st. john

Cinnamon Bay, 22x38, oil

This is from the park where we camped at St. John- Cinnamon Bay National Park a few years ago.  I took a early walk each morning when it was quiet.  The clouds though were already on the move rising with the heat of the day.  I've started covering the first layer of acrylic paint with a medium that has very fine sand in it.  Then I finish the painting in oil.  The medium gives the painting a little texture and subtly changes the way the paint moves when it is applied.  It has more drag- dry brush effect. Here is the pastel sketch I worked from:

time

Domestic and Wild Metronomes                                        

                                                                            

 After years of digital

I have a moonbeam clock

in the bedroom now

the sound touch 

is kitten soft.  I only hear it

when it's quiet

and I'm awake.

A metronome, external heartbeat,

time is divided into seconds

with chef's knife precision.

This morning outside my window

a cardinal spoke with insistent language

a repetitive message

similar in frequency and volume

to my quietly ticking clock.                                               

As I woke I heard

first one and then the other

their voices overlaid each other

then alternated.

I, dipping in and out of sleep

surfaced finally to look out

at the blue light

of early morning.

It's snowing today, tiny sleet and narrow slivers for snowflakes. 

urban sketching

Or in my case small town sketching.  I have been very inspired by the urban sketchers website and decided to begin sketching Fredericksburg.  My goal is at least one drawing a week.  As I look more carefully at the houses around town I've noticed many of them have plaques with names and dates that I can research and learn more about the history of ordinary people in this town.  

I

micron pen, watercolor, 1 hour

I sketched with a friend yesterday while sitting in front of Hyperion coffee shop.  The house across the street is 312 William Street and the little building next to it is Vivify, a new hamburger place.   I found out that Robert Ellis (1781-1843) owned a large milling business, and construction business.  He built and owned this residence.  He was buried in the Fredericksburg Masonic Cemetery.

 

new work

Here is the painting finally:

Hyacinthe Fields, 30x40

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are two new pastels: