29 - Draw something architectural or anything else. 

30 - Draw a chair or anything else you feel like. 

31 - Draw something you collect 

Day 14: Draw the first thing you see in the morning

2010-05-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

I wanted a dog for sooo long before circumstances collided and made it possible. I'm glad we waited. We ended up with the perfect boy. He makes life more fun. He's a good traveller, and he can be low maintenance when we need him to be. He loves the water so much, we can't walk by a fountain without him wanting to jump in it. He's just a big noodle head and we love him.

We've had him just over a year now. We got him here.

I was thinking I'd better stop writing about how great Greg is, getting up, making me coffee, taking care of Yogi. Some clever girl may read this and want to steal him. Well, hey clever girl, back off, he's MINE!

There. That ought to take care of that.

No line drawing this time. I forgot to scan when the drawing part was finished. Oops.

Day 13: Draw What You Had For Dinner

2010-05-13T23:38:00.000-07:00

We drove out to Kelowna for Mom's birthday tonight. I came home a bit early, thinking I would drop Yogi off, then go out and pick up her gift. When I got home, I saw the line drawing for the portrait of her and dad I was thinking of doing. It was about 3:30. We had to leave at about 5. I thought, well, why not just paint for a bit, and if it's coming together fast, I'll give her that instead of a stack of books to read.

Not having much time I think can actually help a painting. No time to muddle and overpaint. I got the painting to a point I could at lease show her. Her feet weren't visible in the reference photo, so I left them out, took the painting up as her present, looked through old pictures to see what kind of shoes she wore then, and brought it home so I can add her feet. I haven't done it yet, but you'll find the footless version below. My dad lit up when he saw it. Turns out the car is a Martin, it was tan, and they drove it for their honeymoon. He may be struggling with his memory now, but his memory for 1953 is perfectly intact.

I'm glad I did this in time for her birthday. The nieces bought her just about the same stack of books I was going to pick up. That's one good thing about painting presents - I never have to worry that I'm giving a duplicate!

Thailand Hand

2010-05-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

If I was right-handed we'd be looking at my lovely engagement ring, but I've already told that story. The scar on my wrist is from when I broke my hands and arms (yes, plural. never go rollerblading down a hill where large dogs may be running off leash). It looks the same on both hands. People always think it's carpal tunnel surgery. I used to jokingly call them blonde suicide scars, then I realized that wasn't very funny. I've stopped.

If you study Spanish (like I do) you're probably familiar with Marina Dias and Ben Curtis's 'Notes in Spanish'. If not, check it out. In one of their podcasts, Ben tells the story of being in Bangkok and getting scammed at a Gem Shop. I'd listened to it before I went on this trip, but bought the ring anyways. I just liked it.

Day 9: Draw Organized Chaos

2010-05-12T23:14:00.000-07:00

I've done so much backing and forthing over the years, I'm now very quick at packing. I know what I actually need and what turns out to be bag fodder. For example, I no longer pack gym gear. Ever. It's a fantasy thinking I'll hit the gym when I'm on the road. If I have any down time, I'm sketching or playing my guitar. If I think I'm doing anything else, I'm kidding myself, and I'm not willing to use bag space or spend energy carrying things just to maintain my own delusions anymore.

Yep, we're down to essentials. The bag doesn't change much, whether it's a three day or a three week trip.

Catch Up

2010-05-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

I can't think of how many pairs of glasses, both sunnies and regular, that I now own. They're scattered everywhere; around the house, in the car, every bag and everyplace I may experience either sunshine or the need to see. These ones are of the $12 variety. Much less painful when they get scratched, squished, stepped on or stolen.

Still loving this challenge and playing with crayons. I bought a bigger box while I was in the city, full of metallics, neons, and other fun stuff. I got a bit behind since we were trapped on the road or in business meetings pretty much around the clock. Time for a little catch-up.

Day 8: Draw Your Watch

2010-05-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

Day 8. Still standing. I started a different drawing for this challenge yesterday to get ahead of the curve, a sketch of my paper bead necklace, but it accidentally turned into a self portrait instead. I put it aside and went to the First Friday event. They had boxes of crayons and paper on all the tables. More colouring. Then I went painting all day today at the Plein Aire event.

I'm art-ed out.

I have a cramp in my art hand.

