It was time to get out out to do some sketching. We took Mack for a ride to sit on the causeway. You can always find a nice breeze here. Even in the middle of summer, we still get a breeze.
As I am writing this, an osprey just snagged a fish out of the water. There were terns earlier. Mack is barking at some dogs and their people. How dare they walk so close to our vehicle! He’s sitting on John’s lap getting his belly scratched and protecting the Realm.
We pulled into a shady parking spot but the sun slowly dropped beneath the horizon. We should go on the North side and look for the meteor shower.
A photo of my twilight sketch complete with the on location photo…
Today, John and I decided to get out of the house. I have been working on some ornaments over the past couple of days and John installed some sun shades yesterday for our patio. We really didn’t veg out too much yesterday so this morning we just sat outside and enjoyed our morning coffee. We try to leave the weekends open to just relax and, gasp! do absolutely nothing. After coffee and breakfast, we decided to get out of the house. We had no plan in mind until we drove past a new local coffee shop, just a few minutes from the house. After deciding to pop in to see if it was open yet, we were surprised to find that it was open! Apparently the shop is open every day from 7-1 every day and I was ecstatic because now we have two local shops to go to for coffee that are both in Jensen Beach and within biking distance.
After getting two iced coffees, we found a table in the shade. (Almost all the tables are under trees and in the shade, which is nice.) This shop is just across the road from the Indian River Lagoon, and beyond that, Hutchinson’s Island and the Atlantic Ocean. We couldn’t see any of the above because of all of the vegetation but we did enjoy the benefits of a lovely sea breeze.
I have been trying to get out of the studio and back in the habit of outdoor sketching so this seemed like a great opportunity for that. I love Bismarck palm trees with their blue green leaves, so I chose to do the one at the edge of the property, which had lights hanging from it. I pulled out a mechanical pencil and my trusty Lamy Safari sketched the scene. Then I added watercolor. I didn’t have a water container with me but I had water brushes. Unfortunately they chose today to make things difficult. The watercolors I used were a gift from a friend plus I also had use my mini palette, which has colors that I just can’t do without when painting anything green. The brushes were annoying but I managed to get by. (I’ll probably pull them apart after this to see why the water wasn’t flowing down to the brush from the barrel.)
This sketch is the end result of sitting outside drinking an iced coffee and dodging a rain sprinkle or two. It was a nice relaxing morning and John and I had a nice chat while I sketched.
Perfect way to start the day, and week.
Plein Air Sketch at the Crazy DogPlein air sketch with subject and suppliesClose up of sketch with supplies
Today’s prompt is “heart.” I have this plant on my table that has heart shaped leaves and flowers so I did the plant today for a change of pace. This is technically “plein air” since I did it from life while sitting outdoors.
This boat was capsized for a long while. I found this sketch among the ones that weren’t posted. It was done in a homemade sketchbook using Fabriano cold press paper, which you can see is quite textured. Since this sketch was completed, the boat was moved over by a marina. I guess someone will attempt to fix the water damage. The water near the causeway bridge is quite shallow and for some reason tipped boats are not unusual.
It’s that time of year again where I am the chairperson for an annual plein air event. I get to participate but I am obviously not eligible for prizes but that’s ok. When my paintings sell, that’s prize enough for me.
As typical with plein air, there are adventures to tell. Several storms this week, one really was a humdinger.
The first painting was not making me happy so I totally reworked it to the one you see below.
The next painting was completed from the rooftop of the Village Walk Assisted Living facility. They are great people and they really participate in community activities.
We had a model on Wednesday, but we had about an hour and 20 min to work and then another storm rolled in and we had to pack it in. I went back yesterday to do the background and I used the photo reference that I took to finish. This isn’t eligible to hang in the gallery but I am glad I finished this one.
I also took pictures of the artists painting the model.
Last but not least, today’s Quick Draw painting where we get three hours to work on a painting. This actually took me less than 2.
Sometimes people ask where I get my inspiration. I do some brainstorming and I jot down lots of ideas but they don’t always turn into anything. Then there are the ideas that are there, right in front of me.
This kitty is one of those spur of the moment ideas. John and I went to the beach this evening. I brought some premade kitties to embellish; I brought books and magazines, so I was prepared for whatever I felt like doing. I am currently reading “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.” I try to make time for a bit of recreational reading and I was hoping to indulge in reading my book.
I was working on one of my premade kitties and I looked up and the lightbulb came on. At first, I didn’t pay the fishing rod much attention except to see if the guy it belonged to caught a fish. He wasn’t having much luck. I was finishing my kitty when I glanced up again and saw the beautiful sky behind it with the Belt of Venus so I whipped out my watercolors and a blank postcard and did this little sketch of kitty fishing.
My mom used to have three bratty Siamese. When the last one passed away, my sisters and I figured we’d see more of her. Nope. She adopted two homeless cats soon after the last Siamese passed away.
Here’s a Siamese kitty that I know my mom will love!
Also, these paintings below will be in the wet paint show and sale tomorrow and are available to purchase!
j
Gina Lento: Fine Art and Illustration 
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