Pleaze excuse the silly hammock selfie. I hope you can enjoy the sunset spinning behind me.

It was a nice end to a lovely weekend.

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Just about done And…..

Done.

Once again, I have teamed up with Preserving a Picturesque America. This time we are embracing Edisto Island’s beauty and history Edisto Island | PAPA

I am so pleased that PAPA is working with edistoislandopenlandtrust to bring awareness to the value of saving historical and environmental spaces.

A few weeks ago, Chai and I set up our plein air easel to capture a scene for PAPA’s Edisto show at the Bailey House and historic post office on Edisto Island. This is THEE Edisto, not the other Edisto I am usually painting (Edisto River).

I didn’t finish my plein air watercolor, but I took loads of inspirational pictures and when I got home, I saw a panoramic acrylic scene instead. I had a great time painting it and today I drove it down to the show.

I named this piece “Timeless,” because I thought “Eternity’s View” would only make sense to me. This scene was opposite an old tree with a large bracket fungi in the hollow of the trunk right at eye level.

This gargantuan growth looked to be the biggest reishi mushroom I have ever scene. Reishi are medicinal fungi known as the “mushroom of immortality.” Since the view I painted was exactly the view from the mushroom, I wanted to include it.

This painting, along with many others will be available for sale from the PAPA site and in person for locals who can visit the island. Money raised will go to the Edisto Land Trust and help preserve places like this.

When I lived in California, I was not a fan of landscape painting. Looking around at the Rocky seascapes and atmospheric mountain scenes, it looked as though all the other artists had covered it and I didn't think I could do God's beautiful creation justice. Only after repeated wildfires wiped the trees off the mountains around my town did I truly appreciate the mountain views I had. Suddenly the comforting blue green mountains had turned to a scorched brown. I missed them so much, I even painted a few.

Longing to have nature restored. Hoping the trees would prevail over the manzanita and star thistle. Wanting to remind myself and others what we once had.

You don't see many mountain landscapes in the lowcountry of South Carolina. No one seems to miss them. As far as you can see in any direction is either trees, grass or water. Painters around here embrace the trifecta, The perfect combination of grass trees and water can be summed up in the marshscape. Oh I forgot the most important part, the sky. Lowcountry skies are truly spectacular. There is so much more of it to see (without all those pesky mountains blocking the view). Randy and I agree that the blue skies are a brighter blue and when the clouds dance across the sky, it is always dramatic. Splash a little color at dawn and dusk and you may mistake this place for heaven.

If you happen to be near the many marshes as the light hits just right, you will see a masterpiece. God is constantly giving us a show. It’s no wonder marshes fair so heavily with the lowcountry artists. They can’t get enough of them. I can appreciate how each change of the light is a new beautiful moment. As artists, we long to catch the magic of what we see.

Visit any Charleston gallery and you will be inundated with seascapes, birds and marshes. That is the language of the south. Marsh, marsh, marsh and don't forget the local history. Many museums and galleries pay homage to the local folk art as well. There is a rich history here and folk art can tell stories from a personal point of view.

When Randy and I went to the Gibbes Museum a few weeks ago, he noted that even the very old paintings had the same marsh and bird motifs.

I guess you could say that this area has a history of marsh and folk.

(Martian folk)

Sorry

Prints of my work are available at my website here

That isn’t it. Last year a lot of our house was still stuck in a rough indoor/outdoor stage. I am happy to report that it doesn’t look like this anymore and I haven’t had to chase chickens out to the house for a while.

We have come a long way. We moved into Randy’s newly completed mancave and it is pretty cozy. I didn’t get pictures of it yet. It is nice being in a new clean space, rather than the run-down part of the house that we haven’t fixed yet. Now we are free to start working on that part and will eventually have a comfy master bedroom.

Awe, the good old days of juggling breakers to fix a meal. I got a little distracted looking at old pictures. I will have to share the updates soon. Okay, back on track. After I staggered into my new kitchen to make some coffee, Randy asked if I wanted to go to Walterboro to check his pig trap. We weren’t going to get pigs this time, thankfully. He just wanted to make sure his snare trap was still operational. He tempted me with breakfast, and an art gallery visit, so I hopped in the truck.

