Summer in Langley Series - "Fair Trade Flowers"

The flowers were magnificent in the beds in front of Fair Trade Outfitters on Anthes Street in Langley. 

NEW SERIES - SUMMER IN LANGLEY

"The Langley Dock Company"

Today, with Whidbey island Sketchers, just down the hill at the Langley Marina - VERY bright sunshine, warm, breezy, LOTS of Sketchers - it couldn't have been a nicer day. And, best of all, we weren't stuck waiting in a holiday ferry line! 

This is the Langley Dock Company building, and one of the Marina Inns. It sits directly on water of the Marina. Magnificent view!

I have decided to start a series of "Summer in Langley" paintings, doing as much on them as I can at my NEW Studio 106 location. Although this started as a large scale sketch, it finished up to be a nice painting. And first in the series. 

Sketching at the Beall Home

Today the Whidbey Island Sketchers were invited to the lovely home and gardens of Jan and Dick Beall, with a breathtaking view of Admiralty Passage and the Olympic Mountains in the distance. The sun was shining, a lovely breeze was blowing off the water, and, of course, the company was outstanding!
I decided to channel both Mike Burroughs and Tommy Kane, though I have neither Tommy's wit, nor Mike's architectural eye. So I deflected with a windsock, some birds and a kitty cat.

SKETCHING IN PT TOWNSEND AT THE PALACE HOTEL

It was a wild and wooly, blustery and windy day today in Port Townsend, but three intrepid Sketchers braved the elements, sort of, and made the very best of the bad weather for a Sketchbook Skool Alums get together. We had to hide out in Better Living Through Coffee, The Owl Sprit and, finally, (for an hours of actual sketching) at the Palace hotel to escape and stay dry, but we had a great time. Linda Tennant and Elsbeth McLeod and I discussed, in depth, such topics at black gessoing paper over modeling paste, using gouache instead of watercolors, employing paint crayons, jelly transferring, stamping journal pages, Roz Stendahl, Tommy Kane, buying more supplies and tools (YES), men, whether kombucha is nasty (also yes, for me),  and other sundry and assorted topics. And a fine time was had by all. 
Later, the boat made it back through the storm, I watched windsurferes on the tidal pool in Ebey's Preserve behind the ferry dock, and then even stayed up late enough to touch up my sketch.

Finished Sketch

Rolltop desk and orchid, upstairs lounge area of the Palace Hotel

Sketched for one hour at the Palace Hotel - this is what I had at the end of that time. 

BLUE HERON RUST SCULPTURE - on the reflection pond at Whidbey Pies, Greenbank Farm

It was another glorious summer day on Whidbey Island, the kind that reinforces the knowledge that we are blessed to live here. Whidbey Island Sketchers met outside Whidbey Pies at Greenbank Farm, in the sunshine, amid the wonders of nature. While I was serenaded by Redwing Blackbirds, Mourning Doves, Robins, Gulls, Crows, Mallard ducks, bullfrogs and peepers, I sat amongst a long ton of Canada goose poop at the edge of the pond, entranced by this view of the restaurant terrace. Finished a whole sketch on site, and came home with slices of fresh Rhubarb/Apple and Marionberry pie for feet-up/chair-time tonight. Any day that ends with pie is a day well spent. 

"Tahitian Treasure Grandiflora" at Bayview Farm and Gardens

It was a beautiful day for sketching yesterday at the Nursery - sunny, dry, bright. The Laburnum Arch was slightly past its golden peak, but I wasn't in the mood for yellow paint, anyway.  I was in favor of a comfy place to sit to paint.  Luckily there was exactly that spot in among the roses - one of BF&G's brightly colored Adirondack chairs in the shade of a little tree. I plopped bush with gorgeous, electric pink blooms onto a cart and rolled it over by by me, et voila, perfect sketching under a brilliant blue sky. And it gave me a chance to test the luscious Quinacridone pinks, fuschias, corals, reds and rose tones on my paint chip card from Daniel Smith's.

Painting in the Alley for Artists in Action at the WAG

Yeah, that moment afterwards, at home, when you could have stepped back for the long view of your watercolor, but didn't. And should probably have stopped, but didn't. 
With apologies to Georgia Mansur for techniques learned, but apparently forgotten, and steps missed or misinterpreted. But, for try #3 on the learning curve, i'm not completely embarrassed, I guess. And I didn't hold it under the hose or drown it in the bathtub, so there is that. Try #4 getting underway today, when I should be weeding, instead. 
Photo of me by Tom Hanify of Whidbey Art Gallery.
Photo of the painting by me, of me.