Silverwoman Studio

Walking with Wiley

2012-01-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I went for the first walk of the year with Wiley at Irvine Park. She was a little slower that day wanting to spend time sniffing all the wonderful smells. So every time she stopped, I stopped, looked around and picked up a little treasure. Then I brought them all home and sketched them. I set them on the table in a small pewter dish and enjoyed a little bit of the outside, inside.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

5" x 7"

Pen and Watercolor

Zentangle Ensemble

2012-01-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

Tah-Dah! Sorry this is so late, I didn't mean to tease, really. With the holidays and all the comings and goings we cancelled our meeting. I finally couldn't stand it and put my ensemble together and then didn't get it posted. Got a nudge from Hawaii so here it is. Thanks Cristi! Looks cool, right? I am amazed at how well it turned out and there is only one slight oops that really doesn't matter because it's a "Zentangle"! Okay, a New Year and once again I will try and post more often. I usually say once a week but we all know how that turned out in years past. Happy New Year !

Nine 3.5" x 3.5" Paper Tiles
Micron Pen

Sneak Peek

2011-12-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

I belong to a little friendship group for Zentangles. I have named them my ZenFriends. We meet once a month to catch up, learn a new tangle and enjoy each other's company. Each of us got an Ensemble Set from Rick and Maria at Zentangle.com. The set is a grouping of nine tiles with a preprinted string design. They are to be completed for our December meeting on the 20th. I am doing mine the "Zentangle" suggested way of doing one tile at a time, putting it away and getting out another tile. I will not place them all together until the meeting, so we can all be surprised together. I have four more tiles to complete...........now where is my 01 micron? I'll post the completed set after the meeting.

Zentangle 3.5" x 3.5" tiles
Micron 01 Pen

Warriors, Tombs and Temples

2011-11-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

There is a new exhibit at Bowers Museum, artifacts from the Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties. There were the full size terra cotta warriors and some of the smaller smiling warriors. I am drawn to the beauty of the characters so I tried to copy the symbols for the three dynasties. I really enjoy sketching interesting objects that are over 2000 years old. Amazing! What a great way to start a brand new sketchbook.

I love the shape of the female attendant and the Buddhas are always so peaceful. The golden dragon was a great study in contour drawing. The small reliquary was number two in a set of four nesting boxes. My new friend, Kathy and I sketched for about an hour and then had a great lunch at Tangata, the restaurant at the museum. It was a fun day and I enjoyed getting to know her better. Thanks Kathy. Anyone want to join us next time?

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween to All!

Zentangle Pumpkins were a lot of fun and way less messy!

Mini Pumpkins and a Sharpie

Amy, Bryan and Julio

2011-10-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

My niece, Amy got married to Bryan last month in San Diego. We stayed at the Humphrey's Half Moon Inn. It was a beautiful weekend and a wonderful wedding and reception. My room had a lanai that faced out to the gardens. This tiki pole was carved out of the trunk of a palm tree still in the ground. Looks like a blessing of laughter for their marriage to me.
Congrats to the lovely couple!

Robert Bateman 5' x 7" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

I volunteer and work with groups of kids making art. Last week Julio was in my Zentangle group. This was his second Zentangle which he did all on his own and proceeded to give it to me. Wow! Thanks Julio!

3.5" square print paper and ink

Peru and Machu Picchu

2011-09-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to spend four days in Peru on my way to the Galapagos. The smears of color are pigments for dying the wool from llamas and alpacas. The horizontal line is crushed beetles and the vertical lines of color are made by using different liquids to make the various pigments.

Two of my days in Peru were spend up at Machu Picchu which is magical. Our first day was rainy and cloudy with wonderful mist coming and going. The second day was bright and sunny with blue skies. I was able to do some sketching the second day along with more exploring of this fabulous place.

After Machu Picchu we spend a day in Cusco, visiting more sights and some museums. It was great to learn so much about the Inca, an amazing people. It was a beautiful trip with great sights, wonderful people and fantastic food. Very inspirational!

Robert Bateman 6" x 12"
Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Galapagos Islands

2011-09-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

I wish everyone could make this trip. It was fantastic, amazing and a trip of a lifetime. These are just a few of the sea lions on Espanola Island.

Marine iguanas, albatross, and blue footed boobie. The post office barrel has been in place since the early 1700's. Now it is leave a letter and take one that you can hand delivery in your area or to a place you are going to.

The giant tortoises are amazing, 400 lbs. and some are over 100 years old. There is a great program in effect that is raising the populations on the different islands. Visited the Darwin Center.

I was fascinated with the land iguanas. There are different kinds, all beautiful in their own way and great posers for some sketches. Sea lions sleeping under a cactus, what can I say?

One more iguana, sea lion and a red footed boobie. The emblem is for the National Park Marina Reserve. They say you can leave the islands but the islands never leave you. A wonderful memory forever.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Tom's and Miss Penny

2011-08-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

Look Penny, they are finished! My dear friend, Penny bought a pair of cream colored Tom's for each us to tangle. She finished hers way before me but I finally finished mine.

It was a little tricky but we took our time working with the micron pens over the bumpy surface. Surprisingly enough I had a better time filling in the initial darks with the 01 as it could get the sides of the threads. Signed and Scotch-guarded of course.

I wore them today for the first time, sadly it was at the memorial gathering to celebrate this cherished woman. Every time I wear them it will be in honor of her spirit which I will gather with me and carry on. Thank you my friend, I know you are smiling down on me with that approving look from heaven.

Another Visit to Irvine Park

2011-08-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, another beautiful and fun day at Irvine Regional Park. The sun was out and there was a wonderful breeze again today. After Yukun and I took our little walk, I took my chair over by the Zoo and sat to sketch this scene. I took it back to the group to paint it and picked up some little treasures along the way. There were seven of us today and we all enjoyed the outdoors and a picnic lunch with each other.

5" x 7" Robert Bateman Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

There was a group of kids at the park with Peace Camp. Three years ago while sketching at the park a group sat in front of us to eat their lunch. I loved their logo and sketched it my book. When I saw another group of Peace Campers today I shared my page from 2008 with them. One of the camp leaders asked if I could send him a copy which I did. I took that as a nice compliment!

5" x 7" Robert Bateman Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

More Playing Around

2011-07-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

Here's....Tripoli! It was introduced as the new grid in town. This is as big as I have gotten with the grid as I am having trouble keeping it even. Beside that little problem it is very fun to play with. Once you get the grid of triangles you can fill in the triangles with other patterns and get wonderful secondary patterns. I will just have to play more to get the grid pattern down. Gabby and I figured out the center cluster needs to be even to start.

Pepper is fun, they look like peppermint candies. I really need to push this one a little more and see where I can take it. I like flipping the stripes in an elongated area.

Rick's Paradox is a must to play with. So cool! When adding an adjacent triangle you have a choice in which direction you start in that triangle. Go one way you get the first cluster, go the other way and you get the second. There are six triangles in each cluster. The square looked really hard but nope it's not.

This is the first one I've done!
skinny, skinny, skinny, fat

9" x 12" Sketchbook
Pen

Playing with Mooka

2011-07-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

My friend, Sharla, recommended to our ZenFriend group to work in a bigger sketchbook to explore tangles. So I took my 40% off coupon to Michael's and got a new sketchbook just for zentangles. My first two pages are playing with Mooka, which is a continuous line pattern.

It amazing how just "playing around" can produce some pretty fantastic stuff if I do say so myself. It really helps to build muscle memory so the pattern becomes easy to do. When you don't have to think about the way to do the tangle your creativity is unleashed and allowed to run free.

Zentangle Sketchbook
9" x 12" Pen

Summer Painters at Irvine Park

2011-07-21T00:07:00.000-07:00

Our little summer painting group met up again today. This time we went to Irvine Regional Park. It was a most glorious day with sunshine, shade and a great breeze. Sharon and I started with sketching part of the stone walls and then I found lots of interesting bits and pieces of the park. The one little insect decided he liked my little paint palette. Ann worked on a upo watercolor and Yukon made up a landscape composed of different elements including Ann! Sack lunches and lots of laughter made for a great day, so much so we are going back to the park in two weeks.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Playing in the Dirt

2011-07-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

I try to do a little art everyday. Well, yesterday I played in the dirt making some dish succulent gardens. A zen kind of art thing, so I thought I would post them.
This silver rimmed crystal cut bowl has a big crack running through it, now it is a new kind of vessel. I like the juxtapose of the elements.

I received some thank you flowers in this little bowl and thought the shape was nice for another little garden. I placed a little pine cone from my studio in the middle though I am not sure where I picked it up maybe in Alaska.

Sarah and Pedro gave me this little treasure for Mother's Day but two of the plants grew too big for the orb so I replanted it which was not an easy thing to do. Thank goodness for chop sticks! As you can see one of the plants is blooming so I pulled the bloom out the little hole on the top. Hopefully I won't have to replant it very often.

Painting Group at the Arboretum

2011-07-07T23:36:00.000-07:00

It was a very warm day at the Fullerton Arboretum but a few of us braved the heat and humidity for art. There always seems to be a breeze and lots of shade but silly me, I ventured out to the cactus garden to capture a few of these beauties. In two weeks on July 20th we are meeting at Irvine Regional Park.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Euhla's Backyard

2011-06-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and so our little band of Summer Painters has started our group get togethers. Last week we all gathered in Euhla's backyard with art supplies in hand. She has a beautiful garden with lots of interesting things to sketch. We meet every two weeks and next week we are off to the Fullerton Arboretum, anyone want to come and play? Weds. July 6th 10:30 a.m. on the grass by the gazebo and Victory Gardens.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Ito Jakuchu Exhibit

2011-06-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

Friday I went with some friends to our little Bowers museum to see the Ito Jakuchu exhibit. Ito was born in 1715 in Japan, was a monk and did scroll and screen paintings. It was a great show and only the first half! It is now closed but the second half opens on June 18th. Most of his screen paintings had what he called an absence of color. It was interesting trying to capture the brush strokes with my micron pen. Yukon actually did a little brush painting of a crane in the lower right corner.

