reservoir

We are having some spectacularly gorgeous fall days. Full of sunshine and stillness. This is the gatehouse to a reservoir at the top of a hill. This hill gets the last of the sunshine on any given day. I did this painting around noontime in full sunshine however, sitting at the bottom of the hill in the shade.

apple time

I spent some time yesterday sitting on the grass between two lines of apple trees.

bird watercolor

Nochmal DANKE an Beate, THANK YOU to Beate, who made the brilliant and exciting suggestion that I turn my bicycle sketches into watercolors. It is such an intriguing process, taking something mysterious and making sense (mysterious sense, of course) out of it, translating your own impulses.

If you haven't taken a look at her website yet, I recommend it - click here! She is such a fount of great ideas and beautiful images and textures.

Here's the first one I translated:

I don't think I was actually looking at a bird, but somehow this drawing turned out with one (I think it was a house of some sort). So in the watercolor there is definitely a bird:

and a doorway?

leah's elephant

I don't know who Leah Samson is, but I know she is an artist. Her cast bronze elephant stands with a bunch of its friends in front of an elementary school in my neighborhood. There is also a dolphin, a lion, a dinosaur, and several other creatures, all with wonderful personalities. This spunky little elephant, though, has a special place in my heart. I often visit him when I'm out on my walks.

bicycle sketching

I live in a great neighborhood. There are towering, shady trees. Beautiful houses, with interesting colors, trim, decorations, porches, plants, lanterns, flags...always something to look at. And on one grand avenue nearby, there are the old mansions of the Rochester city elite: George Eastman's, most notably, and those of all of his cronies and co-citizens, who vied to have the most elegant and elaborate homes.

It is a treat to ride around, run around, walk around.

Recently I rigged up a mobile sketching station on the handlebars of my bike.

Then I cruised around (helmeted, of course) and drew - whatever caught my eye, only as much as I could get while riding by. I was amazed at how much fun it was. The tempo and the situation meant that I couldn't get caught up in anything. It kept my intent pure, my focus pure. It was amazing to see the view of the thing I was drawing changing so quickly. There was flow, and the flow almost became my subject.

I found it funny how unrecognizable so many of the drawings were. And how recognizable elements of others were!

Here are just a few.

sunday evening with plants

Rilke: 

                                                    Wie soll ich meine Seele halten, daß 
                                                    sie nicht an deine rührt?

gift

A small friend of mine gave me this ring.

I have been wearing it assiduously ever since.