The pirate slot machine was friendly today, and won the medium jackpot for me. So I went back to the Faber-Castell store and bought aquarelle pencils. Also found the big mall and bought some decent paintbrushes. I love color, and just couldn't live with my black and white sketches - they look so stark.
So my sketches will now be in color. Easily portable aquarelles, India ink markers, and a few brushes, a bottle of water - now I'm all set.
Ahhhhhhhh, color!
All over Guatemala, there are people selling sliced fruit in small cellophane bags. The women are often in the traditional huipil, wrapped skirt, and lace-trimmed apron. The woman I sketched today looked so bored as she waved a towel to keep the flies off her bowl full of bright red watermelon, orange mango, yellow pineapple.
This
isn't exactly an urban sketch. My husband and I attended the
International Lion Dancing Competition when we were in Georgetown,
Penang, Malaysia. It was absolutely wonderful, watching costumed young
men, in pairs, dancing and leaping and jumping on tall metal towers,
imitating lions. So beautiful, so exuberant, a graceful gymnastic
cultural tradition.
So I sketched a few lions.
In
Kuala Lumpur, in the central market, there's a shop selling handmade
batiks. They also have un-dyed batiks, waiting for visitors to add the
dyes. I brought in my lion sketches, and had one of the batik artists
draw my designs on fabric, drawing in melted wax. He added a floral
motif in the background. Then after the wax cooled, I painted in the
dye. Loved my lion dancer batik!
Then
I mailed the finished batik back to myself in the US. Unfortunately,
the box arrived empty. Everything was gone. Most of the items were
just used clothes, but the batik was in there too. The one and only
important item in the box. Gone.
But I still have my photos of this wonderful memory.
San
Gemini is a small hill town in Umbria, Italy, not far from Terni. The
town square had a lovely fountain, with carved lion's heads in the
marble frame for the water. As I sketched, people came and refilled
their bottles with the cold mountain-fresh water.
Our
class went to Lago Bolsena, in central Italy. The lake is the crater,
or caldera, of an ancient volcano. Most of our class went swimming, but
I was captivated by the blue and white beach umbrellas, highlighted by
the dried fields on the distant hills.
I
attended an art program in Terni, Umbria, during the summer of 2007.
Arrone is one of the small hill towns somewhat near Terni. I stood and
sketched this lovely scene of overlapping buildings and the stairs.
As
an art teacher, I painted. Most art teachers are artists as well as
educators. Our hands are normally covered with paint, ink is embedded
under our fingernails, and we can't imagine life without creating art.
So I painted.
These
are a few paintings in acrylic from my years in St. Thomas. Some are
from sketches done on site. Some are from photos, later painted in my
living room.
But
all are views of St. Thomas, USVI. Beaches, people on the beach,
sailboards on the beach, sea shells on the beach. And children looking
out from an upstairs window, watching de tourists dem.
In Guatemala City, Zona 10, along Calle 13, there's an upscale mall named Fontabella Plaza. There's a lovely little Italianate fountain in the center (the fonte bella, beautiful fountain). Collonades, umbrella-ed tables, posh stores and international eateries. Amazing gelato.
And wonderful scenes to be sketched. In my new Faber-Castell sketchbook, with India ink markers, because I just couldn't wait another day to start sketching again. I'd rather have a mini watercolor set. Or aquarelle pencils.
But you know, for an artist, the act of drawing and creating is the end, not the means.
So this isn't my best-ever sketch. It would benefit from a color wash. No apologies, just facts.
But I'm drawing again.
And that's what matters.
Welcome to my new blog: Phebe Sketches.
I stumbled on a wonderful website and organization, Urban Sketchers. (http://www.urbansketchers.org/)
This is an international organization for people who sketch where they are - at home, while travelling, whatever.
My husband and I are rolling luggagers (http://rollingluggagers.blogspot.com) - so I had planned to sketch and draw my way around the world. I'm a retired art teacher, and had looked forward to spending time with my own artwork again.
Except that didn't quite happen. Somehow I got sidetracked, and forgot about those plans.
But then today, 6 July 2016, there it was, Urban Sketchers, calling my name. Saying "Phebe, draw! Sketch! Paint!" My fingers itched, my hands demanded paper and pen.
So, here's the blog. Phebe Sketches. I don't have drawings from our first nearly four years of travel. But we have many years of wandering the world ahead of us. I'm planning to add drawing to my understanding and exploring as we wander.
