San Miguel de Allende

I spent this year's February vacation in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. with my friends Kelley Macdonald and Paula Villanova who were running their "San Miguel Painting Adventure with Kelley and Paula" workshop.  It was magical.  A month later, my senses are still activated by the sights, colors, sounds, tastes, and the feel of the air.  I loved this week spent with my daughter and with friends old and new.

Can't wait to go again.

"At Le Jardin" watercolor & ink 11 x 14 - sitting in the canopy of shade trees, this view of La Parroquia is mesmerizing, changing colors as the sun moves.

"Looking Up" ink and watercolor - watching people while sitting in the garden outside Templo de San Francisco.

"Cafe y Churros" ink and watercolor - lovely spot for a cafe, people watching and naturally, churros

"Back Patio" ink & watercolor - rooftops from our hotel's rooftop deck

"Lavaderos del Chorro" ink & watercolor - lovely historic spot where women would gather to wash the clothes. 

"Three Cities in Three Days" ink & watercolor 8 x 9 - randomly chosen palette

 

The Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge for January was "3 random colors".  I used watercolor, and blindly pointed at three corners of my watercolor palette, which is arranged by color/temperature.  By aiming at three different areas of the palette, I knew I was getting a bit of variety.  I chose vermilion, sap green, and cerulean (see picture).  My first instinct was to pick again, but I wanted to maintain the integrity of the challenge and learn something.  Here are a few thoughts from this challenge

• None of these colors is very cool, so I needed to adjust my temperature scale
• The most yellow I could achieve was with sap green with a little vermiliion.
• I could make beautiful neutrals, browns, grays, using these three colors. 
• The darkest I could get was a charcoal-ish blue gray but if I pushed it a tiny bit beyond its neutral balance, I was into an orange or green or blue (not really neutral anymore, and not as dark as I wanted.)
• I adjusted my buildings to look a little terracotta colored, so maybe Italy or Spain, based on the colors I could achieve.  
• When I used vermilion on its own, as a color option, it was much too strong and overpowered the other options.  There is nothing in this composition that I wanted drawing your eye that much, so I neutralized all the vermilion I used.
• I enjoyed the challenge, and will randomly choose three colors again to see what happens  

Take a look at all the Girls Just Wanna Paint interpretations of the theme by clicking the link. 

Day 275 "Royal Palace - Madrid" 7 x 9 pen, ink, markers

Several years (just counted, more than several years) ago my daughter and I joined a school trip to southern Spain.  It was a blast, and she got hit with the travel bug.  It was her first flight, and a long one, as tour companies may sometimes provide more circuitous routes to a destination to save some money.  We flew to DC, then to Frankfort, then to Madrid, with a delay or two along the way.  Thank goodness she loves to fly, which we did not know until the moment we took off.  Whew!  We spent a few days in Madrid, moving on to Seville, Granada, Salamanca, Cordoba. It was a wonderful trip.  This is from a picture I took within the Royal Palace of Madrid.  It is lavish, opulent, with these airy curtains billowing while allowing a hint of the view across the courtyard.  It's a nice reminder for me of our wonderful trip.
This is my two hundred seventy-fifth  daily drawing.  Thank you for allowing me to reminisce and for your continued interest. 

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.

On Top of the World 9 x 12 oil

We rent a house for a part of each summer on Monhegan Island.  It is on the top of Horn Hill... the top.  Before we arrive, while we are packing at home, The Hill becomes notorious, and a bit exaggerated, in terms of its height, its steepness, the stamina needed to climb it.  When we are bringing new friends with us, the Horn Hill lore can be intimidating.  Truth is... it is steep.  It is up there.  But, it is certainly doable, and absolutely glorious.  We watch the sunset over the 12-mile distant mainland every evening that it reveals itself.  We watch weather approach and  take on  fascinating size and shape when it nears this lump of rock in the ocean.  Every morning, I look North from the deck to see this wonderful view, divided by this luscious group of three trees.  The view without the tree would be amazing in itself, but the tree adds a beautiful vertical counterpoint to the horizon and village below.  

"On Top of the World" is my take on the Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge for July, theme "Tree".  

Thanks for looking, and as always, I love your comments.

"Exodus" oil 8 x 11

Each summer, as we leave Monhegan Island, I take a photo or two of our party taking the last walk down to the dock.  There's something appealing about the consolidation of belongings, and the unified energy of departure.  It has been a decade now, and I know I'll be taking a few more photos when we leave again in a couple of days.  

This month's challenge topic for Girls Just Wanna Paint was "travel".  These three girls are traveling,  about to embark on another leg of their trip ... over the last rise, down the hill, onto the ferry and back to the mainland, paved roads, pace quickening and heading home.  Is that technically, "untravel"? Unravel, unwind, rewind... back again.

  Thanks for looking.