Valentine Moon

A full moon on Valentine's Evening? What could be more lovely and romantic?
(In my opinion, the same moon seen on a tropical beach would win me over in a heartbeat.)

planning stage

I painted a large-ish (18x24) landscape "en plein air" for the golf course cancer charity raffle. I used oils which is still a steep learning curve for me. Here is one of my planning sketches from my watercolor sketchbook of which I did several.

purpose

The purpose of the trip to Florida other than the obvious relief from bitter cold winter was to paint a landscape for a charity function. The charity event is held at the golf course, the funds go to a group of oncologists who distribute help to needy cancer patients.
 My friend was the organizer of the event and her idea was to have me paint outdoors in the beauty of this particular place and get attention for the charity.
 I painted for four days in one spot, made a few small paintings and one large canvas.
I left the big painting there to be displayed and later auctioned or raffled. It was painted in oils and still quite wet, and I forgot to take any pictures of the finished art.

I have just this detail of the heron that I added as a focal point.

Painting all day

I was in Florida/Paradise. I had 5 days to paint outside in the fresh air and sunshine.
Here's my set-up, portable folding easel and stool, oil paints and canvas. Paradise.

back to reality

My reality at home is bitter, cold, and frozen fingers. It is hard to draw while wearing mittens and layers of protection. I've been posting a lot about how I am suffering in the winter here in Chicagoland.

The truth is that I haven't suffered every minute, I spent 5 days in Florida in the last week of January.

I was invited by dear friends to do some landscape painting on their golf course in Lemon Bay. This course is a National Audubon bird refuge, known for it's natural beauty. The first thing to do besides breathing very deeply of warm humid air is to get out the sketchbook and start planning the landscape composition. I was overwhelmed by the brilliant foliage greens and blue skies. All the colors looked garish to me after the winter white and grey that my eyes were accustomed to.

winter haiku

frozen black fingers
scrape a silvery full moon
winter nights beauty






































by Janice Skivington 1/16/2014
I did it, I wrote a haiku in the traditional manner while enjoying this moment from nature.

A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from nature, haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression. - See more at: http://www.poets.org

kitchen moon

I don't love to cook but I love my cosy bright kitchen. One of my favorite morning spots to draw is sitting at the kitchen table where I can look up and glance out the window at the ever-changing fluttering activity around our many bird feeders and the heated bird bath on our deck.
I sat with my cup of tea on this winter night looking out the window over the kitchen sink at dark tree branches silhouetted by the rising full moon in bitter cold.

s.a.d.s.

Some of my readers who have followed through the years know that I complain a lot every winter. I suffer from SADS (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

Or, as I define it; Severe Aversion to Digging Snow!

I drew this in my little sketchbook sitting at my kitchen table looking out on the deck. It is about 4 degrees Fahrenheit and the sun is shining making long purple blue shadows. We have a heated bird bath and 5 feeders!

d.a.d. has d.i.e.d.

Drawing A Day has turned into Drawing Interrupted Every Day.
My New Year's Resolution has gone the way of most of all past Resolutions, (lose weight, exercise, pray more, etc.). I had been experiencing some little pleasures of daily sketching and posting and anticipated that I could continue it all year. Thus, I came up with Drawing.A.Day. (d.a.d.). I made it for 19 days in January and then the inevitable distractions came along and the very idea of drawing and posting daily became a burden to add to a growing must-do list.
So, I am taking it easier and posting when it feels like fun. I find myself drawing a lot these days, and I like to share on this blog. Another of my super bowl super fast sketches here.

defeat

Usual practice for all Americans is to observe the annual football holiday known as the super bowl with family and friends with food and frivolity. We were all rooting for the Colorado team at my friend's house and we were all defeated. Well, I did a lot of eating and some drawing too. So it is not a total loss.