Usually when people are after art and food on a Saturday, they head east to Charleston. We headed west through the swamps and farmlands. As we searched for a breakfast place in Walterboro, we appreciated the scenic country drive. We found The Olde House Cafe on our map and it did not disappoint.

I don’t know how we have never seen this place. We are always complaining that we can’t find restaurants when we come to Walterboro. The Olde House Cafe is your classic country restaurant, complete with a buffet. We got there just as they were transitioning from breakfast to lunch, so we grabbed the buffet before it was gone. Nothing fancy, but their prices were mighty reasonable.

Next stop was a bit of boony bouncing through the swamp to Randy”s pen. Pig pen, that is. I mentioned his project here:

I was pleased that we didn’t get stuck in the mud. My job was much easier than last time. I mostly just looked for mushrooms while Randy wrestled with his game camera.

As we started back home, Randy remembered the second part of his enticement. Oh yes, the art gallery.

If you are familiar with Walterboro’s rural quiet charm, you may be wondering why I am talking about going to an art gallery. Well, Walterboro is home to South Carolina’s Artisan Center. “The center showcases over 300 of the finest Carolina artists, with an emphasis on traditional and indigenous folk art, as well as contemporary crafts.” It also features some of my work.

I juried into SC Artisans last October and had hoped to visit there more often before I got sick and half blind for the beginning of the year. I am so happy to be feeling better.

We finally made it back. Randy was very impressed with the craftsmanship of many of the exhibits, especially the mahogany canoe. When we got to my display, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one was missing. I had sold a print of my watercolor, “Kissing Kayaks”.

That’s not a bad start. I made plans to bring more work in next week. I will probably add more kayaks.

Every Tuesday, some members of the Summerville Artist Guild bring their art projects to Tuesday Paint & Create. One Tuesday, I popped in and pulled out a few of my plein air starts. I thought it might be fun to play around with them. I let loose and decided to embrace a little chaos and abstraction.

Well, abstract for me. I am a realist at heart. I added some free-flowing ink and a lot of dark washes. I did enjoy the spontaneity of it all. Still, it didn’t seem finished. Later I added a bit of soft pastel to create more interest.

“Dancing Blooms” is not my usual style, but I decided to enter it in a juried show anyway, just to see what people thought of it. It is currently at the Lowcountry Art Showcase at Old Santee Canal Park with four other works of mine. I will see how they faired when I go to the reception next Saturday.

Recently, someone commented that the works I entered under “mixed media” may not fall under that category. They sent me to a ChatGPT link for an AI explanation. The link did not work, so I don’t know what the information was supposed to be.

That got me curious, and I decided to read up on the business of mixed media and watercolor and ink in particular. Here is the other mixed media watercolor and ink painting.

From what I understand, it would be wrong to call my mixed media works watercolor as one is ink and watercolor (both featured extensively) and the other is ink and watercolor with soft pastels. When I first started painting in watercolors ages ago, I learned that to add opaque pigments, or other media would be frowned upon. I see that definitions have loosened lately, but as a watercolor purist, I don’t even add gouache to the paintings I call watercolor paintings.

I started playing around with the ink after a plein air workshop and I liked the contrast and spontaneity. Later I noticed that it made better contrast for reproduction and used it for the second book I illustrated. It seems very different from a classical watercolor painting, but I enjoy using both techniques.

I am digressing a bit. Well anyway, I looked it up and it seems to be a classic case of mixed media to me.

These websites seem to agree.

August 10, 2021 · In: Watercolour

Mixed-media artwork is a popular form of art in which an artist incorporates different mediums into a single piece of work.

For example, a popular combination is to combine watercolour and ink because both mediums compliment each other so well.

Watercolour and ink, also known as line and wash watercolour, is a type of mixed-media artwork in which watercolour pigments and ink are combined to create a work of art.

