Jennifer Lawson

Mt Kilimanjaro—part 1

2012-02-01T19:30:00.003-05:00

In my daypack I carried raingear, a lightweight parka, a camelback water bladder and an extra litter bottle of water, snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, a headlamp, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and a small sketch kit which included a small Moleskine watercolor journal, Staedler pens, a Pentel Pocket Brush pen, (watercolor pencils which I never used) and a small watercolor palette. My pack was not outrageously heavy but every little thing adds up, when you are hiking 4-6 hours a day….uphill.

My good intentions of sketching were slightly curtailed by the fact that we hiked all day and it was cold at night.

Day 1—After a three-hour jeep ride to the start of the climb we all waited around while they weighed our luggage. Not knowing anyone or what to expect of the days to come, I tried to calm my nerves by drawing, as we all just waited—not too successful. I had no idea that this would be one of the most amazing experiences of my life!

Every evening we would devour a plate of popcorn and drink tea with powered milk and lots of sugar. I usually managed a quick sketch before dinner and then would huddle in my tent, in my sleeping bag, wearing many layers and I hat while I added color by the light of my headlamp before I would finally succumb to sleep usually before nine o’clock.

Camp would come alive very early in the morning. Nature would call and we would all wait as long as possible knowing it would be a cold walk to the outhouse. I brought the “Freshette” which was an alternative to that cold night walk. I am not sure what was the lesser of the two evils…

Beautiful Shira Camp 1 at 11,000 ft. Altitude low enough that it wasn’t too cold to sit outside and sketch before tea and popcorn.

We came out of the dining tent after dinner to see the full moon peek out from behind Kili. We all just stared, as this beautiful moment was happening before or eyes. The cold night air forced me into my tent where I quickly sketched peeking out to check the moon and its light on the landscape.

Mt Kilimanjaro—part 2

2012-02-01T19:24:00.003-05:00

Day 3—Shira Camp 2. A short hike acclimating to 12,000 ft. I got a very bad headache from the altitude, which forced me to lie down. With my feet sticking out of the tent the sun was shining and warm as I closed my eyes after taking a handful of Advil, I recovered. We did yoga on the rocks as the sunset waiting for tea and popcorn.

Day 4—A long hike to Barranco Camp at 13,000 ft through the Barranco Valley where giant Senecio plants dot the rugged landscape.

Giant Senecio—Some are up to 30 ft tall.

Lunch and dinner we would always start with the most delicious soup. A new flavor everyday—warm and satisfying after a day of hiking.

Mt Kilimanjaro—part 3

2012-02-01T19:15:00.003-05:00

Day 5—The long scramble climb up the steep Barranco Wall to Karanga Camp at 12,200 ft. Foggy, misty and cold.

Day 6—Barafu Hut at 15,200 ft. We had tea at 10:30 pm and left for the summit at 11:30 that night. We reached the summit at 19,341 ft around 6 am as the sun was coming up.

Sketching the mountain in the evening at Barafu Hut. To anxious to sleep.

Day 7—After summiting we rested at Barafu Hut and then the long downhill in the rain to Mweka Camp at 10,000 ft.

Day 8—After a wet night the sun came out and dried our gear for our final hike down to the Mweka Gate and the end of our adventure. A quick sketch of the porter who choose my hat and our amazing guide and leader Richard Vitalis.

Mt Kilimanjaro—the trek to the summit—Climb High, Sleep Low

2012-01-22T16:25:00.004-05:00

Jambo everyone

I started this adventure on January 9th in Moshi Tanzania. I met my 8 fellow treking/climbing companions who were 21-32 years old (the 53 year old guy bailed on day 2)—HA! Off we went on a 3 hour jeep ride on a bumpy narrow dirt road to the start of the 8 day Lemosho Route to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro at 19,341 ft. I learned that we would acclimate to the altitude by "climbing high and sleeping low".

Day 2—we came out of the rain forest to get our first glimpse of the mighty mountain that we would eventually summit.

The mountain loomed far away as we made our way to Shira 1 Camp at 11,500 ft. Still amazed that I am in Tanzania Africa and this is the mountain that I am going to climb, while I kept silently asking myself was I going to make it to the summit?

This is my tent where I slept for 8 nights—you can't even imagine...

This was our private bathroom that went from camp to camp with us.

Day 5—Climbing the Barranco Wall with our guides Richard and Johnson. On our way to Karanga Camp at 13,000 ft.

Mt Kilimanjaro—The summit and the long downhill

2012-01-22T12:54:00.005-05:00

I made it to the summit walking "slowly" or "pole pole" as they say in Swahili because the air is so thin. 6 1/2 hours straight up to 19,341 ft. It was about -15 with the windchill. We started at 11:30 pm on Jan 14th and summited at 6:00 am and the 15th. The guides and porters all sang beautiful songs as we climbed keeping us motivated and together as a group as it should be. I burst into tears at the top. The young ones, our guides and I all hugged, laughed and cried. I can't help reflecting that the goal had a feeling of elation, excitement and accomplishment, but the journey overflowed with heart and spirit and soul and that is what made me cry. I couldn't have asked for a lovelier group to share that moment at the top of the mountain.
I wore:
Hiking boots and expedition weight socks
2 pairs of long underwear under heavy winter sport pants,
A heavyweight base layer shirt, a fleece jacket, 2 down parkas and a Gortex wind jacket.
Heavy winter sport gloves with liners
A balaclava and a fleece hat with ear flaps
and I was still freezing

On the last day at the last camp we gave the porters gifts of thanks for without them we would not be able to climb the mountain. They carry our stuff, set up the tents, cook our meals and break down camp and move it to the next spot everyday. Many of them carry 40+ lbs on the backs and heads and many only wearing sneakers or worn out shoes. I saw one porter laden with stuff running in a pair of flip-flops.
I gave away my fleece hat to the fashionable porter posing with me in the photo above, my Therma Rest pad (the porter who got that kissed it), my heavyweight winter sport pants, insulated waterproof gloves, fleece pants, a down parka and my beloved Asolo hiking boots. They need that stuff so much more than I.

It was an amazing experience that taught me so much about survival, spirit and will. I clearly realized I am stronger than I thought, I can survive on very little creature comforts, that there are truly wonderful people and places to meet and discover all over this planet and most importantly that it is actually okay to eat some carbs...sometimes...hakuna matata.

Sketches coming soon.

Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro

2012-01-06T21:04:00.003-05:00

Today, I start my journey to Tanzania Africa to climb Mt. Kilimajaro. It is the highest freestanding mountain in the world and is 19,341 ft. I will be 8 days on the mountain, sleeping in a tent. I am in good shape, both nervous and excited with a good dose of "what was I thinking". I am looking forward to putting one foot in front of the other, a little self reflection along the way with a good bit of exercise. With all good intentions I have my sketching kit in my pack and hope to journal my trek.

See you in a week and a half.

A California Christmas

2012-01-04T16:21:00.011-05:00

I spent Christmas visiting my family in the San Francisco Bay Area. My parents still live in the house I grew up in. They have lived there for 55 years and married for 60—wow! Not much time for sketching except for my afternoon with Myrna Wacknov.

I did notice that the next door neighbor's had three pomegranate trees, the branches laden with fruit bursting open with juicy red seeds. And like the rest of the neighborhood I helped my self to an armful, but I waited until dark. I brought them inside and painted them while we cooked dinner.

I brought my dog, Sophie, with me. Being only 14 lbs she fits easily in a carrier and under the seat on the plane. She was fairly appalled when I shoved her in a carrier and then gave me the face through the mesh openings. Once on the plane she fell asleep only to wake up once and of course give me the face, again. Once in California, she had a great time romping at the dog park everyday and having many people to pay attention to her, take naps with and laps to crawl in.

On our walks around the neighborhood I noticed these wonderful Ponerosa pine cones and once again was stealing from the neighbors.

We had the best time.

My amazing family.

Sketching with Myrna Wacknov

2011-12-25T14:00:00.008-05:00

Myrna posing with our sketches

I was fortunate enough to meet up with an internet friend, the talented and accomplished artist and teacher, Myrna Wacknov of Creativity Journey, while visiting my family in California. We met at the Cantor Museum at Stanford University and had a great time discussing art and creativity, looking through each others sketchbooks and sketching materials and sharing thoughts and ideas. With a bottle of ink in the middle of the table we experimented with drawing instruments while sketching each other in the warm California sun.

I sketched Myrna with a natural bamboo pen and ink. Then used the dreaded waterbrush to add watercolor.

Myrna sketched me with a wooden coffee stirrer and then added watercolor with a sable travelbrush along with a container of water. I had major brush envy...

Thank you Myrna for an outstanding creative sketch/visit.

