JOYEUX NOEL

too many to-do's, the tasks seem to multiply beyond all account...I'll have to settle down to get ready for the holiday season...I hope A SKETCH A DAY will resume after the new year...good tidings to you and all your kin...HAPPY HOLIDAY

FROM SKETCH...

from sketch to finish, these snowbound afternoons are perfect for getting some work done

PAIN D'EPICE

our first ice storm of the season, perfect day for some holiday baking...when I'm in Paris around the holiday season, instead of croissant from the corner bakery, I like to have PAIN D'EPICE on bleak winter mornings....it's warm spices makes for a great pick me up...here's my version when I bake it at home.....oven at 350...grease pan(I only use teflon baking ware), 1 C yogurt, 1/2 C maple syrup, 1/3 C molasses, 1 C flour, 1 C spelt flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp each of cinnamon,cloves,nutmeg & 2 Tlbsp of fresh grated ginger.....combine yogurt, syrup & molasses, heat over low heat...let cool....combine dry ingredients...mix dry with wet in circular motion, fold in fresh ginger....pour into pan & bake 40 to 50 min....let cool, wrap in foil...store in room temperature

PC,FROM PARIS

ah...a winter break..to sit, to dream, to get lost, to wander, to chat, to read...... to SKETCH

YES, MORE

for a solo traveler, one is never alone when traveling with a sketchbook

MORE

while the wind is howling outside my window,  flipping thru my sketchbook warms me up for  another frigid morning....sketchbook/journal make the best souvinir

MORE POSTCARDS

BURR...zero degree this morning at 5 am...I cant believe just last week, I was sketching along la seine in a light jacket

POST CARDS

came home with more sketches & ideas for my book project: PARIS RAMBLINGS...this whole week, I'm just going to update some of my sketches

ESCAPE ARTIST

took an icy, crunchy hike this morning, that's about my only break for today...getting ready to be an escape artist....it suits me perfectly to work in quiet & solitude, but for an artist to grow, there's an on going need to broader artistic influences....stay tune for more interesting sketches from my travel in December

TIME FLIES

except for half an hour on a quick sketch, that's as far as I got to being creative today....stuck with catching up with this & that errand....life is too short not to have more creative time

MAGICAL MORNING

hunting season has started, no hiking in the woods for the next month...took a hike along the roaring creek...the snow flurries look like fairy dust against the morning sun...freshly fallen snow sparkles across the meadow....a magical morning in the country

FROSTY MORNING

woke up to a pretty sunrise, then the wind picked up.....we never got above 20 degrees, with the wind....it feel like zero!

EN MER

one of my excursions"en mer" along the shorelines of Connecticut....despite the over development, parts of CT oozed with peaceful charm

CANDLES

yes, another gloomy day, lighting candles all over the house helps to lift my mood...more grey days in the forecast, looks like I need to get on the road....

TART RECIPE

recipe for yesterday's quick APPLE tart.....stop by friend's house for tea & treats & fun company, a nice break from yet another gloomy day in the mountain

GLOOMY

I forgot when was the last time I saw the sun....except for cooking in the kitchen, these raw,wintery days are not very inspiring 

OUT MY WINDOW

despite my love of traveling, I dont have to venture too far for a subject to paint...this morning, this bunny just hang around for half an hour, waiting for me to sketch him...I sure hope he ate enough for the winter....it's a huge comfort connecting to NATURE

YESTERDAY

this sketch is from yesterday...my morning hike got quite warm, I was down to my T-shirt when I sketched this moody, panorama vistas of the valley below

6:20AM

a warm spell is always welcome, it was warm enough this morning to get out of bed & sketch on my deck...painted this view many times, of pond & distant hills & valleys...the sound of the rushing creek & chickadees made for an unusual morning, the first week of November....saw a bunch of deers in my yard, they blend right into the landscape

6:05

it's easy this morning, just 2 shapes in monotone out my window...love this china marker, it 's cheap and it gives me everything I need for a quick sketch....this pencil does not smudge,no mess at all (very important when sketching in bed)...this sketch was done in 10 min, on a 3x4 baby sketchbook

NEW COVER

nothing like an early snow storm to remind me to stop procrastinating....another full day of yardwork, which really kills my back...pain reminds me to feel grateful, because life is short & every minute counts...now, if only I have more time to focus on finishing up all these projects I started....been working on a cover for one of my book project

6:15 AM

with the clock falling back one hour, there's enough light for me to sketch by 6 AM...with the fog rolling in this morning, it was a soft dreamy sunrise.....different season, different morning  routine....nothing beats staying in bed under the cover on these chilly mornings...sketching in bed makes me feel like a LAZY ARTIST

PUMPKIN PIE

yikes,all day in the kitchen....the day is not long enough to keep up with painting & eating all this bounty on my kitchen table

OCTOBER 31

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

THAT'S IT

good thing I picked up a few colorful leaves before this early snow storm, that was a very short Autumn

BIRD FEEDER

after the storm yesterday, lots more birds at the feeder today.....I'm still snow in...another full day in the studio, I could dig the car out, but that would give me more distractions from my work...I'm fine being snow in

