Holiday Baking
Most of my creative time and energy during the holiday season goes into gift making, wrapping, and baking, and this year was no different. As a result, my sketchbook comes up short. So as the year closes out, I thought I’d devote a page to remembering the recipes I enjoyed making and consuming last week. I do wish I could share my sublime toasted hazelnut coffee cake with you as thanks for following my blog all year long. Alas, it is gone, so I send my favorite wooden spoons and a photo,… Read More
Winter Flowers
Mop-topped goldenrod dance in the frozen field. I find them a fitting celebration of winter: stark and windswept, but still lively and lovely, especially when tinged with frost. I like walking out into the cold field and sketching a few right in place, feeling the same air and wind that chills and rattles their thin leaves. I also appreciate being able to take a few home to study and sketch without wind or gloves. On this first day of winter, I wish you a season full of new discoveries, unexpected gifts, and… Read More
Along the Roadside: November
If you were to walk along the roadside here, you would see a landscape of tawny browns, russets, and grays, mixed with pale ochres and faded greens. But every now and then, a pop of red hangs on, waiting for wind or birds to snatch it away. It’s late November’s palette. I appreciate its bright surprises, glinting in the cold sun. Tips and Techniques- Even when it’s cold, I often take my sketchbook with me when out for a walk. I stop to sketch what catches my attention and hope that a… Read More
Jean Mackay
The Nature Explorer’s Sketchbook
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