Sketching and Pastel Bluebonnets

It was pretty slow at the ArtSpace Gallery today, so I painted again.  I guess the tourist season here is over until ski season starts.  There was no car traffic as I went and came back to the condo.

I was going to work on the ski run painting I had started, but was not excited about that so decided to play on some black Canson paper.  Black really makes color pop.  I played with this from memory for a couple of hours. It is more of a sketch than a painting.   I wonder if I am homesick? Bluebonnets came to mind.  :)

The first photo shows the paper pad and how the flowers look on the black and the second has them cropped to what might fit in an 8 x 10 frame.

Bluebonnets untrimmed.

Bluebonnets trimmed.

I sketched yesterday after Mary and Ruth left and we sort of wound down from the weekend.  It was a little windy and we did not leave the condo except for Gene to go get his newspaper.  Lazy bums!

These sketches are for Scavenger Hunt 191 in my mid sized sketchbook with a Micron 005 pen, freehand, taking about 10 - 15 minutes each.

Number 1, rough - the bark on a pine tree by the deck.  Number 2, smooth - a hard dark green plastic table on the porch.  Doesn't look too smooth with my hatching. 

Number 3, shiny - the dark windows with reflections on an SUV down below the deck.  Number 4, curved - a metal kokapeli sculpture on the wall.  Number 5, knotted and tied - my shoe string.

Tomorrow we plan to golf and go to Taos to stock up on supplies for our last week here in Angel Fire.