sketching with friends

After spending a week in the Wichita area, we headed up to Excelsior Springs, Missouri to visit our dear friends, Kate and Joseph. Sharing tea and cookies with us were some of her whimsical “Little People”. After returning home, I sketched Duran hugging his dragonfly from a photo.

The four of us (and my corgi, Butters) later headed to Isley Park where Kate and I used to sketch springtime wildflowers. There, I drew a wonky sketch of the shelter’s fire pit — and Kate snuck a photo of me when I wasn’t paying attention!

beginnings

Apart from grade school attempts, the above sketch is my very first try at watercolor. Which is a bit weird given how many art classes I took in high school. My teacher, a sweet Japanese lady named Annie Lowry, taught in a self-driven style, heavy on abstract art (which I’ve never liked). This style seems to work wonderfully for those knowing what direction they wished to explore — I was totally lost, being afraid to try anything and not knowing what types of art-making were available out there. I remember doing tons of contour and blind-contour sketches!

Then in 2005, I was invited to join an informal group meeting together in a Wichita church to play with watercolor. Usually some type of subject was selected and everyone would paint it, then share each other’s work. It was fun to see our different styles! This metal bowl of fruit was the subject for my first visit; I borrowed paints from the leader, John Lokke, and worked so slow that I never actually got to the metal bowl which was the main challenge of the evening. But I became instantly fascinated with watercolor and continued to attend this group (we called ourselves the Riverside Watercolor Society) until it later disbanded as John began to teach classes for pay.

Another evening, John’s wife brought an aquarium filled with hatching butterflies for us to paint. Jill was a teacher for gifted grade school students and these were brought home from class.

In the autumn of 2007 I attended my first sketch crawl, driving to Excelsior Springs, MO. This is also the day I met my dear friend Kate (Cathy Johnson), who had invited people on her mailing list to come sketch together. This is the scene I sketched that day, the back of some downtown buildings as seen from the historic Hall of Waters. I only got the pencil part down on location, adding watercolor later at home. Did I mention I tend to work slow?

5-day art challenge, day 3

Cathy Johnson & Christiana Farabee on the grounds of The Elms historic hotel

I attended my first sketchcrawl in November 2007, driving 200 miles to meet Cathy Johnson and others in the Kansas City area. I knew artists closer to home; I just couldn't get any of them interested in going out to sketch "on site" together. But I formed many lasting friendships going to these sketchcrawls in Kansas City and Excelsior Springs, MO. That's what I miss most after moving to Texas.

One of our frequent spots is the historic Hall of Waters in Excelsior Springs. And my favorite subject to draw there is this lion fountain located at the end of the water bar.

Below are some tiles and gauges from the Hall of Waters. The golden lion is from an elevator door. At one time this was a very high-end spa and there is still a treatment room full of old spa equipment, as well as a swimming pool.

I tend to be slow at sketching; on that very first sketchcrawl, I only managed to do this drawing in pencil:

Then I went home and painted this from the sketch:

a Missouri weekend

Visiting friends in Missouri over the weekend, we were able to stay in their new guest house next door. Actually it was a rehab project and is now an art gallery / meeting place / research library / guest quarters. A very comfortable, homey spot with lots of interesting bits to explore, especially the art and books! The bathroom is decorated with flamingos & palm trees so of course I had to sketch one. This cute car & camper salt and pepper set is from the kitchen

Saturday night, we went to hear The Copper Creek Band. We enjoyed this talented group, but the room was a bit small, making it hard to adjust the amps and speakers. Wish we could have heard the voices more -- they have a great sound!

Instead of trying to sketch band members, I tried to draw my husband, Bill, but he is VERY hard to capture.

Early the next morning, I drew the antique campaign table from the library; it forms a chair and has storage underneath for camping equipment. I thought that Bill might build one for our new tiny house since our dining set won't fit. The wonky sketch on the right are things that were sitting on the table.

some old favorites

Sometimes a sketch just works. Without planning, it just gracefully becomes more than I first envisioned. This 2011 fountain sketch from Excelsior Springs' Hall of Waters brings me joy whenever I see it, not only because I was happy with the results, but also because it brings up so many memories of sketching with my sketchcrawl buddy, Kate.

Not liking the recent changes, I am gradually closing my Flickr account --- Why continue using a product that gives me a headache? I'm actually glad the changes have pushed me into closing the account. It fits the "discardia" I've been doing lately (simplifying everything in my life, getting rid of whatever is not needed), greatly simplifying my posting sketches on-line. It's even pushing me to finally start posting things on Facebook, where so many artist friends have moved their posts to.

Most of my sketches on this blog have been linked back to my Flickr site. Meaning: delete my Flickr and the pictures disappear. So I am slowly reloading each picture directly to this blog. In the process, I am rediscovering sketches I had forgotten about . . . and having a fun time doing so!

