stillman and birn – Page 30 – A SKETCHBOOK ODYSSEY

Truro Public Library

November 7, 2015November 10, 2015waynejacques4 Comments

Today we visited the Truro Public Library for an Art opening sponsored by our favorite art gallery – The Addison Gallery in Orleans, Massachusetts. The opening was for “In Hopper’s Town” – Celebrating the work of contemporary artists inspired by Edward Hopper and Truro, the town he chose to build his home and to paint for decades. It was a fantastic event with wonderful artists and their works. Amazing talent. This is sketch of the library entrance as dusk was falling. I like the richness of the foreground building with the layers of colors. The scan washed out some of the depth overall, but I should have darkened the entire building more. Faber-Castell Pitt Art pens with Daniel Smith and Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.

Sky Studies

November 6, 2015November 8, 2015waynejacques2 Comments

This is a study of 4 skies in my sketchbook using different blues as a base. All 4 were done wet on wet and each one is about 3″ x 5″. The first one is Cerulean Blue with Burnt Sienna highlights – Holbein Watercolors. The upper left is French Ultramarine with Cadmium Orange highlights that are more streaked- Utrecht Watercolors. Bottom left is just Phthalo Blue Holbeiin Watercolor. The final study in the lower left is also Phthalo Blue with color removed with paper towel while still wet. This is a technique that I use often for skies. The paints do not mix or flow as well on the Alpha paper as they would on true watercolor paper.

Pump Station

November 5, 2015November 8, 2015waynejacques1 Comment

A watercolor sketch of one of the pump stations on Assawompset Pond in Lakeville, Massachusetts. There was still a little color on the horizon from the sunrise an hour earlier. I did not notice until I scanned this image that my structure on the left is leaning a little, oops. Assawompset Pond is a reservoir/pond within the towns of Lakeville and Middleboro in southeastern Massachusetts. At almost four square miles, it is the largest natural lake in Massachusetts. It is known in Wampanoag (local Indian tribe) as Place of the White Stones and is host for the largest Alewife (Herring) run in the eastern seaboard. In the early spring the Nemasket River runs black with fish heading for the spawning grounds. The origins of the King Philip’s War started with the discovery of John Sassamon’s body that was slipped under the ice on the pond and found the following spring. The outcome of the trial sparked the beginning of hostilities. Faber-Castell Pitt art pens with Holbein and Daniel Smith watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.

Fall Window

November 4, 2015November 6, 2015waynejacques2 Comments

“A breeze, a forgotten summer, a smile, all can fit into a storefront window.” – Dejan Stojenovic A wonderful window set within a brick wall and encased in beautiful fall foliage. The small metal pipe bench held a terra cotta pot with bright petunias that are holding onto the last of the summer warmth. Faber-Castell Art pens with Holbein and Mission watercolors in an Alpha Stillman and Birn sketchbook.

Seekonk River

November 3, 2015November 6, 2015waynejacques1 Comment

This is a view that I saw as I was returning to the office from and appointment. The view is of the Seekonk River as seen from East Providence, Rhode Island. The foliage, hanging vines and cut telephone pole in the foreground made an interesting silhouette against the train bridge in the mid range and the hills in the distance. Prismacolor Art pen with Pelikan watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.

Tablescape

November 2, 2015November 4, 2015waynejacques2 Comments

A very quick sketch of a lamp and raffia pumpkin on a table in the breakfast room at the hotel I was staying at. The lamp was detailed in bronze and the pumpkins were made of stiff raffia. Pilot Namiki Falcon fountain pen with Noodler’s black ink in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.

The Rock and the Tree

November 1, 2015November 2, 2015waynejacques2 Comments

I think this is similar to the chicken and the egg. This sketch is of a large split rock and a tree growing in the gap. You cannot tell if the tree grew and split the boulder or if the boulder was split and the tree grew in the crack. The boulder is a perfect split like it was sawn in two. This is located in a parking lot adjacent to a fish and tackle store. Very interesting and wonderful the power of nature. Black Prismacolor Art Pens in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.

Halloween

October 31, 2015November 1, 2015waynejacques2 Comments

This is a more graphic image that is more fitting for Halloween. Halloween; a contraction of All Hallows’ Evening, is a celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. According to one view, All Hallows’ Eve is a Christianized observance influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, with possible pagan roots, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain. Other scholars maintain that it originated independently of Samhain and has solely Christian roots. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins into Jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories and watching horror films. Faber-Castell Pitt Art pens with Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.

Savvy on Main

October 30, 2015November 4, 2015waynejacques5 Comments

A view of some of the local shops in the quaint village of Orleans, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. I was sitting in the parking lot of Savvy on Main (part of the foreground sign) sketching the shops across Main Street. Lamy Safari fountain pen with Noodler’s ink and Pelikan watercolors in a 9″ x 12″ Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook.

2015 Workd Series

October 29, 2015November 1, 2015waynejacques1 Comment

Being a former collegiate baseball player, I love this time of year with championship in baseball ,the World Series, being played. This year it is between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets. The Royals have not won the championship since 1985 and the Mets last one it in 1986. This is a sketch of a baseball and the two team logos using a Lamy Safari fountain pen with Noodler’s Black ink and Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.