The scroll paintings had lots more color. Andora wanted me to try the tiger so I did. He looks a little juvenile even though he was an adult male. I'm not sure I have the colors right on the lobster but I like him. The bougainvillea branch was from our flowers at lunch at the museum restaurant, Tangata. Very yummy lunch, good company and an excellent exhibit, well that equals a great day in my sketchbook.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

South Pacific

2011-06-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Bowers Museum had an exhibit from the South Pacific. It had lots of very interesting, somewhat barbaric but very beautiful things to see. There was also this wonderful music, drums and sounds of the forest playing as you walked around. I think I walked the exhibit three or four different times. I'm never disappointed with Bowers.

Robert Bateman Sketckbook 5" x 7"
Pen and Watercolor

Sketching with Kari

2011-05-31T20:37:00.000-07:00

On Sunday my new friend, Kari and I went to Armstrong
Nursery to do some sketching. It was Kari's first time out and she did just swell. It was a little cold with some wind but we didn't care and we followed it with a warm lunch. Thanks Kari for a fun day.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook 5" x 7"
Pen and Watercolor

Ode to Apple!

2011-04-10T12:49:00.001-07:00

I haven't been away but my computer has, actually it never came back! Hurray for AppleCare! My LCD screen went partial dark and I took it into Apple to get it fixed on the extended AppleCare program. Fixed the screen but there was a problem with the fans which they couldn't fix. So new computer and an upgrade at that! Buy AppleCare it is well worth it. This other tile is just playing around with tangles.

3.5" zentangle tile and pen

Zentangle Coasters

2011-03-15T23:17:00.001-07:00

My daughter told me I had to make zentangle coasters so here they are! I went to Lowe's and bought a small box of 4" x 4" filled traverine tiles.

Using my 01 micron pen I tangled on the tiles. Then I gave them a few coats of matte spray on front, back and sides. I also bought a roll of cork drawer liner, the peel and stick type. I cut the cork a little larger than the tiles and peeled and stuck them on the back. Next using a sharp box cutter I trimmed the cork backing along the edge of the tile. It was tricky to get a good picture with the finish but they are really cool in person. Drink anyone?

Merci Mari

2011-03-01T12:50:00.001-08:00

My dear friend and sketching mentor, Mari Le Glatin Keis, lost her battle with cancer in January. A celebration of her life will be held this weekend in Corvallis, OR. Friends and participants of her many workshops were asked to contribute a page for a sketchbook to be assembled for the family. I took four trips with her and my page represents these great captured moments with Mari. She not only was a great influence on my art and it's process but also how I now live my life everyday. Merci Mari.

Official CZT!

2011-02-27T14:09:00.000-08:00

I am now an official "CZT"! A "what" you may ask. I am a Certified Zentangle Teacher. Just returned from the CZT workshop in Boston with Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts.

Zentangles are a meditative, repetitive art form and they are fabulous. There are a lot of tanglers out there but I got to learn from the original tanglers.

You can check out the story of Zentangles and Maria and Rick at www.zentangle.com

You can also find a CZT in your area. I'm in Orange County, CA if anyone wants to try your hand at this wonderful art form. It is fun, relaxing and beautiful.

Anything is possible, one stroke at a time.

3.5" x 3.5"

Zentangle Tile

Sukura Micro Pen

Aloha from Hawaii

2011-02-20T12:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, my sister Nancy and I were warming our bones in February! We stayed with great friends, Mark and Cristi, in Kailua on Oahu. In ten days I only managed these two pages, but we had a fabulous time.

We swam, snorkeled with dolphins, walked the beach, watched turtles and whales and ate many a fine meal. One day after a storm we drove to the North Shore to see the big waves. We stopped and did a little beach combing and found these interesting seed pods.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Black and White

2011-01-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

These are some more pages from the Sketchbook Project. I thought I would post all black and whites this week. Though the scans have some yellow from the sketchbook pages. A Zentangled Faberge Egg seemed like a good combo.

This one is my version of a beta fish minus the lovely colors.

He needed a little more so I added the bands of Zens.

On this page I traced two of the zentangle 3.5 squares and did the more traditional Zentangle format. These little guys are so fun and you can see I have started breaking the borders which I am so fond of doing.

Pen in Moleskine Sketchbook

Sketchbook Project Finished!

2011-01-17T18:22:00.001-08:00

Yes, 30 pages completed! I really enjoyed this project though at times I was a little stressed about it and getting it done. Thought I would share a few more pages. This cork from a special dinner with daughter and her husband is actually stamped with "dedicated to the art" Sarah said I had to keep this one.

Don't remember how this page got started but when you draw one caterpillar you just have to keep going. They are such fascinating little things, destructive I know, but fascinating just the same. I like this page a lot.

A local artist does these Spirit Keeper dolls. I have always loved them and so decided to sketch a few of my own. Maybe someday I will actually construct one. They are always so calm and serene to me. Comforting.

Sketchbook Project

Pen and Watercolor

Sketchbook Project

2011-01-09T11:57:00.001-08:00

Yes, I too got involved with the Sketchbook Project with the Brooklyn Art Library. It's getting down to the deadline date and I am still working on it but thought I would take time to share a few pages with you. Who doesn't like a blue mannikin?

I have also been seduced by Zentangles! Grids and Zentangles, why it seemed like a perfect match to me.

These little whimsical hangy things just came to mind. Just little pieces of colors and shapes. Wood, glass, plastic, ceramic... I don't know, I'll let you decide.

Sketchbook Project Moleskine

Pen and Watercolor

The Last of 2010

2011-01-02T11:24:00.001-08:00

I am starting 2011 by finishing 2010. These are some sketches that I never posted. I went with my sister, Nancy to her friend, Paige's home and sketched around the house while they had their meeting.

My other sister, Lynette and I went sketching with an other sketching friend, Sydney. We ended up at the Treasure Barn which had some cool stuff but really had a lot of junk. We did managed to find something to sketch, Mari would be proud.

http://www.artraveljournals.com/

In June a group of us went back to the Fullerton Arboretum, our favorite summer haunt. I love all the great flowers, fruits and veggies. It is always a great relaxing day with good friends.

On this day a man was picking some blackberries in his patch and we told him we were the official berry tasters. He had a bumper crop this year and gave us a big bag of the juiciest berries! I dabbed my page with the juice from the bag. A surprise addition to our sack lunches.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Last of the China Sketches

2010-12-23T13:17:00.001-08:00

This page is from temples, restaurants, museums and what not. The horse and rider was a large brush painting and I added color to the flower which was a stone block. The orange shape is a carrot garnish from lunch.

We went up the mountain to the Kumbum Tibetan Monastery. No cameras but I was ready to sketch. My favorites are the door knocker with the silk scarves, the cubbies holding the prayer scrolls and the monk's

"Happy Face" kneeling rug, no really!

Then we went to the Tibetan Medicinal Museum which was quite interesting. There were walls of dried plant displays. The red silk banners and colorful tassels were hanging around most of the room.

Next was the Tea House in Mei Jia Wu village. Only the top two leaves with a little growth at the top are picked for the emperor's tea. The more mature the leaves the lower quality of tea. Then on to West Lake for a stroll and boat ride.

In Hangzhou after the lake we visited the Lingyin Temple. Yin and Yang, incense, pagodas, and lots of lotus and bats designs. I am amazed I only sketched 13 pages in 21 days. Not quite up to par for me but a grand trip and memory.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

China Sketches

2010-12-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

Here are some bits and pieces from displays at the Xinjiang Museum in Urumqui. From musical instruments, jewelry, flint and a colorful tobacco bag. It was great to see all the cultural influences.

These images are from the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. There were all these amazing rooms with statues, carvings and walls full of frescos. Buddhas, buddhas everywhere. And look, I found the post office all by myself and somehow walked out with two cancel stamps.

Just another crazy white lady.

The Gobi desert was very interesting. We walked on the sand to an oasis with a beautiful pagoda and then took a short, thank goodness, camel ride. This section of the great wall is mud and reeds and is thousands of years old. I saved my camel ride ticket. Camel #317

The bus helped me paint the Yadan landform. The bumpy ride was great for uneven colors. The rest of the images are sections of the walls, roofs, pagodas and tiles of places we visited. This was a real "sketchwalk", I had to sketch while I walked to keep up.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook 6" x 9"

Pen and Watercolor

China Sketches

2010-12-17T17:27:00.000-08:00

I took a trip to China with a great group of people this last October. A little behind in my posting...okay a lot behind! We were there for three weeks and followed part of the Silk Road from Beijing to Shanghai. It was quite a trip.

We did a quick walk around the Olympic Venue in Beijing and then on to the Great Wall. I admit I didn't climb very high but it was amazing. The locks are placed on a chain on the wall by lovers. Many of them are engraved and don't have a key hole. Now, that's commitment.

These are some antique hairpins, a sketch of Heavenly Lake and a building from the ancient city of Jiaohe. While I was doing the building a Chinese tour came by and took lots of photos with me and gave me "Thumbs up".

This is me sketching Heavenly Lake. I actually got to sit and sketch for a few minutes. Most of the time we were on the move and going in one way and out another so sketching was a challenge.

