Forget Me Nots

Recently a dear new friend recited a children's poem 

in Polish to me, called Niezapominajki. 

Forget Me Nots.

I made this little drawing/painting to thank her.

 But now this seems like a serendipitous little post.   I may not make many more as the new format for posting is too complicated for me. I'd rather spend time with my art, though I love the 8 years I've been Sketchbook Wandering. 

(The name is copywrited & you may see it somewhere else along with my own name in the future.)

Niezapominajki were a favorite flower of my dear mother's. 

I loved seeing their lightness this spring during my early quarantine-time neighborhood walks. 

Niezapominajki
to są kwiatki z bajki!
Rosną nad potoczkiem,
patrzą rybim oczkiem.

Gdy się płynie łódką,
Śmieją się cichutko
I szepcą mi skromnie:
„Nie zapomnij o mnie”.

Sticker and Dot Play

 

While listening to the news of the virus,

I was soothed by painting Dots. 

Dots, again? 
You're supposed to be sketching,

Sketchbook Wandering!

I went through a major Dot Phase 

not too long ago.

Recently a reader, "minimal shine", 

asked about the Dot Stickers

that were on my last daily journal cover . 

To see that post, click HERE.

The Dot Stickers are some of my favorite stickers.

(Yes, I'm also going through a Sticker Phase. 

And at my age!)

 

So pretty, and even the dots have little dots!

They are called Sticko Color Bubbles, 

found at Michael's.

The Postal Service is also going through a Dot Phase.

The latest Celebrate postage stamp!

All of a sudden, while doing this post, 

Dots were everywhere!

Even my measuring cups turned into Dots.

Even the soap suds were made up of tiny dots!

The recently organized fountain pen inks.

Yes! The lids were Dots!

Like a happy school girl,

 I'm still merrily pasting little stickers 

into my current daily journal.

In between the writing & the tracking,

I'm also inserting 

my own drawings & paintings & colors.

I may leave the Sticker Phase,

but I don't think I will EVER get over Dots,

 or Drawing & Painting.

(To minimal shine

 let me know that you got the info!)

The Mouton Studies

Mouton came to me during a time of intense bad-luck stress. 

The bad-luck stress left, but Mouton decided to stay. 

He is a "Sigikid" and comes from Germany.

Recently I did a quick sketch of him in my daily journal.

He liked it. "Do more, Rita, do more!" 

"Andrew Wyeth did many studies of his favorite models, Rita. 

So please, study ME!"

He often sits next to my pen cup. He knows how to get

my attention. (He's onto my fountain pen obsession.)

 He did not realize how how much work went into me trying to illustrate, 

verses my private sketching! 

After all these years of loving & sharing picture books with children,

I know even more what tremendous work goes into 

creating animated, consistent images!

Picture book authors & illustrators are Mouton's & my heroes!

(Mouton's favorite picture book at the moment is 

I Lost My Bear by Jules Feiffer.)

He may still prefer it when I sketch him loosely in my sketchbooks, 

but he's glad I challenged myself to try something new.

Mouton's been speaking to me in French lately.

(We like listening to a French radio show while we work.)

Even though his name has French origins, 

he pronounces it MOO' tawn. Accent on the MOO.

(Il aime faire le clown-pronounced "clune.")

 

Now, take a break from modeling, dear Mouton.

Repose-toi bien.

Home and Color Play

 Close up of one section

Playing with layers:

1. yellow tones of watercolor washes  

2. glazing, wet over dry  

3. pastel pencil marks

Simple color play turned into 

a theme (Title: "Home Schema Home") 

for a local group show at Waterfall Arts.

 I loved the schema for home 
when I drew as a young child.
 

And I still do as an adult sketcher. 

Still Life with Toys

I'm grateful to have things in my home that make me happy.

(I'm grateful to have a home, for that matter). 

I recently had a realization of the fact that 

we didn't have many things when I was a child,

and that it wasn't just a matter of lifestyle, but of necessity.

My refugee parents had arrived 

just a few years before I was born.

We had a home, food, clothes (hand me downs & 2nd hand) 

& I did have a few toys which I loved so much.

I am able to have more these days.

But I try ( I try) to purchase new things

with care & moderation...

Painting With Friends

How pleasant it is to paint with a friend (who happens to live just down the road.) "T, want to come over to my house to play?" "Yes!" In the midst of dot napkins & cards, giant pearlescent color paint dots, & 2 travel paint boxes (previous post), T made the painting below at my dining table. Pretty joyful, no? Above, part of my ongoing exploration, while thinking about a friend who told me that Cerulean blue is her favorite color.

