I drive past this statue several times a week, and it always takes me back to my childhood, when we rode down Interstate Avenue and across the bridge to Vancouver, Washington to visit my aunt. Someone in the car always cried out, “There’s Paul Bunyan” as if he were an old friend. Today I saw […]
Clouds & Trees
On a recent road trip, I decided to try my hand at depicting the billowing cumulus clouds overhead in my little 3.5″ x 5.5″ moleskine. Wow–what a challenge! Here are my three little sketches done as we whizzed along down the freeway. Btw, not to worry, my husband was driving! The maples along the forest […]
Lytle Lake at Rockaway, OR
I sketched this scene of a lake near the beach last weekend. The house we were staying at had huge picture windows, so I got to sit on the couch in comfort while I painted. It almost seemed like cheating! The willows along the far shore were starting to change color and they glowed when […]
Skidmore Fountain
This is my first sketch in an antique autograph book I found at a used book store at the beach this summer. The book has 1776-1876 on the title page, so it was made to commemorate the nation’s centennial. It has only one autograph, which I can’t decipher, with the date 1880. The rest of […]
Esther Short Park
Our sketch group met at a coffee shop, then spread out to sketch in and around this park in Vancouver, WA. The clock/bell tower chimes on the hour and makes quite an iconic statement at the entrance. I found the gazebo quite difficult to sketch because of the odd angles, but it is a pretty […]



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).