Penticton En Plein Aire: Elephant Island Winery

2010-05-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

The Penticton Art Gallery held their annual En Plein Aire event today. We all (about 20 of us artist types) were send out to the different wineries in the area to paint for the day. Maps were made up for those who wanted to drive around and watch us in action. All the works are then hung as a show in the gallery, and then auctioned off at the annual Starry Starry Night event.

Last year I painted the view from God's Mountain (here it is). I know that I'm more comfy (and have more fun) staying on the sketchbook side of art. I couldn't quite see putting a sketchbook in the show or having one go at auction, so I thought I'd do the next best thing and make my piece like a one page sketchbook adventure. It was a gorgeous day. My location was Elephant Island; a place I've painted before. There were lots of good views to choose from. I drove by there the other day and scouted locations; did a preliminary line drawing, so all I had to do today was paint. This colouring book concept is like a weed, invading everything I'm doing!

Here's the line drawing:

I may make some adjustments to the painting before I hand it over. The bottom garden sketch looks a bit blotchy, but I think I'll just live with it for a couple of days first; look at it with fresh eyes when we get back from Vancouver.

Wednesday Night Breakthrough

2010-05-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

The subject of artistic progression came up at life drawing on Wednesday. Someone was saying that they think it's easier to see progress in someone else's drawings than in your own. My last couple of sessions look virtually the same, with the exception of the fact that the model is different. Then, this Wednesday, even though my sketches aren't much different than before, I finally saw a little evidence of a shift I'd wanted to make. I have an internal struggle with the difference between making art and making a map of something. When I'm at my best, I'm experiencing something by looking at a deeper level and translating that into line/colour (blah, blah, I know). At my worst, I'm making a map. 'Leg? This shape, fill in with flesh tone. Next? Belly. Curves here, sticks out there, flesh tone. Next?'.. and so on. At the end of each session I always find myself looking at the drawings of some of my favorite Wednesday night artists and I think 'Wow, they don't make a map, they draw what's interesting to them. I want to do that.', And then then next time I forget until we all hang our drawings up at the end and I think 'Doh'.

Well, finally I caught myself in the middle of the first sketch/body map, and remembered! This second sketch, it was just the shadow of the nipple that was really a wow to me, and so I only put in what I felt supported that. Then I started with the dynamic between the coffee cup and her hand and worked my way out from there, not worrying about what would or wouldn't fit on my page. May not look like a big deal, but for me it was a Wednesday night breakthrough.

For the record, I said yes

2010-05-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

Day 7 - Draw a bottle, jar or can from your kitchen. Well, I do keep this in the kitchen. We've had it since last September, drank the first 9/10ths of it that night, and the rest has sat in the cupboard above the fridge ever since. I won't re-write the story here, but it was a very cute life moment.

Can you see the little mini self-portrait hidden in this drawing?

I'm participating in the Penticton En Plein Aire event again this year. It's tomorrow. Last year I got there and all the other artists showed up with half finished paintings. This year I'm being smarter. I went out to the site I'll be painting at (Elephant Island) and took some photos. I mapped them out last night onto watercolour paper in a sort of a storyboard layout, and will just do the painting part on site.

Kind of like I've been doing with these colouring book pages.

Crayon Memories

2010-05-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

I bought this pack of crayons to fix a divot in my parents cork floor. We picked them up at the Bargain Store in Kelowna. The floor is dark brown, and by melting a little of the black and brown crayons, mixing them together to get the right shade, and feathering it into the hole, the divot was magically returned to its original state.

The box of crayons kicked around my art bag for months, just waiting to be noticed. And now, like rediscovering a childhood friend, we're having great fun playing together EVERY SINGLE DAY! The smell of them reminds me of Mrs. Cumisky's playschool; plastic farm sets and trampolines, riding my Mom's hardwood floor polisher, running down the back lane barefoot, trying to build up the callouses on our feet.

Do you remember your first box?

Day 5: A Bed

2010-05-06T00:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, truth be told, this sketch is a bit of a cheat. My current bed is a large white square against a blank white wall. It is the most comfortable bed ever, but not very exciting to draw. I took out on old sketch of my bed in Collingwood and re-drew it for today's challenge. I actually was at M&D's house, where the bed now lives, so I was able to look at the original while sketching the details.

