Painting in a rose garden

Last month I took a one day class with Maryjo Koch in a rose garden. There weren't many fresh blooms on the rose bushes that day, but we found many things to sketch in the vast gardens. This is an image that I did while sitting in a chair on a shaded deck. I was lucky to find a few roses within sight of the shaded deck.

Nasturtiums in bloom

Last month I had the opportunity to spend the day sketching and doing watercolor as part of a class near Santa Cruz. Looking for something to sketch and paint, I came across these Nasturtiums. I've always had a fondness for them, but so far I haven't managed to get them growing in my own yard.

Mother's Day

I did something different for Mother's Day this year. With 2 of my 3 boys out of the house (and out of town) I decided that it was an opportunity for me to spend the day with my own mom. I invited Mom in advance to join me for a "girls day". Mom and I enjoyed a nice brunch at the Allied Arts Center in Menlo Park, and walked around the gardens. Afterwards, we visited Stanford Shopping Center which was also a picturesque place to walk amid all of the spring flowers. On my way to take Mom home I suggested that we take time to stop by Peets Coffee to reflect on our day. Mom didn't know... but I had brought some homemade biscotti to share with her along with our drinks. The biscotti was in a Mother's Day care package from my oldest son, Ryan. It was a beautiful day and we had lots of fun reconnecting, and the time at Peets was a perfect way to end our day.

Memories of Point Cabrillo Lighthouse

My sketching has become less frequent than it was at the beginning of the year, and I really miss it. But, sometimes other things get in the way and I am grateful for the time that I can find to work with my art supplies. I painted this page last month when I was really missing working in my sketchbook. Sometimes I get stumped about what to draw and paint.

I eventually settled on a small ceramic lighthouse that was a souvenir from a trip along the coast in Northern California. I had a fun evening sketching the lighthouse figurine, and it brought back fun memories of my visits to the lighthouse. I remember visiting the Point Cabrillo lighthouse at least two times with my family. On one visit we were joined by my parents, and the other visit we were joined by my college roommate and her family. I treasure my memories of both adventures.

Apple Blossoms

Last month I was awestruck by the apple blossoms in my backyard. I kept admiring them, but by the time I found time to sketch them -- most of them were gone. Fortunately I was able to find some time to paint a few of the last ones. Now I'll just have to wait until next year to paint more of them...

Just an old Banana

Things have been a bit busy, and I've gotten out of the routine of sketching/painting and posting to my blog. There are a few items to post, but I really need to get the creative juices flowing again with some new paintings!

Anniversary reflection

Its amazing how time passes, especially as you get older.... April was a milestone for me -- I've been blessed with 30 years of marriage to my husband. My recent blog images are from our little anniversary get-away to San Luis Obispo in California. It was sad to see our trip come to an end, and go back to our normal routines. I am thankful for our trip, it was a wonderful chance for us to get away, reconnect, and celebrate our significant anniversary. I came home with many new memories, and my simple journal pages to cherish.

This is the final image from our trip and it sort of summarizes some of the things that we did during our anniversary trip. My husband and I spent our precious days together relaxing and touring around the San Luis Obispo area. I've included the names of some of the places that we visited. The two brown background images are street signs for major streets in SLO. Since my college days (we both went to Cal Poly) I've always loved the lettering and style of the San Luis Obispo street signs. Most of the other images are related to our various meals and stops for something to drink. Another love of mine is California Poppies (the state flower), and we saw many during our trip.

The original is a two page spread in my Moleskine, so my middle son Sean helped out with graphics support by gluing the two pages together. Thanks Sean!!