Once you choose a subject, from what angle should you draw it? That was the decision I faced with these Vermont flowers. Here’s the view I painted of one bouquet looking down from above, and thus showing the totality of the flowers.
You may remember this painting of a different bouquet, which I posted in early September, from a more traditional angle. Which do you prefer?
Yesterday was unseasonably warm, so Bruce and I went out on the Charles River in our kayaks, which our neighbors the Haywoods are kind enough to let us leave in their yard. The colors of the trees lining the river are getting subdued, and golds and oranges are beginning to creep in. I blame any uneven lines on the rocking of the kayak. And who needs a cup of water when the river is right there? If you look closely, you can see the two birds and the wood duck box on the left, and of course the kayaker on the right.
This week I’ll be posting a few more summer memories. Here’s a view of Lake Winnipesaukee, N.H., from a hammock on Sandy Island.
And if you live in the Boston area, you’re invited next Friday, 9/28 to an Art Night. I’ll be talking about “Everyday Sketching to Enrich Your Life,” and my paintings will be for show and sale. Catie Curtis is a fabulous singer! Here are the details:
When my friend Brenda and I went on a painting date recently, she suggested we try to sketch the Allen House, a historic site in Newton, MA near where we live, which was once a station on the Underground Railroad. We sat in the front yard of the house for an hour, me cursing repeatedly over the problems of perspective. Later at home, with a photo to jog my memory, I painted the sketch. This is a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook which folds out into a double landscape format.
Since Labor Day I’ve only posted one painting a week, but I’m resolving now to get back to twice a week, which go out Monday and Friday at 5 p.m.
The white pines of New England are such majestic trees. This one in our yard in easily 80 feet tall.
I love sketchbooks which are “Landscape Mode,” like this Moleskine Watercolor 5″ x 8 3/4″. (A tall sketchbook is called “Portrait Mode.”) They give you the option to turn them on their side to draw something tall and thin, or do a long view, as you will see with next Friday’s sketch.
Our long-time friend and neighbor Bill Saunders died unexpectedly on Wednesday from an accidental fall. May peace come to his spirit, and to his wonderful family.
This gorgeous bouquet, grown at a nearby organic farm, was for sale at the Miller’s Thumb in Greensboro, VT where we have a family cottage. But flowers, like summer, fade, so it felt right to make a more permanent image on watercolor paper.
