Paper and Threads

I am enjoying documenting my annual handmade ornaments - and still have lots more to sketch.  My plan is to continue sketching the collection in the week before Christmas again next year when I sit down after busy and joyful days to do a daily sketchpage.  Over the years each has been photographed individually and on the Christmas tree, but never painted.   

EDM Challenge #150: Draw a Candle

I love candles of all shapes and sizes.  But we only burn candles that are in globes of some type in the apartment to prevent fires.  I have two of the above Simon Pearce handblown glass candle globes that are always on my dining room table and they are used constantly.  It was very difficult for me to capture the sparkle of the flickering flame against the beautiful clear glass - but I just knew that I wanted to try.

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All of my sewing is done, the apartment and tree were decorated with help from my 3 little elves (Callum is still too young), the gift bags are packed, and dinner preparation for tonight is underway.  In addition to Christmas preparations this week, two of my grandchildren had birthdays - with more preparation and birthday parties.  I managed to continue to sketch daily and followed the lead of Sandy and others and stayed with a Christmas theme - one ornament that I made in the past was sketched per day.  My handmade Santa collection is already on my blog and a photo of this year's pigs also appeared.  Here are more from my animal menagerie!

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We have a short broom to sweep the fireplace hearth - and I'm not sure that we use it as much as our grandchildren.  Normally it is kept in a copper pot with kindling, but I like to sketch at night in our library, so here it is resting on my leather ottoman.  I found that drawing bristles is hard!

I just remembered that I sketched the fireplace almost two years ago when this blog was less than one month old.  Here is a copy of that drawing with the copper pot - but no broom.

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I just returned from 6 days in Atlanta, where I was attending an annual meeting of my medical society.  It comes each year at such a horrible time - but the cities I visited during the last 30+ years are all gorgeously decorated for Christmas.  When I arrived last Thursday, I did a sketchwalk (as discussed by Mari Le Glatin Kreis in her recent book) and filled the whole 2 page spread of my Moleskine watercolor journal. 

From left to right across the two pages:  The American Airlines logo from the airplane, the antique Celtic pin complete with a sharp dagger on the bottom which was in my carry-on (by mistake) and picked up by TSA (they let me keep it!), one of the many Poinsettia plants in all areas of the Georgia World Congress Center, the top of the Westin hotel which was visible from the Congress Center, and a view of the entrance to Olympic Centennial Park as seen from my hotel - the Omni at the CNN Center.

On the second day, to get a head start on my Art Goals for 2008, I sketched one of my friends who was giving a 30 minute lecture.  My son, who is also a member of the society, thought there was a likeness, so I was pleased.

On the final day of the meetings I sat in the Omni Hotel, listened to Christmas music which was playing in the lobby areas, and sketched 3 beautiful Christmas ornaments.  The gold and silver gouache doesn't show up in the scans, but the beautiful metallic reflections attracted me to these 3.

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EDM Challenge #146:  My two favorite foods are good bread and ice cream and I could have both for supper and call it a wonderful meal!  This is a Skinny Cow mint and chocolate fudge ice cream cone that I sketched and painted really quickly before I ate it.

EDM Challenge #147:  Draw Something Wood

This small wooden box has inlaid black marble squares and one brass square on the top. 

EDM Challenge #148:  Draw Something Soothing

This Christmas Door Doll, that is 20 + years old, is wearing a Tara Aromatherapy Neck Wrap that was given to me by my daughter last weekend as an early Christmas present.  It gets heated in the microwave for 2 minutes and then provides at least an hour of moist heat to your neck muscles - relieving all computer strain.

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