       

These sketches of my Scottie, Ceilidh, when she was a new puppy made me literally laugh out loud! At 2 1/2 years old, she is just as bouncy, silly, and mischievous as shown in these sketches.

 

And sketches of our children and grandchildren always bring smiles and memories.The upper bit is Quen having a chat with his dad, Matt. Below is Jayna right after donating her long hair to Locks of Love. First time she had short hair since babyhood.

anniversary trip to Kansas City & Excelsior Springs

We drove to Missouri on Friday, celebrating our 41st anniversary a bit early (Bill is on-call the actual date). First a stop at the Kansas City Plaza for some cheese and a quick lunch-snack at this Irish Pub. LOVED the ceiling lights made from old ale bottles and a bit of iron!

Next stop, Excelsior Springs, at The Elms hotel. We have sketched at this historic hotel many times . . . but had never actually stayed there. So Bill decided we should do so. The 1920 structure was recently remodeled . . . . I do not agree with many of the new owners' choices, being a bit more modern than the old Arts &; Crafts style building should have. But it was comfortable. I LOVE that there are still so many original tile floors throughout the building, like these marble tiles in the bathroom.

This is the 3rd building built on the site; the original (1888) and 2nd hotels were lost to fire. There is a lovely wooded area behind the hotel, with a large gazebo and a path leading down to a river. So many views to sketch! but we opted to relax on the back porch and draw what we could see from there. (Our regular sketch crawl was Saturday. Not many could make it, being graduation weekend, but those of us who did had lots of fun and laughs.)

 Ilov the rich color of the local limestone the building is made of. A bit less yellow than the limestone found at home in Kansas, west of the Flint Hills. I have been looking for Taylor's of Harrogate Earl Grey loose-leaf tea for a long time, after Liz Steel mentioned that it is her favorite brand of Earl Gray. Hard to find around here, but the cheese shop had some!

one more sketch from the weekend

A parting cup of tea with Kate and Joseph at the Mercantile, then we headed to a farm south of Manhattan where Bill has been doing a remodel for his brother Dale and Dale's wife Gail.

Gail grew up on this farm, which goes back three generations. While going through her mother's things upstairs, she found an antique Scottie bank . . . and immediately thought I would like it.

Excelsior Springs getaway

On Friday we drove to Missouri to attend Cathy 'Kate' Johnson's art show.

After checking in at a local bed and breakfast, we ate supper at Ventana's -- I have often sketched here during sketchcrawls but had never drawn the chef statue before. He holds a blackboard for menus and daily specials.

Arriving at the gallery, we learned the sad news that Ellen, who runs the gallery, had lost her husband in a car crash the day before. She insisted that the show go on, but it was a bit subdued in mood. I had planned to sketch at the show on this 2-page spread, but somehow it didn't feel right. Ellen's daughter had died unexpectedly just one month earlier. Very sad time.A tragic season for them.

(The black onyx earrings drawn on the lower right page were made by Kate; I have had my eye on them for quite a while and decided to go ahead and buy them.)

The following morning, we went driving with Kate and Joseph, ending up at Watkins Mill to sketch a bit in the museum. I had planned on drawing weaving tools or loom, but ended up drawing some items from a domestic display.

Sometimes the sketches I intend to draw just don't happen.

sketchcrawl, 28 January

I drove to Excelsior Springs on Saturday, meeting up with Kate, Joseph, and Kelly to sketch at The Elms. The historic hotel is undergoing a renovation at the moment, but Kate arranged for us to have a private tour, followed by free access to sketch as long as we wore hardhats and stayed out of the workers' way.

While waiting for the others to arrive, I sketched the little gatehouse where we were to meet. I should have added some of the bare winter foliage but the others had arrived. (This was done in 15 minutes.)  Later, when we met for a late lunch and to show our work, I added a sketch of one of Kate's newest pens from Noodler's -- a limited issue brush-tip pen. Cute! but I think I'll stick to my Pentel brush pen -- I'm far from mastering it, as the next sketch shows!

After the tour, we settled in the curved library, a sunny spot where we have sketched from before. But even the sun couldn't warm us up much in the cold stone structure.

I tried sketching a portion of the building seen out the window, but was NOT happy with the direction it was going. Later at home, I tried reworking it but I still don't like it. After several days of indecision, I decided to post it anyway.

Both pages are ink and gouache on Niddigan paper.

Meanwhile, as I was loading these photos and cropping them to post, my email was hacked. I changed my password, but not sure what else might be needed, if anything. What an annoyance!

Sketchcrawl, 19 November

It was a windy, blustery kind of day in Excelsior Springs, driving those of us meeting together for sketchcrawl inside Redmond's, a local furniture-antiques shop. The shop has two floors plus two balcony areas overlooking the first floor, all filled with interesting displays of furnishings and antiques. So much to sketch, so little time . . . .

