Katie Kendrick online class "Layered Impressions"

Last week, I started an online class with Katie Kendrick entitled "Layered Impressions". Many of her techniques are based on her upcoming book with the same name- a mixed media approach to painting and poetry. I've always admired the story telling style in her artwork. I'm just scratching the surface here in practicing some of the lessons. We drew several faces with our non-dominant hand and selected ones to paint.

I like the mix of watercolors with gesso. This face reminds me of Colette in Les Misérables. I can see how some of Katie's ideas will improve my drawing and painting skills. It may take me awhile to get through all of the workshop exercises and to practice them. It's always exciting to learn new techniques and see how other artists interpret them. I'll share more in future posts. I took a class from Katie in 2009 called "Spontaneous Haiku Painting". You can see the book that I made HERE.

Sketching with Friends

This week, I was fortunate to play with my watercolors and sketch twice with two different groups of friends. In the watercolor above, I played with stencils, textured items, a little tissue paper collage and drawing. I am attracted to art with the combination of solid colors and line drawings. Knowing when to stop and let some white paper, negative space show in the background is a challenge for me.
Earlier in the week, my regular sketching group visited Hughes Water Gardens. I wanted to work freer and capture the spirit of the fuschia without pen and ink. It reminds me of Chinese brush painting.

It was a cloudy day and the flowers' bright colors really popped.

Koi filled a large pond.


The waterlilies bloom.

Waterlily blossom on reflected grid, floating flower of spirit and rebirth. Speak to us.

Astoria and Long Beach Peninsula Trip

My wonderful summer continued last weekend with a trip to Astoria and the Long Beach Peninsula with art friends, Suzanne and Jan . While Portland sizzled with 90°F temps, we enjoyed cool, sunny weather in the 60's on the coast. I don't usually like to frequent antique stores but had fun visiting two in Nahcotta near Oysterville. I was particularly excited to find two tins for a dollar each that will make great watercolor travel palettes. Maybe I need to do this more often.

Fortunately, the Nahcotta Antiques and Collectibles - Bombay Books Store was open. Down the road, we visited Raven's Haven Junque-Art. Both offered a great variety of old jewelry, books, tins, linens, tools, etc. that we use in our art.
The community of Oysterville dates back to the 1850's. I liked Captain AT Stream's House built in 1869.

A morning walk on the beach-
and a return home over the Astoria bridge at the mouth of the Columbia River.
A very satisfying weekend.

Luscher Garden Sketch

We sketched at Luscher Farm today. Those who follow my blog know that this is a favorite summer place for us to sketch. I decided to play with landscape this time. The community gardens spread over several acres. Rows of cabbages and corn covered a large field.

I couldn't resist a photo of the cabbage patch doll scarecrows.

Nasturtiums and sunflowers grace almost every plot.
The lilies add a different color-
Artichokes in various stages of bloom stole the show
as did the kale.
It's starting to feel like autumn and these apples look ready to pick. Yum!

Summer Visual Calendars

It's been awhile since I shared my visual calendars. The summer goes by so fast and it's starting to feel like fall with cooler evenings, shorter days and a few leaves changing color.

My visual monthly calendars contain books read, artwork, sketches, travels, appointments. The artwork on the right is one of Robin Olsen's fabric pieces.

Go HERE for an older post on how to make your own visual calendar. The art on the right above is from Suzanne Reynolds. Visual calendars are great way to look at a glance and see what you've done during a month.

Japanese Garden Treasures

We sketched in the Japanese Garden last week. The summer garden's layers of green create a quiet, peaceful place.
A few hostas and hydrangeas bloomed adding a little contrast and color. I overheard one visitor say the verdant greens and mosses do not exist where he lives. I often take this beauty for granted.
In 2012, the Garden celebrates The Year of the Healing Garden. The leaflet had this wonderful quote by Hoichi Kurisu, Portland Japanese Garden Director, 1968- 1973-

"Strolling through a pine forest, viewing rock formations, and cascading waterfalls, pausing to ponder the quiet surface of the lake and shoreline- little by little we are encouraged to lay aside the chaos of a troubled world and gently nurture the capacity within to hear a more harmonious, universal rhythm. We exchange burden, boredom and despair for renewal, inspiration and hope. Or from the joy we already feel, we discover an even greater capacity for good. This is the tremendous power of the Japanese garden."

File Folder Journal

One of my trips this month took me to Guemes Island and an art retreat with Seattle and Vancouver, BC friends. One of my goals was to complete a file folder journal. I first read the instructions for this journal in the January/February 2011 issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors in an article by Heidi Sekovski and Karin Winter on making art from office supplies. My friend, Robin Olsen, made her fabric version of the journal seen HERE.

I like the idea of removable cards to write on both sides and add drawings or photos. The cards fit into neat little pockets made by folding the file folder up and sewing it into place. CELESTE brought her sewing machine and I had fun using different decorative stitches for the edges of the cards. Her blog shares photos of our retreat. Below are the next set of pockets and cards. I used a teabag colored distress ink pad to tie the pages together and give it an aged look.


Here's the back cover-
I've had so many wonderful experiences this summer- the beach, the mountains, art retreats and workshops, bicycle rides and hikes. It's felt so good to be outdoors and enjoy the sunshine. Our summer came late this year in the Northwest but has rewarded us with many sunny, warm days. I plan to chronicle my summer in this little journal.