Day 118 "Altar Flowers" mixed 9 x 6

Yesterday there was a memorial service in our church.  Today, the altar was still graced with several beautiful arrangements of flowers.  While listening to the sermon, I did a sketch and added some color later.  I listen well while drawing, and have a 9x6 sketchbook with me at all times.  This is my hundred eighteenth daily drawing.  Thanks for your thoughts and your interest. 

Day 119 "Winter Garden " 9 x 6 mixed

The Boston Public Garden is beautiful.  I love the shapes of the trees, the bridge, the buildings behind the garden.  I feel the open space, the allure of the gently curved pathways, beautiful statuary, and lovely plantings.  It is a space for walking, for people watching, for feeling the clear air and sun on your face in the middle of the city.  For me, being in the Public Garden is coupled with leisure time... if I'm there, I have the time to meander.  It is a special place.
This is my hundred nineteenth daily drawing.  I appreciate your continued interest in my exploration.  

Day 117 "Hanging Out" 6 x 9 mixed

This calm little guy was hanging out on a fence post calmly nibbling a nut.  He had his eye on me, but I was in the car and he stayed put for a bit.  He had a beautiful shape in the shade, sort of hidden below the trees under the dappled sun.  Just a quiet moment before we both went on our ways.  This is my hundred seventeenth drawing.  Thank you for looking. 

Day 116 "Going Fishing" ink and china white pencil 9 x 7

Caught these men heading over the grass on their way to fish off some Maine rocks.  They look a little like a father and son walking a path they have walked many times before; moving in comfortable silence in the sparkling sunshine.  
I did a light contour in pen and then used india ink in several washes.  I added some china white pencil in a few places at the end.  This is my hundred sixteenth daily drawing.  Each involves ink in some way.  Thanks for looking.

Day 115 "Midterm Week" 6 x 9 pen&ink

This is midterm exam week.  While proctoring  exams, I catch up on some grading, answer many questions, and try to knock items off of my ever-present "to do" list.  I took a few minutes today to sketch the intensity in the room.  The students are shifting, thinking, concentrating, stretching, thinking some more...  showing so much resilience.  I liked the density of students in rows, all working.  I sketched them very loosely with little detail, concentrating on their group gesture which conveys their concentration.  They are wonderful.

This is my hundred fifteenth daily drawing.  Thank you for your interest.

Day 114 "Brattle at Night" 6 x 9 pen&ink

Last night I was heading home from Cambridge through Harvard Square.  I used to spend a lot of time in Harvard Square, working down Mass Ave, half way between Central and Harvard Squares. I love the pageantry of city neighborhoods at night, lights, pedestrians, activity, and beautiful juxtaposition of light, dark, quiet, vibrant... exciting. And, I've always been a fan of the "mesh-lights-suspended-above-the-street".  Last night's post was an interpretation of the Square's festive lights using pastel on black ink.  Tonight, I used the same image of the Square, choosing to depict the night only with density of line.
This is my hundred fourteenth daily drawing.  Thank you for your time and interest.  

Day 113 "Brattle Lights" pastel on ink 6 x 9

Last night I was in Cambridge to take my daughter and her best pal to dinner.  Her friend just passed her teacher licensure tests and found a student teacher placement for her last semester of college.  Very exciting.  She's going to make a great teacher.  We had a lovely dinner, than drove back through Harvard Square.  Since I was a kid, I have loved the mesh lights-hanging-above-the-streets look, first remembering it from Boston's Downtown Crossing.  Here's a quick sketch.  I laid down a rectangle of ink, then used some pastel over it to create the feel of the lights at the street.  
 This is my hundred thirteenth daily drawing... I'm exploring and using some materials I never use, and enjoying the exploration.

Day 112 "Overlook" watercolor & ink 7 x 9

When walking down the Burnt Head hill on Monhegan Island, there is this quick peek of the ocean, and the mainland 12 miles distant as you crest the hill.  The hill then drops into the village, bringing you down to sea level.  I love this sweet house, just as rustic and warm on the inside as out.  Looking forward to my time on Monhegan Island this summer.

This is my hundred twelfth daily drawing.  Thank you for your interest.

Day 111 "Sunny Patch" pen&ink 5 x 9

When drawing this patch of flowers, I concentrated on a few distinctive shapes, then used the rest of the space to construct foreground and background within the patch, using the group of flowers as reference for basic shapes.  I like the combination of sunflowers, black-eyed susans, and another type of smaller daisy-like flowers within the one patch, all yellow.  I  could spend more time adding more and more detail and depth.  The drawing becomes a sort of doodle, where the lines and shapes I add are in keeping with the feeling of the flower patch, but I add them where they work best.  This is the same idea I use when drawing the brownstones on Newbury Street in Boston.  The buildings are initially drawn from life, then I add the architectural detail around windows and doorway referring to here at this link.  
 This is my hundred eleventh daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest. 

