catching the moment

The cowboy hat I brought back from Colorado years ago and keep out just to decorate the coattree.

Plus assorted layers.

Colored pencil in the journal.

art supplies in Prague

Walking down Vrsovicka Street, I was delighted to find this logo on a door. I (of course) have bought a lot of Koh-I-Noor pencils and had them in my sketching kit.

Though the other door said Art Center, it seemed not to be a retail outlet. Google maps shows other larger buildings related to Koh-I-Noor in this area.

in Prague

We've edited the photos down to 1131 and have a vacation tale to inflict on anyone who is interested.

But here is one of my favorites--the shadowed traveler photographing anything that appears underfoot.





And the Tyn Church with an amazingly black cloud behind it. 

been traveling

While stored posts were going up, we've been on a glorious trip to Berlin, Magdeburg, down the Elbe River to Czech Republic, and Prague.

I went with all sorts of art supplies, but did only a few sketches as the trip began. We had so much to take in, a lot of ground to cover.

Drawing the scene on the bank from a moving boat was a challenge I didn't take on.

But I did keep a thorough journal of the trip, including ephemera of the places we went. And we have three gigs of photos to go through.

So in posts to come there will be evidence of the wonderfulness of old Europe, new freedoms, and daily life in former east Germany and Czech Republic.

Pelikan pen in a smooth paper notebook I once bought in the gift shop of a London museum. 

same bear, same chair

This drawing is so large it won't fit on the scanner. Photos of drawings never turn out as well.

Graphite on good w/c paper.

leaving space for creativity

I leave a blank page for every three or so of writing, then go back and add color or collage or drawing in the journal.

These are some of my favorite brands.

collage, stamping, and paint

At a flea market I found a book in French on very thin paper. It's perfect for collaging without adding thickness or weight.

In the journal.

Coolpix models

This drawing is a little wonky; it's not your screen.

I upgraded my Coolpix P4 to a Coolpix 8000--more megapixels, more setting choices, 10X zoom. And the new one is red. I think I'll keep the old one in the car.

Watersoluble pencil in the journal.

capturing wicker

This is what fit on the scanner.

Pencil on Arches w/c paper.

statuary around Hammond Castle

This piece has a face on each side. Three females and one male.










This gremlin(?) is slightly out of focus, but he fascinated me. He's over an archway in an outdoor wall.



This lion is inside the castle.

inside Hammond Castle

Inside the Great Hall, where there is a (now non-functioning) pipe organ. Hammond invented things for pipe organs and major concerts were once held here.

There was a large indoor pool area where plants grow and the outdoor light comes in.

Hammond Castle

John Hammond, Jr, inventor and owner of almost as many patents as Thomas Edison, built this castle in Gloucester, Mass in the 1920s.

He scavenged parts of European castles (one wonders how legally) and brought them together in this amazing construction.

It's great fun to go up the winding stairways in the towers to see the rooms. I'll post a few photos from the inside tomorrow.

natural sculpture

A tree in Mines Falls Park.

Moosejaw makes it interesting

My husband found his favorite, now discontinued, cargo shorts at Moosejaw.com. When they came, this was the packing slip:

If you are actually reading this note you should be super happy. First, you have recieved your order, reading is fun and getting something in the mail (even if you bought it yourself) has got to make the day better.

Second, I put your order together all by myself. Sometimes people note that my packing job is so lovely that customers actually never remove their order from the bag or box, preferring to be awed by my personal work. I appreciate the thought but I don't recommend it.

Outside the bag was the label "No knives. Use teeth." (Do dentists write them to protest?)

I love a company that's not afraid of humor! And we were very happy with the clothes, the price, and the quick service (free testimonial).

high flood water back in March

(Morning note: The blog is loading today with template background missing missing links in the right column. An experimental repost fixed it, but now it's back. I think the problem is at Blogger, not me. I'm letting it be for now.)



I finally looked at the photos I took back in March of the flood waters in our big central park, Mines Falls.

The river was several feet higher than normal, with many of the trails covered in deep water.


The blue areas here are the actual river. All other water is outside its normal banks.

peonies from my garden

Ink and w/c on Strathmore drawing paper.

I started sketching and didn't plan to add fluid. I don't want to use good paper for every doodle, but sometimes I end up doing much more than I planned and wish I'd used better paper.

just to be colorful

I never tire of making random color splotches with acrylics. It makes me happy.

On Canson drawing paper.

collage scrap

I found a small paper where I'd test stamped the letters that I used in the No comments:

time for another left hand

It's been awhile that I've posted a hand, but I draw it frequently.

Pen, w/c and colored pencil.

slow graphite

Taking the time to get this right.

maybe my baby shoe

Someone in the family told me these red tennis shoes were mine, decades ago. I'm doubtful, but they're good for drawing.

Colored pencil on Canson drawing paper.