There is a large well irrigation system in Turpan. These were objects on display in Karez. The bird sketch is a fresco in the Astana Tomb. There were four different birds but I only managed to capture one of them.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook 6" x 9"

Pen and Watercolor

Silk Road Exhibit

2010-04-26T23:46:00.000-07:00

Back to Bowers Museum this time for the Silk Road Exhibit from China. It is a very interesting exhibit with lots of things to sketch. Would you believe Plum Blossom Desserts from the 7th century! Or an eyebrow pen and ink stone from the 2nd. How about a hair comb that is over 3000 yrs. old.

This is part of a child's silk robe from the 2nd to 4th century. I was really drawn to the color blocking and full sleeve. The mirror bag was also very colorful, I like the scrappy fringe. This wooden comb is well over 3000 years old. Amazing it is still in one piece.

These carved wooden figures were very interesting. They are wrapped in cloth held in place by wooden sticks. One had earrings and a simple carved face and the other just a face with painted lines. The carved female figure had just the remnants of cloth over the body. She looked great for being just over 3800 years old!

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Yikes! It's been awhile....

2010-04-25T13:34:00.001-07:00

Although I haven't been posting, I have managed to do a few sketches here and there. In January during our big "Storm Watch" Yukon, Lisa and I sketched inside while the rain come down outside. These little ceramic pieces are from Yukon's collection of chop stick rest. I always look through them on every visit and took this chance to sketch them.

In February, my friend Elizabeth and I drove down to Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar. It was a beautiful sunny yet still cool day and there is always lots to sketch at the gardens. I bravely attempted a turtle in a pond but unfortunately it was from a very bad angle. I did apologize to him as I left.

In April "TAL" the Tustin Art League held a two day Paint Out at Linda's house. Yukon called and off we went. Linda's garden was to be on the Garden tour the next week so it was beautiful. I couldn't resist the lovely Irises and they were just perfect for one of my grids.

Give me some rusty metal or some old wood and I am a happy gal. I love trying to get all the wonderful colors and nuances of these two textures. This is a 9 foot tall metal whirligig in Linda's back yard. Somewhat of a challenge as there was a nice breeze and it kept turning but it was lots of fun.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Holidays in Mexico

2010-01-28T09:44:00.001-08:00

Really behind on my postings! These sketches are from a holiday trip to Mexico. Even though I was there for two weeks I only managed a few sketches as we were busy with a wedding, baptisms, troubadors, mariachis, baseball, picnics, dancing, you get the picture. Our family friends have a home in San Pedro in Puebla and this is part of the casita, little house, that is over 120 yrs. old. They use the courtyard to dry the corn.

In one of the rooms of the casita the corn with the husks are laid out to dry. When the husks are dry they are removed and saved for making tamales. Then the corn is moved out to the courtyard. The corn was yellow, red, blue and everything in between. Oh, did I mention they make their own tortillas...yum!

On Christmas day we all walked down to the local baseball field to watch a very loud game between the two rival teams of the town. Cachorros, Cachorros, Rha, rha, rha! Then we went into town and the big market day. Wow, is that ever an eye full. It was challenging to shop and sketch at the same time. Soon the bags became too heavy to try and sketch.

After all the "hub-bub" of the festivities we decided to have a picnic on the mountain. Their version of a picnic is 5 cars, 40 people, 2 bar-b-que grills, tables, chairs, and don't forget the gas generator for the two foot speaker. In Mexico, there must be music! I did manage to capture some of the beautiful wildflowers on paper.

We left Puebla and headed for Queretaro and the home town or I should say village of my son in law, Barrio Santa Maria. It was great to meet his family and spend a week with them. Once again I didn't manage to sketch very much but I was able to spend a little time around the courtyard trying to capture the whimsy of his mother's garden. All in all a fabulous trip. Can't wait to go again, soon I hope!

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Everything Landscape

2009-12-17T14:40:00.001-08:00

We had our final critique today in my Experimental Drawing class. One of the assignments was an Everything Landscape. Everyone added an item to a list and we had to incorporate all 29 items into a drawing. I approached it as a large sketchbook page. This is the final outcome. It is 26" x 58" I did the initial drawing in pencil, then added ink lines and watercolor. It was a very interesting assignment.

Can you find the 29 items?

Costa Rica: Last and Favorite Pages

2009-11-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

These are my favorite pages from Costa Rica. I had so much fun walking and sketching in the botanical gardens. I really enjoyed overlapping flowers, plants and vines. It was also great fun adding all the lush colors.

This page is from the Corcovado Nat. Park. All the flowers are so interesting and beautiful. The hanging white flowering vines were fascinating. Too bad my camera focused on the trees behind it. Oh well, I guess the sketch will have to do.

In this photo my camera did a great job, focusing on the flower and not the background! It is a type of hanging hibiscus. So delicate. There are so many spectacular plants and flowers.

This is the fruit of the "Lipstick" tree. If you flip the open seed pod over it looks like big old lips. The outside of the pod is spiky but soft not pokey and the inside is hollow with seeds that are full of a red staining liquid. I used it to paint a little in my sketchbook.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

More from Panama and Costa Rica

2009-11-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

We spent two days in the Coiba National Park. We walked along a very muddy trail and saw some wonderful plants, birds and animals. We also spent two great afternoons swimming and snorkeling.

My favorite was Islote Granito de Oro; the little grain of gold. It was a very small beautiful little island. There were thousands of hermit crabs and interesting things to sketch. While snorkeling I spotted a silver tipped shark. Sorry, no time for a sketch.

Pieces of the forest on a hike with Roger and Rudy. More mud and more fun! No, the pelicans were not in the forest, I added those later on the beach at Manuel Antonio. As I swam they were diving and feeding all around me. More fun!

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Panama-Embera Village

2009-11-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

One of our stops was at the village of the Embera. They welcomed us with music and many smiles. This is a sketch of the shaman's house, he is 105 and looking great! As I worked in my book a little boy came up and was watching me. I gave him the pen and asked him to draw me a flower.

He had just started school and had a little trouble to start but soon got used to the pen and finished his flower. Then I gave him the water brush and my paints. When he finished I had a group of the village children around me so I quickly drew the bar of triangles and circles.

It was interesting that 3 of the 4 children picked the circle to paint but looking at their body paintings I realized most of the designs were lines and geometric shapes so maybe the circles were appealing to them. Unfortunately we had to leave before the page was filled.

I got a band painted on my forearm by one of the village woman and it has faded away after about 12 days and I am sad.

The Embera are a lovely, beautiful, friendly and very happy people. It was an honor to spend the afternoon with them. Something I will remember always.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Panama and Costa Rica

2009-11-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

Just returned from a great time in Panama and Costa Rica. I went on a cruise with Cruise West. It is the second time I have cruised with them and it was so much fun. We stopped at the Miraflores visitor center which is one of the locks of the Panama Canal. One of the rooms had a display of wonderful insects. I wish I'd had more time as they were fabulous.

Our first stop after boarding the ship was in Portobelo. Tons the gold and silver for the King of Spain passed through this tiny port. It has tons of history as well. There is new music school and these guys were added recently. The town also is host to a large vulture population.

The next day we went through the Panama Canal. Wow, what a wonder that is! It took us about 7 1/2 hrs. to transit the canal. We were lucky and got to start the trip in the afternoon so we saw the workings in the daylight and the dark. We were the 24th transit of the day and traveled with the Ulusoy-9 out of Istanbul. What a way to start our adventure!

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

A few more from France

2009-10-09T08:58:00.001-07:00

Here are the last pages from my trip to France. This first one is a grid of some, just some, of the things I bought in the different villages. Fun things to remind me of a great time.

The second to the last day we went to Gordes and my legs just didn't want to do another hilly village so I made my way to the town square. I decided to work on people and gestures. I was pleased with this page and it was fun.

The very last day a few of us went back to Rousillion for the morning. I tried to work looser and did a few more people. I love looking back in my sketchbook as it puts me right back in the moment. Now where is that ice cream man?

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Race for the Cure

2009-09-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

Today was the Orange County Race for the Cure in Newport Beach. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Early detection is very important. Have you gotten your mammogram? Here is my number and pink hat. I am a breast cancer survivor, 16 years and going strong.

Here is Liz and myself after the race. We walked the 5K in one hour and were very proud of ourselves. It is amazing to walk with so many others in support of this very important issue. My favorite T-shirt of day?

"Yes they are fake, my real ones were trying to kill me!"

A Day with Marta

2009-09-23T23:33:00.000-07:00

Lucky me, I got to spend a wonderful day at the beach with Marta. We had a great little lunch and then took our chairs, umbrella, sunscreen and of course our sketchbooks down to the water's edge. The weather was lovely especially as the temp at home was 100 degrees.

It was so nice to relax, chat and sketch on the beach. We munched on frosted animal cookies, a beach staple I am told and even gave our feet and legs a cool dip in the water. Thanks for the invite Marta, it was a fun and refreshing afternoon.

Last week I ventured out to Central Park in Huntington Beach with a group of painter friends. I could only stay for a little while and just did this little sketch. I hope to make a few more Tuesdays with the group, they are a great talented group.

I did this sketch while sitting out by the pool in Ensenada, B.C. Mexico. It was either this or people in their swimsuits and that involved way too much information.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Goult, Saignon and Viens

2009-08-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

This windmill complete with it's sails was in Goult, another lovely village. We noticed around town there were sculptures made out of trees that had died. They were very interesting. In one of the houses there was a very modern looking window without shutters and in it was this very interesting collection.

Saignon was another village built on a hill of rocks. The buildings were set at different angles making it challenging but also easier to sketch as the prospective was not the same. I added the vine flower at a cafe in the square and decided the page was finished.

