Deep Thoughts on a Patio
This is a quick gouache sketch of three men thinking deep thoughts at the end of the day.
Flowers on a Scarf
Yesterday one of my friends showed a painting she did of flowers in a vase. It was so gorgeous that it inspired my choice of subjects to paint today. My garden is between flowers right now but I did have a few geraniums and an iris to gather onto my desk. This is a gouache and pastel sketch in a 12 X 12 inch Derwent sketchbook.
The Critique
It was wonderful to meet again with my plein air class. Returning students were encouraged to bring a sketch for a critique since we would not be painting on this first day of the fall semester. It can be hard to put up your art work for group feedback, but feedback helps us learn. Starting off the semester with a critique set an expectation for serious work and heightened my anticipation for the learning we will do together.
The facial expressions that people make while they are learning fascinate me and I was grateful that I had a chance to observe and sketch the body language of my classmates as we organized for a semester of learning. Their open mouths, slack faces, hands on the neck or face, arms hugging and quiet bodies are the same indicators of learning that I used to see in middle school before I retired and show how much my classmates and I want to learn from our teacher.
I began this sketch with pastel pencils in class and this evening added more color with gouache paint. I sketched in a 12 X 12 inch Derwent sketchbook.
Eclipse with a Friend
I wanted to make the sun far above the girls and so I used both sides of a Moleskine sketchbook. The sketch is made with gouache and measures 5 X 18 inches. The image below is a closeup of the two friends.
Close-up of Eclipse with a Friend
Setting Up a Sun Shade
Today was a travel day and, while I am glad to be back home, I am sad that I did not paint today. I drew this a few days ago when I was sketching on the beach in Florida. I noticed a group down the beach who were working together to set up a sun shade. Even though they too far away to really see I sketched them anyway. I liked their energy and cooperative spirit.
This is a gouache and pastel sketch in a 9 X 9 inch black paper sketchbook
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Making Dinner
Our hosts made dinner and so much more for us this week in Florida. And I had fun making quick sketches of them in action. I like the harmony of these two and think I caught a bit of it in this sketch.
This is a gouache and pastel sketch in 12 by 12 inch black Derwent sketchbook.
Beach Frisbee at Sunset
I stood on the balcony sketching as the sun went down. I don’t know which was harder, trying to catch the quick motions of the people or the fleeting colors of the sky. Both were gorgeous and I worked as fast as could hoping to capture it all.
This is a gouache and pastel sketch on in a 9 X 9 inch black paper Semikolon sketchbook.
Deliberate Sketching 