In yesterday’s post (Part 1), we were at the point where all the pre-op testing for my husband Fred’s heart surgery had been done, and he was set to go. Those two weeks between the testing and the actual surgery crawled by, but we kept busy trying to get some Christmas decorations up and holiday […]
Tag: Sketchbooks
Heart Therapy and Art Therapy – Part 1
I’ve been writing this blog since 2010, and throughout that time, I’ve always tried to walk the fine line between sharing my life and protecting the privacy of my family. Over the next few days, though, I’m going to share a very personal story with you in the hopes that it might help someone else […]
More Maine Favorites
We’ve been traveling to Maine since my kids were little. We’ve made a lot of great memories along the way, and now a new generation is falling in love with this place that captured my heart all those years ago. One of my grandchildren actually said the other day that he’d rather go to Maine […]
Boat Rides and Burgers in Bruges
There’s never enough time to sketch everything I’d like to when I’m traveling, so it’s nice to know that I have options for capturing memories even when I can’t take the time to draw and paint. I sometimes print out photos on matte photo paper and glue them into my journals after a trip, but […]
Watercolor Map of Bruges’ Historic Center
I love watercolor maps, don’t you? I’ve only done a few of them, but I have resolved to include one in every one of my travel journals going forward, because they’re a great way to see the big picture. They can give you a condensed version of the peak experiences of a tour or vacation […]
Belgian Chocolates!
One of the best things about a trip to Bruges is the CHOCOLATE. Walking around the city, you’re never more than a few steps away from a mouthwatering window display designed to lure you inside a sweet-smelling den of indulgence. The biggest challenge comes in choosing when and where to succumb to temptation. 7.5″ x […]
Sketching the Towers of Bruges
The idea for this page came to me because I was pressed for time. It was the first day of my Bruges workshop, and I had been busy all morning teaching and helping students with their sketches. When there was finally a break in the action, I sat down to sketch at our location in […]
Sketching in Bruges
On my first full day in Bruges, I went out to explore the city. Bruges is wonderfully walkable. All of the highlights of the historic district are within a 20-minute walk from the main square. Everywhere you look, there are beautiful old buildings, interesting architectural details, and tempting chocolate shops, making it fun to meander […]
Sketchbook Journeys: Belgium
I returned from my spring teaching trip to Belgium and Croatia a few weeks ago, and I’ve been getting up early most mornings since I got home to work on finishing up my travel journal. I have a long way to go until I can close the book on that 3-1/2 week trip, but I’ll […]
Canaan Valley Sketches
I’m flying off to California tomorrow to teach my “Sketch Your Life” workshop at the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society, but before I go, I wanted to share a few of the sketches/paintings I did last week at Canaan Valley, West Virginia. My friend Jane has a house that’s just a few miles from Canaan […]
