sketchbook rambles. happening right here in june. july.
i’ve been scribbling away. most i’ve posted on IG, but some not.
occasionally i stop to paint something, but really i just want to draw with my thick-lined marker.
look! i inadvertently drew a bed in the road with a long roll pillow across the top. oh me, oh my, and my eternal quest to draw street scenes featuring cars that don’t have faces or look like beds. how could a rectangular prism be this confounding?
i am nothing, if not persistent.
i’m madly in love with my pitt big brush marker. drawing with it and coloring in shadows brings me untold moments of joy.
dear trees,
it’s me, mary ann. i’m watching you.
especially you, garden trees who make canopies of shade dark & dappled that change constantly throughout the day. oh what pleasure you bring!
and to you divine deodar with your long winged branches, i’ve been staring at you every evening on this porch through my binoculars. i see how your furry needle leaves turn blue and gold when the sun starts slanting in the west. and there are 2 hawks that scream and cry throughout the day and keep landing in your uppermost branches. i wonder if they’re building a nest.
can you tell me please?
i moved out of my working sketchbook and into the big handbound sketchbook where i make a more concerted effort to make a complete page versus just scribbly wibbly.
i started this book back in august of 2018 and i’m still in the first signature.
i’m reveling in my summer freedom of so many days spread before me. i’m glad i decided to stay home and just travel in california this year. i wanted and needed this time to dive back into my daily sketchbook practice. it’s too easy to feel energetically drained during the school year.
july 5, 1852
i have been at home all day writing. tonight went on the roof awhile. it’s a beautiful sight the city presents. in every direction one incessant sparkle of fireballs, rockets, roman candles, and stars of all colors shooting thick into the air and disappearing for miles around, with now and then a glare of colored light coming out in some neighborhood where fireworks on a large scale are going off. a foreigner would put it in his book of travels as one of the marvels of new york, and compare it to a swarm of tropical fireflies gleaming in and out through a brazilian forest.
-george templeton strong
i started this post in the living room, but now i’m out on the porch, with my mountain of books, river of la croix coconut water, writing journal, sketchbooks, paint, water, cats, and binoculars.
i hope you crazy kids are busy whiling away your days doing exactly what pleases you.
especially love the grapefruit (it made me hungry!) and the tree lined streets sketches! thank you your posts cheered me today. Karen
I just adore every bit of your art, your writing, and your blog! You are my hero for sure. 4 more years till retirement, for me, that is now in sight! I am drawing when I can, but you are such an encouragement! Thank you for all!
sharon, we’ll be retiring at the same time!
Dear Mary Ann,
It’s us, the trees. We stand up taller for your thoughtful gaze. Thank you for the loving attention and deep devotion.
Fondly,
Bark and limbs, needles and leaves.
Miss Mary Ann Moss,
I have commented here and there over the years, occasionally…and taken 2 of your glorious online workshops, too! Although I comment but rarely, I devour each dispatch the minute it hits my inbox. I just adore your blog, your writing, your photography and your art! I’m commenting now because I have been delving deep into a new (to me) book by John Muir Laws (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27791380-laws-guide-to-nature-drawing-and-journaling) which I think you’d love too.
I also just learned that he and some other nature-loving journal-keeping folks are hosting the first ever conference, and I thought you may be interested if you aren’t aware of it already…it’s called Wild Wonder and it’ll be held in Pacific Grove in September…details are here: http://johnmuirlaws.com/wildwonder/. I suppose that may be back-to-school time already for you, huh? Well…I thought I’d share anyway.
Thanks for all of your blogging and instagramming…I love it all!
heidi thank you so much for taking the time to tell me about JML and his workshop. I think it sounds marvelous and will look forward to such things when i am RETIRED. i’ll also check out his book – thanks for that. appreciate!
I have been enjoying your trees on IG. I love them. The bed thing…that’s so funny! I am so glad the ‘splodey things are over. My poor dog! Going to be painting an abstract for my daughter,(she had something specific in mind) and then her friend wants to “commission” me to do four small paintings for her. That’s a first. I hope I can make them both happy. I found a lovely YouTube channel a few days ago I thought you and your followers may enjoy. A woman (younger than myself) travels around in her camper to BEAUTIFUL parks and places and takes amazing video and photos of the sights. I will just post the first one I watched in case you want to follow her channel. She is very pleasant to watch and listen to. A nice little escape. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V2zi910iCaA
karen i have seen her before, but don’t watch regularly. i do love me some bex cat herder though. she’s my kind of quirky awesome. you can find her easily enough on youtube.
Yes, I watch her too, per your recommendation😁
If you think summer vacation is good just wait till retirement. I retired in March and I am still thrilled every Monday that I don’t have to go to work. I’m binding books like crazy and got obsessed with making Chinese thread books. I’m always looking forward to your posts. I’m so glad you still blog.
oh sue this is exactly what i want to hear. news from the recently retire frontlines. chinese thread books sound dreamy and lovely!
so glad YOU still swing by to read DFLA. thanks 🙂
I follow you daily when you post as well as Carol, have for years and years.
I look forward to every post, but I don’t comment usually as you get so many
and they often comment what I’m thinking, only better.
I’ve always loved your drawings, but have to say , they’re better ad better!
Wonderful, yummy & beautiful! I love every bit, especially the all red one with the pattern you created in the background! You are amazing!
p.s. will you show us more of the hardbound book you made & are working in?
ATB,
Sheila
yes yes i will – next post.
and thank you sheila.
A be.d in the road!🤪
Love your blog!