Category Archives: journal

My “Business” Sketchbook: The Rotunda

This week at the Washington State Legislative Building I had a good deal of free time, as it was Mitchell doing the lion’s share of the work on the Senator’s offices.  In the middle of a dark downpour, (the building … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, drawing, history, journal, painting, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Weeping Buddha, One

I fell in love with Balinese Buddha when I first saw him. The monks carve them as meditations. Mine has been on my altar for 20 years, and has a beautiful patina from being held. People call him Humble Buddha, … Continue reading

Posted in art, Buddha, creativity, drawing, gods and goddesses, india ink, journal, lojong, meditation, painting, pen & ink, series, sketchbook, watercolor | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Tiffany Chandeliers South Entrance

The chandeliers are a crowning point in the Washington State Capitol Legislative Building.  The architects felt the most important fixtures were those in the north portico, in the rotunda, and in the entry in the south porte cochere, as well … Continue reading

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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: Outside Torchéres

The outside lighting at the Capitol is another one of those parts that must be overlooked by visitors during the day, who are not drawn to the various sconces and torchéres because the light does not draw their eyes like … Continue reading

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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

A Very Old Sketchbook

I wish I could tell you more, but this is a very old sketchbook on display at the Flandrica Museum, in, I believe, Belgium. To move through the images page by page (again, assuming that this is what we are … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: Urban Sketching at Capitol Park

Last Saturday we infilled missing color to the historic shellac.  It is one of the few times when Mitchell had time to play a bit more than I did, and he took great images of the details around the Legislative … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, art journal, drawing, journal, painting, sketchbook, urban sketchers, waterbrush, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 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

Odile, Palms, Oceans in Autumn

Heating up in Portland. Today I want to be on a deserted beach, as long as it is not in the path of Hurricane Odile. We must work — and give thanks for air conditioning. Drawn in an OE Cadic … Continue reading

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75 Day Challenge: 48 To 57

Brenda Swenson has a drawing challenge to draw every day for 75 days. We are supposed to use a black or blue pen, but I know I will not do that one. Still, I play along because challenges are fun … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, Booby Gurl, Buddha, challenge, drawing, journal, painting, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

75 Day Challenge: 42 to 47

Brenda Swenson has a drawing challenge to draw every day for 75 days. We are supposed to use a black or blue pen, but I know I will not do that one. Still, I play along because challenges are fun … Continue reading

Posted in art, art journal, Buddha, challenge, drawing, journal, painting, sketchbook, waterbrush, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Process: My first Brush Pen Sketches, No Pencil!

Today I created my first brush drawing, wonky, clean and lovely. Five minutes, done, no attempt to brush over, single strokes. Very exciting for me, so I had to share. This one is in my lojong journal.  By the time … Continue reading

Posted in art, art journal, Buddha, drawing, journal, lojong, painting, sketchbook, waterbrush, watercolor | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Process: Loading my waterbrushes . . .

I am doing accounting work this week (argh) but spent time yesterday loading my extra waterbrushes with liquid watercolor.  I had some Luma colors that I have never really used much, and some colors I loaded right out of the … Continue reading

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75 Day Challenge: Gads what day??? 41!

Brenda Swenson has a drawing challenge to draw every day for 75 days. We are supposed to use a black or blue pen, but I know I will not do that one. Still, I play along because challenges are fun … Continue reading

Posted in art, art journal, Booby Gurl, class, color, creativity, drawing, india ink, journal, painting, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, tools, waterbrush, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

What Artists Can Do: Homeless Veterans (Washington Post)

This is an amazing and touching article in the Washington Post, which I came by via one of the artists, Richard Johnson.  Drawing The World Together Once we were soldiers They are only translucent distorted shadows of the soldiers, marines, … Continue reading

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Our Happy Mug

This is our Happy Mug.  If one of us says we need the Happy Mugs, we know which ones they are.  Their history was we bought them at a time when we needed a shot of happy in the morning, … Continue reading

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The Idea of Assignments: Coffee Mug

I am a self-starter, and so need no prompting to get me going, AND, I am enjoying the process of doing the same thing along with so many others in a class.  It is just plain fun. Take this challenge, … Continue reading

Posted in art, art journal, challenge, class, color, drawing, journal, painting, sketchbook, watercolor | Tagged , , | 2 Comments