Walking in the Maine woods

2011-11-22T10:31:00.009-05:00

Walking through the woods to the lake, there is a spot where the ground is covered with a thick soft layer of pines needles from a grove of Eastern White Pines. We can not hear our footsteps and these lovely pine cones are scattered everywhere. I gathered as many as would fit in the hood of my parka.

Portrait of a friend.

Home

2011-11-22T10:19:00.004-05:00

Every week I communte to Potomac Maryland for work. An hour plane ride and on a good day it is only 45 minutes from the Baltimore airport to work. The traffic in the greater DC area is unbelievably conjested and the slightest drizzle can turn an hour commute into 2+ hours. You can imagine what it must be like when it snows. Last winter some of my collegues had an 8 hour commute home. I, on the otherhand, was stranded and not getting home at all.

It is always wonderful when I look out the window and see this view. The islands dotting the Casco Bay and Portland harbor. A beautiful sight and a sigh of relief, knowing I will soon be home.

A fall weekend in the country

2011-11-18T21:38:00.005-05:00

I spent a weekend in the Belgrade Lakes Region in central Maine. Beautiful lakes dotted with cottages and surrounded by mountains to the north and west. We hiked the trails through the woods and along the lake on that warm November day. I haven't had much time to sketch at all recently with work and travel, so my drawing skills have taken a hit.

But I did learn to drive a tractor...

Hiking in the White Mountains, New Hampshire

2011-09-27T20:10:00.003-04:00

Living in Maine has given me the opportunity to spend wonderful times hiking in the spectacular White Mountains of New Hampshire. One of my favorite things to do is a long hike with friends and stay overnight at one of the AMC huts along the Appalachian Trail. Upon arrival, I usually race into the hut to secure one of the highly coveted lower bunks and then I can enjoy the rest of the day and the amazing views.

View looking east towards the Presidentials and Mt Washington

We hiked the Gale River Trail to Twin Mountain and stayed overnight at the Galehead Hut. A beautiful hike straight up a rocky trail to 4,000 ft along the Gale River. Warm early summer day at the bottom and quite cold and wintery at the top. Temperatures dipped into the 20's that night and we awakened to a dustimg of snow on the peaks.

Hiking with my wonderful friend Patti and her brother Peter. We had so much fun being outdoors, putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying the spectacular views as we acended to the hut. The walk back down the next day had the challege of being a little icy and slippery, but at the bottom it was warm and sunny and we were starving so we enjoyed a picnic before heading home.

These boots have taken me miles in the mountains and are amazingly comfortable, but it is always great to take them off at the end of a long day on the trail. I always bring something cozy and comfortable to wear around the hut at night.
I sketched as the siblings played cribbage.

Here I am at the top with prayer flags woven by my friend Sarah Haskell for her project Woven Voices—Messages from the Heart. Her amazing prayer flags are woven by a community of weavers from written messages of peace. They are hanging all over the world unraveling and releasing messages of hope, peace and renewal. The flags hung outside the hut overnight, however, I could not leave her flags up on the mountain because of "Leave No Trace". Soon, I will take these flags to another mountain...

Down by the sea

2011-09-18T16:22:00.004-04:00

My little white dog, Sophie, absolutely loves the beach, but has never had much of an inclination to go in the ocean or any other large body of water. She will race up and down along the waters edge, roll in seaweed and any other unidentifiable beach debris, snatch and eat a sea urchin that the tide has pushed onshore and I have found her in a pile of mussel shells and seaweed chewing on the bone of a bird. Never much more than a toe getting wet, she can make the most of a walk on the beach.

One afternoon, my friend Patti carried her out and set her in the water and she swam like hell back to the shore. Her little legs started going before she even hit the water—hilarious!

End of summer blues

2011-09-05T20:09:00.005-04:00

Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer. Here in Maine the days are still warm, but they are getting shorter and the sun is lower in the sky. There is that gold autumn cast to the atmosphere. The dreaded end of summer blues have set in...

Not all has been blue this weekend like sushi and champagne at Miyake on Friday night.

Very blue hydrangeas at a friends house in Georgetown Maine.

Sketching on the beach today at Pupit Rock in Cape Elizabeth.

Here is the rock that Pulpit Rock derives its name. While sketching it, I looked up and remarked to my friends that I didn't think it was very pretty. I believe I heard the word "ugly" mumbled. Here I was sitting on a private beach, looking at the shipping channel into the Casco Bay and the many islands downeast, sketching a big ugly outcropping of rock and I couldn't have asked for a lovelier place to be on the planet.

As always the "end of summer blues" cast an unsettling shadow as I watch the sunset over the rooftops of Portland and the close of another wonderful summer in Maine.

Farewell summer!

"Somewhere over the Rainbow"

2011-08-28T17:48:00.007-04:00

Weston B. Haskell 111 1953-2011

My dear friend Sarah's brother Weston was killed in a tragic accident last week. Her family is devatated by the loss of this amazing man/brother/son/father/uncle and friend. Though, I only met Weston once at a party on the island, I felt as though I had known him forever. It is always hard to know what to do to console people in their grief, except to tell them that you care and that you are there for them if they need you.

I decided to do this portrait of Wes and bring it to the service. I asked Sarah's husband Ben about the polka dot hat and should I use that image as reference and he said "Yes, Wes loved that hat". Sure enough, at the lovely touching service today, over half the people were wearing these crazy polka dot hats while we all sang "Somewhere over the Rainbow"

Some where over the rainbow

Way up high,

There's a land that I heard of

Once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Skies are blue,

And the dreams that you dare to dream

Really do come true

Someday I'll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far

Behind me.

Where troubles melt like lemon drops

Away above the chimney tops

That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Bluebirds fly.

Birds fly over the rainbow

Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly

Beyond the rainbow

Why, oh why can't I?

And then everybody danced to the music of the Fabulous Icons Blues Band and the winds of Hurricane Irene.

Godspeed Weston.

Lisbon folding sketch book

2011-08-14T19:59:00.003-04:00

I spent 3 days in Lisbon before the Internationl Sketchers Symposium, sightseeing, sketching and eating the most delicious food. I happened to take a folding sketch book with me and decided that I needed to complete it before the Symposium started. It was a very different process for me but found I enjoyed the challenge.

A fellow sketcher took this photo of me with my crazy fold out sketch book during one of our workshops. I did not have time to put color into it until I got home. I have been so busy with work that it has only been worked on sporadically. Tonight it was finished and then I had the arduos task of figuring out how to post it...

It is not exactly the way I would like it. Funny crops etc. but for now it is okay. I really need to research this process a bit more...when I can find the time...

International Urban Sketching Symposium—Lisbon

2011-07-29T21:25:00.005-04:00

I am back from attending the Urban Sketching Symposium in Lisbon Portugal. What an amazing experience! I arrived early and spent three days exploring the city, eating the most delicious food and sketching. Then three days sketching with close to 200 very talented people. Lucky me!!!

Sketch Crawl: On the last afternoon of the Symposium we gathered at the Praco do Comercio for the 32nd World Wide Sketch Crawl. People sketching everywhere.

Shopping: I noticed many people wearing Birkenstiocks for walking the steep cobblestone streets of Lisbon so I joined in with a pair of a fashionable black pantent style. The talented Omar Jamarillo was working his watercolor magic with a large squirrel hair brush so I had to give that a try. Maybe I can paint like Omar—HA!

Food: Lisbon has the most delicious food. All of which I would not normally eat. Most meals started with bread, cheese, olives and a dry cured ham called Presunto. When in Lisbon...

Stuff happens: I played hooky from one of the lecture/presentations one afternoon for a delicious cup of coffee in the shade of an umbrella near the school—I needed a pick-me-up. When I walked back in to join the workshops, it was pointed out that I had a huge smudge of something that could be pencil or charcoal on my nose. I wonder how long that was there...

More to come of my amazing trip to Lisbon

OMC—Oh my cod! I'm going to Lisbon

2011-07-16T20:49:00.004-04:00

Months ago, deep in the heart of the dark cold winter here in Maine, Lisbon Portugal seemed like a wonderfully warm destination. The Urban Sketching Symposium—three days of sketching with many talented artists in a beautiful city—wow, who could resist! So, I signed up and now it is time. I am on my way to Lisbon for a week of sight-seeing and sketching.

See you in a week.

Gone to the dogs...

2011-07-01T12:54:00.003-04:00

Blogging has taken a backseat to working. I still manage to sketch but not as much and I am way out of pratice. I never find time to scan and post. I have been keeping a bit of a dog and cat journal during my travels and thought this was a good time to post since my blog has Gone to the Dogs.

Pampered in Paris

This little guy was one of many dogs that were living the good life in Paris. Paris is the land of the little dogs with coats. Even the dogs are fashionable.