Lucky me, I was invited into another lovely home in Viens. The husband saw me sketching and fetched his wife who is an artist. I got the grand tour of their home to see her paintings. I guess I just must have one of those faces! Don't forget to ask for a postal stamp. I think they add so much to the page.

My profile pic was taken of me sketching this broken down wagon turned into plant station. I know my prospective is off some but it was fairly rickety. It was a longer day in Viens so we had a picnic lunch and one small uninvited but interesting guest.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

More France Sketches

2009-08-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Lucky us, we got to go to four market days. The array of goodies was amazing. Clothes, spices, honey, flowers, books, jewelry, hats, food. The colors, sights and sounds were something to remember. Much better than a mall!

On this day we went to Rousillion where the village is surrounded by ochre. You can walk through excavation sights for 2 euros. Did you know they heat the ochre to get darker colors for pigments? It is a wonderful village with lots to see and sketch and yes, a little shopping too.

This poor old girl was put out to pasture, literally. One day it was cooler as the mistrals and a storm was approaching so I walk down the road a ways to sit and sketch her. It was challenging but fun. She was actually white but well you know it was Provence and lavender time.

Bits and pieces, that's what I call pages like this one. A balcony, the window from the dining room, a metal shop sign, more door handles. I just fill it up with little things I see.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Provence Sketches

2009-08-07T14:08:00.001-07:00

My "ode" to the lavender fields. David took us to the fields where we were able to sit along the lavender and sketch. The rows are very rounded and at harvest time the mowers come and give them a hair cut leaving them with a "green" buzz cut!

I sketched this door in Saint Saturnin on Bastille Day. The door was actually brown but Fran said, "Well, we are in France and it's lavender time." So I painted the door lavender. The metal key is a door knocker that I bought that day at the village's "Clean out your attic day sale", and the metal cricket was on the mantel in my room.

As I sat and sketched this lovely little Citroen, it's owner, Patrice, came by to chat. He gave me his name and address in Paris so I can send him a copy of it. His wife, Katarina, came out and they invited me to see inside their summer house. I would have loved to sketch their little kitchen but alas they were going for a hike.

I can't help myself, I see the details. The little yard sketch was my view from my window. Every morning as I opened my shutters it was breath taking. So peaceful. The door handles around the house were so interesting, I decided to seek out different ones and sketch them. And there's Gloria in her blue chair, sketching in Sault.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Time in Provence

2009-08-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a fabulous trip to the south of France. We were a group of twelve artist and stayed at Les Bassacs in Provence with David and Liz. Check them out if you are looking for a trip involving art. Great hospitality and the food was fantastic. Very organized.

One day they took us out to the lavender fields to

paint and as lovely as they were I was captivated by a grouping of wild flowers and the way they were twisted and woven together. Of course a perfect place to use the all ready prepped grid page.

Saint Saturnin des Apt is the closest village to Les Bassacs. David goes into the village every morning to get our daily supply of fresh breads. This windmill complete with sails sits above the village. The closed window shutters are from the main house at Les Bassacs.

We spent one very warm day in Sault complete with picnic lunch. The village overlooks the splendid lavender and wheat fields. They were a beautiful patchwork of golds and purples. I first drew the hollyhocks and did my interpretation of the hills. We all liked the composition and white hollyhocks so I decided to leave them without color. Lots more to come.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Samurai Exhibit

2009-06-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

Back for a visit to our great little Bowers Museum. This time I went with Penny to view the Samurai Exhibit. As you entered there were two cases with the Samurai Armor, I don't know how they could move let alone ride a horse in all that gear. It was fun but challenging to sketch one with all the layers and textures.

There were beautiful swords and mountings. Most of the handles were made of shark skin which were very bumpy. Oh, how I wanted to run my fingers over it! These beautiful little cases were for medicine, held closed by the cord they had layered compartments. They eventually became fashion statements.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Sketches of Spring

2009-06-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

I got a new computer and it took awhile to upload files and photos and then figure out the new scanner but I'm back!

This first sketch is from Ensanada. Cactus, aloe, flowers and vines. The rooster is a metal sculpture that was on the garden wall.

My friend, Liz and I went down to the mission in San Juan Capistrano one fabulous spring day. The sun was out, it was warm and the flowers and cactus were beautiful. The hand stamp that day was the blue bell so I asked for one in my book and turn it into the El Camino Real bell.

On another beautiful Sunday, my friend, Penny and I went down to Carlsbad to the flower fields. It is so awesome to see the fields of color. They also have a sweet pea maze which we stood on the outside and sketched some peas. The little stamps are from different areas of the fields where kids can stamp their "passport". We got the maze, the rose garden, art station and of course the runnuculas.

5" x 7" Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Boxes

2009-05-26T23:02:00.001-07:00

The semester is almost over in my experi- mental painting class. The third project was Boxes. This was a box with a very rustic finish that I added some mixed media ATCs to the outside and inside of the box and then did some groupings in each of the cubbies.

I found the little aliens in tubes of slime at Target and couldn't resist them. All of the other objects have personal meanings and represent something in my life. The yellow smilely face guy was from an Arby's kid meal about 25 years ago. It was fun to play with all my little momentos.

This "box" is a shrine or collection holder. It is made out of foam core, covered in rice paper, painted and collaged. The idea was from the book, "Crafting Personal Shrines" by Carol Owen. It was great fun to put together and decorate.

The box in the center was a notecard box with a magnetic closure. I added the little shelf.

I was surprised how sturdy it turned out to be. A group of my friends and I are planning a "shrine making workshop this summer". What would you put in your shrine?

Washington DC

2009-05-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

Went to Washington DC to visit my son, Jason, for a week. My friend and travel buddy, Dianne, joined me for the trip. We had a fabulous time, saw the sites, ate way too much great food, walked more miles than I want to count and really enjoyed our time together.

It was Cherry Blossom Festival and boy is that a beautiful sight. On the weekend we went to Georgetown and walked around the Dembarton Oaks Garden. It was sunny day and the gardens were lovely even though a lot of the flowers were not in bloom yet.

We made our way to Jason's apartment on Saturday and he made us a delicious lunch and then we walked around his neighborhood and all the great brownstones. We sat outside at a local coffee place and worked in our sketchbooks.

Thanks Jason and Dianne for a great trip!

Robert Bateman 6"x9"Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Saturday at the Arboretum

2009-03-15T23:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday my friend, Liz and I went to the Fullerton Arboretum for a few hours of sketching. It was still a little cool and even though Spring has not sprung quite yet there were some beautiful flowers. I was happy to see the sweet peas in bloom. They are one of my favorite flowers. They are so soft and delicate and I love their sweet smell.

I think these are snapdragons but the petals had lots of ruffles. The little sculpture was hanging in one of the garden plots. It was the first time Liz had been there and we plan to go back when the weather warms up and the flowers are in full bloom.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

B/W Watercolor Study

2009-03-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

Here is my black and white watercolor study. This was very challenging for me as I really enjoy working with color and I had trouble getting started with layers of greys. All the same it was a good lesson and I should really do more black and white or value studies.

Ah......the list continues to grow.

Here come the Buoys!

2009-03-05T08:46:00.001-08:00

Finally! Finished this last week but couldn't get it posted. One of those "life got in the way of my schedule" things. Once I got the layers done on all the buoys and floats, my background was too light so I added another wash and that really helped. It was a fun assignment. Working on a black and white only still life right now. Not so fun.....yet.

New Painting

2009-02-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

I am taking an Experimental Painting class at our local college, from a friend, Moira. The first assignment was to do a watercolor sampler to learn our instructor's techniques. First, I drew out a grid and painted the rectangles pale pink with a gradient area at the top. Next I drew in my design skipping over the borders. Here I have started layering my washes. If you can't tell yet, these are lobster buoys and glass floats. More to come......

Back to Bowers

2009-01-18T10:27:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I went to Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. They have an African Exhibition called "passages". There are wonderful photographs, films, masks, clothing and jewelry. I seem to be intreged with masks these days and figured they would go nicely in a grid. There was also a storyteller, sharing old stories from different tribes.

There were many beautiful carved statues and adorments for masks and containers.

The applique squares are from a ceremonial garment which really seemed to be a tent as you couldn't see anything of the person inside.

The jewelry was fasinating. These were made with leather, cowry shells, copper and glass beads. I would wear these but couldn't find any in the gift shop.

The mask is a Society Mask but it doesn't look so social to me.

This sketch was done from a large photograph. The veiled dancer was in mid twirl and I loved the flow of her many layers. It was a challenge but I give myself props on this one. I am happy with the results.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Winter Travels

2009-01-10T18:08:00.001-08:00

I spent this Christmas and New Years with my mom and my sisters and their families in Washington. Thanks to Margaret who posted about a great display in Arizon of Dale Chihuly glass, we found an installation of his work in Tacoma, WA. Dale is from Tacoma and there is a lot of his work around the city. We also visited the Museum of Glass in Tacoma and were happy we had made the trip.

Eight of us ventured out early for the two hour ride to Tacoma. The Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Wright Park was host to many wonderful pieces of Chihuly Glass. Planted among the beautiful plants were spectacular colorful blown glass pieces. With the sun shining through the glass of the greenhouse, the sight was truely breath taking.

The next day my sister, Lynette, and I met up with our friend, Sydney, from a previous sketching trip. We went to the Portland Art Museum and spent some time in the Native Art Exhibit. The mask were fabulous and more than a little bit scarry.

I have always been intrigued by the Kochina carvings. Their wonderful shapes and designs are very spiritual for me. And who wouldn't want a Hopi Dance Wand! After sketching we went for, you got it, lunch! It was a great way to spend a very cold day and fun to visit and sketch with Sydney again.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Another Day at Armstrong

2008-12-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my friend, Liz, wanted to try her hand at
sketching. I suggest going to our local Armstrong Nursery and sketching there. We had a great time and she really jumped right in. Way to go Liz!

