Hiking & Painting in Nature – Chicago
To enjoy the song of spring, it cannot be played on an iPhone or any other artificial electronic device. That would be an insult to your ears. To see a male rose-breasted grosbeak look you in the eye and hear him bicker at you for being too close to his turf is a very intimate … Continue reading The Song of Spring Watercolor
Thunderstorms raced throughout the night before, leaving this morning's sketch class pretty warm and steamy. It didn't bother us a bit. Matter of fact, under the cool shadow of the forest, the most delightful aroma of sweet, wet, earth played with our senses. We all agreed how wonderful it was. Here we took shelter, hiding from the sun … Continue reading Sketch Class Results June 2012
A little cold and a little gray....but that didn't stop our fun at the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center Sketch Class! I saw a notification on the Illinois Bird List website that a pair of Osprey were building a nest on the platform in Long John Slough, so I was very excited to tell the … Continue reading Sketch Class Results March 2012
Waterfall Glen is a small gem tucked away in the DuPage County Forest Preserves. It is near a 9 mile trail (that I did not walk) which surrounds Argonne Lab. Chicago is experiencing a very hot winter. Yes, hot. Believe it or not this week we will hit 70°F at least 4 times. Very strange. Anyway, … Continue reading Waterfall Glen Sketch
A perfect midwest autumn scene: blazing reds, golden yellows and subdued browns. That's what greeted us this crisp (downright cold) autumn morning as we met to converse with nature. Our mission was to take a short hike and find at least three different leaves which spoke to us. We met at the fire pit circle and … Continue reading Sketch Class Results October 2011
I am happy to present: A Year in Review...the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center Sketch Classes. I am so very proud of every single person who showed up to paint. Some were afraid, not having painted ever in their lives. Some were confident being seasoned artists. All were one however, not viewing one as better than … Continue reading A Year in Review – The Little Red Schoolhouse Sketch Class
Beating the rain, the sketch class went forward to celebrate the autumn trees and the nature center which brought us together. Sitting under a tree as the chickadees watch, they are the audience and we are the performers. Versatile, we adapt to any situation and make ourselves comfortable. Penwork was finished at home. The moisture in the air made drying difficult. … Continue reading Sketch Class Results Sept 2011
The group, 10 including myself, was the biggest we've ever had and on a morning like this one, it couldn't have gotten any better; The sky: pure blue, the temps: perfectly mild, and the artistic fellowship while connecting with nature: magnificent! We decided to hang out by Long John Slough and sketched the trail and background. … Continue reading August 2011 Sketch Class Results
July's sketch class was a success. We had such a wonderful artistic fellowship while discovering nature. After a short walk from the nature center, we settled in by the slough to take in the amazing view. The dead trees across the slough caught my eye, so some of us decided to paint this scene. Here … Continue reading July 2011 Sketch Class Results
Saturday we woke up to a very threatening sky. Dark and ominous. Ready to unleash buckets of rain? We didn't know...but we took our chances anyway. And OH BOY I'm glad we did, because the rain held off right up until the end! Whooo Hoooo! Sketch class, here we go! This is the scene we decided to sketch. … Continue reading Sketch Class Results May 2011
