Japanes Tea Gardens, Golden Gate Park (San Francisco, CA)

In August, I went back to the Bay Area to see my parents and to attend the San Francisco Pen Show. This year, my buddies Malachi and Brooke joined me. 

We purchased all-access passes to the San Francisco Pen Show. The show moved to a new venue this year (not far from the old venue). Friday morning, we woke up early and spent the day at the show. I had some items to pick up for friends and family, so those were the first tables I hit. I was amazed at how many people I knew at the show having attended last year and having made many acquaintances in the community.  

I sold a pen and bought two pens. Budget was blown, but it could have been worse.

Friday night, we headed out to Santa Cruz for dinner and a little wandering. 

Saturday, we headed back to the show for the morning. My Focus was on stationery that day and bought a bunch of notebooks. By Saturday afternoon, we were done with the show as the crowds were getting larger. 

We headed up to San Francisco after the show and wanted to decompress. I brought the gang to the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park. This was a place I had been to before and I knew the calm, peaceful nature of the gardens. 

I found a nice spot to sit in front of this structure. It was right along a foot path, so there were several people walking by. However, there was a little lake and the sounds of the waterfalls was peaceful. I thought this would be a fun sketch.

A lot of sketching seems to be about framing. I like using natural frames wherever possible. As you can see from the photos above, the trees provided a good frame. The question was whether or not I could incorporate the little lake, the fence, or the lantern looking structure. I ultimately decided, as often is the case, that over-working would be bad and not provide great context. 

This is a shot of my final piece. Note that my Chinese Chop stamp (upper right hand corner) fit nicely stylistically on this sketch.

I'm not great at sketching moving water, but I really wanted to capture that little waterfall. I think the water turned out ok in this. 

Couple other shots from the weekend: 

Malachi and Brooke standing on the bridge in the Gardens

Us at the Stinking Rose Restaurant eating garlic on top of garlic on top of Garlic. 

Our little friend at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk lounging away.

Door County, Wisconsin

My family decided to take a roadtrip for a mini family reunion in Door County Wisconsin right after the 4th of July. My mother-in-law and father-in-law moved back there 2-3 years ago. Unfortunately, my eldest daughter's schedule didn't allow for the road trip, so she and I wound up flying out there for a few days. I pulled a muscle in my back just before the trip and was somewhat limited in what I could do. Seemed like the perfect excuse to travel-sketch.

We arrived on a Monday ahead of all the road-trippers. We checked into our place, which was called "Grandma's Cottage." For those of you who know me, my happy place is a little rustic cabin that I (with some help) refurbished starting in 2015. I also love backpacking in the woods. Roughing it is ok in my world, but Grandma's Cottage was far from the Marriott. It was quaint and charming, but probably not updated since the 70's. 

Grandma's Cottage courtesy of my sister-in-law

The property was right on Lake Michigan. It had two structures on the land that we couldn't enter. The first looked like an art studio. The owners were obviously into painting. The decorations in Grandma's Cottage included several oil paintings of the grounds that were quite amateur, but way better than I could do. I actually learned some interesting techniques from the artist that I'll have to try down the road next time I try drawing water. 

The second structure looked like a guest house. I'm guessing it was the actual cottage for Grandma. This was the first piece I did sitting on the beach.     

I have been to Door County several times. Although I had seen some of the peninsula, I really wanted to see more of it on this trip. My father-in-law loaned us his Mini Cooper convertible, so we got to drive the farm roads in style, top-down. 

One day, we took a trip out to Washington Island. At the end of the peninsula, you catch a ferry to the island. It was beautiful. Went to some beaches, a lavender farm, and a fire tower. 

We stopped for lunch (a two hour, expensive experience...) at a restaurant called The Koyen Collection: KK Fiske Restaurant, Granary Saloon & Coop hangout. The kitchen staff must have been a little overwhelmed that day, so we knew it was going to take some time to get our food. I decided to go out and sketch this metal chicken they had mounted outside of a window (think of a life sized cookoo clock). I couldn't find images of the mounted chicken, and forgot to take a picture, but this image is from their Facebook page which I'm guessing is the same chicken I sketched: 

(I did not get permission to use)

After lunch, we went to the lavender farm and the tower. We then went to the end of the island where you can take another ferry to Rock Island (big for backpackers - added to the bucket list). It was too late in the day to ferry there, but the port was so cool. I stole a few minutes to quickly sketch this charming little property across the bay (still on Washington Island). From there, we headed back to the mainland.