How to Combine Watercolor and Ink Pen: Line and Wash Technique | Umbrella Art Studio

and

Watercolor and ink pen is one of the most natural combinations in mixed media work. The two materials have complementary strengths that become more apparent when they are used together than when either is used alone.

Watercolor creates atmosphere, color, and depth through transparency. Ink creates precision, structure, and contrast through line. What watercolor suggests, ink can define. What ink outlines, watercolor can fill with light and color.

The combination is also one of the most technically accessible in mixed media because the materials are compatible without requiring complex preparation or specialized paper.

How To Combine Watercolour And Ink (Mixed Media Art) | Miranda Balogh

I am curious if anyone has any other opinions on art categories. Art Categories and Definitions | Nevada Artists Association has a comprehensive list I have included below. They even include a category called ‘other’, just in case they missed something.

Their watercolor category does say you can feature other media as long as it is less than 20 percent (I can hear Mr. Harper gasping in dismay). How do you decide the percentage of something? I think is the part the artist who commented was referring to.

1. Acrylic. Painting with acrylic paints, which are synthetic acrylic resins that are water-based. This can be done on any substrate, wood panels, canvas and paper.

2. Digital Art. Digital Art is an artistic work that uses computer-generated imagery as an essential part of the creative process. Digital Art is typically a compilation of multiple photographs (not necessarily taken by the artist) or a photo collage enhanced through various image modification techniques. Computer programs used to paint or draw would also be considered digital art.

3. Dry Media. Dry media are generally those that do not require a solvent like water or turpentine. They are used dry and include pencil, charcoal, graphite, chalk and crayon. Typically, dry media are drawings, not paintings.

4. Mixed Media. Artwork in which a variety of media and artistic techniques have been employed. Materials used to create mixed media art include but are not limited to, paint, cloth, paper, wood stones and miscellaneous objects.

5. Oil. Painting in pigments ground initially in oil. Usually, this is done on wood panels or canvas. This category includes water-soluble oil.

6. Other. A catch-all category for works of art when the below situations exist: When there is not a minimum of three entries in a particular category. OR any work of art that does not fit into one of the categories.

7. Pastels. Pastels can be soft or hard, including but not limited to oil pastels. They can be painted as straight media sticks or be combined with a medium for blending.
   Photography. Photographic image (s) captured by the artist. It may be digitally enhanced, but no digitally generated images or renderings, digital painting, or images not taken by the artist. By this definition, an artist could combine their own images in photography, use Photoshop, enhance, or change a photograph, but would NOT be able to use digital non-photographic images or renderings.

8. Textile & Fiber Arts. Textile and fiber arts use natural or synthetic fibers to construct 2D works of art. The methods and materials used to make textile and fiber art have expanded enormously over time. This art form is focused on the aesthetic rather than the functional value of the piece.

9. Three-Dimensional Art. Three-dimensional art is defined as art with all the dimensions of height, width, and depth. Unlike two- dimensional art, it occupies physical space and can be viewed and interpreted from all sides and angles. Various materials are manipulated into objects, characters, and scenes to produce these works of art. The most prominent example of 3D art is sculpture. Pottery, ceramics, carvings, and mobiles are also examples of 3D art.

10. Watercolor. Must be created in water as the dominant medium for this category. Watercolor media is described as paint that is easily reworkable when water is applied and even once dry. It includes transparent watercolor, gouache, and casein. Other media are allowed as accents if they comprise less than 20% of the whole.

11. Wet Media. Wet media includes any substance that can be put into a solution and applied to a painting surface. Examples of wet media mediums include print-making, markers, felt tip pens, ink, including alcohol ink.

