Agave Plein Air Sketch

So, I have been trying my hand at Urban sketching as I said a few days ago. I have all my set up right now, but still ironing out the kinks. I found sketching this at a Bus stop here in Tucson, AZ was both fun and exciting but difficult. I need to get used to all the natural and man-made obstacles involved in this process. However, I do love the loose feel of this sketch. And I really wanted to capture the idea that this Agave had some pink in the points which I do not often see. Hope you enjoy this new adventure I am on these days.

Exploring Brick

I have decided to start a watercolor sketchbook. It is often too hard with a little one to find a good chunk of time to complete a painting or larger size, but as I have been following several Urban Sketchers online I have decided that it would be fun to explore this world and get my skills back to producing art. The artist bug has really bit me these days and I have been doing lots of fun spontaneous ink and wash sketches but also got my outdoor kit going to do a watercolor sketch. It has been a while since I have been serious with watercolor as most everything I have produced in the last several years has been 4X6 in watercolor while only producing larger works with acrylic. So, here is to getting back into the world of color and expression. I did this Exploring Brick as a watercolor while my little one played in the backyard. It was great fun and I finished it later inside remembering the light and the windy day. It is a watercolor size 7.5" by 11" it is the size I have decided to make my travel sketch watercolor pad. This pad was also my first attempt at binding myself which was great fun. I hope you all enjoy.

Patagonia Lake Campground

We went camping with the baby a couple of months ago. It is pretty difficult to do art on a trip with a nine month almost ten month old, but I had lots of time with this view when she was napping in the tent. She had a great little time and is going to get this picture put in her baby book for her First Camping Trip. This is in the Patagonia Lake Campground were we stayed the weekend. It is a watercolor sketch that is 4X6.

Patagonia Lake

Keeping up with a baby and art can be a very challenging adventure. I have tried my best to keep up with the art but the baby always comes first and that is how it should be. We went to Patagonia Lake, AZ several weeks ago and while we were juggling fishing and baby; I finally got her occupied with her toys and managed to get off this little watercolor sketch. I had to finish it when we got home, but it was well worth it. My husband loves this lake and I gifted this little 4X6 to him to remember this precious family moment. We went camping there all together for the first time shortly after this and the next blog should be the little sketch that I did on that trip of the campground area.

Colorado Inspiration

These purple mountains and trees was inspired by my time in Colorado. I loved being in the Rocky Mountains, but it was fun to live in there in the Summer and Spring. I did not like the blizzards in the Winter; being a desert rat did not help the desire to avoid the snow. This watercolor is a 5X7 postcard size.

Fuchsia Flower

This watercolor (5X7) that I gave as a present to a friend is a fun little Fuchsia Flower. This is the first time I painted this type of flower, but it was a fun little project. I framed this in a little plastic frame box. I often use this side postcards for cards, but this one I framed as a present.

Tucson Botanical Gardens

The other day, I went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens with my friend Keslea. I love the flowers there and we were early enough in the morning to beat the heat. This is the watercolor sketch that I did.

Butterfly

I was challenged this morning by a man I dearly love who is a father to me. Challenged in my thinking and in my patterns to do something seemingly impossible to my mind. I am not sure if I actually succeeded in the challenge or not, but I learned that much more of our thoughts and moods are a reflection of choices then I wanted to believe. As I was rummaging through my mind that often seems so closed off to me, I was thinking of renewal, rebirth, redemption, and such things. They often remind me of butterflies, so the sketch for today is this butterfly from the International Wildlife Museum.

Lynx

I wrote the two poems for today last night after I had a hard day dealing with the Lithium I am on. I had went to the International Wildlife museum yesterday to draw and take pictures. It was a struggle to do either as I could not stop my hands from shaking. I have been having tremors from the medication that I am on currently. This Lynx was the only sketch that managed to survive from my frustration with my hands.

Botanical Garden Flower in Tucson

I went to the Botanical Gardens in Tucson this morning. I spent some time sketching the flowers and got to see the Tropical Butterflies before they leave for the season. I like this painting the most because it was the most dramatic for colors and got the dusty wind of the day in the blue around the flower. It was very fun and relaxing, but still struggling with the medication and overheating easily.

Bookmark of Flowers

Yesterday, my house mate, Julie, asked me to do a watercolor sketch of the flowers that her daughter, Anna, collected around our yard. The result of that was this bookmark that she wanted. I did this watercolor sketch while listening to mindless TV on Hulu while I was trying to recover from overheating yesterday. I did do a painting today, but it is still not dry. So, there will be a fun acrylic coming tomorrow.

Verde Canyon Train Ride - Cottonwood

I painted this watercolor sketch on the Verde Canyon Railroad Train. My friend Amy took my on this trip as a belated Birthday present. We were in first class on the Sycamore car. There were these beautiful Cottonwood trees all in the Canyon by the water with a backdrop of the red, orange layered canyon walls. It was beautiful. Although, it is not the easiest things to sketch while riding a train.

Aqua Caliente Park

Not thrilled with today's posting, the scan did not come out well. However, this is the watercolor sketch that I did Monday at Aqua Caliente Park. I saw a so many birds and then the all disappeared when I sat down to paint.

Flowers at Tohono Chul Park

It was kind of a rough day today. Nothing seemed to be working. I did kind of like this flower sketch that I did at Tohono Chul Park. Tomorrow will be a new day. I have an acrylic painting idea; I just might start that tonight.

Big Horn Sheep, April 17, 2012

Feeling so much better and can drive again, so I went out to the International Wildlife Museum today. It is a perfect place to sketch and look at animals without any of the Tucson heat and sunlight that I have been struggling to cope with. This was a watercolor wash of one of the Big Horn Sheep there.

Spring in the Desert, April 15, 2012

This is what I love about the Desert. When everything comes to bloom and the colors are flying, it is a beautiful thing to see among all the cacti.

East Garden, April 7, 2012

I am currently on Medical Leave from work. I have decided to devote some time back into creativity and art. This Spring our house decided to make several little garden areas all around the yard. This is the rock garden on the east side of the house.

Black Eyed Susan, Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Another sketch from the wildflowers at the Abbey.

Chinese Spontaneous Flower, Sunday, July 18, 2010

Had Mountain Solitude today and just lavished up the joy of being with God surround by the beauty of His creation and nature. The cool air, trees, and this red squirrel that kept dropping leaves and pine cones out of the tree about five feet away from me. He or she was huge. My soul so needed the time with God and the time away. I was realizing how busy this week had been and how I had not slowed down much just to let Him nurture my soul. So I decided to one of my funniest things today with my art and do a wet into wet flower. This is from the Chinese watercolor book by the same artist that the fish from previous days come from. It was a lot of fun to do. Just playing around.

Little Chick, Sunday, July 11, 2010

This is a little wet into wet chick. As i was working on stuff today, I was thinking that I need to devote some time to my mother, son portrait that I need to do for my friend this is my third mother child portrait that I have done for her. Perhaps, I can do the progression of the portrait here on the blog.