Hiking & Painting in Nature – Chicago
Come hike with me on the blue trail at Bullfrog Lake! Click to listen (hiking on gravel trail with dried leaves) There, now you're hiking with me! It is very calm. There is no wind and the trees are mute. Can you see the peach color in the sky just above the horizon? I LOVE … Continue reading Blue Trail Bridge at Bullfrog Sketch
It's been a while, huh? After having the stomach virus, I managed to find a tiny piece of ice to fall on....right on my tail bone *oooooouch*. That left me sore for over two weeks! Soon Christmas arrived and the holiday parties kept me busy. All of these things kept me out of the woods for about a month. Well, I'm … Continue reading New Year New Hike New Sketch
Little Red Schoolhouse Sketch Class April 2011Amanda, Scott, Michelle, Amy, Lori, Alanna (kneeling), myself, and Sue Wow! What a class!!! Finally blessed with a perfect warm day to do some watercolor sketching, the group headed out on the White Oak Trail in search for woodland wildflowers...and oh boy, did we find a treasure of them! Mesmerized … Continue reading Sketch Class Results April 2011
I stopped by Maple Lake with good intentions on completing a watercolor sketch. I got as far as a pencil sketch when my white and red fingers couldn't take it any longer....HEAT, they need heat! I grabbed my stuff and ran to the car...I'll finish at home. I wasn't prepared and did not have the … Continue reading Blustery Day at Maple Lake Sketch
03-26-2011 25°F cloudy, cold, windy We take a short hike on the White Oak Trail before we paint, even though it is terribly cold with a persistent wind, we desperately want to connect with nature. In search for Spring Beauty wildflowers we come up short, instead we find a partially frozen stream with razor-sharp shards of ice and geometric … Continue reading Sketch Class Results March 2011
I see flashes of lightning through thick stained glass gothic windows and hear a low rumble of thunder on the other side of the vaulted wooden ceiling. Still wet from the outside, I close my eyes and smile in my pew remembering the golden sun of yesterday at Spears Woods when I first closed my eyes and … Continue reading Golden Sun Sketch
A reprieve from winter, a welcomed mild day...how lovely! Yesterday I made a quick stop at Arrowhead Lake. The sun, enveloped in a slight haze and in the company of dark blue clouds, sets behind the trees, giving me a peek-a-boo yellow surprise in between branches. What do I hear? Unexpectedly, I hear the first chorus frog … Continue reading Arrowhead Lake Sunset Sketch
02-26-2011 28°F Light snow, no wind We first hike the Black Oak Trail, to get our blood pumping and connect with nature. The heavy odor of burnt firewood hangs in the air. I do not know where the smell originates. Fresh snow makes identifying animal tracks a lot of fun. Three individual coyote tracks, traveling together, stays with us … Continue reading Sketch Class Results Feb 2011
This is a picture I took about two years ago at Spears Woods. I'm not 100% sure this is a poplar tree, but I love its shape. It's super tall and it's the only one like it around. One interesting thing I learned is that all planted poplar trees are male, so they do not … Continue reading Let’s Paint the Poplar Tree!
I didn't have much time today so I made a quick stop at Crawdad Slough, just to find something to sketch from inside my car in the parking lot. It sure didn't take long before my focus centered upon a tree full of character. I fell in love immediately. I like the way it was leaning … Continue reading Crawdad Slough Sketch