Of course there are always great plants and flowers but there are also lots of interesting architectural items and fun decorations. It is always so colorful.

And don't forget those fun and funky garden ornaments. I really enjoy putting together interesting things on a page. I end up with some wild compositions and the page tells it's own story.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Last Sketches from Mexico

2008-11-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

Here is the last posting for my trip to Patcuaro, Mexico. We took a boat ride to Isle Janitzio. Instead of a sketchwalk we did a sketch boat ride. This page is things I saw from the boat. It was a lovely sunny day and a great place to sketch.
Bits and pieces of a day in Patzcuaro. The big copper pot was actually on the side of the street and was full of carnitas in the making. The inside was a beautiful copper and the outside was charred black, it was the best pot, seasoned to perfection. The little couple were leaving with their purchase of flowers.
Cheryl and I were lucky to come across some traditional dancing at the town auditorium one night. There were wonderful murals filling all the walls and so the next day we went back and sat in the cool building and sketched some of the wonderful images.
These two lovely ladies graced the reception desk at our posada. I couldn't leave without them in my sketchbook This was a fabulous trip with a wonderful group of new friends. We had many great experiences and fun times. Great meals, cervezas, taquilla, taxi rides, shopping, exploring, creating, laughing and sharing. Thanks to you all, you added greatly to my trip. Mari and Deek, you are the best!

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor and a little Pastel

Dia de Muertos

2008-11-11T18:21:00.001-08:00

While in Patzcuaro, we were able to experience The Day of the Dead. This is a joyous celebration of relatives and ancestors. The street outside our posada (hotel) was where the flower market was set up for 4 days. This truck was over flowing with brilliant purple cockscomb flowers. The flowers just kept coming and coming by the truckloads.
The colors, perfume and amount of flowers was amazing and incredible. I couldn't believe they could all possibly sell but they did. It was overwhelming to think of sketching such a sight, so I fine tuned my eye and zeroed in on smaller aspects of the market.
We visited the panteon (cemetery) in Patzcuaro and boy was it a sight to see! There so much activity as people cleaned and decorated the graves. There was family, music, flowers and laughter. It was beautiful, heart warming and something to remember. This page has bits from 7 different graves.
The next day we visited Tzin Tzun Tzan and the panteon there. There was more activity and candles from the night before. Being overwhelmed again, I concentrated on smaller parts of grave sights and came up with this page. I feel privileged to have been there. Thanks Mari for the opportunity.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Patzcuaro, Mexico

2008-11-09T16:10:00.001-08:00

Just returned from a great trip to Patzcuaro, Mexico. It is in the state of Michoacan. It was another fun filled, wonderful trip with Mari Le Glatin Keis We stayed one night in Morelia and were greeted with music and fireworks, which are put on in the central plaza every Sat. night.

This is my first page done while strolling through the streets of Patzcuaro. Our posada was just across from one of the five or so churches in the town. It had the most interesting, seemingly random bells through out the day. Most times between 24 and 36 bongs!

Lunches we were on our own and we found a great place at La Casita de Rosi. I ate there 5 or 6 times and it was great. A 3 course meal plus dessert for 60 pesos. ($6) Muy rico! I managed to sketch there as well. Rosi was so sweet and liked to practice her English.

A sketch of marigolds with some petals glued right to the page and a colorful clothesline.

We took a boat ride on the Lago de Patzcuaro. We stopped at a small island for a short time and Olive and I stayed on the boat and sketched the shore line.

More to come.

Robert Bateman 6' x 9" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Virtual Sketch for September

2008-09-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

I found an interesting site through someone's blog, Virtual Sketch Date . Every month there is a reference photo posted a week before the dealine. You then sign up on comments and post your sketch on your blog on Sat. and Sunday all the entries are posted at Virtual Sketch Date. I started with contour drawings of the petals, continued from there and added watercolor.

This is the reference photo for Sept. I don't usually sketch from photos so this was a little different for me. It is great fun to see how everyone's sketches are the same but different. Wonder what next month will bring.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Washington Sketches

2008-09-11T22:55:00.001-07:00

After our trip to Astoria I spent more time with my sisters and mom in WA. Saturday we went to the Vancouver Farmers Market. My sister, newphew and I sketched in the park as well as things in the market. It was a great place to work on sketching people.
One of the booths at the market was filled with wonderful birdhouses. I asked Richard for permission to sketch some of his houses, telling him I was a sketcher not a birdhouse builder. He was very generous and yes. His birch and copper houses are specific for each type of bird. They are beautiful and fun to sketch.
Sunday we went to the Lewisville River Park. First I sketched the river, did a blind contour of Emily and watched as Case and Emily crossed the river. Emily only fell in three times. After a snack the three of us went on a sketchwalk in the rain. Yes, more rain....it is Washington afterall.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9" Sketchbook
Ink and Watercolor

A Little More Astoria

2008-09-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

Well, You know me and my grids! I prepped this page with some background color and the grids before we left the B&B for our own sketchwalk down to Pier 39. These were flowers I saw along our way. The purple smear and the blackberries are really the juice of wild blackberries. I also found a few sweet ones to eat.
We stayed at the Benjamin Young Inn with our hostess, Caroline. It was great! Lovely old home, good food and lots of laughs. One morning we had the most delicious scones and she shared the recipe with us. We had our coffee and tea in big china mugs every morning and evening.

We went up to the Column at the top of the hill. You could see down to the water and all around Astoria. It is a beautiful place. We looked through papers and magazines for collaging and I found "Soundings in Fathoms" on an old sea chart. Using a play on words I see it meaning, "Deep Thoughts"

My Sister and I went to Flavel House in town. It is a historical home and museum of Captain Flavel. I walked through the house and sketched things that caught my eye. I am particularly proud of the Mason and Hamlin Organ that stood at the end of the long hall. It was fun sitting on the floor in the middle of the hallway and sketching history.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook 6" x 9"

Ink and Watercolor

Astoria, Oregon

2008-09-04T11:47:00.001-07:00

Another wonderful trip with Mari Le Glatin Keis in Astoria, OR. This time my sister was able to join me and we had a marvelous adventure. We met a great group of women and made new friends and new memories. There was even a great art store we just had to visit, twice. We had some interesting weather, cool and rainy with some sunny breaks, but it is Astoria, 96" of rain a year!

Three of the group lived in Astoria and one of the husbands took us on a motor cruise on his 40' sailboat. It was fun to sketch from the boat for an hour or so. I sketched things from the shore as well as thing on the boat. It was grey, cloudy, blue patches, grey, sun, rain, wind, cloudy, and we sketched away! We never let the weather detour us from our joy of sketching.

His boat was called the Pelican and we had our photo taken as we passed by Pier 39. There is a great little cafe and coffee place on the pier, Coffee Girl, where each group waited while the other cruised. We spend some wonderful times there eating, drinking, sketching and laughing. Their Chai Latte is grand. The old bouy floats were hanging in the corner.

After our motor cruise we met up at another gal's floathouse for our afternoon meet up and appetif. She has a wonderful place with a wrap around covered porch with great sketching opportunities. There was a steady rain so we couldn't sketch the floathouse from the road but we managed things from around the porch. It was quite peacful sketching and hearing the rain on the roof.

Robert Bateman 6" x 9"

Ink and Watercolor

A Week of Sketches

2008-08-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I spent the day at the beach with friends. I did this one sketch of the happenings at the shore. It was a good place to work on my sketches of people. It was fun but looks like I need to keep working! The people are actually very small, only about an inch tall.

Wednesday, I went to Irvine Regonial Park with a couple of friends for sketching and lunch. It was another warm beautiful day with a wonderful breeze coming off the small lake. There was a summer camp group there, all wearing black t-shirts with the "Peace Camp" logo.

My friend, Yukon and I sketched a couple of pages of the same area of the park. It was fun to see the difference of style and technique and how we each captured the moment. While looking for one of Yukon's dropped watercolor pans in the grass, of course it was sap green, I found an interesting piece of broken branch.

Today my friend, Penny and I went to our local Armstrong Nursery to do some sketching. It is a great place to sketch and they were happy to have us there, even offering us chairs as we sat on the ground! We just strolled around and stopped to sketch when something caught our eye.

Not only are there beautiful plants and flowers but many interesting and fun things to sketch including exterior and interior decorations. We only sketched for awhile as it was a hot day but we will definately be going back.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook

Ink and Watercolor

Balboa Island

2008-07-30T07:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I went to Balboa Island with my friend, Dori to meet up with Marj and her group. It was nice and cool and the sun never did burn through the clouds but I still got a little sun. I think there was about ten of us, sketching, pastels and watercolors. This is the Pavillion across the bay. As I was sketching the boat, I looked up and realized that my ship had sailed!
The bay is a great place to sail around in these little sailboats call Sabots. They were stacked all along the beach. The kids take lessons and sail back and forth and around and around. There were lots of kids running up and down the boardwalk and many stopped to see what we were doing and to comment on our work. All good! I couldn't resist the bright geraniums and their crinkley leaves.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Arboretum Sketch Crawl

2008-07-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed the Fullerton Arboretum so much last time, we decided to return yesterday for more sketching. There was a bigger group this time. Eight of us! Sketching, photographs, watercolors and Dori played with her pastels. (Played is an understatement.) Another beautiful day spent with friends.

I worked in my 5" x 7" Robert Bateman sketchbook. I threw some watercolor washes on a few pages, added the grids and was off to the flowers and veggies. I was going to put something different in each grid but this is what I ended up with.

