From a Rooftop Terrace

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan

After spending most of the day looking at the art exhibitions at the Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, I rested and sketched on its rooftop terrace. Other people had the same idea, including two men who sat across the way.

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The Old and the New

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan

Something I enjoy about Denmark is how artifacts from different periods coexist and complement each other. This sketch shows a modern windmill and a nineteenth-century farmhouse on the island of Funen. Different versions of this theme can be seen all across the country, a high rise next to a historic church, a cobblestone road beneath electrical transmission towers, or a metro station in the woods.

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Rest Break

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan

We stopped by the side of the road on the island of Funen in Denmark, so I could take photos and sketch a bit. I turned to come back to the car and noticed my husband solving his NYT crossword on his phone. I liked the whole scene, did a rapid line sketch, and finished it up today with gouache.

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Sunset on Samsø Island

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan

We visited Denmark’s Samsø Island for a few days of biking and hiking. On our last evening, we climbed Ballebbjerg Hill, the highest point on Samsø at 209 feet (64 meters). It was a great place to watch the sunset and do a little sketching.

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A Thirty-Seven Year Old Idea

Posted on May 9, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan

Two old scholars, working together on an idea that has eluded them for thirty-seven years, notice it is a delightful day and decide not to waste a moment of it. They take their notes and computers outside, sit along the garden wall, and keep working, allowing the idea to be warmed over by the spring sun.

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Danish Fields of Yellow

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan

I started a second sketch at Nivå yesterday, from the same spot as the one of the jogger, but looking 90 degrees to my right. I like it because the immense field of yellow extends across the full page, practically filling it with its yellow color.

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Jogging along a Danish Byway

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan

I was tempted to call this ‘Jogging along the Blue Roads of Denmark’ since blue roads read like water, and the title would alert the viewer that these blue areas are roads, not rivers. But this sketch is more about moving through the serenity of the Danish landscape than the color of the streets and paths.

The yellow fields are a vegetable oil crop beginning to bloom in the farm areas. There are places where the fields dominate the landscape, and I am certain these plants will show up in more of my sketches soon.

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