I loved this house. Once in a while I pine for the old house on Pine Street. I remember listening to 'Love Me Tender' stream uninterrupted through the old single pane of glass in this window late into the night during the annual Elvis festival. I remember all the intricate tile and woodwork on the fireplace surrounds. I remember how the floors looked after I had the old carpet ripped out and all the layers of the years hand scrapped and sanded off to reveal the old wood below.

I forget how the furnace died the day I moved in (in February), how not just music but every gust of wind slipped unhindered through the hundred year old windows. How, if I added up what I spent reno-ing and subtracted that from what I sold it for, it would almost equal what I paid for it. Old houses. You have to love them. There's no other way they make sense.

May EDM Challenge Day 4: Draw a Cup

2010-05-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

The fun continues. I notice my guitars keep sneaking into these drawings. How will I tell them that they're not the subject of 'Draw a Musical Instrument' Day??

I sketched this yesterday morning, then headed off to work to hold our realtor event that I've been prepping for. All went well. We had a good turn out, food was eaten, views were absorbed, materials taken, and follow-up planned. It went pretty much exactly as I'd hoped.

Afterwards, Mary-Ellen invited me to a fashion show at the Lakeside. It was beautiful. It was a triubute to the amazing Sharon Amos, who passed away a few months ago. Her two gorgeous daughters, one a hair stylist and the other a fashion retailer, stylist and glamazon, put together this amazing event. It was all retro fashions, shown in a very dream-like way, with models working the very long runway in a sort of floaty-drifty fashion, with great hair, cool parasols, and awesome music. It was also very cool to see so many of the Penticton women out in their 'city' duds. Loved it. Great job girls; your mom would be proud.

Day 3: Draw a Wallet, Purse or Bag

2010-05-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Day Three - I'm going to have to go with lighter backgrounds, or splurge on another black crayon soon.

It's funny how much colouring with crayons is stimulating my memory bank - and not just about times in the past when I was colouring. I find myself scribbling away and having the strangest things come back to me; trips I've taken, people I've known. It's an interesting type of meditation.

I did have about one billion handbags. A couple of years ago I wrote an article for the paper on excess consumerism called 'Play With the Toys You've Already Got'. Made me look at my own 'stuff' in a whole new light. I'd still rate pretty high on a 'stimulating the economy' scale, but I no longer have the need (or the energy) to transport wallet, keys, cell phone, three lip glosses, handfuls of receipts I'll lose before I ever give to my accountant and various and sundry other goodies from bag to bag to better reflect my fashion mood of the moment.

Or maybe I just upgraded to better bags.

Here's the black and whitey. Feel free to download
and do a little colouring of your own.

Day 2: Draw a Lamp

2010-05-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of the 'Every Day In May' Challenge. Turns out these crayons are bloody time consuming. What would take a moment with a wash and a fat brush takes ages, sitting and scribbling layers of colour, listening to the tv and guessing at the plot twists without looking up to see who's who. I drew this listening to some twisty turny cop mystery. Greg is doing his favorite post-dinner activity; sleeping in front of a movie. We're rarely through the opening credits before he's out. And me? Not a fan of police murder mysteries, but it's background, and the dark, edgy music is lending itself to my dark, edgy background here.

Love this lamp. It's moved with me multiple times now. It's 'on the team'; a keeper.

Here's the 'colouring book' version of the lamp. I'm having fun with these. Thanks, Liz, for inspiring me to do this.

Check out Liz's wonderful blog, The Sketching Adventures of Liz Steel and Boromini Bear. Love it!

May Colouring Book/EDM Challenge - Day 1: Shoes

2010-05-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd join in the 'May Madness' and draw the first 31 EDM challenges, one each day. I did this in Crayola crayons. I did the black line, colouring book version first, scanned, and then coloured it in like the good old preschool days. We were talking at dinner the other night about colouring books for grown-ups. I think that's what inspired me. I started out by cutting out paper to make a 31 page colouring book, totally forgetting that the black felt pen would soak through each page and the back side (and in my case the next page or two underneath) would be rendered useless. I'm so used to using good, thick watercolour paper in all my sketchbooks. Oh well, I can do these separately and stick them all together later. My intention is to stick with it for the month. Let's see how I do!

Pye and Besh Visit

2010-04-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

Two of my all time favorite artist souls stopped in for a sleepover last night on their way across the country. Pye and Besh are heading from their home in Newfoundland to visit Besh's family on Vancouver Island. I got to know Pye and Besh when I was living in Collingwood, Ontario. They came in on a timeshare presentation and I was the big bad closer. It was instant love. She is a FANTASTIC painter (http://www.keli-annpye-beshara.ca/) and he is a brilliant, revolutionary knife maker, among so many other things (http://www.beshknives.com/).

