Paper and Threads

We had a wonderful visit with our friends in Martha's Vineyard this summer: an architectural tour in Edgartown, the new MV Museum, a performance by Vineyard Sound, a film at the Film Center (Inviolable), a play at the MV Playhouse (Dear Elizabeth), a visit to the Granary Art Gallery, and a surprise quilt exhibit by the Women of Color National Group.  We also ate well and walked on the beach every morning for 2 miles.

These are the 10 college men in the group known as Vineyard Sound - an acapella group that performs almost everyday during the summer, somewhere on the island.  I sketched them during the performance and painted them later.  They were excellent and also funny!

Since there were so few shells on the beach Bunny and I collected purple pieces of Quahog clam shells - known as "wampum" when used for currency by the Indians.  We both planned to use them for an art project.  I selected the darkest purple pieces, laid them out on the table in the shape of a flower and painted them.  Can't wait to see what she will do with the others. 

We make an annual visit to The Granary, a terrific art gallery with a mixture of paintings, sculptures, glass, and wood art.  I sketched several things on the same page  to remember the visit, and painted them later.

Posted by Shirley at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are going to Paris this Fall, and I always recycle a theme-appropriate book as a watercolor sketchbook for our trips.  Five years ago it was a book of old Paris black and white photographs by Atget.  This time I found a wonderful, used photography book called Paris in Color.  I remove folios from the original book, mix them with folios of 140lb watercolor paper, and case-in the signatures to the original cover. 

The original cover of the sketchbook, shown below, has a photomontage of the photos from the book.

I used two of the original book folios for the front and back end papers.  This is a photo of the front end papers in the completed book.  We previously stayed in an apartment near the Conciergerie and Place Dauphine, so I loved that inner cover photo.

During a previous visit to Paris we saw a magnificent Givenchy exhibit with all of the actual clothes that Audrey Hepburn wore for her movies.  This folio of Audrey and a painted blue door makes me remember a wonderful day from a previous trip.

Another folio - with a characteristic menu from  a Parisian neighborhood restaurant.

The photographer, Nicole Robertson, wrote that she walked around Paris and followed a color theme based on one of the first things she saw that day.  The photographs in the book are arranged in color sequences, and portray common items of iconic Paris.  

My book has 5 signatures, each with 2 folios of 140 lb Fabriano Artistico Watercolor paper.  Six folios of Nicole Robertson's Paris photographs are divided among the signatures.

There is a text and photograph tutorial for my Recycled Watercolor Sketchbooks at this link: http://www.paperandthreads.com/2012/02/watercolor_sketchbook_tutorial.php

Posted by Shirley at 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We just returned from a wonderful visit in Martha's Vineyard.  Each morning except one we walked 2 miles on Philbin beach - once in fog, several times with partly cloudy skies, and the rest in beautiful sunlight.  The sand was firm near the surf and perfect for walking.  We saw one live orange crab, one dead baby shark, and several cormorants that visited the rocks daily.  But there were almost no shells to be found, except slipper shells.  These are almost the only ones I could take back to the house to paint.

Posted by Shirley at 6:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Urban Sketchers Gathered for Lunch: We met on 5th Ave opposite the Guggenheim Museum, and had lunch in the Gardens behind the Cooper Hewitt Museum.  These were 3 of the artists sitting across from me in the gardens.

Park Person: My Husband and I went to the Boat Basin (Conservatory Garden) in Central Park early on a Sunday morning.  While drinking coffee and eating a croissant I sketched this person who was very busy editing a manuscript - and she stayed long enough to be drawn and painted.

Posted by Shirley at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)