That other shore

Lake Reflection

6 x 6 inches
colored pencil on pastel board
©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

This is my entry for this month's Virtual Sketch Date. When I first saw the gorgeous photo of Lake Louise, Canada, submitted by Debbie Later, I thought I would skip doing this month's entry. Not that the image isn't inspiring, it's just that I didn't feel a connection to it. But then I experimented to see if there wasn't something I could find there. This is the result.

One does not discover new lands
without consenting
to lose sight of the shore
for a very long time.
-Andre Gide-

Something's out of place

And I think it's me. Actually this little sketch is for Everyday Matters drawing challenge #208, draw something out of place. When our snipped forsythia began blooming in its vase at our kitchen table, I realized how delightfully out of place these yellow blossoms were, blooming inside while snow swirled outside our windows.

However, I am woefully out of place with these drawing challenges and attempting to catch up. Also, I am eager to get back on track with all of my art work. I have been sidetracked lately by unpleasant circumstances that I won't bore you with here except to say that they proved to be more of an irritation than they are worth. I am beginning to realize that when things are not going well it is an opportunity for change. Realignment of my priorities is in order. Moving back to the place I want to be.

Feeling like flowers

ACEO Petunia
2.5 x 3.5 inches
colored pencil on paper
©Ann Thompson Nemcosky
Click here to buy

I guess I was in a flowery mood. It's been nothing but cold, windy, snowy, and cold here lately. Did I say cold? Really cold. I'm missing the colors of summer.

Stealing time

Shell
graphite on Strathmore 500 Bristol
6.5 x 4.5 inches
©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

This is a drawing I finished last week. It is the first in a series of still lifes I am planning to do in graphite. I also have ideas for colored pencil works that I am eager to get underway. All of this, of course, right when I am suddenly quite busy with free-lance work. Deadlines are looming. That is all good, especially to even have work these days, so I am not complaining. I only wonder why it is that when I have an abundance of ideas to explore with my art work that is exactly when I have a million other things that must be done.

All you need is love

Homeschooling and a bit of free-lance work is keeping me quite busy these days. I am finding it difficult to get much time for art. However, we did do a little nature study today as a part of our homeschool lessons. After collecting a few treasures from our yard, Kiddo and I came in from the cold and wind to steaming cups of hot chocolate and recorded our finds in our nature journals. We are saving a few forsythia branches in water to see if we can force the blossoms to open early.
I was also treated to a nice surprise by Diahn with this lovely award. Thanks Diahn!
Since it's Valentine's Day tomorrow and I haven't passed one of these on in a while, I thought it a good time to play. I am supposed to list seven things that I love and then pass this award on to seven bloggers that I love. So here goes:

Aside from those I love most, Kiddo and Hubby, family and friends, and our two furry companions, I love

1. the scents of rosemary and lavendar
2. Chopin's Preludes
3. seeing a V of honking geese flying over our house
4. reading the novels by Sarah-Kate Lynch
5. the first daffodils in spring
6. salty ocean breezes
7. the taste of chocolate

So hard to choose just seven, but I do love visiting the blogs of these folks:

1. Sandy
2. Margaret
3. Sharon
4. Kathleen
5. Sherry
6. Rachel
7. Annie

Happy Valentine's Day!

The life of things

With an eye made quiet
by the power of harmony,
and the deep power of joy,
We see into the life of things.

-William Wordsworth

This is my late post for Everyday Matters drawing challenge #207, draw a seashell. It is graphite in my new, small hand.book journal. You know, for the sake of keeping things simple I had thought it might be a good idea to put these drawing challenges in my larger journal, along with all my other sketches and scribbles, and I did do that for a while. Then the other day while at a local art supply store I picked up another one of the small, square hand.book journals for my Everyday Matters drawing challenges. There was just something about having them all in their own sketch book, being able to flip back through and seeing all those drawings together that was nice. This feels better.

And the winner is. . .

All 33 names went into a hat

Kiddo mixed up the names and then reached inside and picked just one to be the winner.
Drum roll please. . .

Ta da! Pippa! Of Pippa's Porch

Congratulations Pippa!
Please email me your mailing address (see my email in side bar to the right) and I'll send off this Strawberry ACEO to you.

And a great big huge 'thank you' to everyone who left birthday greetings. You all helped make this a very special birthday for me.

They say it's your birthday

Strawberry ACEO
2.5 x 3.5 inches
colored pencil on paper
©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

Yep. Today is my birthday. A big one. I am now the 'new forty', a woman 'of a certain age'. Although a good six months younger than this woman, today we are now the same age. In honor of this milestone in my years (not because I'm fishing for birthday wishes or anything) I decided to have a little give-away. So for everyone that leaves a comment on this post between now and midnight Saturday (2/7/09 EST), I will put all the names in a hat and have my 10 year old daughter draw one name to be the winner of this ACEO. My birthday gift to you.

Still drawing

Huckleberry Trail
4.5 x 6.5 inches
colored pencil on paper
©Ann Thompson Nemcosky
Click here to buy

I can't stop doing these small studies. This view is from an old photo I took years ago while on one of our hikes. That is Bass Lake in the distance. And there were huckleberries growing somewhere along this trail. I was pleased with this one so I decided to add it to my sales blog. I used Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils on Strathmore 5oo Bristol Board.
I had been using colored pencil on pastel board for so long I found I actually missed drawing on paper. I missed the process and the way the drawing looks when finished. Oh, I still love working on pastel board. Just needed a change of pace for a while, I suppose.

A long time

It was a long time ago
colored pencil on Rising Museum Board
4.5 x 6.5 inches
©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

My apologies for such sparse posting of late. I'm still busy with design work, which is a good thing for my pocketbook, but does tend to sap my enthusiasm. However I am still working out the details for my colored pencil series. This past week I tried the study above on Rising Museum Board. I'm not sure about using this support however. It has a feel similar to Stonehenge yet slightly harder, didn't seem to accept quite so many layers as easily.

But I am all about planning these days. I have been revisiting old, old photo references, sorting them into categories, scanning a few to see what improvements I can make, that sort of thing. I have also been revisiting the writings of Annie Dillard and Charlotte Mason. All of you homeschoolers out there are probably familiar with Charlotte Mason's nature studies. While doing a Google search for 'nature studies' I came across this marvelous blog. And I have been investigating other colored pencil artists looking for those who's work I not only admire but also give me pause. I found these three to be especially intriguing, Susan Brooks, Priscilla Humay, and Allen Servoss. All of this somehow fits into the perimaters of where I would like a series of colored pencil works to lead. Now to just get started.