Looking for food in Bali

My heart has always gone out to all the homeless Bali street dogs. The beauty of Bali was contrasted by the mangy starving dogs that roam freely in the streets, on the beaches and in and round the markets and restaurants. Rabies is an epidemic that has spread throughout the island. Too many dogs and cats that never get spayed or nuetered and this perpetuates the problems. I saw things that still haunt me.

Adopted in California
I met Rudy when I visited my parents in California. He is the cutest little dog that was adopted by a wonderful family. He has a great life now.

Snacking on Uni (sea urchin) in Maine
Sophie likes nothing better than to find a sea urchin washed up on the beach. She manages to crack it open and devour all the meat inside. The spines don't seem to even phase her. She has chronic fish breath...

Seems like I live in the airport

2011-07-01T12:40:00.002-04:00

I travel every week from Portland Maine to Potomac MD for a great consulting job. That means Portland to Baltimore. Not a bad commute—one plane for one hour, but there is a lot of time waiting.

This little girl was coming back from DisneyWorld with her family. She had just been to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and climbed on the plane in full princess make-up and clothes. She immediately fell asleep. It must be tiring to be a princess.

Sometimes this is my dinner...

Every Day in May/EDM challenge—catching up again

2011-05-29T21:09:00.004-04:00

EDM # 123 a bell— The bell on Monhegan Island.

EDM # 131 a spray bottle & EDM #126 a sponge

EDM #125 a bird. I live amongst the seagulls here on the waterfront in Portland.

EDM # 127 a cityscape—Portland Maine. The view from my living room.

Catching up on Every Day in May/EDM challenges

2011-05-22T21:45:00.004-04:00

So busy with work that I haven't had time to keep up with the challenges. A cold foggy Sunday gave me a chance to catch up...sort of...

EDM # 121—a coin.

My beautiful gold Chinese coin necklace is a wonderful reminder of my time in Bali. These are the coins they use in Balinese offerings—except not in gold.

EDM #116 something green & EDM # 120 a flashlight

EDM #118 some hair

This a sweet rescue dog named Rudy belongs to one of my mom's "dog park" friends. I would have taken him in a second, but his new family isn't giving him up. Just what I need, another dog...

EDM #117 something round

This pin cushion has been with me forever.

EDM #115 a basket.

An L.L.Bean pack basket used to carry the groceries up the six flights to our place in Portland. It weighs a ton when it's empty, so it is easier to use recycled shopping bags.

Every Day in May—EDM #112 something fresh

2011-05-13T13:16:00.002-04:00

I love avocados and in California they grow in abundance. Growing up they were always a part of meals—salads, sandwiches and guacamole. Our favorite way to eat them was when my grandmother would cut avocados in half, leave the skin on, cut out the pit and fill the hole with her homemade vinegrette. It was like a bowl of avocado deliciousness eaten with a spoon.

Every Day in May—EDM #111 a bowl

2011-05-11T09:58:00.002-04:00

Quick sketch of small bowl of stawberries for EDM #111. It had forgotten how hard it is to keep up with the Every Day in May challenge. Only 20 more to go...

Every Day in May—EDM #110 something with a flame

2011-05-10T10:52:00.003-04:00

I love rocks! The beaches here in Maine are filled with amazing rocks and I usually end up with bulging pockets after a long walk. The cliffs along the coast here are shades of gray which these wonderful granite votives were made. Up north or "Downeast" Maine the granite is a wonderful shade of pink—spectacular. Maine is so beautiful and a wonderful place to live...especially if you like a good long winter...

Every Day in May—EDM #108 light bulb & EDM # 109 a clock around the house

2011-05-08T18:29:00.002-04:00

Busy day tomorrow with travel to my consulting job in Maryland, so I had to get a day ahead. Keeping up with this challenge can be a little overwhelming.

EDM #109 a clock around the house

I actually did this sketch on the last day of my California visit. Sitting in the kitchen, while my mother fixed dinner, I sketched and painted this clock that hangs in my parent's rustic California ranch house between the open kitchen and living room. It's been there forever.

This old clock, that needs to be wound with a key, was a major part of our lives as we checked it all day long. Like making sure it was true when we were told "it is way past your bedtime", or when we had to dash to catch the bus and when our favorite TV shows were on. It's most important function now is to let everyone know when Jeopardy is on and the 10 to 15 minute window to get the glass of wine ready.

What fine wine does my father drink while watching Jeopardy?

What is Two Buck Chuck!

EDM #108— a light bulb

Some of these challenges are hard to make interesting.

Every Day in May—EDM #107 How I get my news

2011-05-07T21:12:00.004-04:00

Day 7—Simple and easy way to get all my news. I seem to go here for everything.

Sketching on the plane this wayward 5th generation Californian travels back from sunny and warm San Francisco to not so sunny and warm Maine. It was a lovely week visiting my parents in the house I grew up in.

My parents Jim and Jackie Lawson—84 and 85 (that's me in the middle and I am not telling my age). Their day starts at the gym, then the dog park with their dog Freddie Brown (my adopted youngest brother), reading the San Francisco Chronicle and the Wall Street Journal, catching up on the market and Fox (UGH!) and then in the evening we all yell out answers to Jeapordy with a glass or two of Two Buck Chuck. They are amazing!

I love you mom and dad.

Every Day in May—EDM #106 Something tart or sour

2011-05-06T10:24:00.005-04:00

Day 6 of the Every Day in May challenge—something tart or sour. Lots of lemon and lime trees in my parents garden here in Northern California. So it just seemed natural and so right to spend time outside in this perfect sunny warm weather sketching and painting on the patio for the Day 6 challenge.

"Out here havin fun in the warm California sun"

Back to gray rainy 55° Maine tomorrow...

Every Day in May—EDM #105 Scissors

2011-05-05T11:13:00.005-04:00

Day 5 of the challenge—Scissors. I have way more than I need—hoarding? Most of these brightly colored handle scissors are in drawers, in the kitchen, my studio space, the hall cabinet, the bathroom and my bedside table. They are all more dull than sharp. There is only one pair in my "scissor collection" that is razor sharp for when I need to cut fabric. The rest I use to cut anything from paper to plastic to pruning plants and flowers to occasionally cutting wire.

My father is a bit of an "Orchidholic" and they are in full bloom in the garden right now. It is sunny and warm here in the San Francisco Bay Area so I enjoyed a few minutes last evening sketching in the garden.

I bought some Schmincke watercolors the other day and tried them for the first time on this little geranium painting out in the garden. They seem to be more opaque than the Daniel Smith and Holbien watercolors I started to use when I taught myself how to use watercolors several years ago. Wonderfully bright colors so I will continue to explore and develop the technique for this brand...hopefully...

Every Day in May—EDM #104 Salt & Pepper shakers

2011-05-04T09:40:00.003-04:00

Day 4 of the Every Day in May challenge. Hand crafted salt and pepper grinders filled with sea salt and fresh pepper grounds.

"I'm out here having fun in that warm California sun" and visiting my parents in the house I grew up in the foothills behind Stanford University. After a long snowy winter in Maine with lots of work travel up and down the east coast, it is nice to just stop for awhile and enjoy some time with my family, visit with old friends and sketch and draw again. Hopefully I will shed another layer of sadness.

My mom watching Dancing with the Stars after starting her day at the dog park, an hour at the gym, shoe shopping with me, Jeopardy, dinner and a glass or two of Charles Shaw Chardonnay with my father and I. At $1.99 a bottle it is lovingly known as Two Buck Chuck and they have cases of it stacked up like cord wood in the garage.

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And speaking of the garage. There are shopping bags filled with tennis balls lined up next to the work bench. Seems as though my father takes his walks past the Swim and Tennis Club we belonged to when we were kids. He starting picking up the tennis balls along the way and took them home and tossed them in a bag. Now there are 5 bags!!! I always ask why, we then discuss as to what to do with them and then we all walk away. Must be part of my inheritence. Jerry always said I get my hoarding tendancies from my father...sounds about right.

Every Day in May—EDM #103 exercise equipment

2011-05-03T08:55:00.002-04:00

Day 3 of the Every Day in May challenge. 2011 unfolded far from what I had planed and I could not imagine the rocky path I had suddenly stumbled on to. A friend suggested yoga for a way to cope with all the change happening in my life. So off I went to try hot power yoga at a new studio nearby. It has been a lifesaver both physically and mentally. I am a total addict. I am a yogi. So when I am not traveling for my consulting job, I am taking yoga classes. The combination of breathing which clears your head of clutter, the powerful poses that create long lean muscles and focusing on your core that makes you strong. I can now hold "crow" (shown above) for over 15-20 seconds...as long as I don't forget to breathe...

