Catching Up…

I’ve been pretty busy the last few weeks, and though I haven’t posted for awhile, I have been sketching. I find that it keeps my mind off things– my daughter returning to college, being an “empty nester”, and the continuing pandemic that never seems to end. So here are an eclectic selection of sketches, some rendered quickly, some I spent more time on. But all containing stories of some type…

First up is a sketch of a fountain in a rose garden. I sketched this while visiting my in-laws at their senior living residence. There are beautiful gardens with many flowers, which I enjoy looking at. The landscaping is very tranquil, and on good weather days, we always get out to walk around.

I loved the tinkling sound of the fountain water dripping, there is just something so tranquil about running water.

The opposite of tranquility is the busy-ness of construction areas. Our urban sketching group met at Waterworks park, in the Mill district of Minneapolis. It was a beautiful evening and I sketched a crane working on the Third Avenue Bridge. I also sketched a restaurant near the park. Bikers, walkers, and runners kept the energy alive around us, everyone was enjoying the beautiful weather!

One day, I drove around town looking for sketch material. I saw Dino’s Gyros, which has awesome sandwiches, and I liked the bright blue awning by the patio. Some people were seated, which made it even more fun to sketch!

As the summer winds down and is replaced by fall, I am reminded of changes all around me. One of them was the beautiful goldenrod and other fall perennials, at their peaks. A place I saw this more intensely was at the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge. My mom was flying into the airport nearby, and this was a convenient distance away to wait for her to arrive. Waiting is a great time to sketch! I used a fude pen with non-permanent ink, thus the colors bled. I don’t really like it, but oh, well. It’s OK. The great thing is, I enjoyed the experience, and turned the page in my sketchbook to a fresh page!

My view of the goldenrod…

Finally, I share a sketch I did for our church’s “Great Get Back-Together”. This was essentially a church picnic with live music, bouncy house, tons of grilled food and sides, and an ice cream truck! I went to this event to sketch, knowing there would be many wonderful subjects. I settled on the truck, as I liked its shape, colors, and details. People waiting in line were a great addition to my sketch too.

So here are a few sketches to “catch up”. Summer is over, fall has arrived. May your fall and mine be filled with fun sketching times!