Laurelines

Happy December, everyone!

I have been working a lot, but not publicly, so this is to show you I am still alive, still at the business of making art and, whenever possible, being happy. I hope for the same for you...most especially being happy, I mean.

I have designated late November and December as Amaryllis World in my life, so have been growing them, buying them, in all stages of déshabillé, and looking at them and painting them. I'm having so much fun! My impetus for this has been a deadline for a project, but I have chosen to take it as an excuse to play with paint and with lines. Here are some amaryllis studies from when the music stopped, today:

Sunday, I leave for a few days trip to coastal Norway. I will draw and paint my heart out and I will share it all with you. Happy December, buddies everywhere!

Berlin, all sketches in one go

Sorry to fling so much at you, but I'm ready to move on from these recent trip sketches!

I know there is a way to join together in Photoshop the following elements of this Hauptbanhof sketch, made in a Maruman accordion sketchbook, but I don't know how... right at the moment. I must learn!

Here's a digital image of the whole thing:

The implicit good news is that the Maruman folding sketchbook IS still available online (at Jerry's Artarama and other places)--yay!!! These have red covers, unlike the aqua ones I used to use, but the paper is the same! So, I can carry on with my favorite little travel sketchbooks.. whew.

My daughter and I met extremely nice and uber-talented sketcher (one of my very favorites) Rolf Schroeter in Berlin. He has very generously given her lots of good advice about living in Berlin, for which Cecelia and I are both so grateful. It helps me to know that she has such a connection already. I drew Rolf while he and Cecelia were talking and here he is:

Now, more Berlin!

So there, a few sketches from a very short trip. There are more, but these will do for sharing---they're pretty typical Laurelines subjects, except maybe for the Hauptbanhof one, which is of a type I've begun to do since I became a correspondent for Urban Sketchers a couple of years ago. It's nice to spread your wings.

San Francisco sketches, part two and last.

On Saturday, my dear friend Kathleen (see sketch of her below) left me for a couple of hours to draw at the Farmers' Market. That's where the gull sketch was done as well as the two following. What a great place for food, for sketching, and for chilly joie de vivre!

Kathleen is my oldest, dearest friend. She invited me to come for a visit when she learned of my mother's death. Being with her was balm to my soul.

Two more Buddha heads for the collection!

Yes, there's Berlin with its sketches to come, too! Gosh.

San Francisco sketches!

For such a short visit, and one whose main focus was not art, but to be with my oldest friend, I got a fair number of sketches done. Here are the first ones. Gosh, San Francisco---there's beauty everywhere you look, all kinds of it. More to come from here, but also Berlin sketches to come!  I left my heart there, too.