Kooky birds?

The sketchers met at the Whidbey Art Gallery this past week.  Barb Barry did some beautiful sketches of Ed Bennett's carved birds and I did a couple of John Longs kooky bird made of recycled materials, like rubber tires and tubes, fishing supplies, garden stakes, feathers, zippers.  The sun was shining and it looks like our street repair/redo is moving right along!

Sketching in Private Homes

It's always interesting and fun to be invited into someones home.  It's even better when their home is beautiful, eclectic, art-filled and memorable.  For the past two weeks we have been sketching in a couple of homes that fill all these categories. Check out the Whidbey Island Sketchers blogspot for other versions of these homes. Enjoy the view!

Cynthia's still life

Gallery Amy and Bill  

The windowsill at Amy and Bill's

Looking out the window from Cynthia's

Sun Mountain

Draped hills 7:30 pm

8pm hard to see details

4pm next day more information

No it is not my husband, but it could be!

     Recently, my husband and I spent a few days soaking up the sun over the mountain, Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop, Wa.  Our goal,  just take it easy, enjoy the views and sunny atmosphere.  I don't want this to sound like an advertisement for Sun Mountain, but the views were unendingly beautiful.  I painted the same view twice, once in the evening when it was difficult to see the distant shapes of the mountains and then again in the morning.  Late one afternoon I sat and sketched the pool with the distant mountains behind a tree.  My favorite view was from the dining room where the land looked like a draped curtain folded and falling to the next level of ground.   It was interesting how the shadows from either the morning sun or the evening helped you envision the formation of the land.
     If you go over North Cascades to Twisp,  I really recommend the current show at the Confluence Gallery.  The subject matter is Values by Mary Powell and Gary Harper.  Gary is a black and white photographer and Mary is a well-known local artist/teacher who emphasizes understanding value.  Powell,  a master of color, movement and emotion in her impressionist canvases,  always begins with a black-and-white value study, incorporating the three components that are the basis of color-value, hue and intensity.
     In addition to exhibiting paintings of landscapes, walls and doors, of horses and horse people; and photos of coils of wire, weather and barns, the two artists have provided guides that give further insight into the way they see things.  Powell's paintings are accompanied by her diminutive value studies.  Red filters are on hand for viewers to the exhibit to learn to see the world as darks and lights devoid of color.

     This gallery is open Wednesday-Sunday, through September 17,  so plan accordingly.

Moving again

The view of Useless Bay Coffee

The Birdhouse

Here we go again!  Our Whidbey Art Gallery will be moving next month to a location further down the street closer to the US Bank, or in what I call the commercial district of Langley.  Our wonderful people watching view of Useless Bay Coffee will be no more. (see above sketch).  Our new digs will be about the same size, but with nice high ceilings.  Our landlords, Herb and Marilyn are looking forward to having us share their wonderful old building.  Herb sells and fixes beautiful clocks and Marilyn has a gift shop with lots of decorative flags and twig furniture on the Lane.

I have made the two sketches shown above into note cards, along with several other sketches of local scenes.  They will be in the Gallery for the Art Walk tomorrow evening 5-7 pm.  The building below will be our new location as of July 1, 2011.  I've projected a new decorative pot and an awning to see how they would enhance the building.

Projected image of our new location as of July 1, 2011