Paper and Threads

I debated whether to participate in this challenge again this year.  I sketch everyday, but last year in May uploaded each sketch instead of just posting a sketchbook page several times each week.  It definitely was more time consuming and I had to force myself to remain free in my choice of subject each day instead of worrying about "a published piece."  I finally decided that it might be good for me to again post each day's journal page - they certainly are reflective of a very eclectic art interest and maybe I can break through the "performance anxiety" a little more.

Yesterday I painted a sketch of a townhouse that I love.  You can see it from one of the upper floor exhibit galleries on the north side of MoMA - and it is breathtakingly beautiful nestled among two rather plain and uninteresting buildings.  I sketched it from the MoMA gallery window earlier this year in my daily Moleskine watercolor sketchbook and posted it with sketches from several museum visits.  But I wanted to have a sketch in my NYC "travel" sketchbook as well.  The first sketch was done "live" and very quickly.  The second was done from several photos that I have.

Posted by Shirley at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I periodically love to walk and sketch random things - in ink - building up a sketchbook page.  Last week I did several pages like this - just for quick fun and memories. 

The first page was done while I wandered through many bead stores in the Garment District with a friend.  I loved some of the designs.

We picked Robbie and Sydney up at Nursey School on Friday and took them to the Central Park Toy Boat Pond to play.  There were many remote control sailboats on the pond so I sketched one as it passed by.  Sydney found a one inch rubber charm of a summer "flip-flop" and she played with it for part of the afternoon.

Posted by Shirley at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I couldn't do a serious sketch of our newspaper, because I never read it.  The New York Times is delivered to our apartment by 6:30 each day and I dutifully bring it inside for my husband.  However, I have many things to do that are higher on my personal priority list and I get my news from the WNBC Early Morning Show, WNYC NPR radio during the day in my office, and the Lehrer news hour in the evening.  So with this challenge, I bring you a charming paper hat made from the front page of yesterday's newspaper!

Posted by Shirley at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

My husband gave me this antique gold Elgin ladies' pendant watch as a wedding present.  When very pregnant with our first child, I sat down for a cup of coffee and the watch, which was hanging down over my big belly, plunged into the cup.  Ever since then watchmakers have been puzzled by the rust on the movements and no repair has lasted very long.  I still wear it to work and use it to attach my required ID - not to tell time.  It has a wonderful patina and still has great sentimental value.

Posted by Shirley at 10:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

In the mid-60s my husband sent me a series of 12" by 16" animal cards and we matted them (couldn't afford framing) for the baby's room when our first child was born.  They remained in the boys' bedroom for the 4 years we lived in LaJolla, California and then they were put away with some other prints for safe-keeping.  Last weekend, and two homes later, I found them and decided to sketch and paint all 5 animals - the first 3 across a double page spread in my Moleskine watercolor journal and the last 2 on separate pages and subsequent days.  These were from a commercial card company and the back half of the cards with the publisher's trademark are long gone.

Posted by Shirley at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)