We had a big feast of a dinner. Afterward, I noticed Pye eyeing up my box of crayola crayons, sniffing them, looking wistful, so we whipped out two big pads of paper and did crayon sketches of each other. Fun! That's my version of Pye at the top of the post, and her version of me here. It was a total show-and-tell exchange of an evening, food, art, knives, business ideas. Awesome. I love you both! I'm so glad you came, and that you had a chance to meet Greg. Until the next time...

Thailand Sketchbook - Bangkok

2010-04-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Thailand Sketchbook - Phuket (

2010-04-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

Part of the Thailand Sketchbook. More to come. Thanks Ken and Janine for such a great trip!

Life Drawing yet again

2010-04-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

After all the business of new job, courses, life flux and upheaval, it felt good to shut of brain and go paint. I bought a plain old mid-sized cheap watercolour pad - no blocks to have to peel mid-session, no feeling like I have to squish 2 or 3 images on one sheet so I'm not wasting paper, and no trying to fit a figure onto a sketchbook page. These images all have the same feel, but hey, that's the mood I was in. I like this model (I like them all). I like how her glasses obscure her eyes.

Virtual Paintout Canary Islands

2010-04-19T09:18:00.001-07:00

I made a dangerous discover yesterday. I was on flickr and saw something in a title that said 'Virtual Paintout'. I had to investigate, so I googled. An artist named Bill Guffey keeps a blog where he invites artists to journey, via googlemaps, to a different place each month. Every sketch needs to be done from a googlemaps photo. The paintings on the blog are so interesting, you'd swear they were all done by a group of artists traveling the island together. I guess they sort of were. I went for a wander myself and literally got lost meandering down little lane ways, not being able to resist peeking around the next corner. When I went back to the blog, I was recognizing if not the exact locations, the feel of the places I experienced on my virtual journey. I was hooked. It was a bit difficult to settle on a spot (maybe there's something even better around the next corner), so I started emailing myself good ones, then went back and looked at them later. I chose this spot because I liked the intimate feel of people doing their thing, fishing, working, oblivious to the fact that the googlemap vehicle was cruising behind them (kind of like a sketchbook adventurer). I tried to keep it in my sketchbooky style; not make a 'studio painting' out of it. It'd be fun to do a whole sketchbook journey of a place I've never been - relying entirely on google, not just for the images, but also for the info, restaurants, museums, the works. Or maybe I'll finish the 300 projects I already have on the go.

Golden Noodles and Another Close Encounter With Danger

2010-04-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

Yogi. He's such a love ball. I showed up on my brother's doorstep with my giant hound in tow (this is an oversized chair he's in). They took good care of us all week. I spent my days doing my post licensing course, and Yogi spent them at Doggytopia. Afterwards, we'd go walk the string of interconnected parks that run from behind their house through a series of little, cul-de-sac-ish neighbourhoods. I was very glad to have him with me. I think we're both craving a little constancy in our lives right now. He's going through a phase where he really doesn't want to get in the car. Ever. He takes one look when I open the door, then backs up on his leash as far as he can go, looking woeful the whole way. He used to love the car.

Our final day in Kelowna, I went to pick him up after my course. The previous customer couldn't find her collar. A big search ensued, and I was standing, just short of drumming my fingers on the counter, waiting to pay and go. Finally the girl stopped and rung me in. We hopped in my car, top down, and drove away. The whole delay probably wasn't more than four minutes. We drove down Clement, where I'd just come from, and two blocks up was a gruesome scene. A vehicle lay flipped on it's roof, people standing around in horror, no emergency vehicles there yet. I asked someone if 911 had been called yet. "Yes". "Did this just happen?" I asked. "Minutes ago" he replied.

I looked at my tall dog, head sticking well out of the convertible, as was mine. I looked at the car flipped on its lid. I don't know what happened, but I was thankful that we had a three minute delay at the cash desk.

White Haired, Blue Eyed Beauty

2010-04-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Night Life Drawing - I absolutely

loved this model! She could hold a pose (even the t-shirt over her head) for 20 minutes without moving, which is always helpful. Far more importantly, she held a grace and a body confidence that takes some of the fear out of getting older. To a woman in her 40's (me), aware that time will continue to march on from here, that's a reassuring thing to see. She was sensual and fun, and let's face it - gorgeous! And she had a good tattoo collection, which I just didn't capture in our 20 minute

poses.

