Some sketches done from life instead of photos.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Since I am a control freak, the tree sketch was harder in the sense of letting go, and the window

was hard because I wanted to keep perfecting everything. I have a hard time remembering that I am capturing ideas and feelings, not photographs. I do still feel a bit sad about not capturing the tree’s form more closely, as it was the strong stark lines in its form that caught my eye. What I did is a lovely tree and very free and wild, and I am proud of that, but I will be glad when my accuracy improves so that I can be free and wild without having to think about everything. Just go on autopilot and slap down some lines and just the right color mixes by intuition, which I think is really deeply ingrained knowledge and skill.

My window isn’t photo perfect, but it’s feeling perfect. It think it tells people how nice it is to sit on my couch with my tea or coffee and enjoy whatever I see out there. I think I will redo it a few times this year, to capture the seasons and wildlife. Deer are frequent visitors. Once we had a barred owl, and another time a young bear.

I love old children’s books, so it’s no surprise that I gravitate to line and wash, especially in small pieces. But I differ in that I generally use my color for shading instead of my pen. A more modern approach, maybe? All I know is it suits me well, and I love it all the more since the pen work comes from my Dad and watercolor from my Mom. I find it both surprising and comforting to see their styles coming out of my hand, even though they have been gone for so long.