Sketchbook Challenge - Circle 1

July Sketchbook Challenge theme is circles. I have a new palette with paints I've never used before (Winsor Newton Cotman Watercolors - I've always used artist grade paints but I wanted the palette).

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

I really enjoyed this historical novel set in the 1660's in Martha's Vineyard.  It is narrated by Bethia Mayfield, the daughter of a Calvinist minister who has made it his life's work to convert the native Wampanoag to Christianity.  She becomes friends with Caleb, who eventually becomes the first native American to graduate from Harvard College.  It is a very well written story about the clash of cultures and the difficulties for women who were intelligent and interested in learning.  This is the fourth novel by this author and I have read all three of her previous novels:  Year of Wonders (my favorite), March, and People of the Book.  I rate it 4 out of 5.

The Last Summer by Judith Kinghorn

Clarissa Granville is almost 17 years old when the story begins.  She has just spent an idyllic summer at her family's country estate, Deyning Park, where she meets and falls in love with Tom Cuthbert, son of the family's housekeeper.  But then the Great War (World War I) begins, and everything changes.  Clarissa's 3 brothers (Henry, William, and George), Tom and many of their friends all go off to war.  Many don't return or else are so physically or emotionally damaged that life is never the same afterwards.  I really wanted to like this book, and I did like a lot of it.  But it is narrated by Clarissa, and I thought she was such a ninny!  I know that I'm seeing an early 20th century woman through the eyes of the 21st century, but she could be so exasperating at times.  She claimed to have this all-consuming passion for Tom, but when it came right down to it, she let the opinions of others (especially her mother) control her.  I kept thinking of the rather crude expression, "sh*t or get off the pot."  Anyway, I debated how many stars to give this, and finally settled on 3 out of 5.  It is my 7th book for the World War I Reading Challenge.

Sketchbook Challenge - Urban Sketch 2

Dinner with my mom at her favorite restaurant. She was amazed when I pulled the paints out of my purse! Sketched straight to pen. June Sketchbook Challenge theme of urban sketching.

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

The book opens with this paragraph, "They've gone now, and I'm alone at last.  I have the whole night ahead of me, and I won't waste a single moment of it.  I shan't sleep it away.  I won't dream it away either.  I mustn't, because every moment of it will be far too precious."  What follows are Tommo Peaceful's memories of his childhood with his mother, brothers Charlie and Big Joe and friend Molly, and how he became a soldier in World War I at the age of "nearly sixteen."  You know something terrible is going to happen when the night is over, but you don't find out what until near the end of the book.  This is by the same author as War Horse, another World War I young adult book, and it is very well written (you can see my review of War Horse here).  It is my 6th book for the World War I reading challenge, and I rate it 4 out of 5.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

I read this book for a read-along with War Through the Generations blog, which sponsors the reading challenges I have done for the past 4 years (World War II in 2009, Vietnam in 2010, US Civil War in 2011, and now World War I this year).  I had never read any Hemingway before, so I thought this would be a good chance to read something of his.  It is the semi-autobiographical story of American Lieutenant Fredric Henry, who is serving as an ambulance driver in the Italian Army, and the love affair between Henry and the British nurse Catherine Barkley.  Henry is the narrator of the story, and he is a very stoic character; we really don't learn much about him.  According to the blurb on the back of my copy of the book, "Hemingway wrote in short, declarative sentences and was known for his tough, terse prose."  This made it easy enough to read, but I can't say I enjoyed it much.  I rate it 2 out of 5.  It is my 5th book for the World War I reading challenge.

Yosemite

Journaling reads: "I’ve always loved waterfalls, so I’m glad we went to Yosemite in the spring when we could still see them. Above is Upper Yosemite Falls; upper right is Bridal Veil Falls; lower right is lower Yosemite Falls."

