Happy Earth Day!

35th International Sketch Crawl

Here are the sketches I did yesterday at the University of Mary Washington where 5 of us gathered for the 35th International Sketch Crawl. If you would like to see what people from all around the world sketched yesterday be sure to go to the forum section at www.sketchcrawl.com

Sugar Maples with sap buckets

Highland County VA Maple Sugar Festival

I spent a recent weekend with dear friends in West Virginia a couple of weeks ago. I had broken my little toe and was unable to wear regular shoes so, while my friends went hiking, I stayed at the farm and sketched. We went to the Highland County (VA) Maple Sugar Festival in Monterrey, about 12 miles from where we were staying and had a great time.The maple syrup farmers had a bad year because the winter was so mild and the maple trees need periods of freezing weather to make the sugar water flow. Some who produced 300 gallons in a normal year were able to make only 30! There was plenty for sale though, so I brought some home and have been enjoying it.

I've started a new sketchbook and I like it. It's a bit smaller than I'm used to but the paper is nice. It's a laid finish so I wasn't sure how it was going to work but the sketches above were done with water color pencils and it took the water well.

Raptors!

Here are some pages from my journal about an amazing bird-watching day I had recently.

Carolina Wren

More from Sketch Crawl #34

Here are some photos of the group.

 I love the light on Kathryne's head:

I sure look absorbed...

Sketch Crawl #34

Yesterday was the 34th International Sketch Crawl and 5 of us braved the icy conditions to spend the day in Gari Melchers' studio at Belmont. Below are the 2 pages I did. I did the page of hands from some of Melchers' paintings after I got home from photos I took.

 Here are the two sketches Jane did of 2 of Melchers' paintings. Jane always does great work and she's got the prettiest little sketch book with watercolor paper and a soft leather cover. Enjoy!

Sketching at Chatham

Sketched with the new Fredericksburg sketching group at Chatham Manor on Saturday. It was very cold and I was trying to work with my fingerless gloves so I was sketching very quickly. This is one of several small statues in the garden.

I followed the sun to the west side of the house to sketch these two old Catawba trees. It's a rather gruesome story: THE WITNESS TREES  These gnarly old Catawba trees were alive during the Civil War. Chatham was used as a hospital and these two venerable old trees stood just outside the surgery. As limbs were amputated, they were tossed out the window to land at the base of these trees. Walt Whitman visited [during the war] and wrote that the pile of human limbs would fill an oxcart.  Leaning, and rotting, these trees are propped up by steel bars (which I didn't draw) and will probably disappear before too long. I felt compelled to bear witness to the Witness Trees.

34th International Sketchcrawl

I'm very happy to tell you that the 34th International Sketch Crawl (www.sketchcrawl.com/forum/) will be held January 21, 2012. We have permission to sketch at Gari Melchers' Studio and Home at Belmont in Stafford County. The grounds are beautiful and if the weather is bad, we can sketch in Melchers' studio which is something I've wanted to do for a long time. We'll meet there at 10 a.m. and can stay until 3 or 4 p.m. I'm checking to see if we can bring our lunch and eat in the meeting room. If not, there's a restaurant at the bottom of the hill we can go to. Let me know if you plan to come.  You can contact me on the forum page (look for "Fredericksburg, Virginia USA") or via email at raudenbush1@cox.net.
Paula (Raudy)
P.S. let me know if you need directions or if you have any other questions.

New friend

Hi everybody. I just wanted to introduce you to a new, online friend of mine in South Africa, Maree Clarkson (see link to her website). Be sure to take a look at her wonderful sketches and watercolors. She lives in a magical place.

Silver maple

Sketched this silver maple in Hurkamp park yesterday. It ended up going across the gutter of my sketchbook so I can write notes on both sides (that's why there's a line down the middle). It's a handsome old tree with lots of character in its bark.

Great new book

If you're looking for the perfect gift for the tree hugger in your life, I'd like to make a recommendation. Nancy Ross Hugo and Robert Llewellyn have teamed up again (they also published "Remarkable Trees of VA") to produce an astonishing book called "Seeing Trees." You can order if from Amazon if you can't find it in stores. The photographs are incredible and Nancy's writing is delightful. Be sure to buy one for yourself, too!

My weekend's work

This is a branch of bittersweet that I started at Lara's workshop last weekend. I think I used the wrong side of the paper because it seemed a little softer so the edges of the painting tended to be a bit blurry. I loved the little grapevine tendril that was attached to this specimen.

This is a group of seed pods from the Golden Rain Tree that used to be on the grounds at Kenmore. Unfortunately it had to be taken down so I'm glad I saved these.

Magnolia macrophylla

I took a workshop this weekend with Lara Call Gastinger and painted this Magnolia macrophylla leaf. I've discovered a bit of a passion for botanical art but I did sketch this in my book first. This magnolia is huge. Some of its leaves are about 3 feet long and the blossoms are gigantic. This tree in in the Wilderness Walk at Historic Kenmore Plantation in Fredericksburg, VA (where I work). The tree is surrounded by other huge specimens and has to fight for sunlight. As a result the blossoms are often near the top of the tree and all we can see are the undersides. Last year, one bloomed low enough to see and it knocked me out. The common name for the is the Umbrella Tree and for good reason. It almost seems bizarre. I used watercolor on Fabriano Hot Press paper. The leaf and painting of it are about 16 inches long (tall). I painted it horizontally but when someone turned it during the critique, we all decided it was better this way.

a slender fellow in the grass

This fellow was sleeping under an up-turned flower pot in my yard. He stayed still just long enough for me to sketch him, then slithered off into the leaves. It was almost as if he waited for me to finish his portrait.

A sad day in the neighborhood

This baby squirrel had been hanging around my yard for a few days and Saturday I spent a couple hours phographing and sketching him. He had a crippled right front paw and didn't run or climb very well. I fed him pieces of apple and he stayed close by. I went inside for a few minutes and heard my nextdoor neighbor yelling frantically at his dog. I knew what had happened. The little squirrel's back was broken but he was still alive so I got the shovel and put him out of his misery. With his crippled foot, I know he wouldn't have lasted very long but is was horrible to have to kill him after spending so much time with him. Needless to say, I had a good cry.

Photos from 33rd SketchCrawl

Here are photos of the sketch crawlers from Saturday.

My sketch from the 33rd International Sketchcrawl

There were 6 of us and we started out in Market Square. I chose to sketch the backs of the row of shops that face William Street. There was a lot to sketch and I plan to go back. Beautiful day and lots of fun. I had pulled a back muscle but I didn't feel it as long as I was sketching. Talk about therapy! If you are interested in seeing more sketches from yesterday's crawl, be sure to check out the forum at www.sketchcrawl.com
There were people from all over the world and there is some fantastic work. Just be warned--it's addictive!

33rd Sketch Crawl

Just thought I'd mention the next International Sketch Crawl date is Saturday, October 15. We're crawling in Fredericksburg if you'd like to join us. Meet at Hyperion at 10 a.m. Write me if you've got questions. Check it out at http://www.sketchcrawl.com