Andrew Wyeth painted hundreds of paintings in Maine during his life, and the Olson House was one of his favorite subjects. It’s now part of the Farnsworth Museum. We visited on a beautiful summer day and had a chance to sketch for awhile after touring the house and watching a documentary about Wyeth. The house […]
Category: Sketching
Sketches from Maine – Part 3 (Step-by-Step Tutorial)
During my June workshop in Maine, I waited all week for the perfect day to drive to the top of Mt. Battie and spend some time sketching. My patience was rewarded when we awoke one morning to abundant sunshine and clear blue skies. The view from the top of Mt. Battie is spectacular – deep […]
Sketches from Maine – Part 2
Picture yourself sitting in an Adirondack chair somewhere along the coast of Maine, water gently lapping at the shore in front of you and seagulls soaring lazily overhead. The sun is sinking low in the sky and there’s a stillness in the air, as if the earth is holding its breath, waiting for darkness to […]
Sketches from Maine – Step-by-Step Iris Watercolor
Merryspring Nature Center is an idyllic little gem in the heart of mid-coast Maine. The day we visited, we had the place entirely to ourselves. There was so much to draw that I found myself wandering around for awhile just taking it all in, waiting for something to “speak” to me. Should I do a […]
Sketches from Maine, Part I
I’ve been finishing up some of the sketches I did while in Maine earlier this summer, and it’s been a lot of fun reliving that special time that I shared with my mother and five students. Three of them flew all the way from California to be there! All sketches were done in a 9″ […]
Road Trip Sketches
When I taught my Maine workshop a few weeks ago, I had to do all the driving to Maine and back – 16 hours each way. I generally don’t enjoy driving on a long trip. It’s boring, exhausting, and sometimes frustrating, like the time I blindly followed my GPS into a traffic jam in the […]
Summerhill Sketching Hits the Road! (+ Corn & Basil Tart Recipe)
Every month I host “Sketching at Summerhill” here at my house. It offers an opportunity for my creative friends to get together, learn a little something, paint a bit, and enjoy some fun and fellowship away from the daily grind. I love having everyone come to my home in the summertime when the flowers are […]
Maine Workshop (Part II)
(Read Part I here.) I spend a lot of time preparing for my workshops. Ask anyone who has taken one from me. I give my students hefty handouts loaded with information, and I try to tune in to their needs as artists and help them in any way I can while we’re together. I spend […]
Maine…the Way Life Should Be (Part I)
Welcome to Maine…the way life should be That’s the slogan on the welcome sign along the highway where you enter Maine on the coastal route, and I think it speaks to the feelings of most people vacationing in Maine. Wintertime may be challenging here, but summer is magical! I love coming in June. The weather […]
Illustrated Recipe: Mojito Watermelon
Don’t you love when you start seeing those great big bins of watermelons in the grocery stores? It always tells me that summer is almost here. I love having watermelon in season (I never buy it in the wintertime) and last summer I tried a watermelon recipe that has become one of my favorites… 9″ […]