    

12. Thanks for putting up with my rambling analysis. I better get back to work. I would love to hear your thoughts.

    Leave a comment

For years I have been wanting to visit the Gibbes Museum in Charleston, SC. The last few months have been growing increasingly tempting. First, they got a Rodin exhibit, then a Monet installation, but the one that intrigued me the most was famous local watercolor artist, Mary Whyte. I first learned of the amazingly talented and gracious Mary about three years ago, when I was invited to her presentation at the Charleston Artist Guild. Since watercolors are my main thing, I thought it would be fun. I was amazed by her breathtaking portraits and her wise words. All summer, I have been longing to see her exhibit, but things kept coming up. I was so pleased when I told my hubby that Mary Whyte was giving a tour of her exhibit on Sunday and he said, “Let’s go.”

So after church, we drove down, or east, to Charleston. We got to the museum just in time and my hear jumped as I saw Mary describing the works surrounding her. She has such a beautiful way of blending fine detail with minimalized and abstracted backgrounds. As she eloquently explained her process, we learned this was very well planned out. She humbly admitted that not all of her paintings turn out. I am sure many artists were encouraged to hear that even Mary tears up a few mistakes (even though we would probably love those too)

I loved seeing some of her sketches displayed. This one below is of the dinner waitress behind Mary. Note the quote:

“The secret to being a bore is to tell everything.”

Voltaire

That is so true. One of the things that is so compelling about Mrs. Whyte’s work is that she pulls you into the story by focusing your eye on what she wants you to see. Her paintings are about people. People in the act of living their American lives. Her focus makes you see that and see them and wonder about them.

She told of visiting middle America and being called a storyteller. That is such an appropriate description. I thought about how she has picked up Norman Rockwell’s role of telling the story of the American way of life. Some fine artists scoff at Rockwell’s work as being more illustrative than fine art. I disagree. Either way, both Mary and Norman have each captured the history and moments of their time. I think Mary Whyte could be considered a mixture of Norman Rockwell and John Singer Sargent. She tells her stories with such truth and accuracy, but also with an artist’s eye giving each piece a mood of wonderment. She shared her philosophy.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein

One of her admirers in the tour share her favorite poet’s quote.

Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention.

Be astonished.

Tell about it.

Mary Oliver

Mary not only pays attention and tells about it, she encourages others to do the same. That is one thing that makes her so inspiring. She is giving her knowledge and inspiration to others. You can get a glimpse at her poise and talent in this video of her “Salt of the Earth” exhibition. As we watched the video and heard her tell of her vision for the installment, I couldn’t stop thinking about Monet’s work with light.

In my excitement meeting her, I was still able to ask her if Monet’s water lilies were an inspiration for her installment. Monet loved light and studied the way colors changed throughout the day. In the French museum, he painted a round room of waterlilies. He moved across the room as the light changed painting as they looked in that light.

Mary Whyte’s installment was a view of life beginning at birth and ending in death. She drew sunflowers on the wall chronicling their life cycle from seeds to dead stalks. As with Monet’s morning lilies progressing to night, her paintings showed the stages of a life well lived with color and narrative.

When Mary heard that I was from Summerville Artist Guild, she gave me a message to share with its members. So hey all you artists, Mary says, “Keep on painting.”

Her paintings will be on display at Gibbes Museum until September 27th.

Note: for everyone that is not Tom. My husband and his friend have been obsessed with hunting wild pigs for over a year. It’s gotten a little weird, really. They caught what they referred to as “pig fever” and the wives just endured. They met up in Oklahoma a couple of times and then each brainstormed pig catching pen construction. Randy has a friend west of Walterboro with a pig infested swamp. So of course, Randy had to set up a pig trap complete with a remote camera and whatnot. Tom and his family came to hunt in May, but the pigs would not cooperate. Now that it is July and we are all packed to drive to Tennessee for cave exploring and Dollywood, the pigs sprang the trap.

So, I got out of bed and found my handy dandy overalls and boots. I was mostly moral support and the camera crew. I noticed my bib pocket made a nice camera holder and put my phone in the pocket for back up recording. I held Randy’s camera for the main footage. Or um, oops. There was no main footage. Thank goodness for the pocket cam.