Day 110 "Hot Chocolate" 6 x 9 mixed

We took a little walk today, felt like spring after weeks of gray and cold... stopped for coffee at Lucky Finn Cafe in Scituate Harbor.  The lovely and spare building serves coffee drinks and light sandwiches with a sweet view of the harbor.  The building used to house the Quarterdeck gift shop, which we frequented for its eclectic gifts, jewelry, photos and antiques.  We stayed briefly today, but I did a quick sketch of a mom and her I'm-guessing 3-year old.  The were enthralled with each other and enjoyed hot chocolate for a few minutes before continuing their walk.  
This is my hundred tenth daily drawing, a little grayer than I intended, but a sweet visit nonetheless.   As always, thanks for looking at my work.  I am enjoying the time drawing each day.  

Day 109 "Rive Gauche" mixed 7 x 9

A few years ago, we visited Paris on a school trip.  I fell in love with the city.  It is sparkling and elegant.  The buildings have sweet details, stories above the street.  Their profiles are lovely and beg the viewer to sit, have cafe, and observe.  The last night we were there with our group, we spent some time wandering the streets of the left bank, sat at an outdoor cafe and ate.  I can stumble my way through some rudimentary, decades-old French.  Our waitress addressed me and I bumbled along with her encouragement, succeeding in getting everything we wanted, including some escargot. I used pen and ink to lay out this drawing, then some watercolor pencils and some pastel pencils.  The pastel pencils were my mothers, and have beautifully chiselled points, by her hand.  It is very nice to hold them, knowing she did, too.  I remember seeing a Charles Woodbury drawing show at the MIT Museum with her years ago.  Mom pointed out the variety in his pencil marks, and told me they were the result of how he chiseled his pencil points.  

Here's an example of Woodbury's drawing with distinctive points on his pencil.
Thanks for looking at my 109th daily drawing.  I appreciate your attention and comments.

Day 108 "Amsterdam Rooftops" 6 x 9 pen&ink

A number of years ago we spent some time in Amsterdam, including a river cruise.  The Basilica of St. Nicholas dominates the skyline beautifully.  I remember as we cruised the river, the spires continued their quiet and elegant supervision of the busy harbor, river, and city.  I look forward to exploring more of my photos from that trip.  Most of my drawing time for daily drawings is in the evening after dark after my work day.  As the days lengthen, I look forward to more than just weekend time for drawing during the day.
Thank you for looking, as always.

Day 107 "Barber Chair" ink and pencil 6 x 9

I am enjoying perusing my photo archives on these winter nights.  Today's drawing is from a shot I took of my daughter's converse-laden feet while she was getting her hair cut one day.  I loved those worn teal high-topped shoes; whimsical, goofy, smart.  This is my 107th daily drawing. Thank you for your continued attention.  And, as always, I love your comments.

Day 106 "Catnap" pen&ink 2 x 4

Our cats, Fred and Maggie, are sweet and personable.  They love their people, and follow us room to room, looking for a lap or for each other.  Here's a quick contour sketch of the two of them snuggled up.  Any time we have an empty box, we put it on the floor for a day or two for them to investigate and take turns "owning" .  This is my 106th daily drawing.  Thank you for taking the time to look. 

Day 105 "10,000 Maniacs" mixed 4 x 12

A few nights ago my sister-in-law and I went to see 10,000 Maniacs at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport.  What a beautiful space.  The concert was wonderful, dynamic, exciting.  They played a lot of songs I recognized and a few covers that were terrific, such as "Just Like Heaven" from The Cure, which is one of my favorite songs.  
 We had great seats.  Here's a quick sketch of the five band members I could see... there was a backup singer/violin player in the back, but I had no view of her.  
This is drawing 105 in my daily drawing journey.  AS always, thank you for looking.

Day 104 "Sun Day" 12 x 9 mixed

 There is a kind gentleman in our church congregation who picks up flowers from the local grocery and brings bunches of them to church, leaving them in a bucket for anyone to take home after the service on Sunday.  Today I brought home a couple of bunches of sunflowers.  The last couple of weeks have been feeling pretty gray and dreary. The sun flowers were just the trick to brighten the room and the day.  I drew them with ink, added some watercolor pencil; my new Derwent Inktense and some older Derwent watercolor pencils to layer up the color. I like the pencils, because you can use them dry, add water, layer more pencil over the top which creates a variety of color and texture.  Then I added some Chinese White pastel

pencil to the background for some interest.  This is my 104th daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.  

