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
Sketching the Nature of Umbria
I had an exceptional week teaching in the Italian countryside in Umbria with Winslow Art Center, and I couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic group of participants. There is a quote that I shared with them from Italian painter Cennino Cennini (c.1360 to 1427), “Now then, you of noble mind, who love this profession, come at once to art and accept these precepts: enthusiasm, reverence, obedience, and perseverance.” Obedience aside, it exemplified the way in which they approached the lessons and techniques I shared throughout the week. As you can see,… Read More
Vinalhaven Sketchbook 2025
Ah…the rocky coast of Maine…and the island of Vinalhaven, specifically! Visiting once a year for a week hardly feels like enough. But I’ll take it, and I’m happy to share some of the magic with you through my vacation sketches. Beloved by many, the Lane’s Island Preserve is simply one of the most beautiful places on the island. A large meadow and bayberry thickets ring a tidal cove and lead to an extensive rocky shoreline. With a bit of scrambling over granite boulders and rockweed, you can reach numerous tidepools, which I… 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
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
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
So Fleeting!
Our poppies unfolded this week and enjoyed a brief three days of sunshine. I’m working on the sketch of day four now, post downpours; flames ragged and nearly extinguished. Tips & Techniques- Instead of offering a tip this week, I thought I’d ask you for one: What types of tips or techniques are most useful or interesting to you? Your answers will help to shape future information included here. Thanks!
May Showers
So much for April showers bringing May flowers! We’ve had more than our share of May showers, too. The flowers have come despite the wet weather, but it’s been hard to get out to enjoy it all. I’ve been sketching in snippets of time, trying to capture blooms before they’re knocked to the ground. I started these three pages weeks and days ago but haven’t had time to finish them. So, for better or worse, today’s downpours gave me time to paint. Here’s hoping May showers bring June flowers…and a bit of… Read More
Spring Begins with Yellow
Bright pops of color against a landscape of brown, gray, and increasing green, who wouldn’t be happy about yellow flowers in early spring? Not only are we heartened by the blooms, so too are the flowers’ pollinators. Flies are among the first insects to awaken in spring. It turns out that they lack color vision, but they can perceive bright blooms against a darker background. And although they add moments of annoyance while sketching, I have to give them their due in service of spring. Tips & Techniques– If you want to… Read More
Jean Mackay
The Nature Explorer’s Sketchbook
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