Sunset on the Douro

Sunset on the Douro, Porto, Portugal

I was pretending to be in Porto again, inspired by the sunset photos some of the symposium participants posted the other night. So beautiful.

Here's the prompt for Day 16 of the Firefly challenge:

Day 16: Paint Night
You’re halfway through the challenge! Why not celebrate with friends by attending a Paint Nite or hosting your own at home.

Do you see my dilemma? Almost everyone is halfway across the world so how can I have them over for a paint night?

Then it occurred to me: paint. night. Yes! I will do a night painting! or rather a sunset one.

Mobile Blogging is a Challenge

Warm and wintery in the South Pacific 

Well, it’s been a bit challenging to post on blogger from the South Pacific studio since my granddaughter accidentally updated my iPad. I use the blogger app while posting from my mobile devices and the app hasn’t been updated for IOS 11 yet. Aaargh! I’m pared down while traveling with my iPhone for photos as well. So until I figure out a workaround any photos I post here and on Flickr and Facebook won’t be like those I usually get from scanning. See weekend sketches from my latest outing with O’ahu Urban Sketchers here.

Nevertheless, the Hawai’ian sights, sounds and tropical weather are a welcome respite from the chilly blast friends and family are getting right now in the Pacific Northwest.  Compare day/nighttime temperatures on O’ahu of  75°/ 68° to  40°/22° in Snohomish County near Seattle.

How to Remove Rust from Altoids Travel Palette, A quick, easy and nontoxic solution

I have a new YouTube tutorial for travel sketchers! Here are my top tips on keeping your Altoids Mini travel palette virtually rust free. No worries about using toxic chemicals. The ingredients are right from your kitchen pantry! Follow this link to watch the tutorial on YouTube now!

In the spirit of sketching versus formal painting, don't be too obsessive about every tiny dot of rust. Conscientious daily maintenance prevents most rust problems and this easy method lets you save your energy for sketching on location.