Day 247 "Less Hating Mo Living" 6 x 9 ink and pencil

Today we waited a little bit at the T-station to pick up our daughter.  We parked under the garage in the pick up area.  I decided to sketch the scene, all angles and geometry and structure and man-made materials. As I looked up, I saw the graffiti on the column next to us, "Less Hating, Mo Living", a good message for these days where it seems so many are quick to hate, and/or to promote hate.  
On the other side of the coin, I stopped by my school today for the first time since knee surgery 5 weeks ago.  I love the kids, and it was wonderful to see them today... lots of love going around.  
This is my two hundred forty-seventh daily drawing.  Thank you for continuing to look at the world through my eyes.  

Day 246 "Ready the Fleet" 6 x 9 ink and watercolor

 This morning I spent a little time up by the Hingham yacht club watching teens preparing their fleet of boats for sailing.  It was a very calm morning, and the boats look like fish out of water laid out on the dock.  Behind them, a couple of boats moved slowly out of the harbor in the almost windless morning.  The boats are so graceful in the water, and so ungainly lined up on the dry dock.  I liked the sense of pending action.  By the way, that's always what I found funniest about the Far Side cartoons... something was often about to happen. Action pending... Here's an example:

And, here's a photo on site this morning.  What a nice way to begin my day.

 

Day 245 "From the Garden" 12 x 9 ink and watercolor

This morning, a few of us met up at my friend Gail's house.  Her gardens are lovely.  We spent some time hanging out on her porch, chatting and drawing this bouquet of peonies.  It was a lovely way to spend some time.  I drew the flowers while there, then added watercolor later from my memory.  
This is my two hundred forty-fifth daily drawing.  Thank you for looking.  

Day 244 "Incoming Tide" pen & ink 6 x 9

Today we headed over to the Scituate Lighthouse, and took a walk around the loop.  The road is flat, and good for my new knee.  We walked .8 mile, a good distance for today, and had time to sketch the harbor.  It's a beautiful time of day, families walking about, some bringing take out dinner to eat on the benches overlooking the water, boats returning into the harbor from a day out, the smell of salt, and sound of soft waves.  

This is my two hundred forty-fourth daily drawing.  Thanks for your continued interest and your comments.  

Day 241 "Value Study of The Desk by Fairfield Porter" 9 x 6 ink and marker

"The Desk" oil Fairfield Porter 1963

I have been thinking about Maine this week, so looked up some Fairfield Porter paintings.  His color and design are inspiring.  On initial inspection, his color application seems simple because he often painted in flat shapes with little modeling.  However, I look to his work as masterful in use of design, color and value.  I chose a 1963 Porter painting, "The Desk", to study.  It is a strong interior, with an open desk just off of the center of the composition.  There are papers and books scattered about as if someone just got up and  took a break from a lot of deep thinking.  I love the painting.  Here is my value study of this Porter interior. Look at how he handled the light outside, through the gauzy curtains, across the wood floor and along the coffee table, and skipping along the scattered paper on table and floor.  There are hints of interest.. on the desk, on the desktop, paintings on the wall... so subtle.  
This is my two hundred forty-first daily drawing.  Thank you for taking a look at my thoughts expressed visually.   

Day 240 "Juried Fine Art" ink and colored pencil 6 x 9

 The North River Arts Society Festival Juried Fine Art Show ended today. It was a strong show.  I usually work the pick up, always a pleasant time to connect with fellow artists.  We generally have a big crowd, because people show up a little early, and get a chance to look at the intact show for the last few minutes of its display.  Here is one view of the gallery.  The front wall facing the front door and street is red, looks great with a lot of the local art.  Here's a photo of the front wall.  One of my paintings is on the lower right.  The inside walls are a green/gold/neutral which shows work very well, too. It was interesting to observe how warm that green/gold/neutral is away from the windows and how cool it is when influenced by the windows.  Big shift in temperature.
This is my two hundred fortieth daily drawing; thank you again for taking a look at the world through my eyes.

Day 239 "Morning Color" mixed 8 x 9

Each morning I sit on our porch with my coffee and fill my senses with the sounds, smells, and sights of our yard.  The sun pours through the trees from the east, birds are busy among the flowers, and our gold fish pond bubbles away.  This week, these small iris popped open.  They last briefly, but are so beautiful.  In the morning, they are backlit by the sun, and they sparkle against the green blue of the shaded trees.  That was a challenge to capture, but I laid in the yellow and green in watercolor, then the purple/pink of the iris.  Then I ramped up the darkness of the green blue with a series of colored pencil layers, darkened the yellow with pencil and added some yellow pastel in and among the greens.  
This is my two hundred thirty-ninth daily drawing.  It is my take on the theme "home" for our Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge for the month of May.  Click through the link to see all our takes on the theme "home".  Thank you for looking at the world through my eyes.