Tuesday, May 31, 2011

EDiM 31 Spray bottle

Soothing aloe vera gel after too much sun!
My last one for EDiM (drawing Every Day in May), it has been a great pleasure to share art with others this month.

EDiM 30 School supplies

Technically, not school supplies for me- they are from my previous profession way before computer drafting!

EDiM 29 People doing something

Tyler and Emily fishing off the dock at the cottage Memorial weekend. I had to do this from a photo I took. I need lots of practice to get figures correct in person!

EDiM 28 A view through a doorway

The headboard was made by me (plywood, foam, batting & fabric). The fabric has French words: le lieuve et le feuillage dansent une ronde dans le jardin sauvage. I 'think' in English - The leaves and the foliage do a round dance in the wild garden.

Monday, May 30, 2011

EDiM 27 A Skyscape

The view from my deck this morning.
So- it looked like rain on the right, but it was still sunny on the left.
It's ended up being a very sunny, hot day!

EDiM 26 A Sponge

This is the most sketches I have done in a day, I think. The last six for EDiM!

2011 0528 a lake near White Haven. PA

I completed this in the morning, with my coffee, sitting in the warm sun. So relaxing!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

EDiM 25 a bird

This Harry (for Harry Houdini, the escape artist!) one of my peach-face lovebirds. He is inquisitive, affectionate, and always ready to come out and play!

EDiM 24 something yellow

Based on their paper labels, I always think the aureolin is going to be the darker warmer one, but the cadmium yellow hue leans toward an orange tint!

EDiM 22 & 23 Shade and a bell

 Not feeling too good today, so both my creativity and my lines are off!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

2011 0521 poppies

The first ones of the year, I so love their rich color!

EDiM 21 a coin 'La Semeuse'

I wasn't that young when I got this - it's from my first trip to France in 1991. The original  design (The Sower) was by Oscar Roty in 1900.

Friday, May 20, 2011

EDiM 20 Flashlight

This is a crank flashlight, it does not need batteries. It really is only good for a real emergency!

EDiM 19 Rocks

Yes, it really does say "smile"! The other 2 grey stones are from Positano beach in Italy.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

New palette, new sketchbook!

Just when I thought I was set with my supplies, I found this DS watercolor palette. They show a *video* of how to use it! What artist can resist visual aids? I do love it for the extra mixing area, but it is a bit heavier than my plastic one. So what? Starting a new sketchbook, using my new palette, life is good!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

EDiM 17 &18 something round and some hair

It's both difficult and fun to do a self-portrait. Glad it was only a small portion of my face.
How do you feel about self-portraits?

EDiM 15 &16 Shopping bag & something green

I combined 2, since I am falling behind here. Not happy with my greens (or my yellows!) on this one, but, oh well, I am determined to finish EDiM!  (That's Every Day in May do a different drawing.)

Monday, May 16, 2011

EDiM 14 something ugly that you love

My Habitat boots! Paint-spattered, scraped and muddy, these boots have been on 3 Habitat builds with me. They remind me of the labor of love that was donated by so many people for others, and the feeling that you get *so* much more than you give.

Rebuilding after the fire - Binghamton NY

Last December, there was a large fire that nearly destroyed this building. They are now repairing it, and using this huge crane.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

EDiM #13 A fence

EDiM (Every Day in May)
This mansion was built in 1870, and the fence has always caught my eye throughout the years. I just went there today for a concert. Excellent music and an interesting explanation about Beethoven and his String Quartets.

Friday, May 13, 2011

EDiM 12 something fresh

I bought kale for the first time. I heard about baked kale, (with olive oil and salt and garlic) which is supposed to be delicious. Do I believe everything I read? No, but I wanted to try it for myself. I like healthy foods, especially if they taste good!

EDiM 10 something with a flame


Not much to say about my lighter, except the color is kind of pretty...and, oops! I forgot to add the flame!

EDiM 11 a bowl


An onyx bowl from Mexico. So beautiful, especially in the light...the onyx portion looks so delicate, yet, the bowl is quite hefty. However, certainly I did not do the bowl colors and shading justice. The brown trim on the top is, granite I think?

Monday, May 9, 2011

EDiM 9 a clock in the house

This clock is on a shelf in my bathroom. Next to it, there are 4 ceramic pieces, small egg-shaped dishes (4'' tall). Given to me in the 70s, they are a numbered, limited set from Royal Copenhagen. Each one has a different color bird.

EDiM 08 Lightbulb

My son-in-law brought this burned out bulb last visit. Used in photography, it is *large* so I included the pencil and sharpener to show the relative size!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

EDiM 07 - how you get your news

Either msnbc.com or nytimes.com. I watch less and less, as I am trying to keep a positive outlook in life!
I recently learned that two of my aunts read the entire NY Times every day! Er, I just skim the highlights online.

EDiM 06 - something tart or sour

My son-in-law went to Naples and was very impressed by the size of the lemons! He also loved the limoncello.  So he made his own last Christmas and called it "Evans Cello". (on the right) The label photo is of his hand holding a lemon. He couldn't even get his big hand around it! The bottle on the left is one I got in Positano (just south of Naples). Haven't broken the seal yet though!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

EDiM 05 - Scissors

EDiM 04 Salt and pepper shakers

My everyday shakers are boring stainless steel, so I included my garlic sea salt and peppercorns containers.
It looks like EDiM is going to be full of spatters, they are *fun* to make!

EDiM 03 - draw your exercise equipment

I *love* walking. It clears my head, de-stresses, and makes me feel healthy. Oh, and it's easy! I have several pairs of sneakers. These are the ones I leave at work for lunch time walks.

EDiM 02 - draw a power plug

I use this 100 ft cord for my lawn mower. It's a real pain to wind up. Next time I use it, I'm going to try this cool way of storing it: Youtube- No tangle extension cord storage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaEv9wm6gy0

EDiM - 01 Draw a bar of soap

This is a challenge to draw something every day in May.
This bar of soap is from the Paris Las Vegas hotel. I was staying there the week of 9/11/2001. We had a rental car, so ended up driving back to upstate NY. Funny that I've kept this for 10 years, and interesting how the memories just flood right back in an instant.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Quince

Lovely sign that spring is finally here! Sitting in a limoncello glass from Positano, Italy.