Preliminary sketches

With class preparations, family time, home upkeep, and church responsibilities I have not made much time for my art work this summer. I have been doing some writing of children's books to submit to potential publishers (more info to come as I get to the sketching stages), and sketching. I am also preparing for the upcoming Vermont Illustrators Exhibit in the Quimby Gallery this fall. To my knowledge it is the first of its kind.

Here are a few sketches of ideas I have been working on for my Bow Tie Guy Series. It is a chimera, enfield and owl bear.

Summer Sketching: Cape Neddick Lighthouse

On Monday, we visited the Cape Neddick Light House and Long Sand Beach in York, Maine. I love the coast of Maine. It is so majestic and beautiful.

I had a few minutes to sit and sketch this, before we had to leave and it started raining. I hope to visit again and spend more time drawing and seeing more of the coast.

Summer Sketching: Happy 4th of July

A few weeks ago My family and I visited the Minute Man National Historical Park in Lincoln Massachusetts. Not only is the park beautiful to walk through, the presentations and depictions of the events that lead up to the Revolutionary War were fascinating. I am surprised at how much they did not cover in my early education with regards to the Battle of Lexington. This is a place I want to return to again and spend more time. I also want a hat like that.

Summer Sketching, Circus Smirkus

We had the opportunity to go to see Circus Smirkus yesterday. I have been very impressed with what they do. You can find out more about them here. While waiting fro the show to start, I saw this guy dressed up like a clown sitting across the tent from us. As usual I couldn't resist the drawing opportunity. He looked so out of place, even in the tent. I should note he was not part of the show.

West Side Story at Vermont Children's Theater

This was a particularly difficult poster for me. For all practical purposes as much as I love West Side Story as a musical it is not a poster I would choose to illustrate. I like to draw animals and I like to create illustrations that have a humorous side to them. I am grateful for the insight of the director, John Walker. Without his vision and ideas, I would not have been able to come up with this. I just don't think this way. In his director's statement he said “…these bad choices and this unleashed hatred kills even the most beautiful and pure thing, authentic love. Like a rose trying to grow out of a dirty sidewalk only to be crushed under trash and the tread of tires or shoes.”

I found the idea of the rose growing in the grime and darkness of the inner city depicted in the musical captivating. I ran with it. In the end I am glad I had the opportunity to stretch myself.