hola. summer blisscation has officially begun. the children were bade farewell, their cums were closed, the classroom was packed, the report cards were issued, and on the final day after culmination when i only had 3 children left who had not gone home, i forced them to pose for me while i drew them with markers while we listened to v v loud music. i wish i had a soundtrack of their squeals and giggles. now summer is here and i’m writing extra long run-on sentences and throwing my cares to the wind.
the weekend was spent in a languorous stupor. i sat i stared i napped.
monday. i made a glassful of carrot, orange, ginger, lime juice and woke up in a heavenly state.
here are a few car sketches done in the last couple of weeks. by that i mean made IN the car. if i draw any cars in germany i’m going to try v.v. hard to NOT give them faces. but of course whatever shall be shall be.
the jacaranda trees are blooming. see. i captured one below.
i mailed carol her travel journal(left) and added some dates to mine.
luckily, i didn’t paint THESE incorrect dates!
i’ve been sorting through my travel palettes and trying to decide on the best one. this one is lightweight, and has served me well, but i don’t like closing it when wet for obvious reasons.
so i’ve filled this one. it’s very inexpensive. i’ll give the watercolors it came with to one of my students next year. 3 of the full pans i’m putting in the middle section will contain white gouache for mixing with the watercolor – i like the resulting gouache-like tints. since i mix directly in the pans things get messy quickly. those 3 full pans replace a full tin (smallest altoid size) of white gouache i usually carry with me.
i haven’t touched my watercolors in a while and i was completely out of some of my tubes, so i consulted these handy daniel smith sample cards pam gave me several years ago. they are really terrific for knowing exactly what the color will look like on the paper. i can’t recommend enough if you are a daniel smith fan.
i found it was much faster to order on amazon than go through dickblick, which can be so slow.
my new doll-size carry-on (not checking any luggage this time) is frightfully small so i’m limiting my art supplies to the watercolor palette, 3 brushes, 2 colored pencils, dry adhesive runner for collage bits, travel journal, and a tiny bit of paper. i’m also experimenting with packing cubes, but so far the jury is out on those.
when we land in munich we’re going to pick up the keys to the car and head off to the wilds of the bavarian alps.
neither carol nor i will be blogging this trip. we want to focus all of our home time on resting, reading, travel journaling, cooking, strolling into the village for dinner some nights.
when i get back to LA i’m going to enjoy about a week of uninterrupted time to upload photos from my nikon, blog, and make a blurb book (goals!) before i’m on the road again.
yesterday, i visited my chic friend susan who lives across the street. she gave me a cutting of this hoya which looks exactly like a green extension cord when it’s all massed together. it was too strange to resist. if you know the name of this variety please share!
susan has an effortless way of setting up her cottage with panache!
i’ve given you tours before of when she lived in the main house and her other tiny house. now she’s moved into the 3rd darling pastel cottage and it’s dreamy.
okay i’m off to bask in the sunshine of my fresh & new summer vacation. right here in my most favorite place (when i’m not on the move) in the universe.
i’m going to do a rough watercolory sketch diagram thang of the contents of my suitcase. that should put an end for once and for all to the notion that one can fit 19 outfits into one of these ultra slim suitcases. my underpants alone take up 25% of the case.
quick! lift your face to the sky. wyatt’s blowing you a kiss. xo
Have a great, well-deserved holiday. You will surely be inspired to paint many lovely scenes in Bavaria. Just be sure to keep the mug of beer away from the water cup while you are adding all those luscious colours to your sketch. 😉
And have an awesome trip Mary Ann!!!
why thank you judy ma dear 🙂
Hey Mary Ann, I think that Hoya might be Kentianna, I may be wrong and that may be misspelled. 🙂 I used to have a collection of hoyas. 🙂
And along with all the other pretty things that captivated me in your post, I was drawn to your lovely tablecloth. Where do you get such lovely ones?
i have a few of those bright print vintage mini tablecloths – that one was given to me years ago. pretty sure you can find on places like ebay, rubylane, etsy, or rickrack
Gute Reise! I hope you enjoy your trip to Germany! Take care on the road, especially on the Autobahn. There are always some drivers who are way too fast and don’t think they need to hold some space in front of them, check twice before you change lines!
And have lots of fun in the Alps! I forgot to mention when I mailed the postcards that many places (mountain huts, tourist information, cafes, mountain tops, other points of interest) have a stamp available that you can use in your travel journal! There is a tradition in the Alps of collecting the stamps in a special booklet and once you filled them with a certain amount of stamps you can get a pin or something like that (a “Wandernadel”, which translates to something like hiking needle). Usually the tourist information knows where you can find the stamps.
I can’t wait for your blog posts about this trip. Too bad you are not blogging from Germany, but I can totally relate!
Back to packing, I’m moving this week and I hate the mess that comes with it…
oh i love knowing this about the stamps! thanks for telling me sabrina. hope your move is fast and painless and will soon be a distant memory!
So exciting to hear about your travel sketch kit! Because, you know, I live to prep and carry around my sketch kit. 😉 And I travel with only a carry-on, too — often for nearly 3 weeks at a time! (Freshness and hygiene are over-rated. 😉 ) Happy travels!
– Tina
thankfully, there’s a washer in our airbnb!
I always enjoy seeing how you prepare for each trip! As I continue to try to travel a bit lighter, I’m curious to see how others pare down, too. So we’d love to see your doll sized suitcase and diagram of packing.
Have a wonderful trip!
coming up later today!
Great end shot. What a ham.
Have a great trip.
Hi there, Mary Ann, I NEED a black and white packing cube with an orange zipper just like that one! What’s the brand, please? Is it still available? It’s a perfect size for sketchbook and tools. I have a boring black one that’s similar and handy, but yours! Ah those black polka dot ring my chimes.
go here jo to read about it and see the name of it…
https://dispatchfromla.com/2016/08/29446.html
i use it for roadtrip art supplies when in california
I admire the teeny carry on — I cannot do it….I do like packing cubes a lot though. And travel. And watercolors. And I really, want want to see a drawing of the contents of your teeny suitcase. We thank you. And, bon voyage!
Bon voyage to you and Carol! Looking forward to reading about your trip when you’re back, and settled in at home.
thanks valerie! enjoy carp or FL wherever you are right now…i’m thinking carp…?
On a v.v. practical note (and most certainly T.M.I.) for the sole purpose of freeing up suitcase space I switched from my usual granny panties to some ultra lightweight seamless undies. Highly recommend!
Hope you and Carol enjoy unplugging and plugging into the local scene,
I definitely want to see that suitcase sketch. I really, really, really try not to overpack. The packing cubes help, but I always have to have at least a checked bag, a carryon and then usually a handbag (or something like it).
I’m back from London and my TTV journal served me well. If I put any photos of it on Facebook, I will definitely tag you.
Bon voyage!
i say whatever works and is most convenient. i’m trying to cut down connecting flight scramble in paris so want everything transported by me.
Love the journals, love the watercolor sketches, love Wyatt, love your neighbor’s bitty house. Hope you and Carol have a fabulous trip!