Day 103 "Waiting for Maniacs" 6 x 9 pen& ink

Tonight my sister-in-law and I went to see 10,000 Maniacs at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport.  What a  great venue.  The concert was terrific. I saw 10,000 Maniacs back in the late 1980s or early 1990s in Boston.  I enjoyed this concert even more.  Music was terrific, their own, and three covers including a beautiful version of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven".   The lead singer, Mary Ramsey, joined the band over 20 years ago when Natalie Merchant departed.  She plays violin and sings lead vocals. I had a blast.  We only had a few minutes before the show started, but here is my one hundred third daily drawing.  Thank you for looking.

Day 102 "Safe Space" mixed 8 x 9

Four and a half years ago we went to meet a brother/sister pair of kittens in their foster home.  We brought Fred and Maggie home a few days later, though I believe they had different names back then.  Not sure how the names occurred to us, but as pet names sometimes do, they popped into our heads quickly, in fact, while the kittens were in their crate with us on the way home.  They are a joy, and both lap cats.   My hundred and second drawing is Fred lying on my husband's lap, as happens almost every day... Fred's safe space.  
Thank you for continuing to look at my drawings each day.  

Day 101 "Untold Story" 6 x 9 pen, ink, pencil

There is a  new-ish local brewery a few minutes down the road. We checked them out, trying a flight of different brews, very enjoyable!  The Untold Brewery has a pleasant atmosphere, bare bones and comfortable.  We enjoyed the variety of beers we tasted, and will certainly head back again.  I did this drawing of the machinery, which is a pristine and elegant backdrop to the taproom where we spent our time.  I added a hint of color with the copper pipes and a red hose that travels through part of the room. 
"Untold Story" is my 101st daily drawing.  I may add some values to this one using ink or marker.  Thank you for looking, as always.  

Day 100 "The Peel" mixed 9 x 12

Tonight I had about a half hour to grab dinner with my husband between his work day and meetings, a wake, and my evening work.  We grabbed a bite at The Peel, great pizza, etc.  I love the look of the shop from the outside, active, and warm inside.  This is my hundredth daily drawing!  This time has gone quickly... and I plan to continue.  Thank you for looking.  

Day 99 "Still Life with Lemons" 6 x 12 mixed

I gathered a number of yellow things together to explore the warms and cools within one color family. It made an interesting painting exercise.  Here is a drawing of the still life setup with just a hint of the yellow, the rest left to the imagination.  It's an interesting exercise to think about how to make dark yellows, and cool yellows.  A while back, I wrote a blog post about the cool vs cold distinction in paintings, including an Edgar Payne painting.  Click through to see it.
This is my ninety-ninth daily drawing.  Thanks for your continued interest in my drawings and work. 

Day 98 "NIght in the Garden" mixed 6 x 12

It has been so beautiful and cold these last few days.  The Boston Public Garden looks icy blue as the sun is setting.  The quiet dusk is alluring.  
This is my ninety-eighth daily drawing.  I drew with ink, overlayed with gray markers in different values, added some colored pencil to deepen and vary the darks, then added some pastel over the top to enhance the lights. I like the effect though may go at it again with a little different approach, perhaps painting in all the darks with ink, then lifting their value with some pastel and pencil.  We shall see.  Thank you for looking.  

Day 97 "Volendam" 9 x 6 pen & ink

Years ago, my daughter and I took a school trip to several European countries.  We spent a couple of days in Holland, staying in Volendam, northeast of Amsterdam on the Markermeer  Lake.  I love the overlay of roof shapes and inviting sidewalks.  Soccer (or football) is very big here.  The town's color is orange, and our guide explained that huge celebrations were happening because the local team won a big tournament which elevated them to a higher level of competition.  We spent one of our days in Amsterdam, and upon return, found a parade celebrating the football team's recent championship. The street in front of our hotel was impassable, and we had 20 middle school students trying to navigate into the hotel.  Our guide, Louis, made a couple of quick phone calls and we found ourselves coming in through the back of the hotel, meandering through the laundry then the kitchen, and eventually up to our rooms where you could see the parade below, including all the orange streamers and confetti.  You can see the picture below.  

 This is my ninety-seventh daily drawing.  I am enjoying this daily exercise. Thank you for your continued attention.

Day 96 "Lines of Thought at RISD" pen & ink 6 x 9

I had a chance to zoom down to Providence today to the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, sandwiching the trip between a busy morning, and delivering my daughter back to school in Boston this afternoon.  So glad we made the trip.  The "Lines of Thought" show is a collection of seventy drawings from the British Museum, each showing drawing as piece of the process of discovery.  Each drawing is fascinating.  I loved examining the individual strokes and gesture in each of the works.  And, I learned a lot.  I had no idea that Victor Hugo (Les Miserables, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) rendered over 3,000 drawings.  It was wonderful to see Henry Moore's sketches for a piece commissioned by UNESCO for its headquarters in Paris.

Henry Moore at work

Here is a picture of Moore sculpting the UNESCO work.  
It was wonderful to see the beautiful and simple lines Rembrandt used to capture the gesture of families, and da Vinci's beautiful sepia rendering of Madonna and Child and a cat.  Each line is so important.  I found today's visit moving, thought provoking and a blessing.  

