A beautiful Sunday evening to spend with friends. First cocktails and walk on the beach followed by a great meal and conversation. We refuse to let summer slip away. Holbein and Daniel Smith watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.
Nature
Palm Tree
I an not go to Florida, even for a very short time without sketching a Palm Tree. Pilot Namiki Falcon fountain pen with Noodler’s Black Ink and Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.
Nantucket Harbor
Nantucket is 26 miles at sea, a tiny spit of sand off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with the Atlantic Ocean and Nantucket Sound defining its borders. Just under 15 miles long and three and a half miles wide, much of life on the island is defined by the waters that surround it.
It is a place, wrote Herman Melville in his classic novel “Moby Dick,” made an utter island by the ocean, that to the very chairs and tables small clams will sometimes be found adhering, as if to the backs of sea turtles. But these extravaganzas only show that Nantucket is no Illinois.” A century after Melville penned his tale of madness and whaling, Nantucket is still unlike anywhere else. Maybe it is a history so seeped into the very soil that one cannot help but come in contact with it. Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.
White Hibiscus
Another variety of Hardy Hibiscus or Swamp Rose. This color combination seems to be blooming now, a little later in the season than the red variety that I painted a little while back. This flower is all white with a purple center and yellow Stamen. Holbein and Daniel Smith watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Alpha Sketchbook.
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus
While it is not yet fall here in the Northeast, there are starting to be subtle signs that autumn is around the corner. This is a typical New England stone wall that the farmers constructed from all of the stones that they would plow up while working the fields. These walls would separate the fields and properties. This image shows the green ivies in the sunshine on the left transitioning to the yellow and oranges of fall foliage on the right in the shadows. Holbein and Daniel Smith watercolors in a 5″ x 8″ Moleskine watercolor book.
Rosa Rugosa
Summer on Cape Cod is wonderful with the sight and smell of the Sea Roses (Rosa Rugosa). Rosa Rugosa is a suckering shrub which develops new plants from the roots and forms dense thickets with stems densely covered in numerous short, straight prickles. The flowers are pleasantly scented, dark pink to white with somewhat wrinkled petals; flowering occurs throughout the summer on the cape. Holbein and Daniel Smith watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Sketchbook.
American Lobster
A quick sketch tonight before dinner. The American Lobster, Homarus americanus, is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic Coast of North America from Labrador to New Jersey. It is also known as True Lobster or Maine Lobster. It can reach a body length of 25 inches, and a weight of over 44 pounds, making it the heaviest crustacean in the world. American lobsters are usually bluish green to brown with red spines, but a number of color variations have been observed. Faber-Castell Pitt Pens in Sanguine color in an Alpha Series Stillman and Birn Sketchbook.
Hardy Hibiscus
Overnight this beautiful Hardy Hibiscus flower opened up in our yard to full bloom, the others are still buds. The color is Cranberry Crush and the flower is about 7″ across. This was difficult to paint in that it is a very flat flower, almost like a disk with very little depth. I should have added some background color to add depth. Still a favorite of ours during the late summer. Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Alpha Sketchbook.
Garden Tomatoes
Our first full size tomatoes of the year. Our tomato plants are in pots on our front porch and these 2 beauties are “Jet Star” variety. Enjoying the garden tonight, savoring some nice wine while grilling salmon and a small lobster tail. Great evening. Holbein and Mission watercolors in a 5″ x 8″ Moleskine watercolor book.
Gladiolus Flowers
I always loved the Gladiolus Flower in that we always had them in our yard growing up in Southern California. The Gladiolus is sometimes also called the ‘Sword lily’. The genus occurs in Asia, Mediterranean Europe, South Africa, and tropical Africa. Their stems are generally unbranched, producing 1 to 9 narrow, sword-shaped, longitudinal grooved leaves, enclosed in a sheath. The flower spikes are large, one-sided, are variously colored, pink to reddish or light purple with white, contrasting markings, or white to cream or orange to red.
A SKETCHBOOK ODYSSEY 