Christine

I decided to try out the Worcester Life Drawing group and loved it! I was the last to arrive so I had a back view of the model. I loved the arm leaning though, so I didn't mind.

Dr. Who

I haven't decided whether or not to put in a background.

angel etching

This etching was done to camouflage a slight flaw in the polish. It's up for grabs in Salem, MA!

Stonington

A scene from my vacation in Stonington, ME a few years ago. The boats there have stabilizers on them, something I had never seen before. This painting is 4"x4".

Two Salem scenes

The top one is of Federal Street. The bottom was painted at Pickering Wharf.

Portrait Group models

Sherlock Holmes

His coat is so elegant I just had to draw it. About 12" high on smooth Bristol. I have a few new tubes of Daniel Smith watercolors which I love. The coat is a blend of Vivianite (blue ochre) and Ultramarine Blue or Payne's Gray, plus some Alizarin Crimson in the light areas.

Waukewan Golf Club

This was painted from the balcony of the lodge. The golf club is located in Center Harbor, NH

Essex

This was painted at the Boat Museum, on stretched bristol. The water kept shifting the boats around but it was still much more fun than working from a photo.

Princeton portrait group artists

I had trouble drawing the model so I drew my fellow artists.

Sholan Farms

It was a busy day for apple orchards. I visited two of them today, one for picking and one for painting.

Beantown JazzFest

I did a little sketching at the jazzfest. I had to work fast because of the steady stream of people walking down the street in front of the scene I was trying to draw.

farm stand laundry

Last week I painted at a farm stand in Petersham. There were piles of pumpkins, lovely displays of mums and gourds. For some reason though , I was attracted to this line of laundry.

Gloucester Schooner Festival

Here are a few of the sketches I managed to do in my kayak this weekend. The swells in Gloucester harbor were decent- hurricane Earl had passed through the night before. I paddled over to Ten Pound Island, explored a little and drew the cormorants. The island is well known for at least two reasons- Winslow Homer stayed on the island in the summer of 1880, and several people reported a sea monster near the island in 1817. The origin of the island seems to be a bit of a mystery. Ten pound could refer to the amount of money that was paid to the Indians for the island, but another theory is that it refers to the number of sheep pens that were located there (pens were called "pounds").

Rockport

Yesterday I kayaked from Rockport Harbor to Halibut Point. No breeze on the way up, but quite windy on the way back and much harder paddling. I stopped and watched some sailing lessons. My favorite Micron pen ran out so I had to use the stubby brush one that came in my variety pack. Turned out perfect for sketching in a kayak that is rocking wildly in the waves. It's not as delicate as I'm used to, but very nice for some very quick work. It was a gorgeous day! I painted the drawings when I got home. They are all 5"x8" on very sturdy watercolor paper.

beach shack

There's a row of these rickety shacks on the wild side of Aruba, by Baby Beach and the prison. I am not sure I want to know the purpose of them but I like their artistic look. Barely put together, made of tin and wood, they look like they could just topple over into the waves.
High cliffs were behind me while taking this photo, and wild goats wandered around the grassy area by the beach. I'd like to go back and explore the few dirt roads in this area.

Tree and ferns

I am teaching art camp this week and this is a small section of a pen & ink that I did on the trails today while sitting by the brook.

Large shell

This was drawn from an 8" long shell that I found in Aruba. The background effect was done by sprinkling salt onto the wet paint.

Eagle Beach

A colorful scene sketched and painted on our beach. The stand is where the Jet Ski operaters set up. This is looking north.

Table for two

A tiny sketch that I did during dinner at the beach restaurant.

archway

Getting on toward evening (which came at about 6:30), the sky was a pretty blue against the orange roofs.

Two beach scenes

While standing in the water, I drew a scene about 9" long showing a good portion of Eagle beach. I am showing it in bits and pieces, because it looks better. I painted it later on. It was actually fun to draw with the waves bumping into me, threatening to soak my paper.

Seashell

Drawn with my Lamy pen on Vellum bristol. I don't know why more tourists weren't exploring the lava rocks, where very cool things like this could be found. Just wait until you see my Chiton exoskeleton!

Lion

This is an early painting from my trip. I like the energy of it, and would like to try to acheive this look for more of my work. Slightly underworked with the focal point being the most detailed part of the painting. I think mood is a key factor- I sat down intending to read but decided to just scribble a little. I was just having fun and not intending to do a 'serious painting'.
Funny how that works.

view from archway

This is one of the first paintings I did in Aruba, and one of the few I have decided to keep. The rest I mailed away to friends and relatives.

Two scenes from the balcony

There was such a gorgeous moon that I couldn't help but paint it. Above the pool , bar and restaurant area there is a covered lounge area which was never used by any other guests but our group. (those obnoxious Americans!) There are some lovely views from up there and it was great for reading or painting, and enjoying the breeze.

Aruba

I just spent a week in Aruba for a wedding. The entire family stayed at The Amsterdam Manor, a resort filled with charming little courtyards and artistic cactus plantings. Each day I discovered a new corner in which to sketch. I felt so spoiled to have time to just sit down and take as long as I liked with a sketch. I would usually jump into the ocean after a sketching session. According to the locals, it was very hot for this time of year. These paintings were done on Strathmore watercolor postcards so I can send these in the mail.

wind- blown rose

I decided to stop at the Acton Arboretum on a sudden whim yesterday when I was passing by on the highway. It was a beautiful breezy afternoon!

model

Pen & ink with watercolor on Bristol vellum. The model is the grandaughter of a fellow portrait group member. It was nice to attend after a few months of missing it because of work.

Scituate

This painting was done with a quill pen that I cut myself. I found directions online. I ruined four feathers before I got it right and found that an x-acto knife does not give much control while cutting, and it dulls almost immediately. I need to buy a pen knife if I want to keep making this type of pen. I really enjoyed using it. The marks are more varied than my Lamy pen, but still is very easy to use. I was sitting on the rocks by the lighthouse while painting.

Cherry Hill

Yesterday I painted at another ice cream stand. This is a very popular one in a beautiful setting. You would never know you were only about 10 minutes from downtown Leominster. I'd better watch the calories- it's dangerous to paint at ice cream stands but they have the best views!

It started to rain as I was finishing this - fortunately they have sheltered picnic tables.

Salem Willows

After work today I drove over to the park. These paintings are on bristol vellum. I used my new Lamy pen filled with Higgins' Eternal permanent black ink. It is not waterproof, and so the ink bleeds a little when the watercolor is applied. It's the first time I've used it, and I like the soft effect it gives for plein air work. I found that the Noodler's Ink turns slightly green when water is applied, so I am experimenting with other inks.
My scanner does not do a good job with subtle work, so the sky is washed out on both of these images.