"R, you want to go out painting?" "Yes!" Yesterday we painted in a café & then at the Library. The mutual back & forth of enthusiasm & ideas doubles the fun. I always did thrive in my teaching & library work by sharing the joy with my colleagues. But I often draw & paint alone...

I also played watercolors with enthusiastic out of state visitors last week. My energy was renewed & revived!

Dots rule! The colors above are duller because I was using up mixed color puddles left over on my palette from a more vivid painting. I made an entry in my small daily diary about painting with T.

A small, spontaneous exploration painting teaches me more about what the paint likes or doesn't like to do, & shows me some lovely color bursts. Whoosh went that yellow!

In past lives, T & I both taught art to preschoolers, (at the same time & almost in the same place!) She & my Spirit Guide Message Blocks remind me to paint the way those children did.

Illustrations: Library Kids' Stuff

This little guy bear has been coming with me 

to library story times for a long time.

We don't do that many, now that we are retired,
but we still do enjoy them.

This is an image I created for the children's page 

of the Scarborough Public Library, 
back in my days of being children's room library worker.

The Late Holiday Angels

The Late Holiday Angels 

will be delivering Greetings, each in her own envelope.

Sometimes they wander, they dawdle, they play.

They have so much work to do before their trip!

But they promise, they will arrive in mailboxes, 

as soon as they can.

Books & Librairies

Books & Librairies: If one is lucky, the love begins early.

Books & Librairies: If one is lucky, the love lasts forever.

Accordion Book with Watercolor Circles

Several years ago I cut up a painting that I didn't like into circles & 

attached them to an accordion folded paper strip

with adhesive & embroidery floss. 

 Flip the pages &  the arrangements change.

Is it a book or a toy?

When I taught, I often used the brainstorming game with young children, 

holding up a simple shape, asking: "What is it?" 

The diverse number of responses always amazed me!

So: "What is it?" 

A balloon train? 

A fruit parade?

A broken beaded necklace? 

Buttons?

Planets at a party?

Other ideas?  

The end. 

Or maybe not the end...

The Zen of Mother & Child at the Lake

Oh, the pleasure, & perhaps luxury, of the young mom & her child, together in a sort of Zen reverie at the lake. They sat on their towel, they explored holes in the sand. They met a dog & some older children. They picked up stones & twigs & a few toys. They chatted now & again in a mother-child language.  They dipped their feet in the water. They did all this slowly & sometimes they were just still, seemingly doing nothing. They appeared to be in an unhurried trance, the mom following the pace of her child. 

There are many families in which the parents work all hours, where the children rush all day from activity to scheduled activity. There are others where the adults have little time or interest in their kids. Honestly, it warmed my heart to watch these two, so slow, so engaged with one another & with their surroundings. It was a little bit of Zen Magic which seemed to be filled with a lot of Love.

Painted Paper Building Blocks: The Series

The painted paper building blocks are forming a series, 

as Barbara (Folkways Notebook) mentioned in her comment

on the previous post.

The 4th image no longer exists because it was too chaotic for me, 

even though the text inserted into it is about BALANCE. 

It morphed into the first two.

This is most definitely a natural form of art for children, 

as Monique (La Table de Nana) commented.

 I used to do it with 1st & 2nd grade art students.

I guess I'm going back in time. It's good fun.

Lupines in the Back Field

 Miniature, Ink & watercolor 21/4 X 3"

How did I get so lucky to have a field of wild lupines behind my home? 

All day long they keep me company.

For years the beloved picture book, Miss Rumphius, 

by Barbara Cooney has been my favorite.

Based on the real Lupine Lady who scattered lupine seeds

everywhere she went, it's a beautiful book on many levels. 

Joy at the Farmer's Market

The Farmer's Market in Portland is, of course, about 

buying & sellling homegrown plants, person to person.

But it's so much more...

Music!! The Resonant Rogues from South Carolina:

"Gypsy jazz & tradtional eastern European music... 
American folk... old-time, blues & vintage hot jazz." 

Be still my heart!

I, oldish person, & young, toddler person are mesmerized...

As is this pair.

High school boys, playing folky pop tunes, 

grandparent-generation tunes! 

Young, perhaps girlfriend-of-musician person, admiring, 
on her market wagon bench, while I admire all three.

Baby persons! Going to the Farmer's Market, a good start in life!

 Happy family persons with their happy baby carriage,
 loaded with plants to take home. Along with little guy's scooter. 

The healthy, beautiful energy from the local farm stands
 sends out & attracts joy!
Lucky was I to have been a part of it on Saturday morning!