Hunting in Red and Blue Sketches and Photo

I sketched in the big sketchbook.  I had sketched the previous two items in color so decided to do more color items to finish the page.  I used the usual Micron 03 and added the colored pencil.

For Scavenger Hunt 472  http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1415346

Number 4, something in two colors - a red and blue bowl in my favorite two colors.
Number 5, something in your favorite color - I couldn't decide between red and blue.  I chose red and sketched the nut jar because I have never sketched it before.

I didn't realize how far the ellipse of the lid was until I took a photo of the items after I sketched them.  Wow!  Not quite the same angle on the jar but still......

We are going to some music tonight.  There is a show at the Bastrop Opera House with Amanda Kitchens.  Joanna recommended it.  We shall see how it goes.  Sounds like fun.  She plays the accordion.  Hmmm.  http://www.bastropoperahouse.com/

iPad Sketch and Neat Gift

I sketched on the iPad last night while watching TV. I did have my feet up but not on the iPad.  Ha.

Number 11, shelf
Number 12, made of wood - I said the cabinet for the TV holder/fireplace.  We are not to use an item in a sketch for two things, so am not sure the shelf and the outside are considered one thing.  The little elephant next to the cable box is made of wood so I'm sure that can count, even if you can't tell it is an elephant.
For Scavenger Hunt 434  http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1395528

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When we were opening presents, Jennie and I received a flat cardboard envelope from Joanna.  We both opened them to find a cardboard frame.  Joanna said we had to put them together at the same time next morning.  We both were a bit perplexed, the cardboard frame had directions, however.  I was thinking, why would Joanna give me a cardboard picture frame???  But we thanked her and next morning Joanna rounded up our frames and we sat down to get started.  We began folding the sides on the lines/scores provided, still wondering.  Then we opened it a bit more to stick in the tabs and what???  The picture of the three of us from Jennie's wedding was printed on the front.  Well, tears all around.  What a fun gift!

The finished frame is about a food square and  can sit on a table or hang.  This is in a temporary spot.

More info about the frames and you can watch a video at:
http://www.tonki.com/us/en/

Sketching a Foggy Sky

Scavenger Hunt 394  http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1372685  has "sky" as one of the items.  It is foggy, rainy and cold here.  I could only imagine sketching the fog in color.  Pen and ink might be a real challenge and take toooo long to do for a sketch.  I pulled out the iPad and used the Brushes App for this one.

Number 1, sky and Number 2, grass or ground cover

Hope you are warm and snug wherever you are if it is cold outside.  It is about 40 degrees here, which is very cold for us.  Doesn't compare with our family in Kentucky or any of you up north.  I'm happy with my 40s.

Here is our back yard today, I chose to just use 3 of the trees on this side. Hmm, must be artist's license. Ha.

Last For Hunt 259

I decided to try doing a draft on the Blogger APP and then posting via Safari to see if I can then add links and such. I sketched on my iPad with Brushes and can post the photo from the APP .. Maybe.

Number 6 (?) my numbers seem to be off. Raisins or other dried fruit - Sketched my breakfast yet again.

Note:

I posted the above for Scavenger Hunt 259  from my iPad with BE Write HD.  It said it would post a draft, but was blank, so had to just post it.  I could not add links through that or the Blog APP.  So, not to satisfactory as a tool without my iMac.  Guess that means I need a new MacBook Pro for the summer, eh?  Can't take my iMac with us to Alaska on the plane like a carry on.  Heh.

It is rainy and cold here.  We still really need the rain, so won't complain about it.  UT Baseball was cancelled last night and may be cancelled tonight as well.  Miss the baseball but we need rain more than baseball I suppose.  We did not miss sitting in the stands at 45 or 50 degrees.  The chill factor there must make it about 35.  Way to miserable for us.  Maybe the Sunday games will be better.

Our yard is nice and green.  We had some visiting cormorants this morning on the southeast lake this morning.  You can see a hint on the little island.  They are sure big old birds.  You can see a few wildflowers, too. 

Gene put up the shutters in the entry.  They look very nice and are great on that long narrow window.  Photos from the iPad.  

Hunt 223 Sketches, Baseball Photos

I wrote this on May 22 and somehow never posted it.  Sigh........  Better late than never.

May 22, 2011

I sketched out on the porch and in the kitchen this morning.  Nice morning, but already 80 degrees around 8:00 a.m.  Wow!  Summer is upon us.  I sketched in the Ultrecht sketchbook with the Faber-Castell PITT F pen and some colored pencil added.  I promised that I would try some watercolor on the paper, but have not.  Maybe tomorrow.....  For Scavenger Hunt 223.

