Farewell September!

I know, I know... my massive reader-base has been wondering what in the world happened to me this summer. (Sarcasm)

 Hello... hello?  Is anyone there?  ...I know I did not have a massive reader base, and may not even have a soul left out there now.  But, just in case anyone is still checking in and has indeed wondered what has become of me...well, I'm still here.  I did have an exceptionally busy summer.

From May - mid July I had a nearly full time (volunteer) job coordinating our state-wide homeschool art and photography contest.  THAT was much more work than I realized it would be.  On the heels of that I spent the month of August going back and forth to another state to help with some family health issues and to attend a weekend workshop with a wonderful watercolor artist, Brenda Swenson.  That was a JOY!

Of course there were many other events large and small which filled our days (we prepared a place in the yard for a desert tortoise, and just recently were okayed to 'adopt' one from the state for one thing) but I don't want to bore you dear readers, so I won't go into all the details.  :)

Here is some of the artwork I did sketch/paint over the summer.  Just to prove I wasn't a couch potato munching bon bons for the past few months.

Many of these are sketches done for Sketchbook Skool, an online artist journal keeping practicum.  It's new, it's awesome.  Do it.  So the themes and subject matter are random, depending on the teacher/technique/style of the week's 'klass'!  (Not sure I'll ever get used to the 'k' thing, though!)

Lesser goldfinch sketched from my photos, just for practice, not SBS

SBS assignment for Tommy Kane's klass.  

Summer Skool Student led assignments while waiting for 2nd semester to start.

Sketchbook Skool 'Seeing' begins, first assignment, sketch toast... really!

SBS Danny Gregory assignment, quick and slow (quick wash, slow inking)

Sketched a beetle I found while we were camping one weekend in July.  

Sketched the gravestone of a poor lynched rancher.  This is the brutal west after all.

More SBS lessons... Andrea Joseph's collection assignment.  Painstakingly slow inkwork, in the photo the piece is unfinished.  The page may or may not be finished to this day.  ;) 

SBS My FAVORITE teacher thus far, Liz Steel, her lesson was terrific and practical. 

A lesson from Strathmore's free online courses, this one was quite good, by Gay Kraeger.

A wee birthday card sketched for a friend.

Brenda Swenson's workshop in Lake Arrowhead was on negative space watercolor technique.  Love her and loved this workshop!

Another piece done at Brenda's workshop.  

Spent a few lazy days at my brother's in Dana Point.  One day at the beach 'she sketched sea weed by the sea shore'.

One morning I sliced a peach and set it on the window sill next to another peach, and the light on their forms called me to paint. 

Sketched this friendly catbird I had photographed last May in Central Park.  (Oh yeah, we went to NYC in May for our son's graduation, 'magna cum laude' from the King's College.  :)) 

Another assignment from Gay Kraeger's class.  (used tissue to lift clouds, along with sponging and splatters to make assorted textures in a landscape)

While in Dana Point my niece took me whale watching.  We saw several great blue whales.  I painted this for her as a thank you.  

A small study done from a photo I took last spring of a bee and globe mallow.  Put some Swenson technique into this one.

Closer detail on my little 5"x 6" painting.  I'd like to develop this into a more formal work. Love the colors.  

Okay... so I DID get in some art time this summer.  My goal was to do much much more, but life didn't always cooperate.  Thankful that I did manage this much.  :)

Now, all in favor of me posting my favorite animal photos from the summer in my next post, say 'AYE!'


(insert cricket chirping here)

Hope your summer was warm, soft, and full of sweet memories!  God bless you.  :)