Yesterday morning I sketched with the San Diego Urban Sketchers at Liberty Station. The water was calm and there were many paddle boaters out on the water.
I met up with friends to paint at San Diego’s Shelter Island. This time of year, the sun is hot, and we pretty much need to stand in the shade when painting. I was in the shadows of the next tree over and about to paint the harbor. Then I noticed the adjacent group. Although they huddled under the same tree, each artist was turned and capturing a different slice of the surroundings. I thought their positions said something interesting about the group’s individuality. I also liked this scene because it conveys our local story of loving to be outside painting even as we do our best to stay hidden from the sun
Our younger child, David, has a birthday today. I wanted to celebrate by making a card that says something about who he has become in these last 38 years. The enormity of summarizing a complex and wonderful human on a single card nearly did me in. Eventually, though, I got to thinking about how his work brings him such pleasure and how accomplished he is. So I drew him at the computer and overlaid the screen with code and images that I hope convey blockchains. The next part, giving David’s face the expression it gets when an idea charms him, was harder, but eventually, I got one that I thought was true to him. Finally, I made a background with a hint of a graph since graphing goes with data crunching. Then I had the fun of including his age and a toss of confetti, in a nod to those childhood birthday cards.
Happy Birthday Dear David!
My great-nephew is a great kid. He is an enthusiastic participator, and his presence makes everything more fun. At our reunion just now, he played all the games, went on all the hikes, made lots of art, and was fun to be with. He is also an avid follower of professional sports and kept up on all the latest baseball scores through his phone.
I like this sketch of him pondering the latest baseball results because it conveys his ability to focus intensely on matters he finds important.
I am back in San Diego but have a few sketches from our camping trip that I did not yet post. This one shows a few people from our large family doing crossword puzzles together. I like this sketch because it caught the looks of puzzlement and discussion that often pass over our faces as we consider possibilities.
It was clear and bright this morning. I looked across the meadow at the row of juniper trees that rim the meadow. I liked how the shadows were long and pointed at a particular juniper tree.
Something particularly wonderful about our summer reunions is painting together. I was so happy to sketch two of my great-nephews, niece, brother, and sister, sitting at the same table while working away on art projects.
Deliberate Sketching 