For this week’s Tuesday night still life, we placed a spotlight low on the table, emphasizing the shadows the objects cast.
We have been delighted to have three generations of my husband’s cousins in town for their spring break. Despite our rain, they have maintained an ambitious schedule for themselves. They have already been to the zoo, taken the ferry to Coronado Island, visited the ships at the Maritime Museums, enjoyed the Mission Trails Nature Center, played at La Jolla Shores, admired the seals at the Children’s Pool Beach, and stayed up too late playing games and talking with us. But their pace caught up with them this afternoon when they sat on the couch while the six-year-old and I drew. Since I always appreciate models who hold still, I took advantage of their exhaustion and made these three sketches of the cousins on the couch.
The San Diego Horticulture Society held its 2023 Spring Tour today, and I was honored to be a featured artist in the Shades of Green & Circle Garden in Del Mar, a coastal city north of San Diego.
The garden’s design creates a sense of rest and contemplation. For example, a small yellow table and chair caught my eye because they would suit me perfectly for my morning coffee and journal writing. This first piece, painted before the crowds came, captures this feeling for me.
The garden’s simplicity made it easy to appreciate the plants and features. For example, as you approach the front door, these two pots with agave plants command the viewer’s attention.
As the day progressed, the garden filled with visitors. I enjoyed overhearing the talk of ardent gardeners, and it made me realize that the day was as much about the gardeners as the garden. This last piece is a sketch of people milling about as they enjoyed their gardenly discussions.
There are favored reading spots in our home, and one that remains special to our grown kids is reading on the living room couch. Our daughter was home for the weekend, and I had to smile when I noticed her all cuddled up in a red blanket on the couch, just like in the old days. I snapped a photo of her with my camera and later, after she left, painted this with gouache on a small sheet of toned Colourfix paper.
I moved the potted azaleas around for a few days and think this may be the perfect place for painting them over the next few years.
Narcissus make me smile, I hope you get a smile from these too.
Junípero Serra Museum is an iconic San Diego landmark. It sits on a hill with views to the west of Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, to the southwest of our downtown, and to the north of Mission Valley. I usually paint one of the views, but today painted the building itself.
Deliberate Sketching 