preparations around our town

A poster I have designed to hang about town for my upcoming art show at St. Mark's.

a year and more

I wait all year for March and April when the traditional Easter lilies are being sold to decorate for Easter Sunday. I love to draw these lilies. The pearly petals, the graceful shapes, the sacred symbolism, it is fascinating for me every year. This year I bought 6 plants and had every surface in my studio filled.
I titled this post "a year and more" because I found an Easter lily plant blooming in my yard this week. I can't bear to throw them out after the blooms fall off so I go outside and stick them in the ground in any available sunny spot. Sometimes, they bloom again. In July! Contour line drawing on Arches paper with a charcoal prismacolor pencil. I intend to finish this with watercolor washes.

preparations

Preparations are underway for my art show at StMark's Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. I will be hanging the show at the end of July. I have been busy lately designing my promotional material and getting things printed. This is the front of the postcard that I have mailed out already.

And here is the reverse side where I put printed address labels and a stamp.

Where did all these weeds come from

Sketching in church again. Interesting story in Matthew today.

mountain view coffee shop

Agia Sophia (means "holy wisdom") is the name of a coffee shop in Old Colorado city, the art gallery and shopping district in Colorado Springs. Charming place with excellent books to browse while sipping or sketching. And to top it all off, a view of Pikes Peak from our window side table.

So that we love

A quick sketch of my own mother made in my sketchbook recently.

"we're made so that we love

First when we see them painted, things we have passed

Perhaps a hundred times nor cared to see;

And so they are better, painted—better to us,

Which is the same thing. Art was given for that;

God uses us to help each other so,"

Fra Lippo Lippi

BY ROBERT  BROWNING

happy birthday Rembrandt

Today is the 408th birthday of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. Born July 15, 1606, considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art and the most important in Dutch history.
The Art Institute of Chicago has a few Rembrandt masterpieces on display. A few years ago there was a special exhibit of Rembrandt art with many loaned paintings from all over the world. I had the opportunity to visit this show and here is a sketch from my sketchbook at that time.

sisters at the salon

My two sisters getting their toes pampered. I sat across sketching and was given the directive to not draw them with double chins.

view of the mountains

I lost my father five years ago. He is buried in a lovely small mountain graveyard that overlooks Pikes Peak and the mountain ranges. A fine blue spruce shades his grave. I sat in this quiet spot and sketched while visiting in June. My father loved the mountains, and this peaceful place is full of his memory.

garden adventure

 The Garden of the Gods Park is a registered National Natural Landmark in Colorado Springs. It is also conveniently near all my family I visit when in the Springs. I spent a day in the park while visiting in the month of June. With sketchbook and traveling paintbox packed in a backpack I climbed a rock to paint my own adventure.
The amazing view with towering red rock formations and in the far distance, the front range of the Rocky Mountains.

As I painted, the sky was changing rapidly, and as often happens in the mountains, rain clouds moved in from the west. I painted enough before I had to scramble off my rock as the thunder and raindrops began.