I have a great group of friends who share my love of art. I met all of them through the monthly “Summerhill Sketching” mini-workshops I used to do at our big house on the hill in Waynesburg, PA. We’ve been friends for more than ten years now, and I’m so thankful that this group of 14 women share a strong commitment to our friendship. We try to get together at least once a month.
In June, Teresa hosted “Art in the Garden”, a silent auction which raises money for her family’s charitable foundation to build churches and wells in Liberia. We all donated artwork and enjoyed an evening of food, music, and fun in Teresa’s incredible garden.
In July, Susan hosted us at her historic home and farm in Beallsville, PA, where I did this page…
It was a wonderful day, complete with a tour of her impeccably restored and decorated 1847 farmhouse, freshly made cappucinos and homemade cherry scones in the newly remodeled kitchen, sketching in the shade with a bubbling fountain for background music, and talking and laughing as we shared a scrumptious lunch outdoors.
It doesn’t get any better than that.
I printed out a few photos from our day together and put one of the house right next to the farm’s logo in my composite sketch. The others, I glued onto the following page in my sketchbook.
Two weeks later, a few of us met up at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden to experience the “Momentum” kinetic sculpture exhibit by Patrick Shearn, so I included a picture of that in my sketchbook, too.
We sketched that day at the garden, but I didn’t feel like drawing a realistic rendering of the beautiful (and complex) scene in front of me. I couldn’t possibly do it justice. Instead, I thought I’d try doing an abstract that reflected my impressions from the day: the unique and beautiful sculpture, the reflections rippling in the breeze, lily pads catching the sunlight, and birds flying overhead in a brilliant blue sky.
I wet the page in the my journal and mixed up puddles of paint that matched the colors I saw in front of me as I sat by the Lotus Pond. I let the colors mingle on the page, creating a richly colored variegated wash.
By the time the wash had dried, we were done in by the heat and decided to break for lunch, so I had to finish the page at home. There, I used acrylic paints and markers to add lines and patterns to the base wash.
I had fun playing around with this page, making a conscious effort not to judge, not to try to create something stunning or impressive…just moving paint on paper and adding color, line, and patterns that said something about how it felt to be there that day.
Totally relaxed, taking it all in, and not thinking about anything other than that moment.
Life feels so very busy at times, but taking time out to spend with my friends is always worth the effort. It fills me with joy, contentment, and gratitude. I’m so thankful they’re a part of my life.
2 Comments
Leslie this post touched home giving me permission to use photos with sketches. My
Sketching skills are sketchy to say the least so this has freed me up with the frustration of perfect drawings. Thank you!
Beautiful house! Scrumptious food! Lovely day sketching with friends! What more could a girl ask? Thank you for sharing. I wish I lived closer…..