"I breathe in what I want and need and breathe out what I don't need anymore"

Every Day in May—EDM #102 a power plug

2011-05-02T14:09:00.002-04:00

Day 2 of the Every Day in May challenge. A power plug from Ikea made this a much more fun thing to draw and paint.

Every Day in May—EDM #101 a bar of soap

2011-05-01T11:54:00.004-04:00

After a long time of working through the sad days that crippled my creativity, I decided to take action to get back into doing what I used to love. Not having done much drawing and painting in almost two months, I am quite out of practice and I knew the longer time drifted the worse it was getting both in my head and what was coming out on paper. So the "Every Day in May/EDM" challenge sounded like just the kick in the butt I needed to jump start my creativity and get me sketching again. Besides, I am going to Lisbon in July for the Urban Sketchers Symposium and I need to get in sketching shape.

I did manage a quick sketch of my friend Mary's mother Julie, on Easter Sunday, and realized how much I love to draw, but it just wasn't enough . So here I go, a drawing every day for the next month...

Wish me luck

Blues and Greens

2011-03-13T08:42:00.002-04:00

The Blues: I like when things are settled and dependable, but life isn’t like that and there are times when we outgrow something, it outgrows us, or things simply change. It is because of this impermanence that not only do painful times pass, but also great opportunities come. I remind myself that nothing is permanent about who I am or what I am capable of.

The Greens: I have discovered “Greenies” dental chews for dogs and Sophie loves them. Supposed they keep her teeth clean and are proven to fight gingivitus. They are not cheap, but you should see the proposal from my vet for Sophie to have her teeth cleaned—YIKES!

Lots of working, traveling and other things...

2011-02-19T20:54:00.002-05:00

...that keep me from sketching.

I am so out of practice that my drawings are a mess. I walk by my sketchbook and paints everyday. Not sure when I will get back the enthusiasm and commitment of drawing again on a daily basis. I do so admire those who are able to keep that pace. You are amazing!

Influenced by the retail overload of Valentines Day, I bought a bar of dark chocolate with sea salt—YUM. A small bite a day until it was gone. Gone now—sad!

The vet said that Sophie was starting to develop a little gingivitis and I needed to start brushing her teeth everyday...EVERYDAY? Of course, she hates it, so it is not goimg so well.

The "Night Dog"

2011-02-06T08:22:00.005-05:00

One day I decide to take the Balinese mesh canopy off the bed. It exposed the skylight in the ceiling letting more light into the room. However, as soon as it got dark outside and the lights went on in the bedroom all hell broke loose. Sophie climbed on the bed and starting staring, growling and barking at her reflection in the window. The "Night Dog" had come into our lives.

Ever vigilant, she will sometimes stand on her hind legs and growl at her tormentor. She eventually tires of the "Night Dog" and falls into blissful dog sleep. Of course, the dreaded "Night Dog" comes by every night and some early mornings.

What the "Night Dog" sees when it stops by to check on Sophie.

Snow and more snow and cold even colder

2011-01-28T21:25:00.007-05:00

It just keeps snowing and snowing and last week it got colder and colder and colder. One morning when we awoke it was -20° and we needed to go out. Living in the city, with brick sidewalks that hold the cold and are covered with salt, make it very painful for Sophie. She would limp and hold up her paw. I would end up picking her up and carrying her to her favorite patch of grass, which is covered with two feet of snow. We finally stopped at the pet store down the block and walked home with new red boots.

At one point, I looked down and she only had on three boots—damn. We backtracked and there in a snow bank was the fourth boot. After this happened several times, the boots had to go back.

We're now using MUSHER'S wax just like the sled dogs in the Iditarod and it works great.

"MUSH, Sophie, MUSH"

Got the oils out...

2011-01-26T22:05:00.002-05:00

Tulip and Lily

9 x 12

I got a pet portrait commission from a friend in California—Tulip and Lily these cute Boston Terriors. I decided to get the oils out for this one. I am not really thrilled with this so I may need to wipe it down and start over again. It isn't easy to do commissions. You never know what they may want, especially if you don't do them very often.

Tulip and Lily in progess.

Sophie

6 x6 oil on masonite

I hate waste paint so I used the extra to do a quick study of Sophie as she sat by the fire on a cold evening here in Maine.

Dayu

6 x 6 oil on masonite

With more leftover paint I did a portrait of a friend in Bali.

Still traveling and working...

2011-01-22T21:46:00.006-05:00

I spend a fair amount of time at LaGuardia airport. It is the "one-stop" between Portland and DC. I do not sketch as much as I would like when I am drifting around airports. I wish I had more discipline, but I find I spend more time reading.

"All those vitamins aren't to keep death at bay, they're to keep deterioration at bay" (Jeanne Moreau)

I am consulting for a supplement company so I am uncovering the mysteries of vitamins. This is a new supplement that I am taking that is great and has all the benefits listed below.

A HIGH-DHA, purified, omega-3 oil called CALAMARINE--extracted from deep ocean squid--a pure, sustainable resource that’s virtually IMMUNE to overfishing. CALAMARINE is the ONLY way to get the HIGH levels of DHA your heart (and your whole body) is screaming for. A highly potent form of CoQ10 (called Hydro Q-Sorb).This new CoQ10 makes the old stuff look like a Model T. In clinical testing, Hydro Q-Sorb was eight times more absorbable than old-fashioned, powdered CoQ10. A form of L-carnitine that’s more bioavailable than any other formula available today. L-carnitine is nature’s “delivery system” that helps keep your heart cells active and healthy. One of the purest, all-natural vitamin E’s available anywhere. This powerhouse antioxidant keeps your arteries healthy at the cellular level. Essential folic acid and B vitamins designed to support lower homocysteine levels, healthy blood flow, and healthy arteries. They also help magnify your immunity, supercharge your energy levels, and more

You ought to try Omega Q Plus by Dr Stephan Sinatra. It's great!

Working and traveling a lot...sketching and painting not so much

2011-01-16T08:47:00.003-05:00

A wonderful consulting job came my way around Christmas that I couldn't pass up. So since then, every week I am on plane to the Washington DC area where I spend 2 to 3 days on a creative rebranding project. I found Sophie sitting in my suitcase the first time I was packing for my new job, but when she found out that she would be going to the cottage on the beach in Cape Elizabeth she is now absolutely fine with my packing.

Winter travel in the east coast can be quite challenging. My flight to Portland was canceled last week because of snow. 18 inches in Portland so the airport was closed. I made it home a day later than planned. Such is life as a consultant.

I am working with a corporation that sells supplements through several catalogs. It is quite interesting to be learning more about the mysterious world of supplements.

Last portrait class study

2010-12-28T15:06:00.005-05:00

22" x 30" graphic stick

I have been a little under the weather lately and didn't have much energy for the last portrait class I took this fall quarter. Two models seemed daunting.

I had just been to The National Gallery in Washington DC where I had spent time looking at the work of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. He was masterly at capturing groups of people and crowd scenes in which the figures are highly individualized. So with these two models I tried to achieve that feeling. They were actually sitting further apart with space in between them but I decided to draw them closer together. I liked the way his light skin profile worked against her dark skin.

Washington DC—Day 2

2010-12-15T22:01:00.004-05:00

My second day in DC and just as cold as the first one. Back on the Metro to the Smithsonian and almost everyone is alseep.

I spent sevral hours exploring the exhibits in The Museum of American History. One of my favorite's was Julia Child's "Bon Appetite" exhibit. She was such a pioneer. She donated her kitchen to the museum where it was recontructed exactly as she had it in Cambridge Massachusetts, minus the asbestos linoleum. I stood for quite a while watching monitors of her old shows. What a great spirit!

Card # 3233—The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where I was absolutely awed by the story that was told as I made my way through the four floors of the building. As you enter the elevator to start at the top floor you are given an identification card. My card was # 3233 belonging to Holocaust survivor Magna Hellinger telling her story. Though all the museums are spectacular this one is truly an experience that is unforgetable.

After six hours I was back on the Metro. Suddenly we stopped and were told to get off because of problems with the brakes. We all filed off and everyone drifted across the plarform and got on the orange line. I was troubled since I knew the blue line would take me to my hotel. Why was everyone getting on the orange line and where was it going? I stayed back and waited thinking I could get a cab if all else failed.

Eventually a train for the blue line showed up and I made it safely back to the hotel.

Another great day in Washington DC with my crappy sketchbook. I know better now!

Washington DC—Day 1

2010-12-13T19:50:00.005-05:00

I had never been to Washington DC until last week when Jerry was attending a sustainability conference so off I went to our nations capitol. I arrived on Sunday and by Monday morning when I headed to the Smithsonian Mall a cold north wind had arrived and with the windchill it was 0°.

