Day 210 "7:54 PM" 8 x 9 ink, watercolor pencil, and marker

What a beautiful spring day! We got a lot of things done, then zipped over to the Scituate Lighthouse to watch the sunset and the sea.  The water was a beautiful purple under the darkening sky and clouds to the east while the western glow grew more rich.  My eye was caught by the light coming through the window of the house at the water's edge.  There are so many colors in the darks, I want to create an oil painting from this drawing. 
This is my two hundred tenth daily drawing.  Thank you for you interest. 
 

Day 207 "Skyline" 5 x 5 ink and watercolor

Don't you love this skyline?  The buildings overlap beautifully, with the Christian Science Church in the foreground.  I don't know what all the verticals are; in fact some look like concrete monoliths against the sky, without features... but they provide a great counterpoint to their ornate neighbors.  Boston is in a building boom.  I worry it will lose some of its vintage Childe Hassam appeal, but I think if you stay on the streets you will always be able to see and feel the wonderful details and history of this city.  
This is my two hundred seventh daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.  

Day 206 "Walk Light" 9 x 12 pen & ink

I grabbed this image of people walking across the street at Boylston and St. Cecelia Streets.  I love the bustle of people coming and going, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends, with the backdrop of interesting buildings.  This is my two hundred sixth drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.

Day 205 "Boylston Street" 12 x 9 ink & marker

Yesterday I zipped into Boston to take my daughter and a couple of friends to dinner in their last week of school for this semester.  I love spending time with these smart, sassy, articulate young women.  They sparkle, and love one another.  I am joyful to be in their presence.  I have a few favorite parking spots I look for in town, which usually involves a ride down Boylston Street, beautiful late in the afternoon with the sun low behind me.  This is the Old South Church catching the late light.  

This is my two hundred fifth daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.  

Day 199 "After Auster" 6 x 9 pen & ink

Over the years, I have kept a number of images of paintings that intrigue me, that I want to study in more detail, or that I just want to look at longer for the sheer enjoyment.  This pen & ink drawing is an exploration of the value shifts in this luscious Ken Auster painting.  I don't even know the name of the painting, nor where I grabbed it. The value and temperature shifts are so subtle and juicy and effective.   Just look at the man in the background, and the number of "white" colors there are between his hat, the newspaper and the items on his table.  Between about 1.5 values and some very subtle temperature shifts, the entire story is told.  Masterful.  This is my hundred ninety-ninth daily drawing.  Thank you for taking a look.

Day 198 "St. Stephen & Symphony" mixed 9 x 7

I hopped into Boston recently to have dinner with my daughter.  We parked and walked through the sweet little streets behind Symphony Hall over to our favorite grill.  I love the quiet neighborhood with brownstones and interesting stoops and doorways.  When I looked over my shoulder at tone point, I saw the iconic YMCA sign above the brick houses.  When I lived in that neighborhood years ago, I used the Y as my gym.  It had a suspended wooden track above the basketball court space, a clever, and old design that maximized use of scarce city space.  I can hear it now, loud, shoes squeaking on the wooden court floor with the regular pounding of feet on the elevated track.  
This is my hundred ninety-eight daily drawing.  Thanks for looking at the world through my eyes.

Day 197 "After Fitzgerald" marker 6 x 9

I was thinking about Monhegan Island today, and looked up artist, James Fitzgerald.  His work is so powerfully designed.  Here is an example, "Frank Pierce, A Fisherman of Monhegan", oil, 1944, 17 x 23.  Look at the activity in this painting, it is roiling with the action of those gulls swarming about the fisherman's table. The gulls are tied together so well, with beautiful Manana Island as their backdrop.  I did a quick sketch of the design in marker, only darkening Manana in the back. Look how some aspect of each gull is aimed at the fish we can not see Frank Pierce cutting, but we know that's where the action is.  This painting builds space within itself.  It is exciting, dynamic... makes me want to hold it up to people on the street corner, proclaiming its mastery.  Really.  Sometimes you just want to share the joy.  
This is my hundred ninety-seventh daily drawing.  Thank you again for the pulpit.  

