See!

Each year I choose a word that sums up an attitude or encourages an action that I'd like to emphasize in my life. I've been doing this since I was in college. Some past words are grace, simplify, joy, draw, do, color, feed, marvel, savor, and intention. Do you notice a theme running through these words? I do. It's basically, a reminder to slow down and appreciate where I am. It's even more important today than those many years ago when I began with this tradition.

In today's multitasking world we seem to always be rushing from one thing to another often missing simple graces and daily little pleasures that are all around for us to see and savor. This year's word is "See."

It reminds me of a quote by one of my favorite poets.

"For how many years did I wander slowly through the forest. What wonder and glory I would have missed had I ever been in a hurry!"
  Mary Oliver (Leaves and Blossoms Along the Way)

Wishing us all a year of appreciating simple graces and ordinary miracles. 
#simplegrace

Talk about Happy Holidays!

Christmas Floral #simple grace

This has been quite a holiday season for us!  We've had family house guests that included five grandchildren, chaos, and lots of fun. Yesterday,  I found a chance to do a quick sketch just for fun. It was like a little vacation. It was drawing breath away from the holiday hub bub. Ahhhh.

Adding to that, I've been busy working on the Urban Sketcher's 8th Annual Symposium that will be here in Chicago in July 2017, plus other USk surprises! Remarque Design had a flurry of end of the year commissions and business to add to a successful year. So much to be thankful for as 2016 ends and 2017 begins.

Happy New Year!

"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit." Henry David Thoreau

Thanksgiving and Simple Graces

It dawned on me recently that I had never tasted a persimmon. Off to the market I went. Before I tasted them I had to draw them. I'd never done that either. This is a simple ink drawing. I really enjoyed playing with the pen, brush, and ink. The tasting was great, too. Yum!  I'm thankful for new discoveries and those daily simple-graces. Happy Thanksgiving today and every day.

What to Do on a Cold Chicago Day

Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago

Sunday USk Chicago met at the Garfield Park Conservatory for our regular sketch crawl. It was a cold day but the Desert Room was the perfect place to warm up. I was really taken by the textures and colors. What a delightful place to spend a cold afternoon! 

It's been a busy time! Urban Sketchers 8th Annual Symposium will be held in Chicago in July 2017. Admin for USk Chicago have been helping the international committee with the planning. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to bring a successful symposium to fruition! I'm honored to lend a helping hand, but it does cut into blogging time. I'll try to do better.

Chicago's Chagall Oasis

Chase Plaza, Chicago

It was a beautiful day in Chicago today. I sat in Chase Plaza with a couple of other Chicago Urban Sketchers and was taken by the color and texture of the garden. It almost over powered the Chagall mural. You can see a hint of it here, peaking out among the trees. The plaza is a beautiful oasis in a bustling city.

Of course, I can't sketch the city without a few quick reminders of the endless cast of characters that add so much to the city's story.

The Halloween Gathering!

Reportage – Chicago's Longest All Souls Train 

What a great time I had at the Halloween Gathering brought to us by The Chicago Cultural Mile! USk Chicago gathered there to sketch and join in the fun… and boy did we! 

This is my sketch of  Chicago's Longest All Souls Train, just one of the many colorful events of the day. Thank you to Allisu Geriach, the producer of the Halloween Gathering, for using my sketcher for her post gathering FB cover photo! 

You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks!

Morning light in the alley

There's always something new to learn! I spent Saturday in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood at the workshop "FEARLESS Sketching in Pen, Ink and Watercolor with Adriana Gasparich."  What a fun day! The workshop was held in Ingrid Albrecht's studio in Ravenswood.

As an artist, no matter how much experince I have or how much I know (or think I know) there's always more to learn. That certainly was the case last Saturday. Thank you Adriana and Ingrid for an inspiring, friendly and encouraging day!

I'm a big pencil fan. I love the feel of it on the paper and the expressive lines you can draw with it. It was great to challenge myself and just jump right in with ink. These sketches were done with a black Sharpie in a Stillman & Birn Zeta Series sketchbook. The watercolor was my usual "out and about" palette you see in the blog header.

It was typical Chicago fall day, warm in the sun and chilly in the shade. The changing light was fantastic.

Afternoon light