Racing the Clock

"Man with Cocoa" - Ink and Watercolor on Paper

I kind of like racing the clock in the mornings, trying to complete a sketch in ink and watercolor before the rest of my work duties begin.  I usually have about an hour before I must trade my artist's hat for my psychotherapist's hat.

"Father and Son - I" - Pigma Micron 005 pen on Paper

My tendency is to draw slowly and deliberately with my pen, and then feel a mild sense of panic when I realize it's almost the top of the hour and I have yet to apply watercolors.  I then have a choice -- I can either postpone finishing the sketch, or I can rush through, slapping down paint before my time runs out.  

"Father and Son - II" - Ink and Watercolor on Paper

Believe it or not, it's often the sketches where I've hurriedly splashed down color in the final minutes that I look back on later and enjoy the most.  Maybe that has to do with the fact that what I often like in art is a sense serendipity, spontaneity, or imperfection -- what painter Bob Ross calls "happy accidents."

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(All artworks shown are drawn using photos from Sktchy app.)

Kindness and Letting Go

Thanksgiving Dinner

On Thanksgiving Day I came down with a cold.  One of those nasty colds that takes over your world.  So instead of being able to do what I'd originally planned -- have a day  to relax and do art, I had to obey the dictates of my body.

I was mad -- all that conscientious hand washing during flu season, eating fairly decently and taking supplements -- all for nothing?!  And I felt physically crappy.  My energy was gone.  My art mojo went out the window.

Ink, Watercolor and Watercolor Pencils
(Sketched the day after Thanksgiving)

Often at times like this, I struggle with whether to push through or give in.  The truth is, on this occasion I felt I had little choice.  Sneezing and breathing were taking everything I had.  Lying on the couch watching cooking shows (somehow I always find them soothing), talk shows, and reruns of sitcoms seemed like the best option -- all in hopes that the TV would lull me to sleep and out of my misery.

Ultimately, I chose to be kind to myself and let go. For me on this day, that meant doing no art.  Doing no art until my body was stronger. 

Bernadette an Wallowitz from "The Big Bang Theory"

By the end of the day, I still felt crappy but I was able to sit with my sketchbook and do a quick sketch of people on TV. That brought me some happiness.  I am convinced though -- art or no art -- that kindness and letting go are necessary ingredients to living the good life.

May we all be kinder to ourselves and others.  It's truly the best way.

"The View from Where I Sit"
(Purple Uniball Pen on Paper)

And Sometimes I'm Without Words...

"Play Date"  (Ink on Paper)

"Woman with Coffee" (Ink and Watercolor)

"Woman in Glasses" (Ink on Paper)

I used photo references from the "Sktchy" app for the above drawings. 

Please note:  A Path with Paint will be on vacation for the week of November 20 - 27th.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Urban Sketching: Meet, Sketch, Share

"Radio Coffee and Beer" - Ink and Watercolor

Over the weekend I had the chance to sketch with Austin Urban Sketchers at Radio Coffee and Beer in Austin, Texas.  If you're not familiar with Urban Sketchers, I can tell you a bit about it.  Founded in 2007 by Gabi Campanario, Urban Sketchers is a nonprofit international organization of folks who gather in urban settings to draw observationally with others.  The motto of Urban Sketchers is short and sweet:  ""Meet, sketch, share."

"Urban Sketching at Spider House" - Ink and Watercolor

I've been sketching with the Austin group for a few years now.  What I enjoy about this group and Urban Sketchers as a whole is the friendly sense of community and camaraderie that sets the tone of the group.  All levels of skill and all ages are welcome.  There are more than 100,000 members of Urban Sketchers worldwide and close to 200 chapters.

"Central Market" - Ink and Watercolor
(Done in June, 2015 - Not my best work!)

A lovely aspect of the organization is that it is noncompetitive.  My experience of the group is that other sketchers are happy to share information about the materials they use, techniques they find helpful (I want help with perspective, please!!), and online classes they've taken and enjoyed.

"Young Violinist at Farmers Market" - Ink and Watercolor

Once a year Urban Sketchers holds an international symposium where people from all over the world meet to sketch, connect, and share their work.  Previous symposia have been held in Manchester, England, Singapore, Paraty, Brazil, Barcelona, Santo Domingo, DR, Lisbon, Portugal, and Portland, Oregon.  The 2017 symposium will be in Chicago.

"In Front of the Driskill Hotel" - Ink and Watercolor

Local chapters organize sketching events at a variety of venues including coffee shops, parks, public and governmental buildings, farmers markets, city plazas, and more.  On occasion,  "Sketchcrawls" are held in which sketchers opt to go from one sketching location to another all on the same day, thus getting the opportunity to draw several sites and have a more diverse record of the day's efforts. 

"Georgetown Square" - Ink and Watercolor

Another fun part of all of this is after a few hours of sketching, everyone reconvenes to share the results of their labor, photos are taken, and those who want to find a nearby place for drinks or a meal.  It's one of the best ways I know to promote the creation of art and a spirit of international goodwill.

A Few Sketches from the Past Few Days ("Make Positive Effort for the Good." *)

"We Are Family..." (Ink and Watercolor on Paper)

"Girl with Toy" (Ink and Watercolor on Paper)

"Father and Daughter"  (Ink on Paper)

"Joy Ride"  (Ink and Watercolor on Paper)

* The quote "Make positive effort for the good," is from Dainin Katagiri, Soto-Zen master and founder of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center.  Often quoted by Natalie Goldberg, author and artist.

Three Portraits of Neil Gaiman with Quotes

Neil Gaiman Portrait - Ink and Watercolor on Paper (5" x 7")

I'm pretty new to discovering Neil Gaiman, having learned about him first by watching his "Make Good Art" commencement address on Youtube.  It's worth watching if you haven't seen it.  His advice applies across the board, no matter your chosen creative outlet. Many folks are fans of his comic book series The Sandman.  I have yet to delve into it.  He also wrote the dark children's fantasy book  Coraline.  For now, I'm enjoying his inspirational words for artists and writers. Some are posted below.

"I hope you'll make mistakes.  If you make mistakes, it means you're out there doing something.  And the mistakes in themselves can be very useful."

Neil Gaiman Portrait - Ink on Paper (5" x 7")

"As an author, I've never forgotten how to daydream."

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"Empathy is a tool for building people into groups, for allowing us to function as more than self-obsessed individuals."

Neil Gaiman Portrait - Watercolor on Paper (5" x 8")

"When you start out, you have to deal with the problems of failure.  You need to be thick-skinned, to learn that not every project will survive."

Field of Cows: If You Paint It, They Will Come

My Acrylic Landscape: "Field of Cows" - on Canvas Board (11" x 14")

I recently started a painting class at The Contemporary Austin with the fabulous Clair Gaston.  This is a beginner's class and we students had a choice of using acrylic or oil paints.  I chose acrylics.

Our first painting was a still life -- several objects arranged together on a table.  Specifically, we did what is called a "value study," a painting that uses only white, black, and shades of gray to mimic the values -- from lightest light to darkest dark -- of the objects.  Here is a photo of mine:

"Still Life Value Study" - Acrylic on Canvas Board (11" x 14")

This painting may not look especially exciting, but I feel proud of it. I was learning how to make gradations of gray and then use them to create a sense of depth to the objects.  

Here's a secret -- I later did a still life in color and almost pulled my hair out in frustration!  Using black, white, and gray was so much easier.  I still have the unfinished color painting gathering dust in my art space at home.  

A later assignment was to select a photograph of a landscape and paint it in color. I chose a photo of cows in a field.  

The first step was to draw the scene on my canvas.  I then mixed paint colors on my palette, making an effort to reproduce as closely as possible the colors in the photo.

Pencil Sketch of Cows in Field

Below you can see the progression --  from painting the multicolored sky, adding the large tree trunk, then painting foliage on the large tree, the small background trees, white cows, and lastly, final touches and markings on the cows. (I learned these  black and white cows are Holsteins.)

Actually, after I had painted the background and the trunk of this large tree, I decided I didn't like what I'd painted (mostly I wasn't happy with the thick look of the tree), so I painted over what I'd done and and started all over again.  This took a few hours.

Getting close to being finished...

And ta-daaaa....the final version:

"Field of Cows"