Frozen
With much of the U.S. locked in single‑digit temperatures and snowstorms, it felt like the perfect moment to embrace the cold and venture into the depths of our freezer— which had evolved into a gigantic, cluttered heap of unidentifiable objects. I decided to make the most of this otherwise uninspiring chore by sketching my findings, partly for posterity and partly to prove I survived the expedition. When I unearthed seven bags of peas and corn, I knew I’d made the right call. And so, at the risk of oversharing, here’s the inventory…. Read More
Zooming Out, Looking Ahead
The “research phase” has officially begun for my summer workshop, Drawn to Nature, at Madeline Island School of the Arts on Lake Superior, July 20–24, 2026. I’m starting with the wide view—looking at the Great Lakes as a whole—before narrowing in on Lake Superior and the many things that make Madeline Island so special. Drawing a map always helps me focus. It gives me a sense of the land, water, and geography that shape a place. From there, I begin layering in plant communities, wildlife, and human history—the roots from which cultural… Read More
On My Desk
Feathery milkweed pods sit on my desk this week next to a stack of field guides, a large tome on the beginnings of modern natural history, and flyers for holiday strolls. Rounding out the desktop: pens, ink cartridges, notes with art class ideas, receipts, and the usual assortment of brushes, pens, and paints. Outside my window: gray, cold December. Tis the season for messy desks, indoor confinement, and more project ideas than time. Amidst the clutter, I’ve been putting a new fountain pen with an extra fine nib through the paces to… 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
Golden Hour
Last weekend I had the pleasure of teaching a four-day botanical and nature sketching retreat at The Ashokan Center in the Catskill Mountains. Hosted by Draw Botanical, it was a joy to work alongside the amazingly accomplished Wendy Hollender, Lara Call Gastinger, Giacomina Ferrillo, Vern Fannin, and nearly 70 participants. I started this page during a session I led on “Sketching on the Go.” It was late afternoon and the setting sun’s still warm light cast its last glow over fields and woods. But really, anytime I get an hour to sketch… Read More
Mother Lode
After a season marked by a dearth of mushrooms I found a mother lode of amanita growing under a large spruce tree just down the road last week. They were so colorful and numerous I could hardly wait to go back home and retrieve my sketchbook. When I nestled under the branches later in the day to sketch, I was surprised by the driver of a passing car who rolled down his window and called out—“Amazing mushrooms!” This was a first. I’ve had people slow down to see what I’m doing, and… Read More
Something Old and New
I bought a leather-bound journal with lovely cream-colored laid paper with deckled edges while in Italy. It’s not suited to watercolors, but it’s good for ink sketches, which I’ve been eager to do more of using sepia ink. Brown inks, including sepia (originally derived from cuttlefish), bistre (made from the residue found in chimney stacks), and iron gall (made from the tannins in oak galls and iron), were frequently used for drawing and light washes during the Renaissance (think Leonardo Da Vinci or Rembrandt drawings). I love the way that brown inks… 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
In the Garden- July
I have hopelessly neglected my garden this year in favor of other activities, and it is now a rather messy tangle. Delighted that last year’s morning glories reseeded themselves, I didn’t have the heart to cull them and now they are climbing not only the arbor but also most of the flowers. Still, from a distance, and with a bit of artistic license, it’s a colorful and lively scene, and not altogether too bad. Tips and Techniques-When I first started journaling, I didn’t quite understand the concept of editing what I was… Read More
Drawn In 