Joe's Journals - The Art & Tales of a Sojourner by Joe Miller

I'm reading A Farewell to Arms for a read along with War Through the Generations blog.  I don't want to get ahead of what we're discussing each week, because it's harder for me to discuss if I've read ahead.  I don't like to read more than one novel at a time, but I want to read something when I'm caught up on A Farewell to Arms.  So at those times, I've been reading Joe's Journals, which is a look into Joe Miller's (of Cheap Joe's Art Stuff) actual journals.  He is a watercolor artist who paints what he sees around him, and I found the book to be delightful.  He has a fun sense of humor and a great philosophy about his art.  On a page where he's sketched some boats, he states:

If you're a lobsterman, you probably cringe at my lobster boats.  If you're a fly fisherman and tie your own flies, you may cringe at my flies.  But all your cringing won't keep me from painting them.  They may not be accurate but they are mine.  My point is, don't let your inability to draw accurately keep you from enjoying art.  I do and so can you.  I love to watch children make art.  They don't worry about anything -- they just attack, and boy are they proud of their results.  We should learn from them.  (page 147)

  I love looking at other artists' journals.  I rate this 5 out of 5.

Sketchbook Challenge - Urban Sketching 1

The current month's theme of the sketchbook challenge is urban sketching, so I took my sketchbook with me when my husband and I got our haircut. I sketched this while he had his hair cut. Perspective is off, but I sketched straight to pen, so it is what it is.

Two Mile Bench

There were 13 of us who attempted the hike to the top of Black Mesa, a 4.2 mile (one way) distance. Eleven people made it all the way; two of us (my husband and I) stopped at the two mile bench and then turned around after resting (and sketching). Here is a photo of me sketching this scene.

Black Mesa B & B

We spent two nights here. Black Mesa, in Oklahoma's panhandle, is the highest point in the state at 4,973 feet. It shares borders with Colorado and New Mexico. This was the view from the front porch.

Le Road Trip by Vivian Swift

This is a travel journal of the artist's honeymoon in France in September of 2005.  It's a delightfully quirky book in which she compares travel and love:  "Anticipation.  In love and travel, getting there is half the fun.  The lustful impatience, the passionate daydreams, the nerve-wracking waiting . . . lovers and travelers are all alike when they find themselves on the brink of a new adventure." page 2. 

The book is filled with her wonderful illustrations of her trip and lots of fun information.  For example:  "The beagle rolling in the grass, celebrating being a lucky dog who lives in Paris, is named Benedict.  'Oh, yes, he is a happy dog,' his owner tells me; "Not very intelligent, but very, very happy.'  Travel Tip:  Ask Parisians about their dogs -- it's the only time they will gladly talk to you."

And in chapter 5, "The Going Gets Tough," she includes a number of "Survival tips for love and travel," including this one on page 113:  "Each morning, look at yourself in the mirror and say:  'You're no bargain either.'" 

I rate this book 5 out of 5.

National Bison Range

Digital layout of a few of our pictures from our trip last fall. Journaling reads: "One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the National Bison Range on 9/20/11. We got amazingly close to some of the animals shown here. It's very unusual to actually see bucks fighting like this."

Glacier National Park pg 2

Digital layout of a few of our pictures from our trip last fall.

Glacier National Park pg 1

Digital layout of a few of our pictures from our trip last fall. Journaling reads: "We started our first morning in Glacier National Park with sunrise over St. Mary Lake. After breakfast we hiked the Swiftcurrent Nature Trail. We had lunch at The Park Cafe, then we hiked the Hidden Lake Nature Trail as far as The Lookout. After all that hiking, we saw a mountain goat in the parking lot for the Hidden Lake Nature Trail!"

The picture of the mountain goat is on the next page of this layout and can be seen here.

Sketchbook Challenge - The Day's Harvest

I sketched this for the current month's sketchbook challenge, which has the theme of Fruits & Veggies.

Mimosa Tree

I took a few minutes to sketch our mimosa tree recently while it was still blooming.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

It's 1940 in the small Cape Cod town of Franklin, Massachusetts. Iris James is the postmistress ("Postmaster," Iris corrected her. "There's no such thing as a postmistress. Man or woman. It's postmaster." page 296). The townspeople believe she is watching over them. Frankie Bard is a radio reporter in London, trying to get America to pay attention to the war that is already being fought in Europe. The story moves smoothly between Franklin and Europe and it's about passing along information - how and when and why and whether you can keep someone from being hurt by not passing it on. I really liked this book - it was well written and a very compelling story and I rate it five out of five.