After figuring out the Metro system where many people are sound asleep, I was off to experience the Smithsonian. It was so brutally cold that most of the famous outdoor sights were a quick walk by.

Sketching at the fabulous and most interesting Museum of Natural History.

After hours at the Museum of Natural History I faced the cold and headed off to The National Gallery.

At the end of the day, a quick sketch at the National Gallery before finding my way back to the Metro station.

On the Metro back to the hotel in Crystal City, Arlington Virginia.

All these sketches were done in a 5" x 5" Hand•Book journal that I have had for quite awhile and grabbed as I walked out the door in Maine. The paper is a dingy off-white, quite thin and buckled when I added paint. Not my first choice, but good enough for this sight-seeing event.

Puppy sitting

2010-12-05T10:25:00.007-05:00

Sophie and I went out to Cape Elizabeth the other afternoon to puppy sit for Sang, a nine week old Weimaranar. I was rainy and cold, but we ran around and on grass anyway—well they did. Sophie was a little disappointed that Sang wasn't better at chasing her and was more interested in eating mulch.

After growling (Sophie) at the waterdish and a few laps around the dining room table, it was time for a dog break. While Sang slept in his crate and Sophie curled up on the couch staring at me with that "what is that creature in the crate" look, I sketched the rainy and cold view.

Running around

2010-12-05T10:09:00.004-05:00

After an 8 mile early morning walk I sat down at my messy corner of the dining room table to sketch my sneakers. Since I am starting the "holiday clean-up", I decided to sketch my arty clutter one more time. Some would consider this a down right mess, but not me. These are some of my best friends.

There many miles on my favorite running shoes. I may be time of a new pair.

Good intentions

2010-12-02T15:08:00.004-05:00

I bought a bag of cranberries with the good intention of making some kind of holiday cranberry thing. Of course, that never happened so I painted them.

Scattered—140 lb rough watercolor paper

Cluster—on Yupo

Bowl—Moleksine watercolor sketchbook

Strung—140 lb cold pressed watercolor paper

Travel comes from a deep urge to see the world

2010-11-30T21:49:00.005-05:00

"Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind" (Seneca)

I will be leaving for Bali in January and not returning to the USA until mid July—6 months, my longest time away. Sophie will be staying with my parents near San Francisco sharing the love with a Cockapoo named Freddie Brown. She will be well cared for "out there having fun in that warm California sun". However, we have to get there first...

This is Sophie in her new carrier and as you can see she really doesn't care for it. This is the airline regulation under-the-seat carrier for a pet up to 22 lbs—really? It barely seems big enough for her and she only weighs 13 lbs. They say to put the pet in the carrier so they get used to it, but I know she will never get used to this tiny carrier so why torment her. Everyday, I do toss a few treats in the carrier and she has to go in to get them. A good time and tasty, but she is suspect...

"There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror" (Orson Welles)

A cold rainy Sunday

2010-11-22T21:53:00.003-05:00

It was the kind of day to stay home in front of the fire. Of course, I had to find some things to draw, but first I headed into the kitchen to make a cup of tea...

After the tea and drawing the honey bear, I found the rest of my drawing subjects on my very messy corner of the dining room table.

I go through more Cerulean Blue than any other color. It's time to order a new tube or two before I leave for Bali.

Two of my other favorite colors along with Ultramarine Blue and Quinacridone Gold. More for my wishlist.

My very messy palette after an afternoon of painting.

Farmers market—Portland Maine

2010-11-14T20:13:00.004-05:00

It's getting cold here in Portland so the farmer market is waining. Really all that is left are the cold weather root vegetables. After sketching a bit, I bought some delicious carrots and two bunches of kale to make the even more delicious kale crisps.

With winter just around the corner, the beautiful colors of fall are fading. The late summer flowers in window boxes and flower pots in front of the businesses in the Old Port have been replaced with mums and ornamental kale. Soon it will all be replaced with holiday balsam, lights and wreaths.

It's pie season. This lovely apple pie was in a coffee shop on the way home. No pie for me though...well, maybe a bite...maybe...

Inspired by the wonderful Yupo paintings by Suzanne at A Brush with Color, I brought this Indian Corn home to try my hand at painting on Yupo. The unpredictability of paint that floats on the surface is a challenge but can be very fun and creative.

Shoes and sunset

2010-11-11T07:06:00.003-05:00

New shoes "TOMS": Living in Maine it is inevitable that I finally have to put away my flip-flops. So now that old man winter has blanketed New England in cold darkness, I am wearing shoes, but not socks...yet.

I saw these shoes at a boutique in town. For every pair of Toms shoes that are purchased, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. "ONE for ONE". That is so cool and how cool are these gilded gold herringbone shoes. I also ordered glitter black. Then I started thinking I should order white canvas and paint them...

Beautiful sunset last night over the city. I quickly sketched with conte´ crayons and ink.

This week...

2010-11-05T18:41:00.008-04:00

"The Great Gatsby"

Jerry's son, Alex, has a sweet rescue boxer named Gatsby. He is way more trained than Sophie when it comes to "sit, stay and come", however, he did think he needed to show that he was the alpha male dog...in the house. Sophie just walked into the bedroom with that "I would never do that" look on her face.

I practice drawing hands whenever I am at a loss of what to draw. The other day while in the waiting room I did this partial blind contour drawing from a magazine. I added color when I got home.

For Grace Uhm, a fellow Julia Kay Portrait Party member. She asked me to do a sketch for her from a photograph she sent me. Here it is Grace. I hope you like it.

In today's class today we did collage portraits using magazines and pasting it on with our hands. Martha brought books from the artist Romare Bearden. The model was sitting in front of colorful draped fabric in the studio. She didn't have a dog and neither of them had crowns...

Halloween weekend sketches

2010-10-31T22:00:00.005-04:00

Line 'em up, Line 'em all up. 3 of 15 scarecrows at a farmhouse in Cape Elizabeth. Brush pen and colored pencils.

Sketching at the farmers market. Dip pen, ink and watercolor.

Sophie and I glamming it up in front of our building. One last time in my Halloween costume. An olive green "witches hat" with a black veil made out of netting with spiders worn comfortably with my jeans, black t-shirt and pearls.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T12:43:00.003-04:00

Portrait class—Halloween self portrait

Self portrait

22X30 Rives print paper

Our assignment this week was to come in costume with a mirror to do a "Halloween" self portrait. I arrived in a $3 green witches hat with a black veil, green eye shadow, blackish/red lipstick and a large silver cross and pearls around my neck. Jerry asked if I walked through town that way and I said yes, but no one noticed. I blended right in...I think...

This is the process, I described a few posts back, using burnt sienna oil paint thinned with odorless turpentine for the initial drawing. Charcoal and pastels seem to grab onto the painted surface. More very thinned color can then layered to blend and create a surface to add more charcoal/pastel layers and on and on. I did this in about two hours, but I could have stayed at the studio all day. Unfortunately another class was waiting to start. It's quite messy! A far cry from ink and watercolor in a small sketchbook.

Bali art prototypes

2010-10-26T18:33:00.005-04:00

Over the next five years we will be spending more time in Bali than here in Maine while Jerry implements his sustainable seafood project for Indonesia. I am leaving in January and won't return until July—my longest time away from home and my dog. I am starting to put together ideas for my art while in Bali.

Creating a watercolor background that resembles batik fabric.

I am trying acrylics for the first time. I am used to oils and the acrylics dry so quickly that it is taking me time to figure out how to blend and manipulate the paint before it dries. On the other hand, that quick dry time has it's merits.

Faces and masks on rocks using acrylics and varnish.

Acrylic on canvas board. Matte varnished applied after paint dried.

Acrylic and mixed media using local papers and batik fabric. Varnished when dry to seal.

Bali dogs possibly supporting the Bali Street Dog organization. Acrylic on 5"x5" stretched canvas. 1 1/2" border painted black. SOLD

Portrait class—mixed media

2010-10-22T14:05:00.006-04:00

Mixed media exercise today—model is sketch loosely with odorlees turp and burnt sienna oil paint. This is a very light wash establishing shapes. Then charcoal and pastel are layered over the oil wash drawing. The pastel grabs onto the turp wash creating a wonderful layered effect. Then more turp to blend and more pastel and charcoal layers and on and on and on...

20 minute sketch from model(so little time)

15 minute sketch (even less time)

Pastel (without turpentine and oil paint wash)

Music at the farmers market

2010-10-17T10:17:00.005-04:00

We have a wonderful farmer's market every Wednesday in downtown Portland, Maine. It is getting cold here at night, so these days it is mostly filled with pumpkins and squashes, but there is still the last of the summer harvest available. I stopped to sketch this sax player before heading home with some of the vegetables I bought.