Oh, the joy of just letting it happen! I really enjoy sketching the moment.

Fullerton Arboretum

2008-07-15T19:23:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday Eula, Yukon and I went to the Fullerton Arboretum for some sketching and painting. My mom was here and went with us with her sudoku book. It was a nice warm day with a cool breeze. We brought sack lunches and had a marvelous time. It's a great place with so many wonderful things to sketch. Architecture, plants, animals, ponds and lots of shade.

There are garden patches with wonderful veggies and flowers. I sketched the rhubarb for my mom, one of her favorites. The Cactus and Century plants were in bloom and were spectacular. They have quite the variety of cacti. We are going back on Weds. the 23rd if you're in the area. See you around 10 a.m. at the Victorian House. Just look for sketchbooks and join the fun!

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Road Trip to Carmel

2008-07-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

Road Trip! My kids and I took a road trip up to Carmel for a few days. Here, we are enjoying a great brunch at Casanova's. Of course this included Champagne as well as great food. It was a wonderful fun trip with lots of great food, wine, card playing and time spent together.

We also stayed one night right on the beach in Cambria. Here I am with the Harbor Seals. I would like to go back and stay in Cambria. The town and surrounding area is beautiful. More great food and wine, and massages before we started for home.

Wine tasting on Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. This lovely place has a large garden and patio area. Here is where we found the red table wine we drank at La Bicyclette restaurant in Carmel. It was a very nice close to the afternoon of wine tasting, followed by a great dinner at Wickett's.

Of course, we visited Hearst Castle on the way up. It was a nice cool day to tour the castle and grounds. We also hiked around Point Lobos and went to the Monterey Aquarium.

We were so busy having fun I only managed one sketch. I did this over two days at the Edgemere Cottages in Carmel.

We took my Prius and drove 930 miles on less than 25 gal. of gas. As J said on the way home, "The Prius is the perfect car!" Great trip and memories. Thanks guys. I love you!

San Felipe, B.C.

2008-06-09T13:52:00.001-07:00

This last weekend I went down to San Felipe, Mexico in Baja California with my friend, Levana to help her with her new house. The first night we had dinner at an outside restaurant in town. We bought some souveniers from the locals. The stylized fish is a painted sand dollar and the little turtle and snail have boogalee heads. The blue fish is from the tile in her bathroom. I would have liked to get a postage stamp from town but too late. Oh well, next time.
This sketch is of the fireplace in their living room that her husband, Kelly designed. The weather was warm with a lovely ocean breeze so I went out on the patio and sketched some of the plants around the house. They have a very nice desert landscape.
The next day we walked down to the beach. As we walked along the shore I collected, sea shells, drift wood, feathers and even some crab legs. San Felipe is known for their seafood. Levana had never seen a sand dollar and I found a group of them left on the sand by the tide. We took the collection back to her house and I layed out a "sea life" still life. A very fun weekend.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Recent Sketches

2008-05-22T12:26:00.001-07:00

When I was up visiting my sisters in Washington I did some sketches . I started with the grid and added the made up green vines. The dragon fly, sunflower plaque and bird or in this case the "squirrel" feeder were from her yard. I added the pussy willows to bring the whole design together. Artistic license I guess.
Lynette has some great Christmas cacti which were still blooming in April. It was a fun sketch with all the sections and blossoms. I started on the left side and soon realized I didn't have room for the largest bloom so I decided to add a box and move the bloom into view.
While I was drawing my nephew, Case got out his sketchbook and we worked on some contour drawings to help his skills. It was a pencil drawing so after I got back home I added the grid and then the flowers and beads to fill up the page.
My friend, Nancy and I sat one afternoon to play in our sketchbooks. Nancy sketched some of the plants out of my kitchen windows. I set up a still life with a couple of silk tulips and a ceramic tea pot. It was dark by the time we were finished. Time can pass so quickly when you are having fun with a friend.

Robert Bateman 5" x 7" Sketchbook
Ink and Watercolor

Columbia River Take Two

2008-05-08T13:11:00.001-07:00

These are rest of my sketches from the Columbia River cruise with my mom. Man made Stonehenge in Oregon. In Astoria there are these brillant green pilings in the water. They are covered with algae or moss and are beautiful in the sunlight.
Always ask if they have a stamp. I like the addition they make to my pages. This page is bits and pieces at the Museum of the Columbia River Gorge. The wooden carved sturgeon was about 10 ft. long. Yikes!
At the Maryhill Museum there were two rooms of chess sets. They were very stunning, eveything from art deco, golds and silvers to ivory and wooden carved sets.
The last day of touring was at Fort Clatsop and the Maritime Museum in Astoria. I tied all my sketches together with strands of coloful glass trading beads. It was a fun trip. I will definately plan a cruise with Cruise West in Alaska.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook 6"x 10"
Pen and Watercolor

Columbia River Cruise

2008-05-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

My mom and I took a riverboat cruise on the Columbia River with Cruise West. We had a great time and met some wonderful new friends. The cruise was based on the history of the area, the river, the native tribes, Lewis and Clark and the flora and fona. I had a great time finding lots to sketch on our many stops. There are four locks on the Columbia and four more on the Snake.
I really like the way this page turned out. I don't plan out a whole page when I start sketching but continue on until the page is full. The sketch of the fish was copied out of Clark's journal.

The chains and ropes were for the gangplank and were tied up outside our cabin. I liked the design that they formed and had to sketch them. We got to see many petroglyphs, which are carved and pictographs, which are painted. The figures and animals have so much character.

After the gangplank was used the ropes and chains were tied differently and so I sketched them again.

More petroglyphs and pictographs. We took a jet boat ride on the Snake River and at one of the stops there was a cold or root cellar. As I was sketching a very cold wind was blowing and I was shaking which added the roughness to the stone wall.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook 6" x 9"

Pen and Watercolor

Sherman Gardens

2008-04-12T11:07:00.001-07:00

Spent a lovely day with Toni yesterday. We visited a very cute boutique in Newport Beach and then had a nice lunch at Sherman Gardens in Corona Del Mar. After lunch we took a short stroll around the gardens and I managed to do one quick sketch before we had to leave. Last week I had a bit of a tussle with a valence as we were taking it down and broke my index finger. It's not a bad break but it does make things a little slower and challenging. This was my first attempt at sketching with two fingers hooked together. As Tim would say, "Carry on!"

Robert Bateman Sketchbook
Pen and Watercolor

Fun from Costa Rica

2008-03-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

Everyday Jan Yatsko had a
creativity exercise to get our juices flowing. This one was using a Spanish word that started with a drawn letter. I picked a "U"! I had already drawn the crocodile at the River Tarcoles and decided to go with "ultravioleta" and paint him purple. Without that "U" I never would have gotten a "cocodilla ultravioleta".

Diane and I went up to the cloud forest in San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre River. While hiking we poured water on the rich soil of the trails and I painted the background of this page. Then I added bits of plants from the trails and around the hotel.

San Gerardo de Dota is very popular with the bird watchers. Large groups come to see the numerous

song birds, woodpeckers, hummingbirds and of course the Quetzal. It really is a spectacular bird but who could pass up sketching those "birders", they were almost as entertaining. Can you say, "zip off pants"?

Jan had a bandana on her list of what to bring. We had a great many laughs over the bandana and it's possible uses. I actually came to rely on that bandana in my pocket and have bought three more since returning home. I was enchanted by the silhouettes of the trees covered with moss, vines and bromeliads. These bromeliads are the epiphyte variety that attach themselves to the trees. They don't cause any harm to the host trees. I loved the different varieties.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook Pen and Watercolor.

More from Costa Rica

2008-03-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more of my sketches from Costa Rica with Jan Yatsko . This one was a creativity exercise called draw your breakfast. It was a fun challenge. I don't think I have ever drawn sliced fruit. Do you know how many colors are in a slice of papaya? And how good in pineapple jam?
We spend a day with the Maleku, an indigenous tribe of Costa Rica. There are only about 600 in the tribe and they teach their children the Maleku language and Maleku customs in school. We took a walk through their rain forest. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the medicinal plants and we tasted and smelled many of them, most of them were not enjoyable! As we were leaving the rain forest we got the added blessing of being rained on. It was the best, I loved it!
After a very satisfying lunch made by our guide's wife, we were treated to their fire ceremony called: God, Nature and Man. It was a beautiful ceremony with fire, words, song and dance. Afterwards we all got the chance to dance with them aound the fire. It was a great experience.

Returning to our hotel, I walked the gardens and quickly sketched some of the flowers. At the fire ceremony we were given the words to the prayer in English. I used these two pages to write these words in my sketchbook. This was one of my most favorite days in Costa Rica. I will always remember the Maleku and their generous loving spirit.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook Pen and Watercolor

Costa Rica - Sketch Adventure

2008-03-09T11:36:00.001-07:00

I am back from a fabulous trip to Costa Rica! I
signed up for a sketching tour in Costa Rica with
Jan Yatsko and "Wow" what a great way to see the country. It was a small group of four participants and we had lots of fun, laughter and creativity. Jan does a fantastic job with setting up the tour arrangements and getting those creative and artist juices flowing. This page is the first day around the hotel before dinner.

There were creativity exercises for each day, they were fun and made you think. This page was the result of sitting for 10 minutes and really taking in your surroundings. I awoke one morning to the birds singing. Laying there in the early morning light I tried to separate each bird's song and then translated those sounds into words. Most times you can hear the birds but not see them. The songs seem to be coming out of the trees.

