Work in progress...

acrylics and colored pencils on 8x10 inch gallery-wrapped canvas

This morning I was in the mood for some children's illustrating. Since I had this sketched out already, I just needed to get out the paints and add color with acrylics and some details with colored pencils. Hearts and dragonflies--flowers and pretty dresses. It's always fun to play with "girlie-girl" colors; perfect for a "little princess" room. :)

afternoon art

Combining magazine clippings with some simple sketches--enjoying a relaxing afternoon reading, drawing, and writing. Green tea and a piece of cake was a bit indulgent but really added to the overall experience. :)

Graduation

So, it seems like I woke up one day not so long ago, delivered a baby girl prematurely, diapered, burped her, educated and nurtured her, then in a flash watched as she navigated through high school with straight A's and delivered a speech at her high school graduation ceremony last week. Yes, it felt like only a few short weeks spent with her. How does time warp our realities into something barely recognizable? It all seems so fuzzy now. I wish I could remember every minute, every nuance. I will have to be content with photos and journal notes to jog some of these fading memories; there was so much joy along the way. I need a rewind button please!

But there is no such button--time moves us forward... so, congratulations to our girl. She is done with high school and heading off to violin camp this summer, then on to Yale in the fall. She is now entering that odd, warped-speed zone where holidays, birthdays, and events go screaming past in a blur. I hope I have taught her well; I hope she remembers to soak up and delight in all the beauty along the way. Don't miss a thing! We love you Caitlin!

quick bird sketch

A quick art moment during coffee break here at home today. Charcoal and watercolor pencils in my small moleskine.

Been super busy with Caitlin's graduation this week. I'll try to post a photo or two of the event soon. She'll be taking off for violin camp at the end of this month, so our summer feels very short indeed! :(

orange wildflowers

The simple, happiness of orange... makes me smile--watercolor pencils in my small moleskine. I'm ready for a joy-filled weekend, are you? :)

the beauty

watercolor pencils in my small moleskine

There is a lake that I run to where the turtles outnumber the red-wing blackbirds, where the fish glide along the shallow bottom, barely stirring the glassy water. Along the rim of the lake, white egrets poke through the cattails and purple water weeds, looking for something edible; the hawks bully the crows high in the treetops enforcing their territorial claim.

Yesterday was a morning of such incredible beauty; one of those moments when the songs in the I-pod were perfectly in sync with the movements of nature and the sun danced on the water in time with the rhythm of song. A time when the heart is weeping inside for the joy of living in such a dream--it's a millisecond of earth-beauty that makes you forget the oil spills, the economic challenges, and the shortcomings of man. It's a time when you just know... you just know that love and beauty come from the same place. It's not a mystery at all, not if you remember to watch for the signs. So I sketch, to recall the sensation, to re-live that which should not be forgotten. Pure beauty is intoxicating.

back to the larger book

Back to the composition notebook where there is complete freedom to re-work, edit, spill, and dump---I still enjoy the no-fuss way of the simple lined marbled children's book for playing with paint.