Taking Time

Hello again,

On Saturdays or Sundays, I take time out.  I call it a spa day for the spirit. If you have read The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron she calls the time out an "artist date."  I think a lot of people do, now and then, take time out for beauty and renewal. And after reading the book, you understand how important that time is and how it works to heighten creativity.

Sometimes, I take the time to look at beautiful blogs, but if I am not careful I can get lost there. But even if I do stay longer, I always come away feeling better. Here are two of favourite picture blogs:  Ana-rosa  (for A.R. click on the archive) and The Little Hermitage. 

Depending on the season, I find other things to do such as walking or driving along the river, visiting gardens/greenhouses, bird watching, a walk in the woods, museums, etc., or I might flip through beautiful books. In January when the longing for spring strikes, (way too early I might add) I turn to gardening books.

So last Saturday I made a pot of tea and settled down to admire books that I borrowed from the library as well as a few well-loved ones from my own stash.

O blue! No need to say more.

As you can see, in a simple way, I've been playing with the Apple Pencil. The surface on the iPad is very slick--a whole different medium.

I like the Procreate app; there you can paint/draw/write (Calligraphy) with all mediums and textures.  Also good, Adobe Sketch, Brushes, and there are many, many more. 

It amazes me what some people create with these apps and how quick they learn.

Moving on to Monarch butterfly beginnings, with black, yellow, and orange watercolours.

Finished the Calla lilies and a few flowery doodles.

After another hour or so spent painting and drawing, (with temperatures on the plus side--definitely in my favour), I decided to take my time out seriously and go visit the birds. I've been missing them.

~ Last summer, I met an elderly lady in line at the hardware store. Cupping a small bag of seeds in her hand, she proudly pointed out that the seeds were for two sparrows who visit her every evening. "They know me," she said. :)

Mr. Dee Dee Dee. Dressed to the nines in his tuxedo. (Pic from the archives.)

(A bit of data. This little Chickadee and his mate have the capacity to remember hundreds of places where they have stashed seeds to get them through the winter. Next season they can erase those memories to make room for new ones. (No, the birdies are not bird brains.) For details, visit birdnote.org - Old and New Memories of Black-capped Chickadees Fernando Nottebohm. ) Remarkable I say!  

(Apparently if it gets too warm in winter, their stashed seeds will rot, so if you are out in the woods, please carry a few seeds with you.)

An older sketch. 2015, I think, with fall leaves and Milkweed seed casings.

I only saw this hungry sparrow and a few chickadees on Saturday, but I was pleased to see them.     Birds always make me smile.

Staying Alive Series #4

Last week I went to an art demonstration. I never thought I'd have so much fun watching paint dry. Really though, I was captivated by Pierre's technique (he uses oils). I do have a picture of the wonderful painting that he finished in two hours, but since I didn't ask for permission to post it, I won't. It was, however, a great experience and I do recommend going to a art demo if you have the chance.

Below another sketch in the Staying Alive Series #4. I haven't posted #3, but I hope to paint it soon. If you just popped in, I started this series recently.  For an explanation, see this post.

Louisiana Water thrush (special concern), Lakeside Daisy (threatened), Hill's Pond weed,(sc) Karner Blue Butterfly, (extirpated) Laura's Clubtail Dragonfly. (endangered). 
Wonderful-all.

 The Maestro finally flew to the painting board. (You may remember this sketch from an earlier post.) The colour I chose for the harp doesn't quite work, so it's back to the painting board.

A very warm welcome to new members and thank you for signing up. I'll be visiting you soon.

Enjoy a lovely week.

'Til next time...

Sketch in Blue and White

Because I love blue, I decided to expand my horizons and sketch in blue with white accents, although in these pictures, taken without a flash on this overcast day, the white area looks more like cream. I do, however, realize that sketching with a blue Micron pen might plunge me into the danger zone. Why? Because I may never change colours again. Seriously, though, it is fun. I also fancy blue and white porcelain, but, unfortunately, I do not own any. In the spring, when the flea markets open, I will look for a few pieces. At one point, though, I did own a blue and white vase for growing crocuses. Unfortunately, it got lost in a move. Blue windmills swept around the vase. It was lovely. Who knows maybe one of these days I may draw a few old blue windmills too.    'Til next time. Enjoy the week...