To my relief the pigs were a nice manageable size and Randy made plans to take them to the processor so we could get back to our vacation with only a small delay. Tennessee, here we come.

The next morning the family decided to go cave exploring at the Tuckaleechee Caverns. I have just the overalls for that. Afterward we went to dinner at the Sloppy Hog Saloon. My son picked it, since it was his birthday. I asked what their local beers were and the waiter suggested their signature craft beer, Hog Slop Lager. I ordered it without thinking. When the can arrived, I couldn’t help be amused at the name and artwork on the can.

I just had to tell the waiter, “Guess what I was doing yesterday morning?” With my blue overalls, I was really fitting the part, with a few years on me. My son took a picture, and we all had a good laugh.

I originally posted a short video, just for Tom. I thought it made an interesting tale and once I found my very own album of Peter and the Wolf narrarated by non other than Captain Kangaroo (thank you Goodwill, dollar well spent) I had to edit the video and share it again.

Although most fairies tend to be quite shy, Maybell has heaps of hospitality and pizzazz for such a tiny host. We found that we had lots in common. We both love nature. She was intrigued to hear about the giant oak trees in my yard and all the flora and fauna. After assuring my tiny new friend that winters tend to be quite mild in the lowcountry and that fall is in fact my favorite season here, she asked if she could come visit. We packed up her stuff and I brought her home with me.

I was pleased and surprised when she decided to stay. It took a little rearranging and some fairy fung shui, but we got her situated under my hammock tree.

She loves the spacious canopy and really explored her new space.

She inspired me and I rearranged my hammocks a bit for optimal chillaxing.

Yes, that is a little better. I think I will stay awhile. Maybe I will spot some fireflies, or more fairies 🧚‍♂

️

Maybell’s Mossy B & B will fly away July 12th so come see it soon.

Last November we went boating and fishing on Lake Marion. I almost forgot how beautiful it was. We mused at how fun it would be to kayak or boat along the trees together. We even purchased two kayaks shortly afterwards.

That Ice chest was literally bursting by the end of our trip. It was the inspiration for my last painting that I recently finished. I will share it soon.

Well, here it is July and we finally got back to the lake. It helped that Alishanee got a new paddle board so now all three of us can explore together.

After a short country drive, we arrived at a bustling boat ramp. A fun thing about kayaks and paddle boards is you don’t have to wait your turn for the boat ramp. We just set our stuff up on the grass and popped into the water. The day before Independence Day is obviously a popular lake day. If was fun to see so many people enjoying their leisure time in style. Looking around at the boats, jet skis and lake homes, it is clear that although tourists flock to the ocean beaches, the locals head to the lake. It’s easy see why. So much open space and everywhere you look is just beautiful.

The silly trees growing all across the watery expanse are such an interesting sight. I especially enjoyed being right beside them, rowing quietly along the swampy forest edge and sneaking up on wildlife. Turtles, egrets and cranes, I lost track of all the giant birds we spotted. After our fears of alligators subsided, we ventured through a dreamy scene of old growth trees and cypress knees. The sunlight danced on the water through the branches as tupelo blossoms drifted down to the water like tufts of snowflakes.

We didn't swim, since the water’s steamy 86 plus degrees somehow did not seem refreshing. Even if we had ignored the bathwater heat, we couldn't get past all the green alge and the possibility of what could lie beneath. That didn't stop the young boys we rowed past as they stood casually in the 4 feet of hot sludge enjoying the view and making conversation with every passerby. Maybe next time we will be bolder.

All in all, it was a glorious afternoon. Randy mentioned that I had a silly look stuck on my face the whole time. I hadn't realized that I couldn't stop smiling. I hope this is just the first of many more kayaking adventures in this wonderful swamp.

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As I struggle with how to relieve my sinus congestion, I am reminded of that weird little girl. Ten year old me started searching for a cure for the first time when I was struck with the most embarrassing wart on the middle knuckle on my left hand. Convinced the whole world was staring at it in judgement, I struggled to hide it. In class, I would write with my right hand covering the left. I tried to cut it away only to have it emerge larger than before. My mom cautioned that this might encourage it to spread. I was desperate to be rid of it.