LAX

We flew through Los Angeles on our way to Yosemite on May 7th, so I spent some of my layover time sketching. I didn't end up doing much sketching in Yosemite; we were there for a photography workshop so I spent most of my time photographing instead.

Palm Tree

We flew through Los Angeles on our way to Yosemite on May 7th, so I spent some of my layover time sketching. I didn't end up doing much sketching in Yosemite; we were there for a photography workshop so I spent most of my time photographing instead.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Thia was a well written but disturbing story by the author of The Remains of the Day. Kathy lived at Hailsham, a private boarding school in England where the students are sheltered from the outside world. When she is reunited with two of her schoolmates when she is in her early 30's, she begins to remember and relive her years at Hailsham and the dark secret behind the seemingly idyllic life there. I rate it 4 out of 5.

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd

I had planned on reading this book earlier on my iPad for a read along with Book Club Girl.  I THOUGHT that I had downloaded the book before we left on our trip to Tennessee (it was on sale for $1.99).  But when I tried to read it, I learned that I had only downloaded the preview, not the book.  And of course, by then, the sale on the eBook was over.  So I requested the book through inter-library loan, and just finished it yesterday (and now the read along is over, so I didn't participate after all).  I enjoyed it much more than I expected - I don't usually read mysteries, although I grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries (didn't all girls?).  It's the first in a series, so I may just have to read more.


Bess Crawford is a nurse serving on a hospital ship during WWI.  She gets close to a dying soldier and promises to take a message back to his family:  "Tell my brother Jonathan that I lied. I did it for Mother's sake. But it has to be set right."  When she is finally able to deliver the message, they react as if the message has no significance.  Through a series of events, she decides to try to learn what the message means and set it right herself.  This is my fourth book for the World War I Reading Challenge, and I rate it 4 out of 5.

The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West

This is the story of an English soldier who returns home with partial amnesia after an injury.  He doesn't remember his wife and believes he is in love with an innkeeper's daughter he hasn't seen in 15 years.  It is a quick read - only 87 pages - and a good story.  It was written in 1918, which may explain why I wasn't too fond of the writing style.  But I still enjoyed it overall and rate it 3 out of 5.  It is my third book for the World War I Reading Challenge that I'm participating in this year; the other two books were All Quiet on the Western Front and Warhorse.

Sketchbook Challenge - Open

I used a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen to sketch from the tv this afternoon. This is supposed to be Brian Williams, NBC News Anchor. It doesn't look very much like him, but at least it looks like a person (and I'm new at this!).

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

I really enjoyed this well written book.  It was somewhere between a series of related short stories and a novel.  Each chapter was told from a different point of view, but the same characters kept appearing over and over again.  It went forward and backward in time from one chapter to the next, but I didn't have any trouble keeping track of the action.  I rate it 4 out of 5.

Moving Day

My mother decided she wanted to move from her upstairs apartment to a downstairs apartment at the assisted living center where she lives. It was a trying few days, but it helped to write it out and add some watercolor.

A Pair of Pears

Practicing my pears for Pear-ology, a class from Martha Lever. Learning to glaze.

Pedicure

This would be considered a mixed media piece; I used nail polish on the nails.

Mimi's Cafe

We went to Tulsa to see the NatureWorks wildlife art exhibit, where I bought a hand colored etching from Melanie Fain. We ate lunch at Mimi's Cafe before seeing the art exhibit. My friends were quite impressed with my little Altoid tin of watercolors and my waterbrush!

Skipping Class

One week, my watercolor instructor didn't show up for class. The next week, he was there, but he had the flu. I didn't wait around to find out where he'd been the previous week; I went to Panera instead. And then I dropped out of the class.