Without Ink Lines

Nick Bantock (previous post) tells me to 

Try new ways. 

Paris Breakfasts Carol (previous post) tells me to

Let go of my ink line. 

I dare you, she says. Take a chance.  

You will not be sorry, she says.

Bantock says that part of the creative process is to

Face the unknown.  

Without my lines, the water & the colors 

knew more of what was going to happen 

than I did. I'm still not sure. 

The Trickster's Hat

Nick Bantock, in The Trickster's Hat: A Mischievous Apprenticeship in Creativity

talks about our tendency to return to familiar motifs. He encourages us to break out of familiar patterns. 

He says that we must let go of "self-seriousness" in our process, & remember to play.

Bantock talks about approaching a series of exercises that he presents in the book with a "Devil-may-care attitude". The Trickster, Bantock states, does not favor us when ego is driving our endeavors. 

This book was recommended to me by Carol from Paris Breakfasts. Now there's a gal who knows how to incorporate play into her very focused & in-depth work, & how to tap into her "true motivations & passions."  

Quebec City, Je t'aime

Parliament Building for the province of Quebec, built late 19th century

The official Québec reigion website says: 

"Quebec City: So Europe, So Close"

Six hours close, in fact. 

Follow the river to the border through 

Maine farm, mountain & woodland. 

Then Canadian countryside.  

An annual pilgrimage, often in May.  

Sketching.Early morning at the café. 
Writing, reading, sketching.
"There is more courage than talent in most successes,"
says this postcard.

Strolling in the old city along with other visitors. 

An artistic marionnette show, "Ondin", presented at

Théâtre Jeunesse Gros Becs by

"L'Illusion: Théâtre de Marionnettes" from Montréal.

I cried, not because it was sad, but because it was beautiful.

Coming back with beautiful French language children's books
after hours of happy browsing at the bookstore "Pantoute".
Coming back from a weekend when
so many passions & interests have, once again, 
come together. 

Birdman (of portcitydailyphoto blog) isn't sure 
if there is such a thing as luck.

I am sure that there is such a thing.
And also gratitude.

After the Rain:: Mount Desert Island

 I hesitated to go to Acadia & Bar Harbor because it had been raining.

But, Oh!, I'm so glad I went!

Up close, on the town Shore Path, things were super springtime bright, including umbrellas 

waiting for summer tourists to arrive.

Bright fiddleheads! 

 But out to sea, things were different. 

Just as I arrived on the Path, clouds & fog parted for just a few minutes, 

revealing the Porcupine Islands.Thank you, I said.

 Then fog came rolling back. I sat on a bench,

sketched, watched its flow as nearby birds sang.

I was enveloped by cool fresh air. Thank you, I said.

Eventually, all was enveloped.

Very mysterious, very divine, this gentle fog.

 View of the island's mountains from the West face of Cadillac as fog journeyed inbetween. Only one time before have I experienced such a marvel & that had been on top on Pemetic (mountain on the left). 

Thank you, I had said. 

 Celestial. Above the clouds. 

Later driving home, down below, I was right in those clouds!

Just before going home I had stopped to visit a quiet, early evening, & softly sunny Bubble Pond. 

It's at the base of Cadillac (left) & Pemetic (right). 

Thank you, Thank you. for the variety & changes of this gentle weather.

While on top of Cadillac, I had shared the views & chatted with 2 happy girls from China, a happy Japanese father & his college daughter, &, 2 happy Polish men (in Polish we chatted!).

So, I guess it's worth the effort to make pilgrimages to beloved places. And not only in fair weather...

The Park & Happy Spring!

Quickie sketch based on an old fast sketch that

for some reason was just sitting on my desk...

The local park is open again!! 

HAPPY SPRING!

Tulips

 I saw tulips in the ground today!

These were from the grocery store, 

from several weeks ago.

It is  

The Merry, Merry Month of May in Maine!

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

My  "Zuppa Soup Collage", inspired by 

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech

Collage allows you to stir in anything you want.

Arrange & re-arrange, add & subract.

