October
Against the vibrant backdrop of autumn in New England come all the seasonal chores that must be finished before the cold months arrive. I’ve spent hours glazing, priming, and painting windows; climbing up and down ladders; clearing gutters; and mowing and raking—and there’s still more to do. All of this is to say that my regular sketching habit has fallen off. It took me two weeks to finish this modest page. In that time, the once-fresh leaves dried and crumpled, the crabapples shriveled on the trees, and scarcely a nut remains; the… Read More
Poisonous to eat, irresistible to paint
Mysterious, varied, hard to identify, and so alluring to paint—I just can’t pass up a good mushroom. Though I thought I was finished with them for the year, you can see that I am not. A group of amanitas as big as dessert plates appeared under a spruce tree down the road and begged me to investigate. Poisonous to eat but not to paint, those first finds compelled me to check another spruce, where I discovered still more species emerging. Then my husband spied a cluster of huge mushrooms growing in our… Read More
Touched by an Island
I had the pleasure of joining 120 volunteers, current and former staff, and adult campers at Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine this weekend to celebrate its 90th Anniversary. For me, and so many others, the experience of being on this 350-acre island in Musgongus Bay has been life changing. I attended first as an adult camper in 2000, then became the director of Family Camp, and later directed the Arts and Birding program. Though I only spent a week each summer on the island, it became a deeply meaningful place in… Read More
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
The Earth in the palm of your hand
“A map says to you…Read me carefully, follow me closely, doubt me not. I am the Earth in the palm of your hand.” So wrote Beryl Markham (1902-1986), the first person to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic from Britain to North America in 1936. She wrote about her adventures in her memoir, West with the Night. I love the perspective that sketching a map can give you. It is a wonderful way to learn about the places you visit and to record your experience. Teaching a class this week on how… Read More
Hot Topic
My desk and my free time have been given over to mushrooms– the best thing to come of our recent exceedingly hot, humid weather. The area under a small grove of oaks in our yard has been very productive. Many mushrooms form mycorrhizal relationships with plants, and oaks have particular fungi associated with them. In this partnership, the fungus provides the tree with nutrients, especially phosphorus, while the tree gives the fungus carbon. Over the years, I’ve tried to track and record as many species as I can, though it’s a challenge. Identifying… Read More
Portugal, Part 1
I’ve just returned from a fascinating and rewarding trip to Portugal, where I taught a workshop at Sofia in Monsaraz. It was my first visit to the country, and I was captivated by the artistry on display in both Lisbon and the more remote Alentejo region, where we traveled for the workshop. Ceramic-tiled buildings, patterned stone walkways, ornate religious vestments, hand-loomed rugs, colorful pottery—I wanted to draw it all. I don’t often create such an elaborate opening page for a trip, but inspired by tile motifs and frequent sightings of House Martins,… 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.)
What color is that shadow?
Have you ever looked closely at shadows? As the days grow brighter in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s a great time to notice their patterns and colors. Even if you’re not an artist, take a moment this week to study a few shadows and ask yourself: what color is that? You may be surprised by the answer. Not all shadows are the same. Some are gray, but many carry subtle color influenced by the object, the light, or the surrounding environment. That’s the kind of nuance artists love—and often find elusive to capture…. Read More
Tiny Signs of Spring
I began this page in late March when the first daffodils began to poke from the ground and a few green buds appeared on the lilacs. I thought I’d capture spring’s tiny, tentative first steps: woodcocks calling, the phoebe’s return, flowering red maple. I hope you’ve noticed these things too and can make time to get outside to watch the great unfolding of the new season. Tips and Techniques-I find doing a composite page that evolves a little bit each week really helpful in early spring. It motivates me to get outside… Read More
Jean Mackay
The Nature Explorer’s Sketchbook
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