That spring brought my first concept of a cure. I remember it well, which is odd for my fuzzy youth. I was on the grass in the backyard cursing my deformity, when my mom casually tells me of a cure she just found in the magazine she was reading.

I gave her my full attention as she read an ominous tale of burying a black cat in a cemetery at night. The little scientist in me was dumbfounded and a little frustrated. The only cemetery in town was out of range of my bicycle route and where on earth would I find a dead cat? How would these actions remove my wart? It was too gruesome to consider. But wait, my mom continued reading that there were in fact a few other antidotes that didn't include dead cats or cemeteries. Of the possible cures she listed, the one that I clung to and remembered was grasshopper spit. Now that was something I could do. She explained that the magazine said to catch the grasshopper and hold him up to the wart and let him spit on it. My scientific mind squealed in delight (of course that tobacco spit type solution must be good for something)! I ran to the hillside along the front yard that always had the most grasshoppers and scanned the tall grass. I struggled to catch the tiny creatures. Try as I might, I could not get any spit on me. My mom explained that they were still too small and if I waited for them to grow I could have better luck.

Oh waiting! Not my specialty. How long would I have to endure this embarrassing deformity?

On the way to school, I peered out the school bus window at the cemetery. I imagined where I would put the cat, if it came to that.

As time went by,the grasshoppers did get bigger and much more spitty. I caught all that I could that summer and held each one up to my ailment. So much hope, so much spit. At first, I saw no change, but then gradually I would peel off a dry layer and reveal a new layer of fresh pink skin, which I would immediately cover in grasshopper spit. Little by little the wart grew smaller. Now it is a barely distinguishable scar. I am cured. Yay for spit! I was relieved that no cats had to be harmed for my sake.

I was a believer. Anytime I saw someone with a wart, I would share my grasshopper spit cure. My mom later told me that the article she shared with me was actually about the healing power of belief. It claimed that if you believed something would work, your mind made it so. Now that I am older, I doubt the magazine even mentioned grasshopper spit.

The other day, he came home with a brainlike glob for my inspection. Oooh, a cauliflower fungi. I approved of his pine needle infested find and promptly made it a main ingredient in a yummy soup.

https://fungiatlas.com/sparassis-crispa/

Looking at the properties of this saprotropic treasure, was impressive. So many health benefits and a prime edible. Yum. What’s not to like?

So a few days later, he came home with two more. Umm. What’s not to like? Well, they are covered in pine needles and tough to clean up.

I say covered in pine needles, but that isn't really accurate. These guys, like a lot of fascinating fungi, grow right through and around their surroundings without even disturbing them. It makes you wonder what it would be like to lay still on a forest floor so long that you became part of the forest, just blending in with everything else. Then the fungi would grow beside you. Oh wait, what about the mycelium underneath you? As the fungi bloom emerges, it caresses you like a little pillow. Then before you think to adjust, you are suddenly surrounded by the mushroom tissue. Pores or gills engulf your limbs and now you are part of it. You are not injured or digested, just encapsulated by the fungi growth. Weird, huh?

Well, I digress. I was really thinking, wouldn't it have been even cooler if I told my hubby I love precious gems? Now there’s a rare find!

He’s a keeper.

Update: below is my hubby's response to my post. Yes, he found four more.

I guess you can tell that I am not a super sweet wife as I could not stop laughing (or wheezing) as Randy made his second attempt to plant himself in the hammock. The icing on the cake, was that as soon as he succeeded and got settled in, the hammock turned and he had his back to me. I was amused, as you can tell. He did eventually get everything sorted out and we enjoyed some relaxing conversation.

He’s pretty cute for a guy who doesn’t know how to relax.

Did I mention how excited I am to be a part of this? Those are my Luna Wings. I can't wait to see them in their habitat on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, all the fairy artists are invited to tour the fairy exhibit together. I can't wait to see everything! I got a peek at a few while Alishanee and I installed Maybell's Mossy B & B, but there is so much more to see.