2010-03-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

Look who we ran into at the Bangkok Airport! He was on our flight Bangkok to Tokyo. I didn't bother him, but chose to stalk him from afar (like, three rows away) instead. I always thought he was a great actor, but now that I know he plays a Martin I'll be a true blue long term fan.

Sunday Sketch Date ("What's Cookin'?)

2010-01-24T15:09:00.001-08:00

My Cookbook Shelf

Met up with Diana, Mary-Ellen and Miss Lily for a Sketch Date today. We started at Smith and Co., but ended up back at our place before the sketchbooks even came out. We had a great afternoon, in spite of Yogi wanting to be up in everyone's lap (he's 75 pounds now) and eat our pencils. I didn't get a shot of Diana's drawing before she left, but here's mine, Lily's and M.E.'s.

Miss Lily's sketch

Mary-Ellen's sketch

November Sketch Crawl

2010-01-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

Went out on the last sketch crawl in Penticton. There were 6 of us, and we met up at the Penticton Art Gallery. The first sketch happened there, and then the chill set in and we headed to Fibonacci's to do a little inside sketch crawling. Twas lovely, and nice to spend some time with other people doing something creative. I haven't drawn a thing since, and this was months ago! Hmmm, time to get out and practice what I preach. I'm meeting up with Diana and Mary-Ellen this aft, probably at the Cannery, for a little sketch/drink coffee session.

Below are the sketches from my fellow November Crawlers:

2010-01-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

A&EWeekend

Seeing the world around you

STEVE KIDD

Western News Staff

Watercolour sketching

might just be easier

than you think

Thanks Steve Kidd for the article in this Friday's paper. To read the article go to http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/pentictonwesternnews/entertainment/81602862.html

I have to confess I've been so absorbed in work over the past several weeks that I haven't been sketching ONCE! Time to take my own advice.

2009-11-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

I spent a chunk of the day at Coles Book Store in Cherry Lane Mall signing copies of my book. It was great. I sold a some books, met some great people, and got a little sketching done to boot! If you missed it, I’m there again tomorrow, and at Mosaic Books in Kelowna in early December.

As I’m sitting in Coles Book Store, our Grand Re-Opening of our Chatters Salon is happening next door. We’ve been giving free cuts all day to raise money for a new CT Scan at the hospital here in town. There was a huge line up by the time we opened the doors at nine, and it’s been building ever since. The wait is a couple/few hours, and people are waiting. The stylists have been handling it like champions; quick pace but still doing great work. Lots of happy people (with great new hair!) are walking out of here today. The stylists are coming out into the mall common to catch a quick break. We have 8 chairs at this salon, and 10 stylists today, and they’re in constant motion. Go team! We ended up pulling in over $1,000 in donations.

Day 2 of the WSBJ Workshop at the PAG

2009-10-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

Today was the 2nd half of my workshop at the Penticton Art Gallery. We went over the successes and challenges of their sketchbook experiences of the week, and then we set loose in and around the gallery. The current exhibit in the main gallery was perfect for sketching - very textural 3 dimensional work in a variety of materials. Between this and the Japanese garden behind the gallery, there was no shortage of complex subject matter! I really enjoyed this whole workshop experience. The group was fun and very keen. Some really great sketches have emerged already, and I think there’s some real interest to keep some kind of sketch group going. Stay tuned!

Eduardo Salavisa talks about sketchbooks

2009-10-24T11:36:00.001-07:00

Eduardo Salavisa talks about sketchbooks
Originally uploaded by Urban Sketchers

I love what he says about sketchbooks being different from individual drawings. I'm going to show this at my Sketchbook Journaling Workshop today - then head outside, because it's BEAUTIFUL out there today. Drawings to come!

Hey, I can see our house from here!

2009-10-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

I asked the people in my workshop to keep a sketchbook this week, and I suppose I can’t be the exception! It’s good - it’s reminding me to take a moment out in the middle of a busy time and fill up my creative cup. Side benefit - you can’t think about profit margins when you’re trying to figure out what colour a clump of leaves are. That thing that looks like a giant peach in the left foreground really IS a giant peach. It’s the concession stand at the beach in front of our house.