On my last full day of the trip, I really wanted to capture some of the beauty of Sturgeon Bay. Sturgeon Bay is where big ships come in for repairs. There are (I think) three bridges that cross the bay. Several times a day, these bridges move to allow ships to pass. 

At the base of one of the bridges (Michigan Street) is a museum which has this tug boat, the John Purves, parked in front. Since my back was still bugging me, it was easiest to be walking and standing. So I walked onto the bridge and did the following sketch. It was cool to have other people walking the bridge and admire my work. A group of ladies actually took my picture, but I didn't get a copy. 

(fun with the aperture)

This shows about where I was. Image credit Green Bay Press Gazette

Later that night, my very talented niece and I were going through our sketchbooks. She loves drawing people and fashion. This is one of her characters that I had her draw in my sketchbook. I now have two of her drawings which I cherish. I am so envious of how she can capture people and expression!

As I write this three weeks later, my back is still bugging me, but it's getting better. 

Beaufort, South Carolina

I have this unquenchable thirst for adventure these days. "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow has been stuck in my mind of late. It's a poem about living life to its fullest. That the end, ie the grave, is not the goal of life. Bettering ourselves by living in the now and working towards the future is what life is about. John Maxwell said,  "Some days you win, some days you learn."

About a year ago, I made a promise to myself to adventure as much as possible. I think part of that goal is my entering of middle age (44 years old presently). The sages talk about working hard for the first part of our lives. We struggle, we build, we completely max out our energy for survival. We build a foundation for the future. Sometime around where I'm at in life, there seems to be a transition to using what we've learned and built. It's no longer about survival, but more about enjoyment. 

For me, that seems to come with going places and doing things, having what I would call adventures.

I booked a plane ticket earlier this year to visit my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and niece in Beaufort, South Carolina. I had never been to that part of the country and let me tell you, based on the challenges of getting there, I can see why I had never been. That being said, I thought it important to see where my family had moved to in 2020, during the pandemic. The trip coincided with my niece's birthday. She and I have been corresponding by snail mail (pen-pal'ing) since the end of last summer and she peaked my interest with her wonderful accounts of life (along with her parents sending pictures). 

My goal had been to get a lot of drawing and painting done while there. Various work projects prevented me from getting everything done that I wanted, nor seeing all the sites that were on my list. However, I had a fantastic trip. It nourished my soul to spend the time with people I love in a place that I totally understand why they love it. It's beautiful down there. 

Drawing 1, Day 1: Lowcountry Cider and Superior Coffee

My first full day, I hung out downtown. I grabbed a coffee at the Superior Coffee shop and bought some cookies. I sat on a stone wall behind the coffee shop and started this sketch. It started raining while I was working on it, so I had to bail early on drawing. However, I was able to wrap it up the next day (hence why the umbrellas and people look a little different). 

The fauna was distinct here. Behind me was the river and an interesting drawbridge that rotates 90 degrees in order to let ships pass. Spent a lot of time in this area over my visit.

Drawing 2, Day 2: The Castle

After finishing the coffee shop drawing, I went wandering in the historic district right off the main street of Downtown Beaufort. Many of the homes have placards that explain the history of the homes including one home that was where "The Great Santini" and "The Big Chill" were filmed. The district is about 9 square blocks and is lined with incredible live oaks and riverfront views. 

I wanted to figure out how to draw these live oaks, since I thought they were so different than any tree I'd ever seen. Wandering around the district, I was looking do a sketch of a subject that contained a live oak, wasn't a white house, and had a place where I could sit; not an easy task. Fortunately, I was able to chat with a couple of locals which always makes me feel more connected to the area. 

I kept coming back to this one place the locals call "The Castle." 

