With the cooler days we’re having now, I was feeling a little sad to see summer on its way out. I really enjoy all the flowering shrubs and perennials that brighten up our yard in the summertime, and I’m just not ready to say goodbye to them yet. Then I started looking a little closer […]
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Feel Like a Kid Again in My New Fall Classes
Remember how much fun you had with art as a kid? Back then you felt free to create without fear or self-consciousness, and you were limited only by your imagination. Your style wasn’t like anyone else’s and you didn’t care what anyone thought of your artwork – you did it just for yourself, for the […]
Flashback to the Fifties: Alice’s Jello Salad
Here’s a fun commission piece I did recently… This is a recipe that’s been in my customer, Pam’s, family for generations. It’s a favorite at every large family gathering. The long-running joke is that it’s usually forgotten in the refrigerator until after all the other desserts have been eaten. Then suddenly someone will remember Alice’s […]
Mushroom Sleuthing
I was on a quest. A mushroom quest. As I rambled through the woods, I had noticed a few colorful little gems peeking out from under the carpet of dried brown leaves beneath my feet, and that only made me want more. Aquabee Super Delluxe sketchbook, 9″ x 12″, watercolor and Sakura Pigma Micron 01 […]
Step-by-Step Watercolor: Lake Scene
I visited my mother last week at Alpine Lake, West Virginia, and while I was there spent a wonderfully relaxing couple of hours following the walking trail that meanders through the woods along the shoreline. There are so many pretty, sketch-worthy scenes, but I finally chose this one: Stillman & Birn Zeta series sketchbook, 7″ […]
Painting a House Portrait Using Simple Sketching Techniques
How did this little sketch… 5 1/2″ x 3 1/2″, ink & watercolor in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook lead to this finished painting? 14″ x 10″, ink, watercolor, and gouache on 140 lb. Saunders Waterford paper Well… when my dentist and his wife saw the sketch I did of the coffee corner in their office […]
A Dream Fulfilled…Teaching in Tuscany!
Ever since I sketched my way through Italy a year ago, I’ve dreamed of going back one day and taking a group of sketching friends with me. Well, my friends, it’s happening! I’ve been invited to return to Tuscany in 2015 to teach sketchbook journaling, and I’d love for you to come along! In early […]
Summerhill Sketching + Two Delicious Summer Recipes
Yesterday afternoon I hosted my July “Sketching at Summerhill” session. It was a gorgeous summer day around here, with blue skies, puffy clouds, and lots of flowers showing off their colors. We had such a great time sketching, talking, eating, and relaxing, and I thought you might want to take a peek and see what […]
It’s A Perfect Day in Maine
I’m in Maine on vacation with my mother, sister, niece, and good-friend-who’s-like-a-sister, and we’re having the BEST time! We’re staying in a pretty house in Owls Head, just south of Rockland in mid-coast Maine. The weather has been amazing – the air is crisp and clear and everything is so gorgeous I can hardly stand […]
Step-by-Step Watercolor: How to Paint a Blue Hydrangea
Everybody loves hydrangeas. They’re big and showy, and the range of colors runs from the palest baby blue to deep burgundy and purple. I love them all, but my favorite has always been the traditional blue mophead hydrangea, and I thought you might enjoy seeing step-by-step photos of how I go about painting one. 6-1/2″ […]
