From the book “Snapshot: Painters and Photography, Bonnard to Vuillard”
Dear Readers,
Thank you to every last art mammal who wrote to me about the sketchbook gatherings. I read your letters—each one a small treasure—and felt a great rush of affection for all the solo flyers out there, rowing your little boats across the great seas with your sketchbooks strapped to your backs.
I’ve managed to cobble together two little groups that will begin meeting soon. They filled up much faster than my retired brain ever imagined possible, and I’m afraid I simply ran out of space in the lifeboat. If you didn’t hear from me, please don’t think it means anything other than this: the vessel was full, and I didn’t want to tip us all into the drink.
I may open things up again once I get the lay of this new land. For now, thank you for writing, for reading, and for being the sort of humans who still keep sketchbooks, pens, and curiosity close at hand. That’s my kind of mammal.
For now I leave you with some past Zoom pics with Sister & Pam.
Here’s my Substack link, which serves as the unofficial video sidecar to DFLA — perfect for days when I’m too lazy to take sketchbook photos, have bonus thoughts to add, or just feel like dispensing random jibber-jabber. Peruse at your own risk, or not at all.
Thanks mightily for the book recs on the last couple of posts. My LAPL hold cart runneth over! Let me know if you read Atmosphere A Love Story. If you tell me it’s as worthwhile as The Correspondent, I will begin it once I finish A Room With A View.
See you soon!
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I’d like to try your travel sketch class. Thank you!
Atmosphere is very different from The Correspondent, but I liked it quite a lot. It’s another one that has stuck with me which I did not expect. I watched Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont this week. I liked the book best (as usual) but the movie was touching and lovely.
Hi Mary Ann, Im really behind on just about everything, but I digress. Please send me the password for Ticket to Venice. I still use my Remains of the Day and so enjoyed that class. I truly love the missiles you write and send out. They bring a lot of joy, happiness and fun. Something we all need these days. I love hen you travel to the ocean. We are having horrible mud slides, torrential rain and massive flooding right now. I feel for all who have had to evacuate their homes and businesses. I am higher up so not to worried about flooding. I hope you have a joyous holiday. From the soggy foothills of the Cascades, WA Merry Christmas!!
I’m reading The Correspondent now. Thank you for the recommendation; I love it so far. I read Atmosphere this past summer and although it has received exemplary reviews, I didn’t love it. Maybe my expectations were too high? It’s definitely a unique storyline, and its clear that Reid did a lot of research to ensure accuracy. I would give it a solid 7/10.
I always say that if a book doesn’t grab you by page 100, it’s not worth continuing.
Another interesting post, Mary Ann. I am not a sketcher, painter or artist, but I do love to work with yarns and fabrics, read a lot, love traveling and gardens, and adore cats, so your posts are always interesting. Let me add my admiration for everything written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, including Atmosphere…I think you will enjoy it!