We have been taking long walks and venturing along roads we would not normally go along. Yesterday we came across a house on a corner lot that must belong to dedicated gardeners. There was a wonderful collection of colors, textures, and shapes, all begging to be painted. I took several photos and used them for this sketch. But, when we can paint in public again, I will have to go back to that house on Adams Street.
This little aloe plant exerts a cheerful presence on the coffee table. Its petals have a mix of muted colors that, as much as I look at them, I can’t quite describe with my paint brush.
After a week of rain, our typically gorgeous San Diego weather has returned. We walked up to the college prepared to linger a little longer than the usual brisk walk allowed under the sheltering-in-place guidelines. My husband had his book, and I had my sketchbook. We both wore our face masks, no longer even thinking twice about them.
After spending some time drawing the spring flowers, I noticed my husband reading away. It dawned on me that his pose with book and face mask in the middle of a deserted university was a commentary on our times. I turned the page in my sketchbook and quickly captured the moment.
This is a 9 x 9 gouache sketch in a black Bristol board photo album.
I got a photo showing my son and his beloved in face masks, which are now required in most parts of California whenever we leave our homes. There was a lot of expression in their faces, and I played around trying to capture it in a sketch.
This is week five of sheltering in place. We are all fine although we now know people who have had confirmed cases of COVID-19. So, wear those masks, stay home, and be safe.
For Alana, who sent me a bouquet of sunflowers out of the blue. After a month of sheltering in place, the sunflowers are an incredible richness. I have had such fun looking at them, moving them around the house, thinking about them, and painting them. It is an incredible gift, thank you Alana!
Sheltering in place has caused me to notice how much I like where we live. I cleaned out some of the big planters by the front door and then had the pleasure of painting them twice without rushing at all. Hiding from coronavirus is not all bad.
The angel is a piece my father carved and painted. He gave it to us some twenty years ago and it has stood at the front door with a matching angel all this time. To me it says something like, “Enter this home with peace in your heart.”
I am taking an online course and learning to paint with acrylic on wooden panels. Learning to control the paint is challenging. I wanted to retreat back to my beloved gouache for this composition, but for the first time since I began to use acrylic, I began to see its strengths. I think I will begin to use both mediums together soon.
I have been so distracted by the coronavirus news that focusing on a sketch has been quite a challenge. It felt good today to actually finish a painting.
These pots are on our back deck and are such a pleasure to see each morning. Sheltering in place means I get to spend more time with them, and perhaps more time sketching them too.
Deliberate Sketching 