How did our Family Book Group members like Granny Torrelli Makes Soup? Unanimously, "Loved it!" (doesn't always happen with this group of discriminating readers). This novel, (which I heartily recommend to adults as well as children), has so much: Loveable, honest characters, humor, sadness, poetic language (in Italian & English!), wonderful structure, great cooking scenes, & sensitively presented themes about love, human imperfection & forgiveness. Loveable Rosie, learns from her immigrant Granny's stories & from her understanding, how to manage life's sometimes difficult situations & feelings in relation to friendships . 

After the discussion, during the art-making we, young & old, 3 generations, informally shared situations in our own lives & cooking stories that the story evoked. I had given out a list of Granny Torrelli's Italian words & expressions, so a lot of "Tutto va bene!" & "molto good" & "zuppa" could be heard, as well as a lot of laughter.

Sharon's  inspiration for the book is on her website (click HERE). Sharon also has the blog, "Words We Say". 

"When I learned that my daughter was expecting her first child, I began thinking about what it would be like to be a grandparent. In remembering my own grandparents, it seemed that most of my memories of my grandmothers swirled around kitchens and food. There was something important—more important than the meals being made—that took place in those kitchens, and I wanted to explore that. I kept seeing images of my Italian grandmother, with her elfish smile and quick wit, and those images evolved into the character of Granny Torrelli." ~Sharon Creech

The world would be a better place if everyone had a Granny Torrelli like the one in this small gem of a book!

City Sketching

Portland view looking toward Congress from Commercial Street

Click on image to enlarge.

I was recently sketching city "environments" in Portland. Drawing architecture is fairly new for me. I understand the theories, but have been timid to try them. The "Portland Show 2014" at Greenhut Gallery  (Click HERE) has some brilliant cityscapes, especially "Portland from Munjoy Hill" by a former teacher, David Campbell. Such mastery of perspective & color, such provoking points of view, such focus he has as he works from observation over the course of several years on one large canvas!!  

My original sketch, with Uniball pen & Prismacolor pencils. Click on image to enlarge. 

Scribbly & rough, but, I'm motivated, because I love observing these scenes. I like that I'm more willing to make mistakes than I used to be.

This book fell into my sphere recently, at just the right moment! I'd seen it in a bookstore in Cambridge. Sketching taught by an architect!! Paul Laseau says we are like detectives as we explore scenes that attract us, scanning, continually seeing more. Our drawing process affects what & how we see.

Laseau says we must keep practicing to keep skills honed: eye-hand coordination, perception, concentration, relaxed awareness...And keep exploring the visual work of others, especially masters. It is what David Campbell has been doing, perhaps, throughout his life.

Celebrating Arrival of Spring in Harvard Square: Photos

Harvard Square, Cambridge, facing Harvard University. 

A great place to celebrate a (FINALLY!) REAL spring day! 

Entering Harvard Yard from Mass. Ave.

Surprise! An artist who was also part performer

as he interacted with his passing audience.

He's a graduate student and 

he's going to paint various other Harvard views.

Signs of Spring on a New England college campus!

Who belongs to the little bike, I wonder? 

(Sharon, you probably have the story!)

Great public transportation in the whole Boston area.

Tiny transportation waiting for bigger subway transportation.

Transportation that is occupied displaying flowers.

All the flower shop doors are open! After months of gray:

Here is COLOR!!

 People are buying pussy willows like crazy!

 

More transportation that is taking a break with its rider. 

Benches are filled with folks reading...

 Everywhere people reading...

Aaaah, reading by sunlight with a cool breeze...

Maybe the readers bought books from one of the 7 or so book shops in the area.

 (There used to be many more. Then came the Internet...) 

One of the remaining bookstores is Schoenhofs Foreign Books. 

Founded in 1856, it's the largest foreign language bookstore in America.

Learning materials in over 700 languages & dialects & 

fiction & non-fiction & children's books in 50 languages. 

All over Cambridge you hear so many languages!

While I was browsing the French children's books 

the nice bookseller put French music on for me. 

Did you know that April 2 was International Children's Book Day?