Portrait Party on Flickr

2010-10-17T09:54:00.004-04:00

I continue to take part in Julia Kay's Portrait Party on Flickr. Actually it can be somewhat addictive. I usually just post them on my Flickr site, but decided to add these two to the blog.

Ink and watercolor

Ink, watercolor and pastel

Portrait Party

2010-10-11T20:41:00.003-04:00

Sophie and I are home alone until December so we spend a lot of time together. I did this self-portrait for Friday's homework assignment. We were suppose to use pastel with music. I had just come in from a "Sophie walk" so I kept my favorite sunglasses on, which I love because not only are they oversized, but they are readers. I decided to smile because non-smiling looks so grim, dismal and UGH—old. I sketched with a brush pen before adding pastel.

Self—brush pen and pastel.

I caught Sophie resting her muzzle on her stuffed toy—sooooooooo cute! I quickly sketched her and added watercolor.

Portrait Class

2010-10-11T20:26:00.004-04:00

I am taking a portrait class on Friday mornings at the Maine College of Art (MECA) in Portland Maine. Using materials I have never used like pastel and charcoal powder to capture the live model. It's great fun and I am pushing myself way out of my comfort zone.

Assignment to use only three colors of pastel and paint to music.

Trying to smudge and blend the pastel.

My first time using pastel. I didn't even smudge or blend.

Homework—Each week we get a homework assignment and this was a self portrait with India Ink. Night before class—tired!

Around town

2010-10-06T20:25:00.003-04:00

Sophie and I take quite a few walks around our little in-town neighborhood. Most of the time it is because she has to go out. Sometimes when it is a nice day, I throw my sketch book in my bag and out we go. So, while she sniffs the corners of every building, kisses anyone who shows an interest in her, growls at large dogs and barks at random cars and people, I am able to do a few quick sketches.

Monument Square—a few blocks up and over.

The corner of Fore and Exchange Streets—sitting across the street from our building.

Doorways on the Old Port

2010-09-30T20:17:00.004-04:00

Doorways on our walks around the Old Port

I sometimes think I depend too much on ink or pencil in my drawings, so I experimented with just using watercolor directly to create the images. I added a little crayon for the dog.

"Randomness"

2010-09-26T19:28:00.005-04:00

Sketching doesn't comes so easily these days. I find I throw more away than I keep, let alone post. So I find I am in a state of ran•dom•ness—"things made, done, happening, or chosen without method or conscious". Hopefully this soon will pass...

House guests: Michael and Marcella are visiting the USA from Costa Rica. Michael is the son of an expat friend, formerly from Connecticut and a diehard Red Sox fan, who has lived with his family in Costa Rica for years. Marcella is from Buenos Aires. They own the wonderful restaurant, Salsapuedes, in Quepos Costa Rica. I loved the T-shirt she bought while here in Portland so I did of sketch of them last night. I gave it to them as a souvenir parting gift as they left for more USA adventures.

Beso: This is one of the many residents that live out at the farm that my kitties now call home. Beso is a "Schnoodle"—Standard poodle and Giant Schnauzer. When Nina throws a stick in the air, Beso goes airborne. She looks like a furry snowboarder.

Bobo: I bought the book Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists. When I feel like I am creatively stuck, I find some of her exercises help me work through the block. I especially like this one where you let the random paint marks "tell" what to draw. It is fun to just slop on the paint and go back later with a pen.

My kitties have a new home

2010-09-19T08:05:00.004-04:00

We are spending more and more time in Bali because of a sustainable seafood project. Looks like it will be going on for the next five years. In January I will be going for six months—my longest time away from my home in the USA. 7 year old Sophie will be going to California to stay with my parents until we can move her to Bali. The move to Indonesia would be much harder on my 13 year old cats, so they have moved to a wonderful old farmhouse not far from here with my good friend Nina.

Bobo, my orange tabby and a dedicated flosser, has had a bit of a hard time with the transition. It seems as though Nina and her kids all have dogs that are easily 4' tall. However, recently he has decided that it is much better lying in the sun at the bay window near the crunchies then under the bed or in a closet with a dog or two between him and his food.

Nothing bothers Jazzy. She settled right in on the first day. Dogs of any size don't even faze her. She will sit on the back of a couch and just watch the dog antics on the floor then get bored and go back to sleep. As long as there is a sunny window with a comfortable place to sleep, she is a happy cat.

Jazzy is a very social cat and loves to be with people. When friends come to visit she is usually in the middle of the party. She is not a small cat and there is not much room once she spreads out. However, the night before I took them to Nina's, I scooched forward and let her share the chair with me while I painted. We all then piled into the bed for one last sleepover.

Nina's home is a good happy place with lots of love and life, however, I think she has drawn the line at letting Bobo floss with her...

Summer in Maine

2010-09-15T19:51:00.005-04:00

The Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

One of my favorite places to hike and on this beautiful day we hiked the Glen Ellis Trail to the Glen Boulder. Precariously perched, this huge boulder was pushed by the glaciers and landed in this spot never to move again.

We had a spectacular day with incredible views when when got above the tree line. I swear I could see my house on the coast of Maine from where I sat and rested before we headed up to have lunch at the boulder.

Waiting for my friends gave me time to sketch.

Merideth, Terry and Jerry coming over the ridge.

Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island Maine.

View from OP and Martha's house at the top of School House Ridge overlooking Northeast and Southwest Harbors.

A boat ride up Somes Sound.

Late summer days

2010-08-26T07:55:00.003-04:00

We have had such a wonderful summer here in Maine. I have lived here for many years and I have never seen the sun shine so many days in a row like it has since early July when I returned from Bali. Of course, some say this will mean a very cold snowy winter (please, no). When you live in Maine you learn to live with very unpredictable and many times disappointing weather. Someone once told me "in Maine we have 11 months of winter and one month of bad sledding". But for now, we are continuing with beautiful sunny warm late summer days through next week. How cool is that!

Harbor view

2010-08-19T12:30:00.004-04:00

We sailed through the passage known as the "Deer Island Thorofare" which meant we would pass by beautiful Stonington Harbor on the southern tip of Deer Isle. Filled with lobsters boats, it is still a working harbor and has been for generations of lobsterman and fisherman.

Transitions—SOLD

2010-08-17T19:32:00.002-04:00

I have lived in Cape Elizabeth Maine for many years and after selling my very old house on a beach, I moved to this sweet little neighborhood called Shore Acres on Trundy Point just down the road in 2004. I bought an old 1959 ranch house and renovated it in a mid-century modern style. New open floor plan, George Nelson lighting and furnished with a collection of mid century modern furniture.

Needing a new project, I sold that house and bought this old rundown 1958 ranch (above) across the street. A real "fixer upper"!!! Another mid-century modern renovation with Eichler triangular windows, retro atomic lighting fixtures and a wonderful modern style garden/courtyard viewed from every window in the house. I sold the house a couple of weeks ago to a wonderful family who wanted a contemporary home. After much negotiation, we settled on a price and it is now theirs. This ends another chapter in my life as I am already into the next one—Bali Indonesia and downtown Portland Maine.

Penobscot Bay cruise 2010

2010-08-13T15:04:00.003-04:00

Map of our week long cruise

We spent a week cruising the Penobscot Bay on Zora a lovely 38 ft. center cockpit sailboat. We left Rockland Harbor the afternoon of July 31st. First stop for the night was Perry's Creek on Vinalhaven. Our daily destination was always decided in the morning after a leisurely cup of coffee or tea.

It was a busy week before we left for the cruise. Along with selling my house the day before we left, my hair had to be cut off because I managed to fry it in Bali—hair color and swimming a mile a day in a chlorinated pool don't work so well together. So before we set sail it all (or much of it) had to go. It's short and fun and the general consensus is it's a keeper, but it is still not back to it's healthy self, so every morning it looked like some Osprey had nested in it over night. Basically standing on end and going every which way. I had a kind of "Osprey nest bed-head" style the whole trip. Good thing we were mostly on the boat and there are hats!

On day 2 we sailed through the Fox Island and Deer Island Thorofares to our destination of beautiful Frenchboro Harbor, Long Island. Incredible views of the mountains of Acadia Park on Mt Desert Island.

Day 3 we sailed into Southwest and Northeast Harbors looking for showers and supplies. Then a beautiful sail to Isleford where we moored for the night and had dinner at the Islesford Dock restaurant—delish!

Glidden Point oysters for everyone but me. I don't like to eat them but love to draw them.

I had to at least have a bite or maybe two of this fresh homemade Raspberry crisp.

Penobscot Bay cruise continued

2010-08-13T14:40:00.004-04:00

We spent the night of day 4 moored in Blue Hill Harbor. It was good to get off the boat and walk 1 1/2 miles into town for an afternoon latte, checking out the galleries and picking up a few more supplies.

