New Pastel Painting, Sketch and Baseball Notes

The NCAA Super Regionals are on for baseball this weekend. While I watched, I sketched and painted.

First, after golf, I sketched for Scavenger Hunt 43 to warm up for painting.


#3 and #4, a stuffed animal and a figurine, and #5 a grocery bag. The stuffed gorilla is about 8 inches tall and so soft and cute. He is black and has velcro hands so he usually hangs on my lamp on my computer desk. It took longer than I thought it would to sketch because of the dark color and all the lines. (I bought a watercolor sketchbook in Michigan with Sue, I should have used that and watercolors - maybe next time.) The figurine is from Peru and is a copy of an Incan antique, made of pottery. The grocery bag is woven nylon from Bolivia. It is multi colored. It is probably at least 20 years old. Still good, we usually carry our snacks in it in the car. I guess I should use it for groceries and save the planet. I never think about it. Shame on me.

Then I touched up the Magdalena painting and am calling it finished. I will take a photo tomorrow and you can see the improvements. I have to figure out what kind of frame would look good on it. The one I planned to use is too brown for the blue, green painting. I have to frame it for the show. Or you could buy it now and then you could frame it as you want. :)

I decided to do a small painting for the show as well. I found a photo I took along the highway in New Mexico near Magdalena and cropped out these two yucca plants. I like the results. I will take a good photo tomorrow. This was very yellow from taking it with the lights in my studio. I fixed the photo as best I could, but it lost its vibrancy. I was excited about it though, and wanted you to see it as soon as possible. Check back for the better photo.


This is 5 x 7 inches on Ampersand Pastelbord, sand color. It will be framed in a wooden frame, sort of maple color. It will be right against the glass. Some pastelists say you shouldn't frame against the glass. Then you tell them the French have done it for years and for some reason that makes it more acceptable. Weird? I have been doing it for several years now and it works fine. You don't have to worry about the mat slipping or having pastel dust fall on it. They look like oil paintings except for the reflection. You can use museum non reflective glass to solve that problem.


The baseball games were interesting. We watched Louisville clobber Oklahoma State, 9-0. Guess the fact that it is the first time for Louisville to play post season, they are all hyped up. Everything worked for them today and nothing worked for Oklahoma State. I would like Louisville to go to the College World Series, but since OSU is a Big 12 team, I would like them to go as well. Oh well, what happens, happens. Fun to watch, since it doesn't affect the Longhorns. Then the Texas Aggies played Rice and Rice won in 10 innings. Drat. Whatever happens there, only one Texas team will be in the World Series. :(

My friend, Janice, here in Bastrop is a St. Louis Cardinal fan and two of the Longhorn players were drafted by St. Louis in the Major League Draft. Kyle Russell and Nick Peoples were their selections. That would be great if they make it! We could root for them together. You can read about the draft and how it affects the Longhorns on Joanna's page. She has a review of the draft on her draft summary page. We always want them to be drafted and make it in the big leagues, but don't follow or enjoy the professional games. There you are, then.