House Made of Straw

I have a bird's nest given to me by a friend who cut the entire branch so the nest would stay intact. So much fun using line and tone with this! I usually let the first drawing on a page dictate what the rest of the drawings on the page will be. If I do a series of three, want to guess where I'm going with this?

There is a phrase, "a house of straw", meaning that it won't take much to topple it down. Well, for 12 days I have stuck to nothing but black and white ink drawings for Inktober. Today I did my ink, but I just HAD to capture the color out there before it all blew away! So I toppled.


I drove to our Cinema in town where I know that the entire parking lot is ablaze with red trees. Beautiful to look at, but not quite what I wanted after all. Then I came around the corner and there in all its glory was a white dumpster, a yellow fire hydrant and above all, a group of trees showing all the fall colors!
It had rained earlier and the colors reflected for a while in the puddles and wet pavement. Perfect!

Signs of Seasonal Transition

 

I love summer so much! I hate to see it go! My flip flops are still out by the front door should a warm enough day occur. I even wrote a haiku about it.

One positive thing about transitioning from summer to fall is that I get to paint with my students again. I'm having fun with my two new pens brought as a gift all the way from England! Thanks, RF. :)

Checking the Balance at the ATM

She stood there for the longest time....absolutely still. At first I thought she was checking her receipt after using the ATM, but later I wondered if she was texting on her cell phone. I never did see her face, her age or the color of her hair.

I was parked across the driveway, tidying up my checkbook in the car and when I looked up there she  was! Finally ready to leave, I quietly backed out and drove around the block in the opposite direction, heading home. As far as I know, she's still there!

ACEO Canyon 1

Van Gogh #4 Travel Brush and ACEO

Canyon 1
Original Watercolor ACEO by Michele Cooper
Size: 3.5"x 2.5"   Price: $30

This time of year brings back fond memories of taking our young family to visit my parents in Eastern Washington. It's always colder there than it is on this side of the mountains, and the foliage changes colors sooner. We used to drive through Tumwater Canyon to see them until they moved to the Yakima area. Canyon Road can be very icy during the early fall and winter, but the views are worth it.

Williams' Farm Pumpkin Patch

Today I drove around the corner after my class at A Guilded Gallery to find the sun shining across the pumpkin patch owned by Williams Farms. Melissa, a family member, has everything set up beautifully in the little shed. She has a display of "Exotics" with a friendly scarecrow on top of a giant power line spool.

My sketch for the day in my Pentalic Aqua Journal

A panorama opens up for you, from the water truck, to the eye line displaying every kind of tree, the old house nearly buried under blackberry vines, the distant hills on the coastline, the corn maze on your right, and most of all-the pumpkin patch! If there ever was a time to use a full spread panoramic sketchbook, this it!

We are all welcome to sketch there anytime!

It was a Yummy Day!

I should have posted this yesterday, but I was interrupted by life. Here is my sketchbook spread from our Anacortes Sketchers outing to Skagit River Produce.

My friend, Sylvia, gave me the title for this post. It truly was a yummy day!

It was a Yummy Day!

I sketched at Skagit River Produce today with the Anacortes Sketchers. We had some new ones from all over the countryside, Anacortes, Marysville, Mt. Vernon, Whidbey Island, Camano Island, Snohomish, and more! We even met a Canadian art teacher who was on his way home from the marathon in Portland.
Back in the bakery, Lauren baked fresh pies and the air smelled like peaches, rhubarb and butter all the way in from the parking lot. The pies were still hot when we ate them for lunch. Yummmmm!

My sketches (zoom)

I think Sylvia and I were the last to leave.....we just kept finding things to add to our sketchbooks....and the light just kept getting "yummier"!

Wet roads

It's amazing how much more one sees while sketching on location rather than by just trusting the camera and working from photos at home. During the time it took to do the sketch, a deer emerged from the woods and crossed right in front of me. The school bus got away before I had time to get my camera, and quite a few cars came up and down the hill in each direction.

There's something cozy about painting in the rain. In the car , of course!

First Autumn View

Those who live on Camano Island or Stanwood will know where this is.

After teaching my Stanwood class, I took a little drive to an outlook that I know. There's a tidal estuary with stunning views no matter what the tide or weather. (Another of my goals is to fill this little Pentalic Aqua Sketchbook full of panoramic compositions.)

Sometimes you have to move a tree

Custom Mats and Frames for ACEO

 "Autumn Leaves" triptych

Original Watercolor by Michele Cooper

3.5"x2.5" each watercolor leaf
Price: $90 (for all three) does not include mat/frame

Also shown: "Red Orange Leaf"
Original Watercolor by Michele Cooper
4.5"x5.5" in acid free 5x7" photo mount card
Price: $48

After the intensity of creating a triptych of autumn leaves comes the energy-sapping task of properly matting and framing. I prefer that my collectors would take the original work to a reputable framer and have them do it. "I'm an artist, Jim, not a framer!"

If you do want to be sure that the framing is properly done, here are some do's and don'ts:

Do:

• Choose archival, acid, lignin, solvent free materials to preserve the quality of original art
• Select a mat and frame that gives enough room around the artwork to separate it from its surroundings.
• Keep mat and frame colors minimal and not competing with the artwork.
• Use a dust cover on the back and wire, not sawtooth hangers.

Don't:

• Never frame so that the artwork presses against the glass. Over time,  moisture will transfer pigments and ruin the artwork.
• Never glue, laminate or otherwise permanently attach the whole artwork to backing. It devalues the painting. Framers have acid, lignin, solvent free tape for attaching it to the mat.
• Never use cardboard or wood against the back of the painting. Acid erosion and foxing will damage the artwork.
• Never spray glass cleaner directly on the glass. Spray onto a soft cloth and then clean the glass. Cleaner could creep under the frame and soil the mat and/or artwork.

Daniel Montoya has a very nice tutorial on DYI methods for framing these small paintings.

Yellow Autumn Leaf

Original Watercolor, 5x7"
by Michele Cooper

 It's hard to pick just one.

Leaf Collection 4

My students went over the top this time! This collection of autumn leaves had to be photographed from atop a table. It's 5 feet long!

Lost a bit in the perspective but you can still zoom in to see both sides of the collection.

Beautiful! Great work everyone!

Two More Leaf Collections

 Here are two more collections of autumn leaves from talented students.



Which one is your favorite?