SNOW IN

woke up to 4 inches of snow,WINTER WONDERLAND, it's over a foot of snow now...finally got a full day in the studio...BLISS

HUNGRY

inspitation shows up in any direction...I'm having fun working on this...also the expectation of eating the reference...I dont usually use color pencils for my quick sketch, but for a tight finish, it's just right

WANDERLUST

being on-the-go seems the only way to deal with the rejection letters, way too many rejection letters this week..another NYC visit...take in as much as I can...my highlight was stopping by Black Hound Patisserie for some treats...Black Hound is on Second Ave & 11 st,NYC...if one cant visit the patisserie of Paris, going to Black Hound is the next best thing

HARVEST

after yesterday's charcoal grey day, it was nice to have a full sunny day...picked up a bunch of fall vegetables at the country farm stand and spend the rest of the day sketching outdoor on my deck...I think this page will go into my book project....COUNTRY NOTES

CHARCOAL

it's official,we got our first snow this morning, took a sunrise hike up the white mountain...chilly,but quite wonderful visually...pastel over charcoal, it's definately a grey charcoal kind of a day, with dashes of pastel pigments here & there

MAPLE

always nice to come home....took a hike thru the woods after too many hours of driving....came back with another idea for my book project "COUNTRY NOTES"

MOHONK MOUNTAIN

brilliant Fall day, too bad I have to be stuck on the computer all day....I would like to learn photoshop before it's obsolete....Judy came over to help me out, & point out some very obvious things...ASKETCHADAY is from my Mohonk Mountain House outing the other day...would be nice if one can spend time at the resort today....wishful thinking

MOHONK

did not know I was going to Mohonk Mountain House till I woke up yesterday...what a gorgeous day to be outdoor....Mohonk Mountain House is a very unique resort on 2,ooo acres, the Mohonk Preserve next to it offers another 6,000 acres...the resort began in 1869 & still run by the Smiley family...the family is pretty famous as environmentalist

FOG

9AM....heavy fog this morning, it took 2 hours before the sun finally burn off the fog, another brilliant day of Indian Summer

HARVEST MOON

gone all day....it gets dark by 7pm now....too bad it's so cloudy, would be nice to take  an evening stroll under the bright harvest moon...not too many warm evenings left to the season

FORMIDABLE!

6:45AM...what a weekend, Columbus Day weekend does not get better than this...the cool morning fog, bright sunrise, & the Fall foliage ! Quite a visual treat out my window...I think I'll work on a dawn series this week...OK, got to go get breakfast..all this creative energy actually makes me not think about FOOD, a good diet plan?

7:15 AM

7:15 AM, north window...a quick sketch before heading off to Stamford for our ladies breakfast club.....wish I can go there by bike, a little too chilly to bike there....life is more fun on my bike

PORCH VIEW

a very pretty setting for an art gallery...when I get done with the monthly meeting at the MURAL gallery, I try to put in some time on the porch....porches with a view are great for a quick sketch anytime...Mural gallery is inside the Cyr Center,Stamford, NY....formerly the beautiful Rexmere Hotel...Mural gallery is run by a group of dedicated volunteers & supported by a generous grant from the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation...our goal is to promote regional artists....when we set up a show, everything is taken care of by the volunteers...all the artist have to do is just show up with their artwork

TODAY'S SKY

well, after a few heavy frost, no more flowers in my garden to paint....there's always the endless sky....nature never repeats itself

FOLIAGE

hate to see summer ends, but the foliage outside my window is stunning this time of year....Fall foliage came early this year...the intense pigment of oil pastel is perfect for Fall colorings

SKY & WATER

endless sky & water, this quick oil sketch from Mendocino, CA  bought back warm ocean air from last weekend

MENDOCINO

Mendocino, CA remains my favorite town....combination of quaint New England village with sky & water, in the middle of nowhere speaks to my soul...the resonance of A PLACE can seeps into the subconcious

CA. RAMBLINGS

so many cute coastal towns & so little time....Inverness, Jenner, Bodaga Bay, Sea Ranch, Gualala, Elk...Mendocino remains my favorite American town....I always bring home a little ceramic bird from Ingrid's studio....She has the cutest studio & garden in Mendocino

FROM SKETCH...

from a quick sketch to a new design, this does not happen often enough....way tooo many projects & not enough TIME....off to San Francisco, CA for my b'day weekend...looking forward to finishing this new design....inspire by one cute pup

FUN FINDS

my day is brighten with a fun find for my new tea...this little tea gadget makes me smile....BRIGHTEN everyday with fun finds that make you smile

NEW TOYS

oh boy, it's that time again, birthday presents are popping up left & right...these are some of my new toys....Kremer Pigments, NYC....really beautiful colors!

COLORS!

brilliant late summer day....lovely to be sketching in my garden....that dab of Fall color reminds me that I'll be another year older soon...sheesh...how did I get this old, this fast?

BOOK COVER

cover for my Nantucket book project...yes, Nantucket is this quaint.

YLANG

saw Mary Cassett's exhibit at Shelburne Museum,VT...then came Ninon's email from France..perfect inspiration for a baby drawing....a French baby that has the same Chinese name as me, pretty cool