Who's on First

Oh, wait, that's baseball! This week it's school, homework, Karate, choir, basketball. I'm on Nana duty. It's been a while since I've had to juggle more than just my schedule! Bob and I picked up our laptops and briefcases, carried them across the city – score one for technology. It's business as usual between 8 am and 3 pm. All other times we're the chief cook and bottle washer, driver, homework monitor, snuggler, and – a list too long to complete here.  We're a little rusty, but we haven't lost the knack.

A Little Monday Reportage

The Thompson Center, Chicago

The Monday sketch group met at the Thompson Center. It's always a whirlwind of activity. I'm a great admirer of the art of reportage drawing and this is a great place to practice. That, along with working on sketching larger, had me lost in the process and thoroughly enjoying it. Even the challenge of the Dubuffet sculpture wasn't quite as frustrating as past attempts.

This sketch is done in my 8x8 Hand•Book sketchbook.

No Excuses, But…

It's been a busy September. Yesterday, I managed to spend a couple of delightful hours at Ping Tom Park in Chinatown. It was the USk-Chicago yearly sketching visit. The weather was perfect (not always the case) and the company was fun (always the case). It was good to welcome sketchers who first joined us at the July seminar and some new faces from the Evanston outing last month.

Chinatown has many interesting views and places. This time, I looked to sketch things I haven't done.  I already have some ideas for next time! I've been using this 8x8 Hand•Book sketchbook in hopes of encouraging myself to work larger when on location. As you can see old habits die hard, but I'll keep at it!

Smiling and Sketching in Chicago

Yesterday, I had the privilege of working with the AHEAD marketing team. I introduced them to the benefits of sketching as well as tips and tricks for Urban Sketching. What a fun afternoon! Thank you, Marjorie, for the opportunity!

Summer in the City

Oak St. Beach, Chicago

It always amazes me when I sit on the beach in the middle of the city surrounded by skyscrapers and condos.

This is a quick sketch done at Oak Street beach in Chicago. It was painted in spurts while watching my granddaughters play in the water and attempt to build a sand-igloo. It's a different vibe than the same lake painted last week from a Door County perspective.

Ah, Wilderness!

Belle Maison, Algoma, WI

We're just back from a brief vacation by the lake in Wisconsin. The all too-short days and nights included kids (4) and grandkids (5), chaos and champagne, sparklers and shooting stars (Perseid meteor shower) and most of all lots of love and laughter. 

Who Thinks of Summer in the City as Green?

North Sculpture Garden at the Art Institute of Chicago

It's been along time since I lost a sketchbook but… 

The sketchbook I've been using strictly for urban sketching is gone. I keep hoping I've only misplaced it but I've searched high and low with no success; it's time to move on. For awhile now I've been toying around with the idea of using a square format and working larger when on location. Monday was as good a time as any. 

This is an 8 x 8 Hand•Book I bought the last time I was in San Francisco. It's now been officially designated as my urban sketching book for USk sketch crawls and the Monday Sketch Group. It's a good way to keep a record of our outings. The Monday group met this week at the Art Institute and sketched in the north sculpture garden. We've had a lot of rain lately and also some real summer heat so there were few flowers to be seen but a million lush shades of green. For me the greens even overpowered the sculpture.

Lush greens, loud cicadas, dappled shade and sketching, despite not being thrilled with the sketch, I'll smile when I look back at this page.