Day 196 "Thoughtful" 11 x 11 pen, ink, marker

I spent today with three good friends enjoying coffee, conversation, and sketching one another.  We took turns posing.  It was a pleasant morning, and I look forward to our next get together.  I drew my friend, painter Kelley Macdonald, and later added some shading using gray marker. I like the drawing.  It could be a better likeness.  As I said, looking forward to our next get together. 
This is my hundred ninety-sixth daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest into the world as I see it.  

Day 195 "What Can I Get You?" pen & ink 9 x 12

I met with some friends this afternoon to toast the onset of vacation.  I like the overlay of people in this visually stimulating spot.  Looking forward to the week off.  This is my hundred ninety-fifth daily drawing.  Thanks for your continued interest. 

Day 194 "Night Crew" mixed 4 x 9

The other night, I was sitting in my car waiting, and saw a crew setting up for construction on the main drag.  I watched their seemingly random movements as machinery appeared, cones and lights arrived, then suddenly, every clicked into synchronized action; police were strategically placed, cones divided 1/4 mile of the road, light wands were in action to signal and direct traffic.  They were a well-oiled and practiced machine, and I could imagine that if any piece were out of synch, this operation would be a disaster.  Meanwhile, their yellow machinery and jackets made a sweet vignette on the night street.  
This is my hundred ninety-fourth daily drawing.  I drew the crew and equipment in pen & ink, and then shaded with a variety of gray markers.   I added some yellow and orange pencil, then some China white in the trees, with blue to add the feeling of dusk.  Thanks for your comments and ideas.  I appreciate every one.

Day 192 "Boat by Boat" pen and ink 7 x 7

I love the beautiful, hard working lobster boats in the Maine harbors.  Their shapes are abstract, and interesting, especially when cropped.  These boats are layered one in front of the other and make a fascinating pattern.  I may explore this as a painting.
This is my hundred ninety-second daily drawing.  Thank you for following along on my journey.  

Day 191 "Studio Door" 7 x 7 ink & marker

Last summer I painted at a friend's house for a local garden tour fundraiser.  Her studio door was open and surrounded by flowers.  It was very inviting and a fun day talking to all the visitors.  Here is the painting from the day, and above is a pen and ink sketch with gray marker, of the scene as well.

This is my hundred ninety-first daily drawing.  Thank you so much for looking.

Day 190 "Siblings" 9 x 6 pen & ink

Spent part of my day at a friend's baby shower today, sitting with some of my teaching colleagues. We were reminiscing about some of the trips to Europe that the school has hosted over the years.  When our daughter was younger, we took her.  I have been reviewing my photos.  Here is a photo of some children with nanny or granny in the Jardin de Tuileries.  I loved this image; looks like days gone by.  These children are frozen in time for me, but are in their teens now.  I looked up the word for "siblings" in french.  It showed freres et soeurs "brothers and sisters".  
This is my hundred ninetieth daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.  

Day 189 "Study Break" 9 x 6 ink, marker & pencil

This afternoon I was heading out of Boston and caught this image of a student hanging out, solo, in the window of this Northeastern University building.  I loved the sun hitting him and bouncing around inside the modern building while reflections crisscrossed the large glass panes.  
This is my hundred eighty-ninth daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.

Day 188 "Detour" pen, ink, pencil

Tonight, I waited for my husband as he finished a meeting.  Just at dark, the street around me began to fill with construction equipment, men in hardhats, and police in yellow raincoats. They closed the street and began an evening construction job.  The police were very efficient, all business.  Reaching into the car for their down mittens and lit batons, they got right to work, dividing the road into half and redirecting traffic with authoritative gestures.  
This is my hundred eighty-eighth daily drawing.  As always, thank you for looking.

Day 187 "Mercato" 9 x 10 ink and marker

Another image from the North End of Boston, caught one evening.  I love the warm glow inside the storefronts as people pass by on the streets in the evening.  There are 24 hour cannoli shops, and people on the streets at all hours.  It's lovely. This "mercato" or "market" has wine, cheese, olive oil... enough said.  Wonderful shop.    This is my hundred eighty-seventh daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest. 

Day 186 "North End" 12 x 9 pen&ink

Don't you just love the narrow streets of Boston?  The North End is a beautiful rabbit warren of activity, great food, and sumptuous views. It is vibrant, with surprises around each corner. I love it all.
This is my hundred eighty-sixth daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.