It was the final afternoon of my painting getaway at Canaan Valley and I had gone for a short hike with my friends Jane and Elaine to stretch our legs and grab one final sketch before the sun set. We found a beautiful spot beside the river, quickly set up our stools, and got out our art gear.
Category: Nature Journaling
Girlfriend Getaway
Some of my happiest memories are of girlfriend getaways, whether it’s with the girls in my family or a group of sketching buddies. Where women gather, fun happens! It doesn’t matter where you go; it’s being together that makes it special. The pandemic halted all my scheduled art retreats a year and a half ago, […]
Fall Sketches
Autumn is a great time for sketching in western Pennsylvania. Our fall foliage rivals that of New England, and we always enjoy lots of beautiful, clear, sunny days before the dreariness of late November sets in. Would you like to see what I’ve been sketching this fall in our neck of the woods? Our driveway, […]
Sketches from Oak Island
We take a family beach vacation every year, with kids, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents all sharing a house and spending long days together hanging out at the beach. But this year, for the first time, Fred and I had a chance to spend a second week at Oak Island, NC, later in the year, […]
Sketches from Alpine Lake
The past few weeks have flown by and, with all that’s going on with finishing up our new house, I’m afraid I’ve fallen behind in posting some of the sketches I’ve done recently. So, I thought I’d play catch-up and show you some of what I’ve been up to. I went to Alpine Lake several […]
Sketching at Oglebay
Earlier this week, I had a chance to get together with some of my art friends at beautiful Oglebay Park in Wheeling, WV, for a few hours of sketching (and chatting, of course!) It was a blisteringly hot day, but there were plenty of shady spots where we could settle in to draw. I couldn’t […]
Laurel Hill Sketch
Fred and I went camping last week at Laurel Hill State park. It’s up in the mountains east of Pittsburgh, a great place to get away from it all. (Translation: there was no cell service.) Our campsite at Laurel Hill When I talk about camping, I really mean “glamping” – we aren’t exactly roughing it […]
Rocky Mountain Creek Sketch
Our three-day camping trip earlier this month to Caledonia State Park near Chambersburg, PA, was a spur-of-the-moment getaway. Just finding an open site at any campground is a challenge these days, so we were lucky to find a spot in the heart of central Pennsylvania just a few hours from home. If you’d like to […]
Three-View Rhododendron Sketch
It’s been a great year for rhododendrons here where I live in western Pennsylvania. FYI – The oranges & grape jelly on the bird feeder post are for the Baltimore orioles These bushes are right outside my kitchen window, so I get to enjoy these glorious blooms over the course of two weeks or so […]
Sketching Wildflowers at Enlow Fork
Come along with Leslie and her sketching friends as they walk, sketch, and enjoy a huge variety of spring wildflowers at Enlow Fork nature preserve in western Pennsylvania. (Includes a step-by-step painting tutorial!)