After a wonderful long sail through the Eggamagin Reach we ended up a Bucks Harbor for the night of day 5. This is a wonderful protected little harbor. It was such a warm sunny evening that us brave ones jumped in the icy Maine water for a swim. If you floated on the top you could feel a warm layer of water from the sun. Other than that it is just damn cold. A warm hose down shower on the deck and drying out in the sun made it a prefect day.

The next day wasn't as perfect as the fog came in overnight. They were predicting thunderstorms so we motored and then moored in Holbrook Harbor on day 6, a sheltered cove near Castine. Sunny and warm the next day so a brisk icy swim got the day started. I usually scream when I hit the water and swim as fast as I can around the boat muttering "oh my god, oh my god" and then I'm out and totally awake.

We had lobsters on the deck that night in Holbrook Harbor. Eating the fresh juicy meat and tossing the shells over our shoulders into the water to become part of the planet again.

We had a lovely long sail of up to 8 knots to our final destination in Camden Harbor.

It was a lovely week.

Gone sailing

2010-07-30T13:50:00.005-04:00

It has been such a busy summer and now it is time for our 3rd annual sail through the Penobscot Bay. Though I am not a sailor, I am with three very experienced life long sailors. So, I do what I am told and there always seems to be a lot of dishes to be washed. So besides being the head scullery maid, I am able to spend much of the time sketching and painting—lucky me! Now if we can just get this beautiful Maine summer to continue through next week...

Dinner party people

2010-07-30T13:43:00.004-04:00

A business dinner/meeting about sustainable fishing. Since I was just "arm candy" I was able to some quick sketches of some of the guests between courses. Most of them thought I was taking notes—HA, fooled them!

On the waterfront

2010-07-21T18:19:00.003-04:00

Portland Maine still maintains a working waterfront. Every morning bright and early the lobster boats set out in any weather. I can't imagine what it must be like out there in January.

Sophie and headed down to one of the piers the other day so I could sketch. I don't know why I take her, because I don't focus or concentrate as much. I am always concerned about what she is up to and having to reel her in, so these lobsters are a bit of a dark and muddy watercolor mess. It's good to have someone to blame...

Docked after a day out on the water. The seagulls go crazy, chasing after and swarming these boats. From our home we watch them swoop around the buildings squawking as they look for food and garbage along the waterfront. They often perch on our roof top near the deck or on the skylight which throws Sophie into a barking and growling frenzy. They are part of the sights and sounds of living here.

Portland Harbor night view

2010-07-17T22:27:00.004-04:00

A hot noisy Saturday night in town—like a summer party. Sophie and I spent the evening on the deck. I painted and she was ever vigilant growling at seagulls and napping in between. I did this painting without ink or pencil. Just watching the lights and the boats in the marina across the harbor as the sun went down and the moon came up.

Hot summer days in Maine

2010-07-16T10:47:00.006-04:00

Sea roses on my walk along the Casco Bay.

New bouquet for the table in my favorite lime green rubber vase.

Sketching potted flowers in front of one of the shops in Portland.

Using the rough watercolor paper that I bought years ago when I had no idea about watercolor paper.

Tried adding pastels to just to mix it up a bit.

This is Jazzy, the other of my two very large 13 year old cats.

She is usually sprawled on the floor like an area rug.

Settling back into Maine life

2010-07-13T09:07:00.005-04:00

Now that I am no longer in tropical Bali, I am having to adjust my palette to capture the more grayish greens and blues of Maine.

Small bouquet from the grocery store. In Bali flowers grow all over the yard, Frangipani blossoms fall off the trees and float in the pool, orchids grow on all the trees and Bougainvillea spill over the walls so I never need to buy flowers to have in the house.

This is Bobo one of my two 13 year old cats. Being senior kitties they have slowed down quite a bit, sleep a lot and are on a big diet. Still hungry for more crunchies they meow like this "meow" and then lie down on the kitchen floor staring at the empty bowls. Eventually giving up and finding a chair to fill.

Unlike my big old American cats, my little Bali cat, Howard, couldn't weigh more than 4 lbs. When she wants something she meows like this "yeeeeoooooooow" along with serious ankle biting. She always gets what she wants!

A road trip to Georgetown Maine

2010-07-09T17:50:00.004-04:00

Georgetown Cove

(3"x5" study in small Moleskine)

The cove at the beginning of Indian Point Rd. It was so green and I have such a hard time mixing and painting greens.

Indian Point View

(7"x9")

View from the deck of my friends house in Georgetown—Daylilies in full bloom, jagged rocks, tide pools, crashing surf and open ocean as far as the eye can see. I went up one day this week thinking I would find some relief from the heat, but along with the amazing landscape, I found giant mosquitos and man-eating deer flies. I was as hot as it was in Portland and when we took our 8 mile walk I frantically flailed my arms around my head trying to ward off the vicious beastly insects that live in beautiful Georgetown.

Portrait of Leona

2010-07-08T10:20:00.003-04:00

Back to doing portraits for Julia Kay's Portrait Party but now I am at my desk as opposed to an airline seat. I am slowly adjusting to the time change and the heat has finally subsided so it's time to get out and paint beautiful summer in Maine.

A long journey home

2010-07-07T09:44:00.003-04:00

I left hot humid Bali and arrived in hot humid Maine. 95° and no AC here so it has been impossible to blog or post. Today it has cooled down to the high 80's and a bit of a sea breeze off the harbor so it seems quite lovely and finally I am able to post from my travels.

From Bali to Singapore is a short 2 1/2 hour flight and then at midnight they put us on an 11 hour flight to Frankfurt where we get off with all our belongings, walk around a corner, go through security again and then re-board the same plane for a 7 hour flight to JFK. Then I still have to get to Maine. Door to door is 34+ hours...

They served us dinner at 1:30 am. One of my choices was Khor Moo Yang—grilled pork neck...so I asked for soup and got the above cup of noodles which I sketched as it cooled down.

I took printouts of some of the folks involved in Julia Kay's Portrait Party to work on if I had the energy to draw. Sometimes I just read and try to sleep, but I had 11 hours to kill . So, somewhere between Singapore and Frankfurt I did some portraits.

By this time I had put the watercolors away and just sketched.

This one was done on the Frankfurt to JFK leg.

Saying goodbye to Bali

2010-06-30T01:49:00.003-04:00

The rooster who wakes me up every morning at 5 AM.

The neighbors down the street with the temples in their compound.

"Old crooked tail" a wild cat that I can't catch for the "snip snip".

I catch Howard drinking out of the pool even though she has a fresh water dish nearby.

Saying goodbye to Howard, my sweet Bali cat.

Capturing moving Legong dancer

2010-06-25T00:28:00.002-04:00

I took a life drawing workshop from a dutch artist, Noella Roos, who lives here in Bali. We worked large—3' x 4', on the floor, with charcoal. It was challenging for me because I never use charcoal and never work this large. The model continued to dance as we attempted to captured the initial "S" shape of her body—shoulders, spine and hips and then work from there. An afternoon of crawling around on the floor with charcoal—what a mess!

Exploring Bali

2010-06-22T04:22:00.008-04:00

It took a while for my mysterious Bali virus to work it's way through my system. I was finally feeling better when good friends and family came to visit from the USA. We've had a full house so we have been busy exploring beautiful Bali.

Some of us took a thee day tour with our friend Astika, a Balinese manku (priest) who knows all the ins and outs of Bali.

Sketching the local villagers when we stopped along the way.

We spent a night at a sweet hotel in the tiny seaside town Amed on the east coast of the island. These two Running Ducks, Ollie and Punky are clearly in charge. They run around the open-air dining room quacking for food, then run over to the infinity pool for a drink or a swim. Quack.

View overlooking Lake Buyan at the top of the mountains. As we climbed the steep winding roads newly harvested cloves and coffee were drying on large mats in front of all the houses. The cool dry air was thick with the wonderful smell of cloves.

Sunset ceremony at Pura Tanah Lot

2010-06-22T03:33:00.013-04:00

Astika is a manku (priest) for the beautiful scared temple Tanah Lot on the west coast of Bali. The little temple sits a top an outcrop of rock in the surf that can only be accessed at low tide. It is supposedly guarded by sea snakes and thankfully I did not see any when we crossed through the water in our sarongs and flip-flops. Because we were Astika and his family we were allowed to have our ceremony at the top which is not open to the public.

Sketching the temple from the land while waiting for low tide. I had a pretty good audience while I did this little drawing.

Our friends Ben and Sarah after the ceremony which involves meditative prayer, holy water, incense, rice and offerings of flowers. After each prayer a flower is tossed to the alter and one goes in your hair.

