it's beginning to feel like fall

Today feels like fall- the first rain in two months. The days get shorter, neighborhood children prepare for the first day of school next week and I notice subtle changes in the garden- the colors soften, spider webs spread between plants and leaves start to dry out.

This morning, we sketched at McMenamins Edgefield. The sunflowers were bent over heavy with their fruit. Blackbirds kept coming back to eat more seeds.
Dahlias graced the paths of the herb garden,
Birdhouses added character.
Here's my interpretation of the blue birdhouse in the above photo-
It's hard to see summer go but I do like the sense of new beginning that fall brings.

Luscher Farm Sketches

We sketched at Luscher Farm this week. The community garden provides 185 gardeners with plots to grow their own vegetables and flowers. This Saturday, the Grow Gather Dinner supports new sustainability projects for schools with local chefs preparing fresh produce from the gardens.
Lots of green tomatoes grow on vines but few are turning red. It may be mid-September before they ripen.

I discovered a patch of sweet peas growing under tall sunflowers and sat in the shade to sketch them enjoying their fragrance in the gentle breeze.
Scarecrows line the garden edges.
It's a wonderful spot to enjoy the fruits of summer.

at the beach, just another day in paradise

Exploring the Oregon Coast with a good friend happens to be one of my favorite travel adventures. It's fun to check out off the beaten path places. South of Lincoln City, up the Siletz River near Kernville we found Barking Dog Farm. Driving downhill to the farm, a row of hollyhocks greets us. I love these old fashioned flowers.

We bought fresh organic kale- several varieties, zucchini and cheddar cheese cauliflower to make a pasta 'verano' with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Yum!!! The purple tomatoes didn't look very appetizing but they tasted delicious on our BLTs. Fresh picked produce has to be one of
the best rewards of summer.

We drove north and stopped at Cape Outlook State Park for a picnic and beach walk. Kate Chopin said how I felt- "The voice of the sea speaks to the soul."

Long walks on the beach listening to the surf, watching children build sand castles and fly kites make one feel young at heart.

We stopped to buy fresh Lapin cherries off Highway 22 near Dallas. They provide a place to wash the cherries for eating. What a wonderful trip! I feel rejuvenated and ready to create.

Win Paper Remnant Journal

Dayna Collins made this great paper remnant journal for a giveaway this month on the Portland Art Collective blog. Go Here to comment and have a chance to win this journal.

Dayna demonstrates how she used one of her remnant journals to chronicle a recent stay on Portland's waterfront. She also plans to sell these journal at the Portland Art Collective "Open Doors Show" in December.

From Waterlilies to Metal Sculpture

I'd much prefer to sketch flowers. This waterlily at Hughes Water Gardens started turning from white to pink as we sat and sketched in the greenhouse. The subtle color changes happened very slowly. The gardener said that by the end of the day this waterlily would be all pink.

Victorian lily pads float in the greenhouse pond with tall lotus plants in the background.

The lotus blossom and seed pod always fascinate me with their grand size and shape.

Other waterlily species share the pond with their bright flowers and dark leaves.


This week, we went to Lake Oswego to sketch street art. My inclination is to draw the flowers in this beautiful bed.

Robin discovered this metal sculpture entitled "Totem" by Travis Pond from Steel Pond Studios in Portland. It's made of 100% recycled metal motorcycles and guns. Gas tanks become bodies and various metal parts formed the arms and legs of the totem creatures.

Here's the bottom creature- a frog? I'm not sure. I felt like I was drawing an outer-space being.

2011 Art Journal Calendar

Check out my new 2011 Art Journal Calendar. You may preview 15 pages on the sidebar link and order copies from Blurb. The 40 pages contain my artwork and photographs. Keeping an art journal engagement calendar is a great way to start the new year. You can find my reasons for visual journaling in a calendar Here. It seems early to think about 2011. I'm already seeing
calendars in stores. Now is the time to get your 2011 Art Journal Calendar. Thanks for your interest and support.

Red Journal Collaboration

Randi Feuerhelm-Watts cleaned out her studio and gave several of her journals that she started but never finished away. I was the lucky recipient of her red journal. It's a book cut in triangular shape with the pages folded. She attached a large grommet to one corner and added a chain to be able to carry it or hang it up.
The closure is glued onto the front cover and the back has a red elastic, looped thread to hold it closed.

It's my red journal collaboration with Randi. She started it and I'll finish it. I worked on some new pages at our Guemes Retreat. The first page uses a notice from the 1000 journals project.

The next page includes crop circle card that I received from Lydia Ruyle. The journal is a receptacle for all things red. The paper around the edges was made with a technique Randi shared on a recent trip to Portland.

Take baby wipes, scrunch and fold them with paper clips, rubber bands, other closures and paint with water soluble inks or children's washable markers. Let dry and you have a tie-dyed paper to use.

Another page focuses on an urban setting. Portland hosted an International Urban Sketchers Symposium this weekend. Check out their blog Here. Journal making and keeping takes many forms. That's what keeps it interesting and offering many opportunities to explore the creative process in word and image.