Category Archives: furniture

Sketching Memories of Our Staycation, 2 Work Happens

Small business owners rarely get to really take time off.  You can’t ignore a new client (or they may go elsewhere) and you can’t ignore the absolutely only time for a delivery, in our case.  Crater Lake is one of … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, color, drawing, furniture, journal, landscape, making a living, memory, painting, pen & ink, pencil, process, sketchbook, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Inktober, First week

I feel like I am cheating with this challenge in that my drawings usually begin with ink then watercolor is applied — though sometimes more ink is applied — hell, I dunno.  Feels like cheating not to do a separate … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, challenge, drawing, furniture, making a living, pen & ink, pencil, sketchbook, virtual sketching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

My Secret Journal: Four, Shellac Tip-ins

Note:  I am writing a story/journal that I don’t want to show before it is published in full.  These are some of the illustrated pages in the sketchbook for the story. Because of the business we are in we end … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, furniture, india ink, journal, memory, painting, pen & ink, shellac, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Gratitude Journal: Back to Studio Work!

 It is good to be back in my finish studio working on paying conservation projects. I have a NPS project due this month. Historic Mason Monterey paper and iron “chandeliers” for the Chateau need to be reproduced.  The original historic … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, furniture, handmade paper, making a living, paper, pastel, process, shellac, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Sketchpack Project: Week One

ABOUT SKETCHPACK: The project began in 2011. The original idea was to get folks to draw daily. The Sketchpack is a small zigzag journal with two usable sides, allowing one to sketch on both sides of 15 ‘pages’ to complete … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, challenge, furniture, making a living, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

May Sketches: Heading Into Surgery

Tough week, as I head into my LAST surgery for kidney stones. At a client meeting in Washington, I painted a bit with my feet up. The moon looked full out our window early morning. We have names for our … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, challenge, furniture, paint brush, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, waterbrush, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

IFJM 14: Marseille to Arles to Visit Van Gogh

14 April 2015 From my journal:  “11am Arles France. Made a fast decision to head straight to Arles, so  said our goodbyes, got in a cab to Marseille Airport, picked up our car and boogied.” “Oddly, as we were on … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art journal, drawing, furniture, graphite, history, journal, museum, pen & ink, pencil, sketchbook | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Chippendale Conservation

Above, Mitchell thinking about the various things he has to do to this family heirloom in order to resurrect it from the broken state. The Chippendale sofa’s arm was broken and sagging, leg broken, parts of the frame broken, and … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, furniture, journal, making a living, painting, pen & ink, pencil, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Mattress Ranch

I’ve had this finished a long time and almost didn’t post it. There really is a Mattress Ranch on the way to Olympia Washington. It was the source of much amusement as we drove up in the morning to work … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, drawing, furniture, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Aesthetics Movement Pieces

You may remember these sketches; they started me thinking about how many beautiful objects we see daily.  I decided to dedicate one of my new Stillman & Birn sketchbooks to our business.  My first two watercolor sketches were in the … Continue reading

Posted in art, art journal, drawing, furniture, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Webbing Stretchers

My commitment to documenting the upholstery studio is ongoing; a challenge prompted this watercolor sketch. I said no more challenges but this list is too much fun. I chose Mitchell’s webbing stretchers because they happened to be setting on his … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, challenge, drawing, furniture, journal, making a living, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

My Business Sketchbook: Our Holiday Card

It was fun to create a holiday card this year, the end of my first year of watercolors! I had good models in a late 19th century chair from a set that will be conserved next year, and our cats, … Continue reading

Posted in art, cards, drawing, furniture, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Our Antique Burro Chair, Monterey Style

I started out to do a little post on painting one of our chairs. Then I realized I was posting about a chair I had also painted — so figured I should post about both restoration, painting the chair and … Continue reading

Posted in color, creativity, furniture, memory, oil paint, painting, pen & ink, process, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

My “Business” Sketchbook: Tiffany Chandeliers Mark Pathways

It is unusual for me to start my sketchbook posts with photographs, but this Tiffany chandelier is simply too beautiful. I did not do them justice! They line the hallways and mark entrances to the various rooms, providing a delicate … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, drawing, furniture, history, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Senate Gallery Details

More drawing challenges in the Washington State Legislative Building. Before I went running around, I asked where I could go with the pass we used to get into the Senate office area.  It was nice to sit in the Senate … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, color, drawing, furniture, journal, memory, painting, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Ballroom Rug

Posting a page I am not 100% happy with. I may even try again . . .  We’ll get to that! The carpet in the State Reception Room floored me. It is so oddly modern when in fact it is … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, art journal, color, furniture, journal, painting, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Torchére

Mitchell took great images of object details around the Legislative Building, and the torchére caught my eye.  Not the same as painting in front of it, but fun nonetheless. I began with a detailed sketch, and almost left it alone, but … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, art journal, color, drawing, furniture, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: At the Capitol

We’ve been working to the point where I’ve had little time to paint or even sketch, however, we’ve been in a place I wanted to sketch: we’ve been repairing historic shellac on the wainscot of two offices in the Legislative … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, art journal, drawing, furniture, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments