Descanso Garden

A flowering cherry tree at Descanso Garden in La Canada Flintridge. This place is beautiful in February. Watercolor on Strathmore Plate Bristol. 30x22". I love this paper because the watercolor just sits on top of the surface.

Pulling Dandelions

The latest entry of my weather sketchbook. Stabilo in 5x5" Hand Book Journal. Below is a quick watercolor of the same dying dandelion in my hand made sketchbook of 90 lb. Arches HP. I pulled a bucket of dandelions today, listening to a mourning dove which is exactly what I had to do as a teenager for a chore and/or punishment which seemed like a huge ordeal then, but actual therapy now.

Isabel Bishop

"Head" c.1938. Pencil, ink, and oil 15 x 11 " One of my favorite artists, Isabel Bishop. I highly recommend looking at her work. There's a great book by Helen Yglesias that I found at my favorite used book store.

mid february

This is all food for some reason, going into the weather sketchbook. All food from a recent pasta dish that my sister made. Stabilo and watercolor in 5x5" Hand Book Journal.

Girl on Sixteenth Birthday

Ritmo charcoal on Strathmore paper. Image: 15x9". Girl is wearing some sort of feathery tiara.

Early February weather sketchbook

Summer in socal. All I have time for is a couple of small sketches. Although I hope to have some studio time soon. On another note, I want to thank Katherine of Making a Mark for some blogging how-to advice. I soon hope to have some category listing on the Right side of this blog. Having time to get organized would be great.

New month

stabillo and watercolor and Los Angeles Times in Hand Book Journal (arches 90lb. hot press paper glued in R side to compensate for thin paper).

wet weather sketchbook

I am a caregiver to a hip replacement patient and find that I have to put any drawing/painting on a backburner. Here's one I was able to get to.

wind.wind.warm.

Weather sketchbook entries for 22 january,23 january and 24 january.
Stabilo aquarellable and watercolor in 5x5" Hand Book Journal. Click on image to enlarge.

Two charcoal drawings

Woman with wrinkled shirt. Charcoal on Strathmore, 15x10".
Woman with hurt lip. Charcoal on Strathmore, 15x10".

Seriously tired of the wind

Two days of wind - the first seeing all my navel oranges which are still unripe, laying on the ground around my tree.
Making cranberry bread with tart oranges on day 2.

Two paintchips

Two quick paintchips. Gouache.

Cold weather

I believe that I lost a young Meyer Lemon tree to the freezing temps here in LA. My agaves are all toast as well. Hopefully my mature citrus trees are o.k. The cold weather is great besides that.

weather sketchbook

two entries building up to the cold

admiring Suzanne Somers

Click on image for detail. The weather report today comes from the front page and not merely the California section.

Sick of the wind

I may boycott the weather sketchbook until the wind stops. Someone was passing out roses from the float during farmers market. The tomatoes are "lemon boy" tomatoes that I forgot about and found in the garden while cutting some mint for mojitos. I planted them last spring and they are still on the vine.
They are a beautiful orange color. I recommend them. This garden/farmers market talk may sound great to you colorado people, but I can't go skiing today. Please click on an image, and it will enlarge and you can read notes, see detail, etc., but you know that. Not that there's alot of detail. These are very quick sketches and I still don't like the paper quality of the sketchbook.

women looking left

weather sketchbook. The wind is horrid, and I'm trying to hide out in a coffee shop.

Boy with french bus tickets

Watercolor on Arches HP 36x39". A recent large watercolor with french bus tickets sewn into grass area.

January weather sketchbook

Things gathered from walks

End of December weather sketchbook

Two very different days in so.cal. While cleaning up the garden from the wind and horrid palm tree, the fortnight lily from where the pods are from poked me in the eye, which is basically like getting stabbed with an ice pick. Stabillo aquarellable in 5x5" hand book journal.