Laurelines

Postcards, mostly black and white, Sweden

Frustrating to be in such a beautiful place, but be unable, except for interiors, to draw it.  It is just too cold for outdoor sketching. (Believe me, I have tried.) Here are several window sketches---and one of a very cozy sitting area.


Scene of midmorning coffee.









Scene of afternoon tea. Unfortunately, the women left shortly after I started drawing them.





Scene of pre-dinner glass of wine. I especially wanted to sketch and show a place that didn't shout 'I am quaint and Swedish.'

This restaurant does, however, serve seared reindeer roast beef with pureed potatoes and wild mushrooms. We ARE still in Sweden, Toto.

Another irresistible window.  And note in each drawing the presence of candles and/or lanterns, lit even in the daytime. These little bursts of light are everywhere, fighting the good fight against all that darkness.

More postcards from Sweden

Sweden is a watery country. Fish and seafood  figure largely in the Swedish diet, even at breakfast time.
This morning I had smoked mackerel and shrimp garnishing a hard boiled egg for breakfast, along with the cheese and cold cuts that are part of a typical Germanic breakfast.






The lights of Christmas trees perched in improbable places help a little to dispel the darkness of late November. This one is lodged in the awning at our hotel's main entrance:












A common sight: bicycles parked in the snow along the edge of one of Goteborg's many canals:

Postcards from Sweden

We flew over fir-covered land,  countryside studded with lakes, ponds,and  rivers yesterday. Though it was 3:00pm when we arrived in Goteborg, the sky was lilac and blue, streaked with orange. It's completely  dark here at 4.
Today, we had glorious sun and then all of a sudden, an hour ago, a couple of inches of snow appeared---just like that.
Under these circumstances, most sketches are done inside:
A little cafe in the part of town called Haga:






A mirror in our hotel room is made of glass to look as though it is carved of ice. The furnishings are in hot colors: orange, ochre, burgundy and a little green.







Gustavdominkirk seen from the window of  Cafe George du Wal.


Tomorrow is the big birthday day!

Boots, camera, action!

Leaving tomorrow afternoon for our trip to Sweden, where I'll need warm feet and a camera to photograph my sketches, among other things. I should be able to post drawings here daily. I'm so looking forward to seeing our daughter and spending her 21st birthday with her.

5 Day Forecast

Today Tomorrow Mon Tue Wed 6-10 Day Light Snow High: 36° Low: 24° AM Light Snow High: 31° Low: 23° Snow Showers High: 31° Low: 27° Snow Showers High: 27° Low: 27° Snow Showers High: 35° Low: 27° Extended Forecast

They can't take that away from me: BCF # 17

Preparing the Thanksgiving meal today, I thought of other years, other tabletops, other configurations of loved ones.  I guard these memories--- memories of all of them and of all of that --- ferociously in my heart.

Here you see our current tabletop, post-turkey , post pecan pie:

first drawn mostly blindly ( I  could not stop myself from looking to place the chandelier):

and then daubed with color:

For more Blind Contour Friday entries please see Inkfinger.

PS You have to scroll down after clicking on these thumbnails to see the whole composition. Can't miss that rug fringe!

Return of the figure

Last night two of my buddies and I met for the first time since June to draw from a model. You can tell I'm a bit rusty.Though I've been drawing nearly every single day, I haven't been drawing the figure. My mind and fingers will have to reacquaint themselves with the visual vocabulary of the human body.

The model was very buxom, as you can see. I kept checking and rechecking that I was not exaggerating that feature, but I really wasn't. We meet again on December 7 with this same model.  I like a challenge.

What is this thing called rain?

It might LOOK like a pizza exploding in the microwave, but it is a rusty birdbath outside my studio door and those arabesques and blips of white and blue are signs of rain, at last, in the universe. The only other time it has rained in the past 4 months was the day my stepdaughter got married. Her outdoor reception was notable for its muddy good cheer.

Here I've used pastels, which is an even rarer occurrence than rain in these parts.

If you need me, look for me here

This time next week I'll be in Sweden. My husband and I are visiting our daughter who's going to Goteborg University this fall. Until then, there's Thanksgiving to get through----and that means lots of hours gazing at the stovetop. Gazing, stirring, steaming, whisking, simmering (not me, the sauces---well, maybe me, come to think of it) and more.

I am also going to be able to draw from a live model with my little group again and I'm really looking forward to getting back to that. Stay tuned.

Ohhh, the PRESSURE!! : BCF # 16

It's Thursday night* and all around the planet, artists are shuddering, weeping, wailing and retching---ANOTHER BLIND CONTOUR DRAWING DEADLINE IS HERE!!

  

 

 

* or morning, depending on your continent.

I apologize for those Blind Contourers (see  Niff and Sutter's Inkfinger for a list of the whole crazy gang) I've inadvertently left out. I'll make it up to you next week. Somehow.

My 14th wedding anniversary...

was yesterday and here's a sliver of the truly immense bouquet given to me by guess who. whom. ahem.