Counting down to the start of this year's Urban Sketchers Symposium! This year it's in Chicago, and here's what I'm bringing along.



This will be my seventh symposium - missed the first one but have been to every single one since. This year, I get to sketch in Chicago AND see "Hamilton" - squee!

I've gotten the symposium packing mostly down to a science. Basically, I copy the materials lists from all the workshops I'm taking into one document and then go through my studio pulling items. Then I edit. I add some of my own favorite supplies. Then I edit some more.

This year's haul includes:

• Hahnemuehle sketchbook and watercolor block
  
• Moleskine watercolor sketchbook
  
• A few toned paper sketchbooks, for Pat Southern Pearce's workshop
  
• Several palettes with watercolor half pans, mostly filled with tube paints
  
• Neocolor II crayons
  
• Brushes, waterbrushes
  
• Nalgene bottles and empty Talenti gelato container for water
  
• A tube of white gouache
  
• Fountain pens, fineliners including white, silver & gold, and some watercolor pencils, pencil sharpener
  
• Pastel sticks in gray, white, and cadmium orange, for LK Bing's workshop
  
• An iPad Air 2 and Adonit Pixel stylus, for Rob Sketcherman's workshop
  

Unlike in Connecticut, there's barely any highway traffic here on weekends. So when our part of the South Bay gets toasty, it's nice to know we're just an hour away from lovely cool temps in San Francisco.

Last weekend we explored Noe Valley and Bernal Heights. A comfy 70 degrees, with lovely architecture and boutiques and bookshops and no hordes of tourists in sight - heaven.

I've been working on speedy sketches of all kinds of subjects for an upcoming project.

Here's one from a recent Content Magazine Lab where we built insect hotels (little habitats for insects in a garden) at Bay Maples, a company that installs sustainable residential greywater systems. Basically, they enable you to use your laundry water to keep your garden green.



Here's one that I did while on the move, during California Walks' downtown San Jose art tour. I learned so much during the nearly two-mile walk! Had no idea there was so much art hidden in plain sight on the streets I pass nearly every day.



I sketched M. putting insulation around our air conditioning in/out ducts.





And finally, a quick capture while M. was putting gas in the car near our house.

M. and I surprised my father-in-law for his birthday by showing up at the house in Mystic, CT, for the Fourth of July holiday. During our stay, we walked downtown, ate at some favorite restaurants, and got in a boat ride. I also got to sketch the whaleship Charles W. Morgan again (above) at Mystic Seaport.

One morning, we went out to breakfast at M Bar, a place that used to be an old gas station. The food was fantastic.



I love the scenic roads around Mystic and Westerly, RI, especially the ones with old stone walls that suddenly appear and disappear.

On Monday nights, the School of Visual Philosophy in San Jose has an open life drawing session in the evenings. One night they featured two models instead of one.

The models took poses that were interactive and challenging and held them for just a few minutes each. I was impressed and intimidated, because I had to rely on observation -- I couldn't "cheat" by pulling from my memory any shortcuts for drawing people in those poses.









I was seated on a high stool, so I had to balance my drawing pad and tools on my lap. Next time I'll choose a drawing horse or a table.

The heat wave broke and the breeze was fine at San Pedro Square in San Jose for my Urban Sketchers 10x10 Workshop on June 24. The idea was to consider different ways of putting the city into a sketch. We talked about:

Color/Value

• What colors are in the environment? Is there a dominant color?
  
• Sunlight/clouds: Are there shadows, or is the color flat?

• What are the textures in the scene (marble? concrete? cobblestone? wood?)
  
• What are the marks we could use to express the different textures (stippling, hatching, wash, etc.)?
  
• Can we use found materials to draw on? To draw with? To add to the scene via collage?

• Are there right angles? Curves?
  
• Is everything up close, or are there sweeping views?

Last week I had the honor of participating in Los Gatos Plein Air, a four-day paintout plus show/sale that had me going from hilltop to seaside, vineyard to trail. Here's the play-by-play, with photos by M. of me painting everywhere.

Tuesdsay, June 13



Weeks of prep had finally come to an end -- buying panels in San Diego, ordering frames in several sizes, getting extra paint just in case. I stacked my panels in a bag, gathered my gear in an IKEA rolling tote, and set off for Los Gatos, an upscale town about 20 minutes away that's probably most known for being home to Netflix.