This old stove caught my eye right away, looking so much like the one we had in the first house we bought. LOVE the design of these old appliances! This one still had a perfect cooking chart on the inside oven door.

33rd Worldwide Sketchcrawl

Saturday was our regular planned sketchcrawl in Excelsior Springs, MO, and also the 33rd Worldwide Sketchcrawl day. I arrived too early again (just over a 3 hour drive)' while waiting, I sketched the front door of Saint Luke's, across from the parking lot.

We had planned on driving out to a small waterfall to sketch, but it's currently dry. So we headed downtown to sketch buildings. Kate wanted to sketch an old building she heard may be torn down, whose roof can be seen to the lower left. I liked how this old Victorian home peeked over the rooftops. Turns out it belongs to Kate's friend, Betty, who I once met at the Hall of Waters --- another Scottie lover!

We then headed to the Mercantile, where we met up with Joseph for a light meal and some great live music. As usual, my lack of confidence when sketching outside made me grab a pencil first to lightly sketch things before adding ink. But I drew this wee flower arrangement with ink first --- proving once again that I should save time and skip the pencil.

bits from Excelsior Springs

On Saturday we drove to Missouri for a sketchcrawl at the historic Elms hotel, where they were hosting their yearly dog retreat. Arriving a few minutes early, Bill and I took a walk around the area --- no time to sketch before meeting the others, so I took photos of the above to sketch from later.

It was impossible for me to even capture sleeping dogs! As soon as I would start, something would distract them . . . . most actually moved away down the path out of sight.

I wish I had tried to do a sketch of the overall scene instead.

sketchcrawl, 16 July 2011

Saturday, we drove to Kate's monthly sketchcrawl in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Heat & humidity made us look for somewhere inside --- The Elms was crowded with another event, so it was back to the Hall of Waters, one of our favorite spots.

This is one of the motifs on the elevator doors, though they are much darker in person. I love this lion motif. I like how Kate made drips on hers --- I want to work "splashier" so I tried it too. It definitely has felt HOT enough to melt the gold!

Excelsior Springs was in the humid 90s; Kansas has been in the mid 100s for several weeks. In fact, it was striking how brown & dead things looked when we left home and how green & lush Missouri looked.

 While waiting for others to arrive, I did a quick watercolor sketch of some purple coneflowers growing nearby.

Once inside, I sketched these old gauges from a display case in the sunny water-bar room . . . . then soon moved into the atrium where it was cooler.The old tiles in this Art Deco building are gorgeous, but I wish I hadn't added the edge around them --- keeping it more graphic. Someday I will learn to stop before I think I'm done --- I tend to add too much.

Hall of Waters

Finally winter loosened it's grip and we were able to have a sketchcrawl in Excelsior Springs on Saturday --- and on a weekend that Bill was not on-call --- hurray! (Last month's planned sketchcrawl was canceled due to ice.)

We drive about 3 hours from home, partly through the always-changing Flint Hills. I've tried to get local artist friends interested in a sketchcrawl closer to home, but no takers. So I meet up with artist/writer Cathy "Kate" Johnson and other friends I've met through Flickr.

We always have a great time . . . even with a thunderstorm this time. We met again at the historic Hall of Waters and stayed out of the rain. Hopefully next time it will be sunny and dry so we can go look for spring wildflowers in the nearby woods. After sketching, most everyone has a light meal or snack at one of the eateries in town as we pass around our sketchbooks.

It's a nice get-away for Bill --- no cell phone and no pager. He takes a book along to read while I'm sketching. Ceilidh went along for the adventure, traveling in an old cat carrier because she's still so tiny. We are trying to get her used to car travel so she can head for Texas with us sometime this summer.

Sept. sketchcrawl

We drove to Excelsior Springs, MO on Saturday to join others for a sketchcrawl with Cathy "Kate" Johnson (Bill enjoys getting out of town and reads instead). Arriving early, I sketched Olde English while waiting for others to arrive. This is the gallery that handles Kate's art.

I had barely sketched it in pencil when others began to arrive. We had planned on meeting at the museum, but found it locked. Thought we could move next door to the art gallery but it also was closed.

Planning to sketch Ray's Diner, we moved down the street and set up across the street. People asked if there was a parade coming, seeing us with our portable chairs lined up.

We had just barely sketched in the details (only John had actually moved on to watercolor) when it began to rain. The plan was to head to the Mercantile later for a bite to eat and time to share our sketches with each other. We just headed there a bit earlier than planned and continued sketching while waiting for our food.

Obstacles don't slow us down much; what a great group of friends, new and old, to get together with! Kate & Joseph, Christiana F. & her daughter Beth, John P. & his wife Wilma, Jeanette S., Bambi, Connie, Keith, Bill & me.

I added ink and watercolor later on at home. Good time to remember all the fun we had!