One day we took the tico "local" train to the beach from Atenas. It was a little over two hours and lots of fun on a rickity tickity train with the locals. There was singing and dancing as well as beautiful scenery. A pulperia is a snack shack. We also stopped by a fruit stand on the way back. Did you know you only get one nut from the fruit of a cashew?

Don't forget those postal cancellation stamps.

Jan has a wonderful driver, Adrian. He has been with her for five years and is a wonderful addition to her tour. This is my drawing of our van. I added stickers of some of the places and cities we went to. "ATW" stands for all terrain women as we were ready to go no matter the road! After the tour my friend, Dianne and I spent four more days on our own. We hired Adrian as our driver for our last day and were so glad to spend more time with him. What a gem of a man! Robert Bateman Sketchbook Pen and Watercolor

Fullerton Arboretum

2008-02-18T18:04:00.001-08:00

My friend and sketching buddy, Ginger, is back in town for awhile. We spent a lovely afternoon on Friday sketching at the Fullerton Arboretum. I thought I would sketch more of the plants but the rooster was so colorful and who could pass up a sunbathing turtle.
We followed the path around and found another enticing place to sit for a spell. It was another of the ponds and as we sketched, the water birds and ducks flew in and out making wonderful splashing water sounds. After awhile it was time for lunch and margaritas.
A very enjoyable day.

Pen and Watercolor in a "new" Robert Bateman sketchbook

Remembering Provence

2008-02-13T16:08:00.000-08:00

I found a new magazine, La Vie Claire. I am not a big magazine girl but my good friend, Mari Le Glatin Keis, was interviewed for the Spring 2008 issue. It was a lovely article about Mari, her ideals, and her workshops. The magazine is beautiful with wonderful pictures and articles. It comes out four times a year and is $6.99 an issue. I may have to subscribe to this one. It's a mini relaxing vacation.

Reading about Mari made me remember the very special time I had in Provence with her last October. I decided to post a couple more pages from my sketchbook. These are images from the dining room at the Domaine. We were served breaskfast and dinner in this warm cozy room. I loved the use of the old scale as a place to hold some bright flowers.

This is the last page done in Pont Saint Espirt before returning to Paris and our flight home. One more walk down the lane along the Rhone River to record the wonderful peaceful feeling of this very special place.

I can't wait to join Mari in Astoria, Oregon this August. My sister is joining me on the trip and I know we will have another amazing adventure with Mari. Check out Mari and her wonderful workshops at her website:

http://www.artraveljournals.com/index.html

A Day in Riverside

2008-01-10T17:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah!! I finally got to meet up with Marta ! We met at the Riverside Art Museum for the Watercolor West Show with some of my friends. After we all had lunch, Marta and I stayed a little longer and sketched. We sat on a wall in front of the library and enjoyed the sunshine, a little talking and this pagoda. Mine looks like it might fall down any minute but I assure you it is solid. I ask you, is perspective really all that important? It was a really fun day and Marta and I hope to get together again soon.

Going along with the Asian theme, I decided to post this little sketch from my sister's house in Washington. I like to draw objects but I really need to work on my buildings and structures and that perspective thing.

Only one more page in this Robert Bateman Sketchbook. I already have the next one ready to go.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2007-12-17T18:16:00.001-08:00

Sunday was my birthday but my kids took me to dinner on Saturday. We had a great meal at Bayside in Newport Beach and then went back to my daughter and her husband's place for surprises! Instead of a cake, they got yummy cupcakes from Sprinkles. There was a variety of flavors so we picked four, cut them in quarters and enjoyed a sampling paired with pink champagne.

The apartment was glowing with all the lights and decorations for Christmas. It all made for a very fun, tasty, and might I add classy celebration. Those kids are so clever.

A champagne toast with Jason.

He gave me a very stylish water decanter and glass for my bedroom. Another way to go green, no more plastic bottles on the nightstand.

Cuddles with Sarah and Pedro.

They bought me a new game, "In a Pickle", which we played after the cupcakes. It was lots of fun and we shared many laughs.

A fun birthday night. Thanks guys, I love you.

Sketching at the Zoo

2007-12-05T17:18:00.001-08:00

Nathan and Matthew, my eight year old twin nephews, came for a two day visit. It was an art trip to play in my studio. On the second day we decided to venture out and sketch at the Santa Ana Zoo. Now I thought, "Okay, this is good for maybe an hour." The boys really enjoyed sketching at the zoo and we were there for over two hours. Good job, guys!

It was fun but those critters are not easy to sketch when they are on the move! I think I need a little more practice on animal body shapes.

One of the things the boys were excited about was the fact that I was sketching them while they were sketching. I have heard they have continued sketching. Next time they are over I will have to share some of their drawings. It was great to see their enthusiasm for sketching.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Pen and Watercolor

Graber Olive House with Tania

2007-11-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

I got an email from Tania about a sketching day and of course I was in! Tania teaches botanical drawing and is putting together artists and gardeners in wonderful settings. You can check out the happenings at http://www.artplantaetoday.com/ Saturday we all met in Ontario, CA at the Graber Olive House for a tour of the packing plant and then some sketching. Someone said they thought this was an old olive press. I don't know I just thought it was a big cool rusty thing.

There were some great old pieces of equipment, wagons, bells and stuff around the place. When we first got there at 10:00 a.m. Dori didn't think there was too much to draw and we would be done early, well.......our little group of four didn't leave until 4:00 p.m.

There is nothing like a rusty bell....except for maybe an old broken down wagon......or maybe.....

After the tour and lunch I went on a little sketchwalk. Just strolling around and sketching what ever caught my eye. On the sun dial were the words, "Count only the sunny hours", now I think this has something to do with how one reads the sun dial but what a great philosophy! Another great day with Tania. Thanks to Dori, Kamillia and Levana for following my lead and coming along.

Robert Bateman Sketchbook with pen and watercolor.

More Sketches from Provence

2007-10-29T11:41:00.001-07:00

These are sketches around the domaine on the first day. All the shutters on the doors and windows were this lovely shade of turquoise. I am a real sucker for water pumps.

I still love those grids. They are such a fun way to add those little interesting stippets of the day.
And another waterpump.

The caveau is where you can buy some of that great French wine.

This page is a sketchwalk around the domaine. A sketchwalk is walking around an area with your sketchbook and and doing a quick drawing and then move onto the next interesting thing that catches your eye. No sitting down on this one.

Oh Look! Another waterpump. This one was made into a water fountain. The niche is on the walk of the chartruese. The wall was covered with lots of old vines.

The vines covering these doorways were actually very old grape vines. Another metal sign for a caveau. I couldn't leave France without sketching the vinyard. These were some very old vines outside the chartruese. The colors of the leaves were starting to change.

This is my sketch of a rusty old barge on the Rhone River on the way into town. We walked past this on our way to and from town. On one of the last days I notice the "no anchoring" sign, but I guess it's okay to run aground.

All of these are in my 6" x 9" Robert Bateman Sketchbook with pen and watercolor on prepped pages.

Sketch Trip to Provence, France

2007-10-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

My first trip to France was wonderful and I am so glad it was a sketching trip with Mari.

http://www.artraveljournals.com/ We stayed at the Domaine de la Baume in Pont Saint Espirt in Provence. This page was done on the first day. After prepping pages, the group walked into town together, sketching along the way and of course we got our stamp from the post office in town.
Saturday was market day and what a spectacular feast for the senses. We walked up and down the whole market buying goodies to take home and things to eat along the way. We met up for a little refreshment and to sketch the people as they went by. This was a great exercise in sketching people very quickly.
We visited a beautiful garden of 1001 flowers that is the home of a Swiss couple. It was a wonderful place to sketch a great memory. A local paper sent a reporter to interview Mari and take pictures. We were in the next edition and when we went to buy copies we were recognized as "les Americans". Not too many Americans make it to Pont Saint Esprit. The article mentioned how our visit to the gardens was without photographic equipment. How cool is that?
This sketch was done across the river looking up to the village of Aigueze. It sets at the end of a gorge. I was having trouble with all the vegetation and then remembered Mari's suggestion of doing contour drawings. It really helped a lot with all those bushes and trees. I was happy with the outcome.
These are some sketches of the village of Aigueze, which was named one of the most beautiful villages in all of France. Lovely cobble stone narrow streets and stone archways. It was so quiet and beautiful . We sat down on the doorsteps of homes to sketch across the way. After I sketched the archway I found a postcard of that street and archway. I guess I have a good eye!
This composit page is a day in Villeneuve Les Avignon, another enchanting village. The gang had a great lunch in the town square where a quartet was playing. My drawings of buildings and architecture of the city and the chartreuse have become jumbled into one drawing. Mari made us a lovely dinner. What a wonderful little group we were.

All of these are in my 6" x 9" Robert Bateman sketchbook with pen and watercolor on prepped pages.

San Juan Capistrano Mission

2007-07-31T11:31:00.001-07:00

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!

More from Summer Lake with Mari

2007-06-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some more sketches from my Summer Lake, Oregon trip with Mari and our band of happy sketchers. We really had just too much fun though we all grew individually as people and artist. What a wonderful way to discover the world around us.

The texture of these tree trunks was too good to not sketch. The little bird houses are for the Tree Swallows. There were mom and dad swallows who would time it perfectly and one would leave just as the other would swoop in to watch over the little ones.

The museum at Fort Rock was actually a group of structures which included the doctor's house, church, school and three or four other houses. We could open cupboards and drawers and handle the items in the houses. Just leave them as you found them, how fun is that, you could touch things.

One day is was very cold and windy and Karen and I decided there was quite a lot we could sketch around the lodge. We could sketch outside and then go back inside to sketch and get warm. We were expecting weather in the 80's. The sun was out but the wind was soooo cold that day.