Number 11, Stack of wood, lumber or firewood - the downed oak tree in the back, soon to be firewood after Gene splits it!

Number 12, kitchen counter and contents.
Number 13, Something in favorite color - mine is blue so take your pick of tops, wire rack, cabinets.  :)
Number 14, Wire whisk
Number 15, Hot - Toaster
(Challenge to group several items together)

And sadly, the Horns did not win the game last night.  Who knows what happens?  It was tied to the ninth inning, the Aggies scored 3 runs and the Horns couldn't answer.  This makes them tied for the Big 12 championship, but Texas gets the number 1 seed in the tournament on Wednesday.  We are not going to the tournament this year.  It is in Oklahoma City.  We have had lots of fun in the past.  We even got to meet Lou (Bag Blog) and Toby Baggett and their family.  Maybe next year we will just go to a regular series at Oklahoma State or Oklahoma, whoever we play up there.  Or meet the Baggetts in Lubbock when we play Texas Tech.

Here are a few photos from the game last night.  The last regular season game this year.  Regionals will be week after next and Texas should host, so that will be our games for the year.

Joanna waiting to take photos of the seniors.  She is far from us, this with the zoom on my little Casio camera.  Not bad!  You can read about all the games on Joanna's Longhorn Baseball Page and see her photos!  She takes great photos.  The official report is on the Texas Baseball Page.

Game talk and preparation to start the game.  The Star Spangled Banner singer warming up.

The seniors.

Stayton Thomas, lining up.  We had fun watching him pitch .. didn't get to pitch last night, though.

Tant Shepherd, we will miss him at first base.

Sam Stafford in action.

Hoby Milner on the mound.  One of my favorites to watch.  Gene would say they are all my favorites.  He teases me because my mom would always say, "That's my favorite song!" when listening to the radio and in five minutes the next one would come on and she would say again, "That's my favorite song."  I guess I do take after her,  wishy washy and cannot decide which is best. 

Today is the Austin Pastel Society meeting.  Jan Weaver is doing the demo.  That is Jan's painting on the front page. Will I see you there?

Web Browsing - Art, Photos

I'm actually working on a painting but it is a surprise so can't post it yet.  I doubt the person it is for ever looks at my blog, but you never know!

In the meantime I was wondering if you ever hop over to Armand Cabrera's "Art and Influence" blog.  It is always full of art history and good advice.  I'm enjoying his last two posts about starting a career in art.  Good stuff.

I went to the Austin Pastel Society meeting on Sunday to see Jan Weaver's demo and visit with the artists.  Jan worked on a painting of a dog.  She shared her technique of painting animals and fur with Pan Pastels using Q-tips and cotton balls and the spongy tools that come with the pastels.  She works from her own photos.  Beautiful work.  The wild cats were taken at zoos.  Pan Pastels look fun, but I haven't decided to invest in more toys.  I think I could brush my soft pastels with a Q-tip and get the same results??  Maybe, ha.  

We walked our nine holes of golf this morning and were treated to a visit of the resident roadrunner.  He was around yesterday as well, but I didn't have the camera.  Always the way it goes. Nice light on the course early in the morning.

Golf courses are beautiful and peaceful

Roadrunner

Roadrunner, first.

Acrylic Paintings - Figure, Landscape Plein Air

I went back to the view with the fence from the other day and looked down the valley. The fence is along the edge of the golf course on the left and the road is to the right in this view. I took my compact kit again, but forgot to take paper towels. I used one of Gene's old golf towels, but rinsed the brush every time so didn't hurt the towel. I only painted about an hour. The wind was so gusty, it blew over the easel at one point. My paint was drying fast, too. I didn't take the stay wet palette and had the paint on a Styrofoam plate so that sped up the drying time, too. It was an "I give up" situation. I don't know how Gene did thirty miles on his bike. Wow.

I painted this on the back of the painting I did last week of another valley. It is on watercolor paper and just for practice. I think I am about to figure out the palette for these greens and will try another "real" painting soon.

The view with my camera. There were prairie dogs and golfers around. I couldn't get a decent photo of the prairie dogs and didn't bother with the golfers.

Fencing, too.
Acrylic on watercolor paper, 8 x 10

The painting .. fairly close in color to my painting. The sky needs to be lighter near the horizon, otherwise I am pleased with this. With more than an hour, I might have fixed the ground colors and added in a building or two. I usually put red in the evergreens and I did put some red in the darks, but it doesn't show. Next time!