I found a spot to sit in that had the cover of trees since I knew the rain was going to come again. The Castle is surrounded by a high fence, so finding this spot was fortunate since the framing using the gate would be a fun element. 

I started my sketch. The owner was out for a run with two younger gentlemen. He (mid-50's) was trying to keep up with these two youths (early twenties). We chatted for a few minutes when he came back. I asked if it was ok to be sitting where I was and he said it was fine. I think he enjoyed my distracting him while he was catching his breath. 

My brother-in-law is protective and kept texting me weather updates while I was working on this. Time became an element to contend with.

It did start to rain, but I had a coat that I used to try to cover myself and my drawing. Rain adds a unique dynamic when you work with water-soluble graphite and water colors. My color use on the Castle turned out a little more yellow than I had hoped, but I was rushed.

 I loved the little cannon in front of the gate and the lightposts that had real flames going.

Me painting the Castle in the rain. I don't look "sketchy" at all...

Drawing 3, Day 3: Bostick

I have such supportive and loving people in my life. I brought a pad specifically so I could make a picture for my family. Their house is in such a lovely neighborhood. As soon as I walked into their home, I felt the warmth and familiarity from all the years I've been part of their clan. 

Across the street from their place is some kind of electrical box. Coming from Colorado, I'd say that although the weather wasn't warm, there was a humidity that kept me chillier than expected. Sitting on the electrical box was like a heated seat. 

Porches seem to be a big thing in SC. I'm told the locals paint the underside of awnings blue so the spirits think it's the sky and don't get trapped on the porches. The walnut-like trees in front looked liked they had seen better days, but I was assured that they are just not on the same schedule as everywhere else (late to bloom, late to lose their leaves)(have no fear, I'm told they're sprouting leaves now).  

 Being my own worst critic, I wish I had done the tree on the left a little differently, but my family was quite happy when I gave them this painting. Interestingly, no one had a ruler in order to frame in the sketch. For my niece's birthday, I made sure to add a ruler to her hodgepodge of artistic and writing-themed gifts.

Drawing 4, Day 4: Hunting Island

As I said before, work really kept me from getting out to explore everything I had hoped. I did set aside a few hours though to get out to Helena Island with my brother-in-law. He took me to see the "Boneyard" which was a neat area that changed dramatically in the last 20ish years after a major hurricane washed out the beach. I got to fly my first drone around with a virtual reality headset which was a really neat experience. 

We then went to see the lighthouse. We had intended to climb the steps to the top, but it was closed for repair. The building has already been moved once, and it's expected to need to be moved again in the next 50 years as the beach continues to change.

This was my final sketch of the trip. It was done in my small sketchbook. I like doing these loose sketches and need to do more in this style. I used a grey marker for the first time to do the shadows. Over the years, I've experimented with many tools to get dark areas and shadows done - from diluted inks to water brushes, pencils to water soluble graphite. I think this marker setup might be a winner for my smaller works. TBD.

Wrap up:

It was so great to get to spend the better part of the week with family.  

One Last Thing: 

I've been enjoying watching "Schitt'$ Creek." There's a town sign in the television show that often shows up. The first episode has them add the extra sign that says "Don't worry, it's his sister." 

I saw this statue outside of the public library and immediately thought of the sign. My 14 year old niece took the photos!

Special shout out to Coastal Art Supply.

Recent Updates

 Update 1: Micah received his painting and says he loves it!

https://www.thingsithinkpeoplethink.com/2023/01/who-doesnt-like-big-machines-arvada-co.html

Update 2: Out of the blue, I got a text from another of my besties whose daughter, Mila, seems to have grabbed his phone and shot me the following: 

I was floored that a fifth grader was inspired enough by my painting (Snowy Flowers) to make this and share it with me: 

Off my original:

https://www.thingsithinkpeoplethink.com/2022/11/snowy-flowers.html

I took Mila to the library and showed her how I scan these in. I took her scan (with her permission) and am having a metal print made for my wall. It should arrive in a few days. As a thanks, I am making her a gift out of one of her original works:

This is the artist, Mila. She's a rockstar!