Tuesday, July 31, 2007

San Juan Capistrano Mission

Last Wednesday my friends, Ginger, Penny and Susan and I met at the Mission for a sketch crawl. It was a beautiful day, sunny, warm but with the most wonderful breeze. When we got to the mission we made a bee line for the center courtyard and didn't crawl very far as there was lots to sketch. After a few hours we left for lunch but Ginger and I returned for one more sketch.


I like to do composite pages of things that catch my eye but sometimes a funny secondary picture appears. Here the brick chimney looks like a cactus birdhouse. Isn't serendipity grand! It is fun filling the page with little bits of the day.


This is a section of the archways that go around the hole courtyard. My sketch is a little wocky and looks like a good old Santa Ana Wind would knock it all down but this mission is not going anywhere! The mission is famous for the return of the swallows each spring. The little blue swallow is the hand stamp for re-entry. When I saw the swallow on my hand we asked for one in our books as well. My ode to Mari, get a stamp whenever available!

13 comments:

MILLY said...

I have really enjoyed looking at your sketch book pages. I atarted a beach one last week and today have been drawing in my garden . Yours are really interesting and I love the postmarks too.You have ispired me. Eileen

MILLY said...

sorry about the dreadful spellings...I should have put my glasses on first! (inspired .started )

Barbara said...

I'm going on vacation soon and hope my sketchbook turns out as nicely as yours.....Thank you for the comments you left for me. - Barbara

Gabriel Campanario said...

lovely sketches and delightful coloring

Lynn said...

What beautiful sketches these are! I like the compositions and the colors, it looks like a lovely place.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a grand day! Beautiful sketches. And wonky is good! Gives some character to the sketch.

Anonymous said...

Nice sketches - must be a lovely area!

Africantapestry and Myfrenchkitchen said...

Great skerches of the mission, Deborah and I just love your composite pages..when I do it, it always looks clumsy, you do it so well!
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, I felt so special, it made me feel so specail!
I had a look at Lake wylie and when you get back, we should try and get toghether? It would be great seeing you!
Ronell

Alison said...

I love the wonky arch one - it has such character.

Laura Bray said...

Great minds think alike. We should go sketching together sometime.

Anonymous said...

I must say I love the way you integrate the pages of your journal. Mine tends to be a drawing here, a drawing there. I'm working on changing that, but I see you have got where I want to go. Any books you can recommend?

Anonymous said...

hi, good site very much appreciatted

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