BEACH TREES, AGAIN

It was just too nice an evening to stay inside after dinner, so I rode my bike to the beach. The fireweed are still in bloom and just had to be painted again. I forgot to bring my cup for water and a paper towel. I put the water in one of the sections of my palette and I had a little packet of salt in my bag which I sprinkled on and the paint went every which way and wasn't even dry after the ride home. Not much control on this one.

KATHY'S GARDEN SHED

A second little painting of Kathy's garden shed today. Kathy has commissioned me to paint a large picture of the shed. This is pretty much the composition she wants. I will also put some ducks in front. Another warm sunny day

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Today at noon, I was honored with a belated birthday party hosted by my friend, JoAnn, at the Gustavus Inn.... a garden party on the patio overlooking their beautiful garden. Another friend, Nadine, from Seattle,whose birthday is one year later than mine, came to town yesterday and we shared the honors. Wonderful food and friends. I am so lucky. This morning was overcast and wet, but soon after noon some blue sky started appearing. By the time I left the inn, there were no clouds at all.


JoAnn invited us all to pick flowers, but I choose to paint the garden instead. This is only a small section of it. The garden is full of vegetables which are served to guests as well as a glorious array of flowers.


Afterwards, I went to Kathy's house. She wants me to do a painting of her garden shed which I went to look at and did this quick sketch. I'll go back tomorrow and start something larger, as the weather is suppose to hold.

SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO SOMEONE ELSE

Today was wet and rather dreary. I worked a couple of hours at the Community Chest and did some house cleaning and a few other things to avoid doing anything artistic including a lot of time on the computer and looked on Everyday Matters which posts a challenge to draw something specific every week. This weeks subject is to draw something that belongs to someone else.
Plenty of Van's things around, but a little pile of things have been gathering at the bottom of the stairs that my grand daughter Alyssa left when she went back to Juneau a couple of weeks ago.... little things that remind me of her every time I walk by the pile or find another thing to put in it...wish she was still here.

BIRTHDAY

For a change of scene on my birthday today, I went out to Bartlett Cove for lunch with my friends Annie, Kim and Aimee. After a delicious burger and sweet potatoes fries at the lodge, Aimee and I walked out the beach trail where I set on a rock and sketched and painted this. Then we walked back along the forest loop trail. Overcast and a little bit of rain.

Yesterday was warm and sunny, perfect weather. And busy. We had a gallery walk in the afternoon here..... 8 artists and crafters opened their studios and galleries. Lots of visitors and happily some sales.

MORNING AT THE BEACH

I rode my bike to the beach this morning. Low tide, windy and cool. The work is progressing on the new dock. Walked over to the trees out of the wind and looked north to paint this. It started raining a bit just as I was finishing, but I made it home without getting too wet.

RANDY'S HOUSE

I went over to Kim's and picked about 2 quarts of strawberries this afternoon. Nice view of Randy's house from where I parked the car. Lots of memories from years ago. This sketch needs some work.

ICELANDIC POPPY

I had very good intentions to paint outside this afternoon between rain showers. I rode to the PO on my bike, but didn't make it home before it rained. A few poppies are popping up in the garden. I use to have lots of them, then hardly any last year. I'm making an effort to let them volunteer wherever this year, a couple are in the carrot row. They are probably my favorite flower.... at least today.

CITY HALL

Another postcard that I started a couple of weeks ago. This is our city hall. Before incorporation, it was the Community Association building, and before that, the library. The building was originally a cabin a a church camp and moved to this location at the Salmon River Park.

THE SCHOOL

I did the drawing for this a couple of weeks ago while Alyssa played at the playground. It was yet another day without rain and after taking care of some things at the library, I sat down to finish it off in watercolor, but when the water hit the lines it was pretty much over..... I had forgotten I'd drawn with the bleeding brown ink... no way to get the right color of the building. 40% chance of rain tomorrow.... may be my last outside painting for a while.

VISIT WITH KIM

It's still not raining, though there was a little bit of dampness in the garden this morning. Today, I stopped and visited Kim Ney, a friend and potter, on my bike ride to the PO. I couldn't help but buy a couple of her beautiful little bowls. She sells her pottery in a little gazebo next to her home.


This is a sketch I did earlier this summer for her brochure.

Had a nice visit and enjoyed a bowl of strawberries from her garden and went out on her porch and painted a couple of postcards of her inspiring view.

A cruise ship passed by surprisingly fast while I painted.



Started this second one of the same view waiting for the other to dry.... neither dried very fast and neither what I had in mind.

BACK AGAIN

I can hardly believe the summer is half over! What a summer its been weather wise..... hardly any rain. Despite a very bad cold and laryngitis that lasted most of the last 2 weeks, I did have a wonderful time with my grand daughter, Alyssa, who stayed with me for 3 weeks and left on the llth. Hardly any painting or exercise for over 3 weeks...


but today I finally went out for a longer than usual bike ride and stopped at Laurie's, had a nice visit and painted a postcard of her house.

I painted this on July 6, a hot day at the beach with Alyssa. I left out all the kids wading in the water.... none tough enough to go in chilly Icy Strait.