Savoring Summer 2026
Here’s to all the farmers, harvesters, and gardeners for making summer so sweet. Their land and labor sustain body and soul, year after year. I am especially grateful in summertime, when I have the good fortune of going to a farmers market almost every Saturday. What a bounty there is, spread out on a half a village block: flowers, vegetables, fruit, bread, meats, and artisan goods. I buy some things to eat (beans, peppers, squash) and some to paint (kohlrabi), and supplement the bounty with a few homegrown cucumbers and tomatoes. What… Read More
Sketchbook Harvest
I picked up my first quart of local strawberries a few weeks ago and have been supporting our farm stand at least once a week since. Although I wanted to set some aside to draw, we kept eating them before I could manage it. This week I finally showed some restraint. And here you have it: twelve local strawberries with personality; the way a strawberry should be. I also made time to sketch peas in our garden this week. The yield won’t amount to much, but I enjoy them equally for drawing… Read More
Enough said.
“There is a sweetness of May verging on June that no other time can equal.” – Hal Borland Tips and Techniques– I’ve sketched allium for several years now and it’s always a pleasure. Poppies are usually next, with numerous flower heads ready to unfold in a week or so, but I’ll miss them this year while traveling and teaching in Portugal. I look forward to returning with a sketchbook full of new sights. (Sketched in Handbook Journal Co. 140lb watercolor journal, with a Micron 005 pen and QoR watercolors.)
Cold Day, Warm Light
Though no longer cloaked in their brilliant red of June, poppy seedheads have their own naked beauty in November. I was so pleased to sketch these, backlit by the afternoon sun, at the Botanical and Nature Sketching Retreat at the Ashokan Center a few weeks ago. I didn’t have time to paint them there, but thanks to Faye of Flowers by Faye I got to take them home. Now, the seedheads sit on my windowsill where, even as the weather turns cold, they continue to bring warmth to the room and remind… Read More
The Last of the Zinnias
The leaves are mostly fallen, and November has turned cold. Still, I haven’t found time to fully put the garden to bed. I’ve left some coneflowers for the birds to pick over and the zinnias are mostly standing upright and brown. I love their curling leaves and stray petals, now dried and drooping or sticking out every which way. They gave me one last chance for a sketch before meeting the compost pile. Cold as it was, it was good to be outside, remembering summer, and savoring this last moment in the… Read More
Past Perfect
Had the zinnias looked any more enticing before they began to fade? I think not. The tufts of petals and ragged edges add so much character. And while there’s plenty of praise for summer blooms, even these hangers-on continue to add cheer and attract a hummingbird or two to the garden. Tips & Techniques– This sketch was tricky because I was working outside and biting gnats were keeping me company the entire time. It was a warm afternoon and the sun was lovely so I didn’t want to give up. I made… Read More
Farmers Market Bouquets
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my Farmers Market quest, and these two bouquets are some of my more recent discoveries. I used them as subjects for the final session of my Fun Farmers Market class, which wrapped up last week. There are many ways to paint a bouquet, but because I wanted to convey a bit of fun, we worked loosely for the ink sketch and then tried to keep the watercolor flowing, especially in the early stages of painting. The white on black label added a casual farmers market… Read More
From the Garden
Sending you zinnias this week: bold, colorful, and deserving of a page all their own. I painted them as a demo for my Fun Farmers Market class at Winslow Art Center and it’s been great fun to see the artwork that class participants have created in response. What I especially love about art is that even when working on the same subject no two people create quite the same piece. The marks made are as unique as fingerprints or voice, as personal and expressive as touch or song. Tips & Techniques- I… Read More
Farmers Market Quest
I’ve been visiting farm stands and farmers markets for several weeks, looking for fresh subjects for my Farmers Market sketchbook series. I accidentally discovered The King Farm near South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, when we made a wrong turn and pulled into the parking lot to get our bearings. A large tent revealed a bonanza of produce, baked goods, and two long tables with containers of mix and match flowers. Last week, I found buckets of colorful flowers from Damsel Garden at the Kinderhook Farmers Market. I love the riot of colors and textures… Read More
A Trio of Peonies
I don’t know whether it’s been my neglect or all the rain, but our peonies put on a less than stellar display this year. We had a few blooms and, thankfully, I cut three to enjoy indoors before a big downpour that I knew would knock them to the ground. These three have made a lovely display on the kitchen counter and I finally spent a few minutes sketching them before their inevitable fall from grace. Tips & Techniques– The drawing stage of this page began with a continuous line drawing. Basically,… Read More
Drawn In 