Come see what all the buzz is about.

…fairies.

Yes, that's right, fairies have been seen at Magnolia Gardens and Plantation along with a creative troup of gray haired artists.

I’m particularly proud of my creation “Maybell's Mossy B & B” nestled in a fallen log beside the pond near the Basin Lawn. Magnolia Gardens and Plantation has invited artists and fairies for their first ever fairies-and-flowers event.

A word of caution, this tiny bed and breakfast is guarded by alligators and carpenter bees, so approach with caution. And, when summer is over the fairies will move on, so come see this magical world from May 22 to July 12th.

My flight from San Francisco (second flight) was my first window. I find it odd that no one keeps the window open anymore. I thought looking out the window was half the fun.

The first one caught me by surprise, as it seemed to be coming quite close to us.

As take offs go, this was very dynamic and had lots to see We took off to the west and as I was admiring the waves along the beach, we took a U turn over the Pacific and banked right. Being tipped down brought all the sights into view. It is nice to get such an aerial perspective.

You know what I don't understand? Air flow. High pressure, low pressure, air pockets; I don’t see how a little warm or cold air can equal a bumpy road in the air. It just does. And it can be a touch unnerving.

Oh, back to my inappropriate jokes.

With a tummy ache from some subpar coffee, I found my way to a breakfast spot. I stood patiently as travelers jockied for position, hastily grabbing other people's food and barking at the barista, until she replaced both orders. I was pleasantly surprised by the friendly greeting she offered me when my turn finally approached.

I decided to remedy my tummy troubles with some healthy food; a banana and avocado toast, and against my better judgement a nice lavender latte. I hoped more coffee wouldn't add to my discomfort, but I really wanted a yummy drink.

My gamble paid off and I was on my way to resetting for a good day. While enjoying my breakfast, I continued to notice how my barista stayed cool under pressure. She wasn't just the barista. She was actually the bartender that darted from bar to counter to kitchen, keeping everything in order with a smile (most of the time).

I decided she was my inspiration for today's sketch. She wouldn't sit still very long, so I made my own little homage to her and all the struggling hospitality workers.

My lovely toast and latte sat fairly still. Well actually, I scarfed them up and drew this from memory. I was pretty far into it before I spotted my mistake.

Oops, my little plane was a terrible speller. It sputtered across the sky spelling out “h-o-s-p-a-l-i-t-y”. Hospality? Oh, how embarrassing.

I carefully erased the charcoal and squeezed “it” in. Then I added a little more blue paint around my letters. I’m still most vexed by my “s” and that was in the right spot to begin with. I keep erasing it and putting it back in the exact same way. Oh well, good enough, I suppose.

I guess paying attention to your actions is good advice for all us us. Let's my our P's and Q's.

Wait, there's no ‘Q’ in hospitality. I should have written “thanks”.

https://open.substack.com/pub/jadedjoyologist/p/soup-for-one?r=18rxe0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I did these at the airport.

I feel a little out of practice with charcoal, but it was so portable, I gave it a try on the trip. Later, I decided to add a little paint.

That was a lot of fun and the charcoal didn't seem to mind.

My sister's dog kept following the sun patch on the rug for a proper nap. Since she was sitting still, I gave sketching her a go. I really liked how the blue and orange of the rug could be seen in the shadows and highlights of her coat.

My sister has the most spectacular prickly pear cactus in full bloom.

I sketched it out several times, trying to capture its magestic plumage. I am still struggling with cohesive compositions. I tend to just include everything and then later notice I have over filled the space and made it un interesting.

Even though I wasn't happy with most of the sketches, decided to play around with color and paint them.

I had so much fun and was surprised by how much a little color really saved a crummy sketch. I went back and even painted my charcoal sketches and that was quite satisfying.

This one is my favorite, a less is more kind of sketch. I like how the dark background showcases the blossom in the foreground.

A little pop of color makes everything better.