I got out my 135 year old sketchbook (it used to be an autograph book) for this one. My goal is to dedicate the book to sketches of historic places in Portland. The paper is slightly yellowed and not at all absorbent so sketches turn out very differently. I think it gives the sketches an […]
Brewer’s Spruce
February 17, 2011 by · 8 Comments
This tree is another native of the Pacific Northwest. It is easily mistaken for a Douglas Fir from a distance because it also has drooping side branches, but on close inspection the cones and the needles are quite different. My sweet husband used a pole pruner while standing on the garage roof to cut down […]
SBA Course, Assignment 1
February 14, 2011 by · 11 Comments
This is a graphite drawing I did of a Douglas Fir cone, Pseudotsuga menzeisii, for the course I am taking from the Society of Botanical Artists. I chose this particular tree because it is native to the Pacific Northwest where I live, and besides who can resist the beautiful fringes that dangle from the cone? […]
Sarah Reading
January 31, 2011 by · 4 Comments
The three of us went out for a relaxing evening of coffee, reading and sketching. I love it when people are so absorbed in what they are doing that they don’t notice me sketching them. I was almost done before Sarah caught on!
Lan Su Chinese Garden
January 30, 2011 by · 4 Comments
Portland’s Chinese Garden is one of the most authentic Chinese Gardens outside of China. A well-known Chinese garden designer was intimately involved in the planning, and a crew of Chinese craftsmen worked for many months to build it, along with local workers. I find the buildings very challenging to sketch because of the curved roofs, […]
This blog is about my journey as a botanical artist--what I am learning, what inspires me and what I am currently drawing or painting. My desire is to continually hone my skills to better express my wonder and gratitude for the beauty of the creation around me in the Pacific Northwest (USA).