Astika, his wife Made, an elder manku, Ben, Sarah and I after the ceremony. That's me second from the left.

Last light before we headed back down to cross through the surf to the mainland.

A very special day in Bali.

A slight setback—sangat sakit (very sick)

2010-06-01T09:08:00.005-04:00

On Saturday afternoon, May 29th, before I was able to finish drawing and posting my Every Day in May challenge, I came down with a bug—chills and fever put me to bed and I slept for 14 hours. On Sunday, thinking I was better, I ventured out and then collapsed again that night with a high fever. On Monday, though I felt better, I went to the doctor (in a foreign country!!!) and was told I had a temperature of 38c. Being from the USA, I had no idea what the Fahrenheit equivalent was to that number, but I went home with something to reduce the fever and antibiotics for all the other bad stuff.

I am finally feeling better and the Every Day in May challenge completed.

Every Day in May—EDM #29, #30 and 31

2010-06-01T08:35:00.004-04:00

EDM #29 Draw something architectural. while taking a hike one morning we passed by these Balinese temples deep in the woods/jungle in Bedugul Bali. There are ten of thousands of temples in Bali so it really is an everyday everywhere experience to see temples.

EDM #30 Draw a chair. In the dining room at the villa.

EDM # 31 Draw something you collect. I don't really collect anything. As a matter of fact, I am trying to downsize by getting rid of things. I do, however, have LOTS and LOTS of pens—crazy!

Every Day in May—EDM #27 and #28

2010-05-28T21:02:00.004-04:00

EDM #28 Draw anything you like. I couldn't get inspired by any of the appliances around the villa so I did this "buah naga" "dragon fruit" that I had picked up at the market the other day.

EDM #27 Draw a book. I can't survive here without this Indonesian/English dictionary. Our villa is a busy place and I am usually running around communicating in my "pigeon pantomime English/Indonesian" with many of the people who are working on something around here. Like yesterday, I knew that buah-buahan is the noun for fruit but I had to look up "naga" which means "dragon" when Maria told me I was drawing a buah naga for EDM # 28. Because I spent the past few months in the USA my Indonesian has suffered—Saya lupa banyak (I forgot a lot).

"Getting Stoned with Savages" by J. Maarten Troost is a wonderful book about an expat who spends some time on Vanatu and Fiji drinking kava and researching cannibalism. Two things I have never done. However, I have a friend here in Bali, who is originally from Kalimantan and she can't say that her ancestors (maybe even gramps) weren't cannibals...

Being an expat is quite a different life...

Every Day in May—EDM #25 and #26

2010-05-27T09:29:00.003-04:00

EDM #26 Draw a vegetable. In Bali there is this vegetable called kangkung or water spinach or "KingKong". It is anything that is green and leafy and seems to be served with everything. There are slight differences depending on the region it is grown. I'm not wild about the kungkung from Lombok—too chewy. Anyway, I love this stuff. It is cheap delicious and when sautéed wIth bumbu Bali, tomatoes and coconut milk served over nasi puti (rice), it is to die for!

EDM #25 Draw a glass. As good as the fruit is Bali the wine is that horrible...and expensive! They have started making their own, but where I grew up in Northern California, they would pour this swill down the drain. Wine is so expensive that it is $30+ for a bottle of imported not so great wine. So, I have developed a taste for a local rose mixed with sparkling water. We have named this drink a "Sparkling Jeni".

Every Day in May—EDM #23 and #24

2010-05-26T03:22:00.003-04:00

EDM #23 Draw your foot. While dangling my feet over the pool to do this sketch, I realized that my feet have spent way too much time logging miles in my running shoes. One of the wonderful things about Bali is the $6 pedicure that comes with a reflexology foot massage. I'm going today!

EDM #24 Draw a piece of fruit. A fruit vendor at the local market here in Bali. All the fruit here is amazing, but mangos are the best. We cut them into bite size pieces and put them in the freezer. It is the best mango sorbet on the planet.

Every Day in May—EDM #21 and #22

2010-05-23T21:36:00.005-04:00

Hello from Bali

EDM #22 Draw a piece of clothing—A sarong. I'm a bit behind on my challenges because of traveling. So as you can see by EDM #22 I am back in Bali. The sarong is a traditional clothing style in Indonesia for both men and women and many Balinese still wear the beautiful traditional cotton batik. With this heat it is a comfortable choice. I have several but don't wear them outside the villa for fear of it falling off. The drawing above is on the beach path which is lined with small shops selling sarongs in every color and print.

EDM #21 Draw something antique or vintage. I sketched this quickly before leaving the USA on the afternoon of the 19th. It is a wonderful carving from somewhere in Central America that my grandmother brought home from one of her travels. I love it and have been dragging it around for years. Watercolors were packed so I used colored pencils.

Every Day in May—EDM #20 Draw something "Dad" in honor of father's day

2010-05-19T19:24:00.005-04:00

This is my father, Jim Lawson. He turned 84 three days ago. On his birthday, all the people at the gym stopped exercising and sang happy birthday to him. One woman asked him what he used for wrinkle cream and he said the same thing he uses to brush his teeth—hmmmm.

I sketched this in March when I was visiting my parents in California. We were sitting outside in the sun after going to the gym. He looks pretty good!

This was a painting I did in a Charles Reid workshop I took last year. Charles likes using black and white photos as an exercise in his classes. I just happened to have this photo of my father in my art bag. It was taken when he was a senior in high school and on the football team at "Paly High" in Palo Alto, California. Following in the footsteps of his famous father, Stanford University's first All-American football player—Jim Lawson.

What a dude! Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day.

Every Day in May—EDM #19

2010-05-19T12:32:00.003-04:00

EDM#19—Draw something you made. I have a friend who always pulls out her latest sock knitting project when we are either sailing or just hanging around before going out for dinner. Such a great idea being so portable. Also smallish and doesn't take up too much room when traveling. So I gave it a try and here it is—one sock! I have never finished the other one. Someday...maybe...

I have a feeling I am not the only one who has suffered from the "One Sock Syndrome".

Every Day in May—EDM #18

2010-05-18T20:33:00.003-04:00

EDM #18—Draw the view from a window in your house. My cats, Jazzy and Bobo have come home after two years in Arizona with my sister and her family. They will stay here with a cat sitter while I am in Indonesia for the next six weeks. This is the view from my living room window which I now share with two fat cats.

I have been so busy with this crazy "Every Day in May" challenge and packing to travel to Bali that I have put my portrait obsession on the back burner. Here is the first one I have done in a while for Julia Kay's Portrait Party.

Photo rreference here.

Every Day in May—EDM #16 and #17

2010-05-17T08:40:00.002-04:00

EDM #17 Draw a musical instrument. Eric Clapton is one of my all time favorites. He is brilliant!

EDM #16 Draw your favorite tool. I had a hard time figuring out what might be my favorite tool. Clearly nothing in the kitchen or the yard. So here it is, my "cheapo" plastic watercolor palette. Can't live without it.

Every Day in May—EDM #14 and #15

2010-05-15T08:48:00.002-04:00

EDM #15 Draw a tree. This beautiful tree is in the park near my home and is once again in full bloom. I actually did an oil painting of the same tree couple of years ago—and sold it! Here it is in watercolor for the 2010 Every Day in May challenge.

EDM #14 Draw what you see when you get up in the morning. We have a large skylight above the bed. It can be quite busy and noisy here in the morning with the seagulls flying about following fishing boats or looking for a good dumpster to raid.

Every Day in May—EDM #13

2010-05-13T21:38:00.002-04:00

EDM #13—Draw your phone. Seemed pretty boring to me so I added my hand. That's it. I'm moving onto #14

Every Day in May—EDM #12

2010-05-13T12:51:00.003-04:00

Here's last night's dinner for day # 12 of the Every Day in May/EDM challenges. Since Jerry is in Bali and I am still in the states, my dinners at home alone run more to the vegetarian, quick and easy and for the most part not cooked, like carrots and hummus. Yesterday, I couldn't resist some takeout from the Whole Foods macrobiotic side of the salad bar. Is was soooooooooooo good. Lots picking while drawing. Tonight I'm back to carrots and hummus.

Every Day in May—EDM #11 and another portrait

2010-05-11T20:48:00.003-04:00

EDM #11—Draw your sunglasses. This is a quick sketch I did to make up for the crazy oil painting I did below for the day #11 challenge.

There was leftover oil paint on the palette and I never want to waste any paint. Painted from a photo of a cow that munches grass in a filed near our villa in Bali.

Sunglasses were my addition—does it seem a little crazy that I painted a cow wearing sunglasses? I think I may need a break!

Portrait of Inmasseranito for Julia Kay's Portrait Party on Flickr.