Morning Cook
Acrylic 5 x 7 inches, on canvas panel
One of Jo's Notions, $50, unframed, free shipping

Back at the house I watched golf (Tiger lost, boo hoo.) and finished the painting I started the other day. It is based on the restaurant from breakfast the other morning. I changed some colors and the counter, which I think helped the painting. My in house critic said it didn't look like the photo. The cook was reaching for something in the photo and I couldn't capture that to my satisfaction, she looked awkward so this is my interpretation. The photos were blurry with no flash, so I won't post them.

Has anyone seen the movie, Local Color? It looks like an artist's movie that we might enjoy.

Baseball .. All over but the crying .. or not.

Congratulations to the Texas Longhorns! I guess most of you know that the Longhorns lost the last game of the College World Series and the LSU Tigers won. LSU has a great team and had been number one for most of the year. They are deserving champions. The Longhorns had a great team spirit and they should be so proud of their accomplishments .... we are!! It was the two best teams playing for sure. Both schools have such a history and devoted baseball fans. The players were amazing and the way they played as a team was super.

This is a photo from a game in May. I just like it. And.. of course, I don't have any from Omaha!

The Longhorns played their hearts out and we had the most exciting end of a season that I remember since we have been here .. well except for the times we won the College World Series, of course! Some were calling them the Heart Attack Horns. They were amazing in their feats of courage and talent. I'm pretty sure that the team will be back in the heat of things next year as most of the pitchers and players will be back. The team should be so proud of themselves for persevering and making it to the last game. I just hope that they know that the fans were all there in spirit if not in person. Best of luck to the seniors and the drafted players.

You can read a great commentary and all about it on Joanna's Longhorn Baseball Page, the official Horns page and all the other stories you can Google up about the games.

It said in the paper that we will play a weekend series with Rice next year. That should be very intense and fun. I am already having withdrawals and cannot wait for next year. Go, Horns, Go!

Scads of Sketches, Pen and Ink

I sketched for Scavenger Hunt 134. This is a couple of days worth of sketching. The Hunt ends today. I never have finished the twenty six items in nine days.

I am beginning to enjoy sketching more. It is close to becoming a habit. Thanks to Sue Modrak for her encouragement and sketchbooks she has given me. Well, forceful encouragement. She sketches all the time and it shows. She draws well and it seems to me .. effortlessly. (Sue doesn't have a blog or website .. I am forcefully encouraging her in that regard. Ha.) Regina has also given me sketchbooks and art related gifts, too. She and I have painted quite a bit together and rely on each other for critiques and support. If you are new to my blog, you can read more about why I sketch on the scavenger hunts here.

These sketches are all in the 7 x 10 inch sketchbook with a Micron 05 pen. I sketch freehand.

Number 1, portly - a little ceramic monk playing cards. Number 2, elevated - the ceiling fan and wall hangings in the living room.

Number 3, celestial - an angel sculpture from Gene's Mom a few years ago. It is quite elaborate and doesn't quite fit in our house but I guess it is the only angel we have.


Number 4, negative - several poor negative sketches, horse sculpture, vase and cup.

Number 5, serene - Gene watching TV and working on his computer. I told him I could sketch him again today for "caustic", he chuckled at that. Number 6, earthy - A plant in a pot and the challenge of doing it like a puzzle. I do think there is a piece or two missing, these wouldn't quite fit together!

Number 7, scarred. My hand where I cut it with a table knife while separating sausage patties many years ago in Bolivia. Number 8, diminutive - another of the little portly monks.

Number 9, exit - the screen door on the porch. Number 10, old fashioned - a meat grinder sitting on a window sill on the porch. Could have done a self portrait, no?

And a photo of the little monks that are playing cards. One is putting a card up his sleeve or taking one out! One is peeking at the other's cards. I think one is asleep and the other is very innocently playing his cards. I received these as a gift during my bridge playing years.

Potential Art, Photo

I was going through reference photos of New Mexico and ran across this photo. A makeshift outhouse and a mystified yearling. It made me smile. You, too?? (click on image to enlarge)

Sketches for Hunt 117- Moon, Table, Chair

I am watching the weather channel, yikes! Ice storms all over the place. Thankfully it isn't here yet and may not make it. David and family in Kentucky have ice and no power. Not good.

I sketched today for Scavenger Hunt 117. Moon was one of the items on the list. I found the mirror for the sun, for day before yesterday, but couldn't think of a moon in my house. I can't see the moon tonight and it is cold anyway. Finally, I remembered a photo of my Mom when she was a little girl sitting on a moon. We are to sketch from life, but the photo is so cute I couldn't resist. We sketch sculptures instead of real things, so I am substituting for this one time - a photo.