Victor Hugo 1857

I made a few small sketches of some of my favorite works in the show; clockwise from top left; del Sarto, Henry Moore, Victor Hugo, da Vinci, Comodi, Rembrandt.  
This is my ninety-sixth daily drawing.  Thank you for looking. 

Day 95 "Along Charles Street" 6 x 9 mixed

Charles Street, Boston, has an interesting group of shops, doorways, windows and is a fun stroll on an afternoon.  This doorway caught my eye with its grandeur and strong shadow pattern.  This is my ninety-fifth daily drawing.  Thank you for looking.

Day 94 "Chocolate Bar" 9 x 12 pen&ink

Another drawing of the L.A. Burdick Chocolate Shop in Boston.  It has interior mirrors which make for a very interesting juxtaposition of foreground, middle and background figures and images.  We spent today indoors during the snow bombogenesis, a day off from school, fifteen inches of snow to shovel later in the day before tomorrow's deep freeze.  Drawing images of the sweet smelling hot chocolate and shop was cathartic.  Thank you for looking at my ninety-fourth daily drawing.

Day 93 "Last Light" and the bombogenesis 6 x 9 mixed

We are waiting for the bombogenesis  beginning early tomorrow.  Our local weatherman insists that bombogenesis is a typical winter pattern. With the television and radio hype, the panic at the grocery stores, and the dropping temperatures, it is difficult not to feel a little apprehensive.  We teachers headed back today after the winter break for a day of professional development.  Students were to return tomorrow, but now have a day off.  I'm ready for them if they show up on Friday with a solid plan for review to get their heads back in the game.  My ninety-third drawing is the winter woods across the street late in the afternoon. I like the calm, and the pattern of light between the branches close and farther away.  Thanks for looking. 

"Vacation Afternoon" pen&ink

It's the last day of my vacation... it has been long, productive, and restful. Today I sat at my computer and caught up on a "to do" list, taking a break here in the sunny spot to sketch our lovely Christmas tree.  It sets in the entry way, so gets a lot of light, and little heat... leaving it viable for the month of January, which is our norm.  
This is my 92nd daily drawing.  Thanks for taking a peek into my world.  

Day 91 "Hot Chocolate - Cold Day" mixed 6 x 9

Last week we spent a few hours in Boston on a cold, breezy day.  It was beautiful, crisp, not yet the single-digit cold that hurts your face.  We finished our time with a stop ie L.A. Burdicks Chocolate Shop.  I have walked by there many times, a little chalet-looking building off Newbury Street.  It is much 
bigger on the inside, with an interesting beamed ceiling with bright dormers.
I will make this a regular stop on chilly days in the city from now on.  The inside is filled with mirrors.  I loved the juxtaposition of  the still-bundled shoppers in the bright, cheerful, fragrant interior.

"Luxury of Time" oil 8 x 16

The Girls Just Wanna Paint theme for December was "luxury".  I painted the heirlooms I keep gathered atop my inherited grandmother's desk.  It is my vacation week, so I have the luxury of the time to paint, and the luxury of examining these beautiful items one by one.  The blown glass lamp was my mother's dresser lamp.  I have always loved it.  There are three photographs, the first is my mother sitting atop her dad's shoulders at the beach when she was about eight years old.  Next is a small oval photo of my Dad's mother and my Dad when he was about a year old.  She is wearing a jaunty straw hat and is beaming with love at this little boy.  Then, there is a photo of our daughter as an infant, in an antique silver frame.  The larger clock is a french china clock I inherited from Mom. She had it on a special shelf in our living room, and told me that she had admired it as a young girl in a great aunt's home. The great aunt told her it would someday be hers.  When the great aunt died, my understanding is that my grandmother met with her cousin and told her that the great aunt intended Joanne to own the clock.  A disagreement began, but when they opened the back of the clock, there was a note saying it was to be Joanne's.  It now lives on my desk, and I love it.  The last item is a cherub clock from my other grandmother's in Scranton, PA.  I always loved it... and my mother didn't.  But, I am a firm believer (as I've said here before) that many thing are so tchotchke that they cross over into elegant and beautiful.  Hanging behind the desktop is an oil painting my mother painted through the windows of the villa where she lived in Florence, Italy for a year while earning her Masters of Fine Arts in painting.  The frame of the Florence painting behind the objects provides a strong design element.
I am thrilled to have the time to paint.  And, interestingly, I used my drawing from Day 88 as my reference for the painting, and the colors I retained in my head from when I drew them.  I did not look at the items themselves.  Read my blog post from yesterday for an explanation of how I used turpentine to block in the painting by wiping away the light areas.  

Block in using wiping out method

Thank you for taking the time to look at my work.  I appreciate your comments.