This reader’s absorption in his book caught my eye. The sea was wild around him but apparently not wild enough to distract him from the plot of his beach book. As an avid reader myself, I know this feeling and wanted to know what he was reading.
The day of the dead is coming up in five days. Yesterday the Zoom sketching group worked on a still life commemorating this event. The image above was my small planning sketch. I like it more than my large piece below because the skull’s expression reminds me of the ones in the Disney movie, Coco.
A few weeks ago, one of the Tuesday night painters set up a still life with an old sewing machine, a skirt hanging in the window, and other sewing items. I liked how the scene evoked memories of sewing rooms from my youth. Without planning, I began to paint rapidly, expecting to capture the nostalgia I felt.
Two hours later, when it was time to quit, I was dissatisfied with the sketch. The composition was awkward. The blind was only on the right side, leaving a large blank space. The skirt extended below the base of the sewing machine and seemed as though it might be a curtain.
I kept fiddling with the painting over the next two weeks. I shortened the skirt, extended the blinds, and added small details. Unfortunately, the color below the skirt is now overworked, but even so, I like it better.
We visited relatives in Southern Arizona near the Dragoon Mountains. Our hosts were terrific and entertained us with visiting, biking, hiking, feasting, throwing a frisbee for the dogs, and admiring the landscape as it changed throughout the day.
The Dragoon Mountains dominate the view from the house, and I sketched them several times. The landscape’s varied planes fascinated me, and I tried to capture the sculptured look of the mountains and boulders in my sketches. I took lots of photos and plan to make some studio paintings of these mountains when I am home again.
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The Cabrillo Bridge spans the freeway that cuts through the edge of Balboa Park in San Diego. From it, you can see the steep canyon side and the towers of the Museum of Us that rise above the foliage. It is a great place to stop and take in the vista, and a great place to paint. I was there this week and wanted to capture the chaos of all the trees and bushes.
The San Diego Watercolor Society painted today at the Trevi Hills Winery in Lakeside. This was our first large paintout in twenty-one months and something to celebrate.
The light was sharp and fierce, backlighting the olive trees, grapevines, and dried grasses. I remembered how much I like the combination of Quinacrine Violet and Yellow Ochre for suggesting backlit scenes, particularly when combined with light blues.
I was nearly finished when I noticed a few individuals helping each other pack up. I put them in the painting but am still uncertain about this call.
My Tuesday Zoom group continues to paint still-life scenes. After two months, I look forward to the challenge that this kind of subject provides.
I began this sketch by painting all the basic shapes directly on black paper with gouache. Then I enhanced the sketch by drawing over the gouache with a black chalk marker. I think I see the influence of my recent trip to the Grand Canyon in how I treated the shapes and colors of the vase and of the linens.
Deliberate Sketching 