The next day we spent some time at the hot springs and camp grounds. We took a dip in the hot springs to warm our bones and then sketched around the camp before heading into Paisley and then up along the ridge. The hot springs are inside the old barn and the stalls have been made into changing rooms. A slight smell of sulfur but, oh so relaxing!

When our stay at Summer Lake was over I drove back to Covallis with Karen and Janet. We stopped in Silver Lake to sketch and get one more postal stamp.
We stopped in the Klamath Marsh Wildlife Refuge where the marshes and water lillies were amazing. Standing there on the side of the road I was surrounded by the beautiful mountains. Who could pass up one more time to sketch a memory.

Summer Lake with Mari

2007-06-18T11:51:00.001-07:00

I spent a marvelous time in Summer Lake, OR on a five day sketching trip. Our leader was Mari Le Glatin Keis, who is just great! She takes care of the lodging, food and plans for the daily outings. I have linked her web site here on my blog. Check her out, she also does trips to Spain, France and Mexico and she has a book coming out in July.

The wildlife in the refuge was amazing. There are 254 species of birds in the area. Sometimes it was like they were posing for us and other times we were actually sketching on the fly.

Views of the trails, marshes and around the grounds of the lodge. I really like these little grids and the small memories they can give you.

These are all in my 5" x 7" Robert Bateman sketchbook and are ink and watercolor. Mari had us prep pages each morning before setting out for sketch walks. I had never done this before and was greatly suprised to find that when it came time to sketch, the pages were almost perfect. I did add some extra color on top of the prepped pages.

Little framed windows are also a great way to sketch a postcard of the moment. The plants and foliage were also very beautiful. There were wonderful, large irises around the lodge in great colors.

We stopped at the small local post offices each day and ask for a cancel stamp to date our pages. I also added the population of the area on the page. Fort Rock was a whopping 34! We walked part of the Medicine Man's trail, visited Fort Rock, went in the hot springs, sketched in the wildlife refuge and shared our books and many laughs over wine and snacks every afternoon.

I can't wait for Provence in October!

Hortense Miller Gardens

2007-05-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I met up with a new group of gals at the Hortense Miller Gardens in Laguna, CA. The day was set up by Tania from ArtPlantae as a botanical sketching class. First, we got a tour of the gardens and after a quick "get to know ya" lunch we were off sketching.

These hanging garden ornaments were made by Hortense, who is now in her 90's. They caught my eye as soon as we rounded the first corner on our tour.

I was the only non-gardener in the group so I don't know the names of many of the plants but I do know a begonia when I see it. The stringy stuff in the top corner is my poor attempt at Spanish Moss.

As you can see I did make a stop in the potting shed where I also took some photographs of the eclectic shelves.

I should have ask someone the name of this plant. These are not peppers but the buds (I think) of the plant. None of them were open so I am not really sure.

It was a beautiful and fun day with a great group.
Thanks Tania!

All of these are in my Robert Bateman Sketchbook with pen and watercolor.

Flowers and Bowers

2007-05-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

EDM Challenge #76 Flowers

This are my Mother's Day Flowers. The beautiful hydrangea will be planted in my tea garden. The peonys are gorgeous and huge! The flowers are six inches across and a very deep burgandy color, which I had trouble mixing the same color. I thought the grid was a great layout for the flowers.

Pen and Watercolor
Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Bowers Museum
Santa Ana, CA

I met two friends at Bowers Museum for a day of art, lunch and sketching. These are from the Shanghai Exhibit. There were pieces from 5000 years of China history. The pieces were beautiful, detailed and in amazing shape for their ages.
Pen and Watercolor
Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Ansel Adams Exhibit

There was also a great exhibit of Ansel Adams photographs. We took our time looking closely at all the photos and even managed to do some sketching. This is my ode to Ansel.

Water Soluable Graphite Pencil
Robert Bateman Sketchbook

There is also a wonderful Egyptian Exhibit at the museum but we spent so much time on lunch and the other two that we ran out of time. We didn't make it to the gift shop either but the up side is we get to go back!

Aquarium of the Pacific

2007-04-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

My mom was visiting this last week and we took a drive to Long Beach to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific. It is a great place to view the wonders of the sea. I managed to sketch a few interesting bits here and there. This turtle was resting in a corner and posed for me the whole time I was sketching him.

Sea Dragons are the weirdest but coolest little guys. The Weedy Sea Dragon looks like twigs and brown leaves. The Leafy Sea Dragon just looks like a bundle of green leaves. They move around like sea horses, almost a floating dance. Jelly fish are always a favorite, as long as you are not in the water with them. I love watching the beautiful ballet they perform.

Pen and Watercolor

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

EDM challenge # 7

Tins or bottles from the kitchen.

I chose some tins from the pantry and although I liked the drawing it looked a little plain so I poured out some of the mulling spices to give it a more finished look.

Pen and Watercolor

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

EDM Challenges 3 and 35

2007-04-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple more EDM challenges.

I was hoping to catch up but I seem to be falling more and more behind. I guess that's okay as I will always have something to draw. The rusty tricycle is in the art room at the college and looked interesting. I then added the gear/sprocket of a bike.

Pen and Watercolor

This is my favorite ever red leather wallet from Brighton. It is a great little size and can hold a lot.

Pen and Watercolor

The Kokeshi dolls are from an exhibit at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum. They are a form of traditional folk art dating back to about 1830.

Pen and Watercolor

Robert Bateman Sketchbook

Recent Monoprints

2007-04-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of monoprints I have done recently.
The train image is titled, "Midnight Express. This print is the result of inking and printing the plate and then manipulating it and printing again without cleaning it and manipulating and printing a third time. The train, leaves and furrows were cut from file folder and then inked and moved around with each printing.

The flower plate was painted with water based inks. I let it dry completely and then painted it again in different colors. I painted it a total of five times. As prints are pulled from the plate the colors come off in layers, giving me a variety of colors and textures.

Everyday Matters Challenges

2007-04-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

Finally got some of the EDM Challenges done. Number 83 is a local body of water. I went for a bike ride on Saturday at the park. It was a great sunny day and there were lots of people out on the little lake in the rental water bikes. After I rode for awhile, I went back to the car for my sketchbook which I try and take with me all the time now.

Number 40 is something with folds and I decided a beautiful little fan from Japan was perfect for the challenge. Number 106 was sour or tart. I think this simple drawing could use a little more work but I like the simplicity and fresh quality is has.

I bought two Robert Bateman sketchbooks and numbered all the pages, each book will hold 100. This way, I can do all the EDM challenges and have them all together in one place. I've only done about six of them so far.....so this might take awhile.

Previous Trip Journaling

2007-02-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Haven't done anything big lately so decided to post some journal entries from last summer and fall. I go to Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, CO every summer for art workshops. Last year I took my art journal and did a bunch of entries. I love the columbines and the eyes of the aspen trees. These hollyhocks were five feet tall, who could resist.

The last three are from a trans-Canadian rail trip my mother and I took last September. We went from Vancouver, BC to Montreal. It was a nine day trip with lots of stops and museums and such. It was a great time with great people and fantastic food, though the cabins were really really small. Good thing we like each other! We had a wonderful time.

Sketching is a great way to record a wonderful trip.
A camera and photos are great but a drawn memory
is much more personal and meaningful and fun!

Robert Bateman sketchbook--pen and watercolor.

Moleskine Drawings

2007-02-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of drawings in my moleskine book. The old fashion gumball machine is in the ice cream parlor at the assisted living facility where I work with the residents, making monoprints. I drew this as they were busy painting. The other drawing is a modified "What's in my purse?" using the grid layout. Key bob, cell phone and eyeglass bob or necklace. I was going to add more but once I did the eyeglass holder I like the composition. Both are ink and watercolor.

Sunflowers

2007-02-08T23:23:00.000-08:00

Sunflowers do not a have a sweet flowery smell but I thought they would be a nice addition after the skunk story. They were done in my moleskine with ink and watercolor. It is always fun to invert the colors and see what you get. I think the blue sunflowers are spectacular.

Sunflowers

Skunked! Score: Skunk 6 Nina 0

2007-02-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

A skunk ventured into the backyard Sunday night and Nina, the lab-shepard mix, tried to get it. Again, and again, and again. They woke me up with a bang on the wall and then the smell! It was so bad I had to leave. It's been five days and the smell is still around but very tolerable. The groomers said Nina got hit six times. I used five quart size bottles of de-skunk, two cans of air freshener and a whole bottle of vanilla. Mom said the vanilla would help removed the smell so I put saucers of vanilla around the house. As the alcohol of the vanilla evaporates it leaves beautiful golden watermarks and swirls on the plates. Hopefully, Nina has learned her lesson but I know if there were another skunk in the yard, she would go for it again and again and again. I better go buy more vanilla.

Crane: Ballpoint Pen

2007-01-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

Here is another Ballpoint pen drawing. The image of the crane was a photograph from a National Geographic magazine. I did this one day at the Lost Bean, a local coffee and tea shop where I like to hang out. It is amazing how much texture and detail you can get from an 89 cent black pen. I have really learned a lot doing these small 4" x 6" drawings. There is no color added to this drawing, my scanner seems to have picked up some yellow tones.

Trees

2007-01-22T18:38:00.000-08:00

This series of tree drawings were from a drawing class assignment last semester. Each one is 4" x 6" and were drawn using only a black ball point pen. No pencil lines were drawn first so no going back. It's amazing how much variety of value and what depth you can get with an ordinary black ball point pen. I really learned a lot from these drawings and plan on doing more. These were all done from photos. Some of which I took myself. I found that making a black and white xerox of the images help me see the contrast. Layering marks on top of marks, I could achieve the depth and texture I was trying to capture.