Happened Upon...

For those who want to draw or paint flowers, or just look at beautiful books these two books fit the bill. I borrowed these books from the library, however, I wish I owned them because they overflow with information and are truly uplifting. Since they are an inter library loan, I can't renew them, but I  do wish I had more time with these treasures.

For me, it has been a productive drawing year, I've nearly filled five sketchbooks with "the good, the bad, and the ugly." :) It's been so much fun to get lost with a pencil in hand. Besides being meditative in a concentrated way, drawing has made me really look at things. For example, now when I look at flowers, I really look at how they fit together: where the stems and leaves attached, how the veins flow, and the list goes on. I read somewhere that drawing does make you look at the world differently. I do think that's true.

So if you want to draw, pick up a pencil and begin. It's never too late, {or too early} to ignite the creative spark in any area that you choose.

Inside the cover of my kraft covered sketchbook.

Before I sign off for the year, I'd like to say that I've enjoyed following your wonderful blogs this year.  Also, a big thank you for reading along with me.

And I'd especially like to wish you all a New Year filled with joy!

Happy New Year!

On the Cusp of a New Year

I've been loving the sunshine that ripples through the prisms in the morning, creating fiery displays on the floors and walls. The colours are gorgeous. It really brightens up the day!
And outside my window it looks like spring. Over the holidays, we had temps in the teens, and that has made short work of the two feet of snow we had. What a welcome reprieve!

My sketchbooks are getting fuller and I have a few items ready to paint. One 9 x 12 sketch that I am hoping with turn out well with the help of some new paints that arrived the other day. 

On the needles... With the stash dwindling drastically,  I couldn't find enough contrasting yarn to work the stripes in this shawl in another colour, so I've opted for the monochrome look, but I think I have enough navy blue to work the lace edging. If, that is, it doesn't look too stark without the stripes to balance it. Thank you for reading along this year.     Happy New Year!

Practical (,) Matters

Lately, on a few scattered mornings before dawn, one violent clap of thunder has been waking me up from a deep sleep. That first morning, in that brief moment of reverberating terror, I thought of Mars the God of War. (The mind does jump to conclusions.)  A brief burst of high wind and steely rain followed and then it was over. I opened the window, that morning, and while clinging to the sill for support, I heard the first hint of birdsong that as I listened grew increasingly louder, reassuring my body, with its shaky legs and racing heart, that it was okay to breathe.  

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When I started knitting again, I had visions of chic shawls such as The Rock Island twirling through my brain. That means I definitely wasn't thinking of about knitting dish cloths, but they are a quick, easy and practical knit. As you can see the top one has been well used and the bottom one I finished yesterday. What's so great about these cloths? Well, they hold up under a barrage of bleach and countless washings.

Here's my pattern. You are welcome to use it for personal use, and feel free knit these cloths to sell if you wish.

Uptown Posh Cloth☺

♦  CO 38 sts using cotton yarn with a 4.5 mm needle or a U.S. 7

Set up: 4 rows of seed st. as follows:

Row 1  K1, P1 across row
Row 2  P1, K1 across row 
Row 3  K1, P1 across row
Row 4  P1, K1 across row

Begin pattern.

Row 1   k1, p1, k1, p1 ( p4, k1, p1, k4 repeat 2 more times) k1, p1, k1, p1.
Row 2   p1, k1, p1, k1 ( p3, k2, p2, k3 repeat 2 more times) p1, k1, p1, k1.
Row 3   k1, p1, k1, p1 ( p2, k2, p1, k1, p2, k2 repeat 2 more times) k1, p1, k1, p1.
Row 4   p1, k1, p1, k1 ( p1, k2, p2, k2, p2, k1 repeat 2 more times) p1, k1, p1, k1
Row 5   k1, p1, k1, p1 ( k2, p3, k3, p2 repeat 2 more times) k1, p1, k1, p1.
Row 6   p1, k1, p1, k1 ( k1, p4, k4, p1 repeat 2 more times) p1, k1, p1, k1.

Continue in established pattern, 7 more times for a total of 8 times.

Next: 4 rows of seed st.

CO. To finish weave in tails. ♦

 On the drawing board ... ( Darkened so you can see it)  And now I can see a few changes I want to make.