Grateful
Sending you good wishes, a bit of November beauty, and gratitude on this Thanksgiving holiday! I’m grateful to you for taking time in your life for art and for your kind “likes” and comments on my posts. It’s a strange thing to send my sketchbook pages out into the world each week and not really know where they go. I’m grateful to those of you who I’ve met in person or online who thank me for being on the receiving end. I’m also grateful for the wonderful artists who take my classes— I love… 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
Perched
While the weather is frightfully cold and icy, I’m content to perch at my desk to paint. And speaking of perched, I’m having a great time teaching Birds and Words online at Winslow Art Center. Participants have been hard at work practicing lettering, layouts, and different ways to put birds together with words, quotes, and poems. This week we worked on perching birds on letters—a fun way to shine the spotlight on our avian neighbors and record what birds are hanging out and surviving the cold this February. Tips & Techniques– Watercolor… Read More
Becoming part of the silence
I love this quote by Irish writer Robert Lynd. “In order to see birds, it is necessary to become part of the silence.” He seems to have understood something profoundly true. Though we may see birds every day—by happenstance or on purpose– really knowing birds requires being quiet enough to enter their world. Unseen. Unobtrusive. Observant. I can honestly admit that I hardly do it enough. But when it happens, whether for just a moment or an hour, it’s a special thing. Tips & Techniques- If you are doing a piece like… Read More
On the Perch
“You’re on the perch,” my former boss would often say to me when I was at my computer. I was working for the Audubon Society then, and the phrase was part greeting, part acknowledgment of the task at hand. Though my work has changed, I’m still facing a computer most days and, thankfully, on the perch at my art desk most evenings. This week, I am experimenting with two of my favorite things: birds and words. There are endless possibilities—the fun is figuring out which combination of birds, hand-drawn letters, layout, and… Read More
Go to the Swamp
“If you are afflicted with melancholy at this season, go to the swamp and see the brave spears of skunk cabbage buds already advanced toward a New Year.” – Henry David Thoreau, 1857 I walk to the swampy margin of a nearby stream every March. It’s still cold. Still brown and gray. But I know that I will find there the first blooms of the year. Tucked inside a cloak of mottled maroon and green the tiny yellow-green flowers hide. The first waking insects will find them on warmer days than this;… Read More
Poppies
For two weeks now, poppies have been opening each day in our garden. Light and airy as ballet dancers, their moment center stage is short, but oh so lovely. I started this page when the first pink flower bloomed and added more as they opened— plant after plant, all pink. And then, a single red blossom opened. Outstanding in its singularity, it seemed the perfect punctuation to a page—and to a garden in need of a bit of diversity to really make it shine. I did this second painting of poppies while… Read More
Walk with the Dreamers
Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful… This sentiment appealed to me long before the need to stay positive in the face of a global pandemic. But it’s worth rereading and reminding myself, nonetheless, and I hope you find it sound advice too. Usually I don’t have time for illuminated letters and lavish decoration in my journal, but a rainy Sunday seemed like the perfect time to work on something highly detailed. Tips and Techniques– There are so many beautiful illuminated manuscripts that you can use as reference for… Read More
A Creative Treat
What happens when seven creative women convene over tea and holiday treats? Good conversation, unexpected connections, and artwork centered on china cups that rarely see the light of day. I recently hosted a “sketcher’s tea” to connect with artists living nearby, several of whom I have never met. Everyone brought a sketchbook, teacup, and treats to share. Much like the gathering, I had no idea where this page was headed when I started. But it slowly built, and to my delight, I felt pleased with how both turned out.
Jean Mackay
The Nature Explorer’s Sketchbook
Listen to the Podcast
Drawn In 