Out of Town News is right in the heart of Harvard Square.  

It almost went out of business due to the advent of online periodicals, but

in 2009 a new owner saved it. And I am thrilled he did. 

 Folks on this fine day are reading in outdoor cafés...

And chatting.

 These guys are eating & chatting too. But not reading...

If you stop to carefully look, they are really pretty.

This sunny day reminds me that soon it will be summer hat season.

For an authentic Panama Hat go to the gorgeous Goorin Brothers Hat Shop,

a family business established in 1895. And they have a nice selection of 

pretty feathers for your cap (for a pretty price, though).

 Don't forget your sun hat when you are hanging out in the park at Harvard Square,

listening to music (& reading or chatting).
If you & your spirit have never done that, I highly recommend it!

Continuous Line Contour Drawing

I've always liked Nicolaides' technique of contour drawing in The Natural Way to Draw. Trains the eye, & the hand to work with the eye. The pure method asks that you don't take your eyes off the subject. (Definitely unsettling but good learning.)

I just got brave & tried a new version of contour drawing: Not (almost not, in my case) lifting the pen. You start in one spot & just keep drawing with a continuous (almost continuous, in my case) line. It's interesting to focus on one small part at a time of the whole view, & it does get you out of preconceived notions of what the things are & into observing their abstract lines & forms. It's a surprise to see that at the end, a whole composition has filled the page. It almost feels like it did it on its own.
(This scene is a view to the kitchen counter, drawn while I was listening to a TV show.)

From the Sketchbook: Dining Alone

Growing up, my understanding was that to dine alone was not socially acceptable. My mother, when my father would be away, would go out alone to the movies & to restaurants. I thought she was courageous. I tried it in my young adult years but was never comfortable with it. 

In our current café's it is most acceptable to be alone, but it seems one must have a newspaper, a book or a device. Society tells us we must be connected, even while eating.

Top sketch was made in a bakery café in Rockland where I was focusing on spatial perspective.The bottom one is from Wild Willy's restaurant in South Portland. I felt sad seeing this man who was actually eating alone without reading. Was I projecting my own feelings onto him? Was he a widower? Was I remembering that even though my mom went out alone, I sensed that she lonely without my father? I suspect that a lot of older people who are alone don't go out much into the world. Which can lead to isolation, which can lead to sadness. I wonder, dear friend, what your thoughts are.

Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

(the little rainbow is real, from my window prism) 

I've heard it's more of a holiday in America than in Ireland? 

I like the "May the...May you..." blessings that come from 

the Irish culture. Click on the image to read some.

 About that paintbox or palette: This is my latest. I bought it empty & filled it with my Winsor Newton paints from tubes. My limited palette is when I choose 3 to 6 of these colors. 

New Snow

Snow ALL day yesterday, which gave me permission to do lots of indoor filing & organizing (yes, I went away from the "art door", see previous post, thanks for sharing your experiences with that, really helpful.) 

The view out the window at 7AM this morning was startling. At first glance it seemed all white, but upon slower observation: so much color! Morning light & shadows change so quickly, I LOVE their drama. 

I've been avoiding observing the outdoors, kind of fighting with the reality of winter cold & dirty snow. But I'm accepting this March snow, even though it isn't considered "right". After all, Calendar Spring is supposed to arrive soon. There may be snow but still, the birds are singing.

Something new: Keeping a paintbox & sketchbook in the living room. Handy. You never know when you're hit with a flash, a sudden need to observe something. Have to act fast. Those of you with cameras know what that's like...

Something else: My new "Luma Bleed-Proof White Opaque Watercolor". Cool. Can even "erase" with it. Opaque watercolor (gouache) & oils or acrylics: A different energy than with watercolors. They're on my To Explore Further List.

Something else new: I have a new ritual, a "Word of the Day" that I sort of listen for as I wake. (I'm borrowing this from Library Jewel.) Today it was "Learn" because I need to study French & go to a class. But I'm adding in "New". March, is a great time for opening to the New. Sort of simple, but I like the way it helps me focus.