Fall to winter

7"x9" Strathmore watercolor field sketchbook

A Japanese Maple lives outside our kitchen window. I've watched it turn flaming colors.

It was planted when my son was 3 years old. At the time it was about as tall as he was. Now it’s about 7 feet and he’s close to my height- 5′7″.
I’ve been watching the leaves fall and thinking how amazingly quick time passes.
Winter is on the way.

Above is my loose sketch and
Below is my tighter version
I did the tighter one first and thought it needed to loosen up a bit.
7"x9" Strathmore watercolor field sketchbook


7"x9" in my Strathmore watercolor field sketchbook


I think I like this 3rd version above the best.

And finally, now the leaves are mostly gone.
7"x9" in my Strathmore watercolor field sketchbook

"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show. "
quote by ~Andrew Wyeth

My morning habit

5x7 watercolor and pencil on Arches

Last week I began painting first thing in the morning right after breakfast -- with tea of course!
5x7 watercolor and pencil on Arches

I'm trying to make this a habit.
5x7 watercolor and pencil on Arches

These are some of my "sky paintings" from last week.
5x7 watercolor and pencil on Arches

It was pretty overcast and rainy much of the time....
5x7 watercolor and pencil on Arches

"The sky is darkening like a stain; Something is going to fall like rain, And it won't be flowers"-Auden,W(ystan) H(ugh)
'The Witness'.

Screamin Sea Gulls

"Screamin Gull" after seeing Jamie Wyeth's "Seven Deadly Sins" exhibit
5x7 Watercolor by Judy Beck Lobos

I visited the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford PA last Saturday.

It's the home to a large collection of Wyeth paintings -- N.C. (Newell Convers 1882-1945), the father of Andrew and Grandfather of Jamie and also illustrations by Howard Pyle who taught N.C. among others. Check out "The Painter's Keys" -- this week Robert Glenn writes about N.C. Wyeth -- titled "What happens?"

Currently, Jamie Wyeth has an exhibit of paintings with Gulls titled "The Seven Deadly Sins". It's a fascinating exhibit -- go if you can!!!

This huge scull painting by Jamie Wyeth hangs in the lobby -it's painted on un-stretched canvas and it's at least 10 feet high. I was allowed to take photos in the lobby but not in the galleries.

Here's the entrance to the museum all decorated for Halloween. The Brandywine River Museum is in a converted Civil-war era gristmill. Cool bead strings hanging from the trees for the evening's Halloween party.
We had the opportunity to take the N.C. Wyeth (that's Andrew's father) house and studio tour. His home and studio are within a mile of the museum.
Below is a photo of his daily commute.... the path between his home and his studio. (looking toward home)

Andrew Wyeth's Granddaughter, Victoria took us though a gallery of Andrew's paintings and shared her experiences of her Grandfather including his thought's behind some of his paintings. She's quite a personality-- I highly recommend her tour!

It was a wonderful way to spend a rainy day.
Here's the gang of friends who went.... that's me, 2nd from the right!
Photo taken by "Possum Patty"
Check out the link -- she's done a sketch of the Brandywine River.

The color version

I've added color to the sketch of my garden.

I used watercolor and just a bit of watercolor pencil.... the paper I sketched this on is standard drawing paper so it didn't take water well and got kind of wrinkly.
That big mass of green on the left side is the grapevine that climbs up to the 2nd floor deck.... not to sure I've illustrated that terribly well ----But, anyway it's a start. I'm thinking of doing more sketches of my garden as the seasons change.

Here's another project I'm working on.

This is a sketch for a mural for a local nature center. It's for the inside of a cabinet displaying local birds.... stuffed.
2 more sketches with lines marking the cabinet doors...
I'll post more as work progresses....

Rainy day sketching

Here is a photo of my view out the window on this rainy day. I've got places to go and things to do but the car is at the garage...... again.

Below is my sketch of the same scene
11 x 14 graphite sketch
I took the photograph after doing my drawing. It's a challenge simplifying -- there's so much out there!
thought I'd focus on the gate and fence. I'll probably add a color wash later.... might as well make it wet, everything else is.

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Bluebirds

More birds.....

I'm hooked.....what more can I say?

Birds are the most vivid expression of life
- epitaph Roger Tory Peterson chose for his tombstone.

Red Birds

5x7 watercolor on Arches
I've posted several "Red Birds" that I'll be taking to the Landis Woods Outdoor Art Show this weekend.
8x10 watercolor on Arches

Notice the word "Outdoor" .

I've been checking the extended weather reports and
.......up until today they've been reporting sunny weather.


5x7 watercolor on Arches

Well......
today when I checked there was that dreaded word in the forecast for Saturday!
"RAIN"!
5x7 watercolor on Arches

I sure am hoping for sun! .... how about you?
15x22 watercolor on Arches

"You can always find the sun within yourself if you will only search. " Maxwell Maltz