First stop: Gallery 24, to get my canvas panels stamped (this is to deter cheaters -- everything must be painted within the week, so you can only paint on the stamped panels).

I looked at the list of suggested painting locations and decided to go to Mountain Winery in Saratoga, a vineyard/concert venue/event space with sweeping views.

I set up my easel between two rows of vines, looking out onto the valley below.





As I walked back to the car, I stepped on a branch and THWACK! The other end of it whipped up and struck my foot, hard. Ouch. (It's been more than a week now and it's *still* painful to wear closed shoes.)


After lunch, I elected to stay closer to home. We drove into Santa Teresa County Park so I could paint one of the trails. Several mountain bikers passed, so I did some quick captures of them in my sketchbook.







Wednesday, June 14

Chasing cooler temperatures, I decided to head to Davenport and paint a seaside view. It was definitely jacket weather out by the rocks. I chose a slick panel surface and almost immediately regretted it. The paint simply slid around, and I had a hard time getting it to stay put. Still, I stuck it out and did what I could.



Toward the end, the wind really picked up; I was holding onto my umbrella with one hand and painting with the other. The umbrella kept flipping up and finally just detached itself and took off across the land. Not ideal conditions -- but that's plein air!

In the afternoon, I painted in the shade of a building on the beach in Santa Cruz. Bliss! This time I sketched out the scene with a Sharpie marker and then painted in acrylic.



Thursday, June 15

In the morning I went to Vasona Lake Park, where some kids were learning to fish. I got there pretty late so I only had time to put in one person fishing before lunch.



Lunch that day was at one of the organizers' homes in downtown Los Gatos. The heat was pretty intense in the afternoon, so I set up in the Town Plaza by the fountain and painted the kids splashing around in it.





It was a challenge to paint the water and the reflection of it on the wet pavement.



Friday, June 16

After a quick gouache sketch of people doing yoga in St. James Park in San Jose, it was time to name and frame!


M. had pre-drilled holes into the frames, so he was able to pop in the panels and secure them with little nails before wiring them for hanging.



I chose "One More Hill" (the painting of the mountain biker in Santa Teresa Park) to bring to the VIP reception/silent auction that evening at Dio Deka.



It was a relief to know that all the painting was over. M. and I went to Blue Line Pizza for dinner, and they kindly gave us pizza boxes for transporting the paintings the next day. We also got a few bigger ones at Mountain Mike's for a nominal fee. They were perfect for the framed wet paintings.



Saturday, June 17

Show day dawned hot and stayed hot. I was pleased with my spot in the park -- I was right near the shady trees, so it was great to put our chairs there all day. Between the heat and the highway lane closures, though, there definitely didn't seem to be as many people in the plaza as in the past.







I enjoyed walking around to look at everyone's paintings, and it was great to chat with Randy Sexton, the judge, whose workshop I'd attended last year. Some people did really well and sold multiple works over the course of the day. It was so nice of Laurie and Suhita and Srivani to come out to see the show.

At 5 o'clock it was all over. We packed up, headed home to shower, and then went off to Suhita's place for a drink and draw. Time to kick back and chat and doodle with friends over wine and a curry!

On my last visit to Daiso, I picked up a ringbound brown kraft paper scrapbook. Thought it would be fun to paint on with watercolor and gouache. Here are a few studies I did earlier today.

Got back from a work trip to Boulder, CO, Friday night. Saturday morning, I was up bright and early to paint with Pacific Art League at the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve near Los Altos, CA. The one-day workshop was led by Steve Curl. It's a steep and winding road up into the hills. It was tough to set up to paint there, as the grasses hugging the hiking trail were waist high.

After my initial painting (above), I did a few quick studies to round out the day.

The mountains are lovely, but I do love that we live less than an hour from the sea. Painted with Cobra water mixable oils on a cheap Art Alternatives canvas board. It was a struggle to paint on this chalky rough surface. I've since read online that this board is mostly used by kids. Apparently you have to sand it or coat it generously with gesso (or both) to use it for anything serious. Oh well.

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!