One of my sisters encouraged us to do gentle yoga along the mesa’s edge, and we all agreed it was a wonderful place for yoga. I loved how the setting sun silhouetted the figures with rays and backlighting, and I later did this little sketch to try and catch the moment.
The bent tree is a landmark at our annual reunion on my brother’s land. It is in the midst of the common area, is very long, and rises at a 45-degree angle to a height of five feet or so before turning and growing upright. Because of its unusual shape, it makes a great playground structure for young climbers and provides a terrific support for the teens to stand on in nearly every reunion photo over these 40 years.
When I watch this youngest group of kids playing beneath the bent tree, I remember all the others, some now middle age, who played there each summer. I love the sense of continuity it evokes and am full of gratitude for my brother and sister-in-law, who have been so kind and generous to us over the years, welcoming all of us and giving us a place to camp, spread out, and reconnect.
Waking up to the first rays of sun is one of the best parts of camping.
My brother loves the trees on his 80 acres, and today I sketched one of his favorites. It sits in a ponderosa grove on the mesa and, with its split trunk, coloring, and heights, is particularly striking. I did not include the other trees, instead choosing the view beyond the trees, thinking it shows this favored tree better this way.
The very youngest member of our group is wild about swinging under the pine trees, especially when pushed by his Granny. I like this quick sketch because it eliminates all the business going on nearby and focuses on the most important- swinging under the pines with Granny.
Family reunions are so much fun, especially ones with twenty-some people aged from 1 to 76. Here is a composite sketch showing some of the people and camping setups at our annual family reunion. Imagine twice the number of people and trailers, tons of food, lots of hiking, chatting, games, and art, and you will have a pretty good idea of what it is like here in the four-corner area of Colorado this week. This is a double spread from a 13-inch square sketchbook. The individual pages are shown below.
These wildflowers were too beautiful not to paint.
Deliberate Sketching 