Number 10, moon - my mom as a little girl. The face was awful so I tried again on the left. The bows in her hair look like horns. No dress behind the handle of the purse either. Oops. From a photo with a Pilot ball point pen in just a few minutes.



Number 11, table - about 20 minutes with the Pilot pen, all in my sketchbook. (Only one and a half pages to go!) Number 12, chair - about 15 minutes. Same pen, same book.

And here is the photo of my Mom. She looks about eight years old??? That would have made it around 1913 or so. How cool she was with a grown up looking purse. It could be a photo of me, too!

Hunting Dog (sketch, photo)

I was working on Scavenger Hunt 117 this evening. (After watching "24", yes we are still hooked on that dingy TV show) I looked at the list and there was "dog". Jennie hasn't been here with the grand-dogs so I thought about stuffed animals and then I remembered "Mack". A bronze that our friend, Charlie Force, did. My sketch is not great at all. When you see the real sculpture from the back it looks like the dog is just starting to get up. You can see it in his muscles. It is an amazing piece of art and of course, it looks just like Mack looked. I just realized that I put 93 in the signature. It had to be 63, that is, 1963. I wasn't thinking, I was sketching. A different side of my brain was in gear and I didn't switch gears.

And no, Mack was not a hunting dog, he was an Airedale. I am told that Airedales can be trained to do anything so why not hunting? After we met Mack we decided we would get and Airedale one day. We did, in the eighties when we were in Peru. Ali Ben was a great dog, but that is another story.

Number 9, dog - bronze sculpture, done with a Pilot ball point pen in my sketchbook that is almost full! Yea. It is fun/satisfying to fill a book. About 10 minutes taken for this sketch.



We went into Austin today and came back down Highway 969. It winds through the country and the sky and cattle were a lovely sight, don't you think?

Fall Ball, Deer and Squirrel

All my art has been paperwork today. Not fun, but necessary. Preparing paintings to hang tomorrow, working on a demo for Saturday and a newsletter. More about that tomorrow.

We went to one of the fall UT Baseball exhibit games yesterday. Wow it was a gorgeous day. Perfect for baseball. You can read about the new turf at the Disch and see some great photos of the game on Joanna's Baseball Page.

Here is a photo of the new turf with the Logo out behind second base. It sure looks nice.

Here is a warm up photo.

We golfed this morning and ran into the bambies again. They and a squirrel were under a cedar/juniper tree eating the berries I suppose.

Now it is back to paperwork .... sigh.

Pastel in Progress a la Regina

I still don't really have time to post. I suggest you take a look at Regina's pastel sky painting in progress. Amazing to see the painting grow to a finish.

Here is the POW/MIA balloon lit up in the Moon Glow/Twinkle on Saturday night.

The balloons are so beautiful to see. I will work on getting some more photos posted before we leave Albuquerque.

Scavenger Hunt 102, Welcome mat/rug, photos of Chile Peeling

Thought I had better get up a sketch, too much distraction this week. Peeling and packing chile, golf and visiting with folks here has taken a big batch of time.

For Scavenger Hunt 102, Number 7, welcome mat or rug. About a 10 minute sketch in my Cachet sketchbook, 1/2 page with a Micron 05 pen.



Gene picked up the fresh roasted chile on Wednesday and we decided to peel it under the carport in the shade. We had three bags of chile to peel. We started with the medium hot green chile.


This is the green chile, but as it is the end of the season, there was quite a bit of red mixed in. The pan nearest the bottom right is the peeled chile. You can see the black burned peel on the other pods.


Gene's mom, Frances, and Gene peeling. We wear surgical gloves to keep our hands from burning. This chile wasn't hot at all, though. Then we put it in plastic freezer bags and freeze it for use all year long.

We bought fresh roasted red as well and peeled it the next morning. It is good, but has a much sweeter taste as it has ripened. This chile is from Hatch and I feel the chile from there is just sweeter, period. This is our first time to package just the fresh red on its own. We prefer the pure green (the chile from Chimayo is so tasty and not sweet) and then like the red when it is dried and blended into a sauce. The fresh roasted is chopped with salt and fresh garlic and we eat it on eggs, sandwiches, and in stew or just chile with meat. Yummmm on all counts.

You are missing out if you have never had New Mexico chile, in a class all its own. New Mexico has an official State question, "Red or Green??" Restaurants here call it Christmas if you order both red and green on an enchilada.

Now I have to go eat some chile.............