Thursday, November 01, 2007

Autumn Glory


A week after the leaves began to turn, they were all golden and amber on the tree. In the late afternoon light, they shone with brilliance. I dropped all I was doing and did this watercolor sketch. The next morning I woke to wind and the trees were completely devoid of leaves. How glad I am that I was able to capture a glimpse of their autumn glory before they were gone.

Oak Leaves


More autumn leaves. These are from the Gamble's Oak outside my apartment. One day the tree was dark green. The next, the color was yellow green. On the third day, there were scattered clumps of these amber colored leaves.

Nature Walk


In the autumn, my pockets are filled with fallen leaves and other bits of nature indicative of the season. At home, these bits find their way onto the table or top of the china cabinet where I can enjoy them for a while longer. Once in a while I forget them in my pocket and later find leaf crumbles in their place. The pinecone in this (Ponderosa) has to be among the most challenging things I've ever sketched.

Another scavenger hunt item ~ my bed. At nearly 150 years old, it doesn't sit quite square anymore and had to be slightly modified to fit a modern mattress. I love the old walnut woods in it. In one spot on the headboard there is a mark that appears to be from a small childs teeth. Intriguing to think about who has owned this bed previously and how the tooth marks got into the wood.

From an art perspective, this was a challenge to draw. The perspective, the slight twist of the bedframe and trying to capture light on dark wood. This is my second go at sketching this bed and as I still have the perspective off, it looks like I need to give at least one more try.