Top Ten Reasons to Sketch & Draw

1. to slow down and really see the nature of an object, person or landscape

2. to create a habit

3. to practice & improve skills

4. to relax and enjoy a form of meditation

5. to explore different styles

6. to experiment with media

7. to collect ideas for future projects

8. to play with line and color

9. to document travel experiences

10. to capture a moment in time

What makes you want to sketch or draw?

Where I Create - New Studio Images

Have you discovered Blogger Pages? For those of you who use Blogger for your blog posts, Pages is a new feature. In Layout, add the page gadget. Place the Page tabs under the header. Go to Posting > Edit Pages > New Page to add a page title and content. The Home Page brings you back to your main blog page with current posts.

You're welcome to visit my studio and see where I create. Just click on the "Studio" tab under the blog banner. Thanks for stopping by and taking my studio tour.

Back to Sketching on Tuesdays

Yesterday, we sketched at Monticello Antiques. Here's a silver and jade teapot that spoke to me.
It's a challenge to keep my drawings loose. We talked about an exercise to select an artist's style that we like and imitate it to learn that person's techniques, palettes and mode of expression.

A couple of weeks ago, we sketched at Townsend Tea on NE Alberta. The rows of tall teapots and the paper lantern-style vase highlighted Spring colors and a lighter palette.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! My mother made and gave me these hearts years ago. From my heart to yours, I hope your life is full of love.

Mary Lou Zeek 100 Artists Show Nourish & Sustain

I highly recommend seeing the 100 Artists Show at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, OR. Each artist was sent a food can to create a piece of art around the theme 'Nourish and Sustain'. Proceeds of the silent auction benefit Marion-Polk Food Share, a local food bank. It's always amazing to me to see how a 100 artists given the same item create very different artwork.

Two of our Portland Art Collective members participated this year. Check out Tory Brokenshire's and Dayna Collin's assemblage pieces.

A Day in Seattle's International District

We visited Seattle's International District a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to go to Uwijimaya on a hunt for Japanese washi paper tape. Inside the store is Kinokuniya Bookstore where they sell pens, tape, papers, books and other stationary supplies from Japan. Seattle's store is much larger than the one in Beaverton, Oregon. Above are samples of the tapes I bought and below is an example of their neat gift wrap paper.
This tape is transparent and is great to use in journals, cards, gift wrap, etc. Check out Jo Reimer's technique to make your own Washi paper tape with a Xyron machine and tissue paper. I can't wait to start creating my own tapes.

At the time, I was reading Jamie Ford's new book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. His novel chronicles life in Seattle's Chinatown and Nihonmachi, or Japantown, before and during WWII and the internment of it's Japanese residents.
The Panama Hotel described in his book still exists and celebrates it's 100th birthday this year. The owner, Jan Johnson, gave us a tour. Thirty-five Japanese families left their belongings in the hotel basement for safe keeping while they were interned. Many of these families never returned to Seattle to reclaim their things. The hotel Tea and Coffee House is a mini-museum with old photographs and other items of interest. The hotel reminds me of Patterson Hall, the dorm I lived in while attending UW. We plan to stay there on our next Seattle overnight trip.