Had a leisurely paintout a few weeks ago with a few local friends. It was my turn to organize, so I chose the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden and nearby Rosicrucian Park as the venue.

Most of the roses weren't quite in bloom yet, but the garden was a lovely setting for painting and a picnic on the lawn.





My energy was flagging in the afternoon, so I only managed a quick ink sketch of the trees and succulents in the labyrinth at Rosicrucian Park.

Yes, I'm pretty lucky to be able to go out our back gate, walk along the trail in Santa Teresa County Park, and see this.



It feels simultaneously urban and rural up there. Those agave blooms are so striking against the sky.

As I was going back home, I did a few rapid captures with a Sharpie pen while walking.



No animal sightings at that hour, other than birds and a few deer in the distance. Where do you like to hike and sketch?

Every year, the San Jose Symphonic Choir hosts a You-Sing-It Handel's Messiah at the California Theatre. As I was getting over a cold, I wasn't quite up to singing this time but I followed along on the score. I also sketched various members of the San Jose Baroque Orchestra with the fountain pen I got at the art supply swap. It's red because the pen happened to have red ink in it.



This group always does the entire Messiah instead of just Part I (the Christmas section) so it runs very long. Both last year and this year we've left at intermission. So I've never actually stuck around to sing the Hallelujah Chorus. Which is sad, because that's the best part!

Urban sketcher Suhita Shirodkar had the bright idea of hosting an art supply swap the other week. It was a great excuse to clean out my studio and part ways with superfluous sketchbooks, pencils, and paints.

Of course, I didn't come home empty-handed! My haul from the art swap? The composite sketch above, plus a Platinum fountain pen, a bottle of ink, a set of Kuretake pan watercolors ... you get the picture.

After the art swap, M. and I drove south into Morgan Hill (it gets rural very quickly just a few miles from my home) in search of barn owls. Squee! I do believe they were just hanging out on fence posts waiting to be drawn. They sat posing for their portraits, turning their heads this way and that in the glare of the car headlights.

Got my paintings back after the awards ceremony for Santa Clara County's Plein Air Art in the Parks event (see my previous post). This is the watercolor I painted during the Quick Draw competition, at the Martial Cottle life estate. We had to paint it, name it, and frame it on site. I titled it "Old But Not Forgotten."

A lone redwood, surrounded by other trees and vegetation. I was drawn to its cinnamon light in the dappled shade. It stands in Santa Teresa County Park, near the Laurel Canyon waterfall. That's right, there's a waterfall barely a mile from our house. We've been here two years and only just went up that trail today!

Our property is adjacent to Santa Teresa County Park, so we sort of have a really big backyard.



Here's my painting of a tree in the park (oil on panel). When I started painting it, there were cows on the hill. A few minutes later, they were gone. I'll just say I left them out so I can title it something clever like "Where Did All the Cows Go?"

...to sketch. OK, yes, it's sad that I've lived next to a golf course for two years and am only just discovering its pleasures. I still don't know how to golf, but it's really fun to draw other people practicing their swings and putts.

My paintings of the hills behind our house are done and framed and up on the wall!



Golden Open acrylic on canvas. Really pleased with the gold floater frames from PictureFrames.com. Here's how they look in the room.

It's a wrap. Started out with sketches after breakfast at the office cafe.



Continued through the messy commuter hour.



Ended with the grooves of Open Mic Night at Hub's Cafe.





Thanks Marc and Liz for this fantastic challenge!

I've now completed 52 sketches for #OneWeek100People2017! Drawing people makes you notice the characters all around you.

It's been raining a lot here in California this winter, so we outdoor sketchers do what we can. We sketch indoors, even from television if necessary.



And sometimes there is a break in the clouds, so we take advantage of it. Even on a weekday, on the way to work.