What could be better than fresh fish to celebrate the birthdays of my oldest brother and youngest sister, the two bookends of our large family?
Happy Birthday to Bill and Lisa!
Sunday was a foggy morning, but the Urban Sketchers were in full force along the San Diego Harbor. The light was muted, beautiful, and in shades of blue, especially on the water’s surface.
The last time I painted the Coronado Bridge, I made a note to myself not to include so many of its pillars, and this time I remembered to place only three of them on my paper. I did the sky and bridge before adding the ships as I had hoped to sketch in an oversized navy vessel. Instead, I made do the smaller ship you see above. It is painted twice, the front on the left and the back on the right.
Yesterday afternoon I began to sketch a couple sitting on a log looking over at the gigantic Moreton Bay Fig Tree that dominates Balboa Park’s eastern side as you walk in from the parking lot. An arch from two yellow rain trees framed the couple and looked romantic. I had hardly started when the couple jumped up and moved on. I was sad to see them go as I had hardly finished their silhouettes.
I liked my start, so I continued and worked on the fig tree’s enormous 30- foot long roots. A little family came to rest and play in the fig tree’s shade. Soon they got up but not before I sketched them in with my gouache.
At this point, I liked the couple and the family. But the background had become a mystery shape with a vaguely threatening aura. Time goes so fast when you are painting, and it was time to stop and share paintings with other Urban Sketchers.
This morning, I thought of turning the tree roots into fields, and I like the scene much better.
The San Diego Urban Sketchers Symposium kicked off tonight with a Drink and Draw in Little Italy. The plaza overlooks the harbor and seats a good-sized crowd. We all visited and made art together as the sun went down. It was fun to move around the tables, meet the artists who came from distant places, and see their amazing art.
Zoro Garden is a sunken garden squeezed between two large buildings at Balboa Park. On three sides, it is built up with stonework nooks that shelter plants attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. This view is towards the fourth side and a hiking path beneath a bridge. The morning light made its way through the foliage and caught my attention.
You are not supposed to swim in the Santa Margarita River, even when it is sweltering. But there are a few spots where the trail crosses the river, and people are allowed to wade to the other side. These two adventurers made the most of the crossing, clearly enjoying each drop of water along the way. It was lovely to see how they relished this part of the trail.
It’s Tuesday, so our group of artists met on the internet to paint a still life scene together. The contrast between the rectangular books and marbles made this a fun sketch to make.
Deliberate Sketching 