sketchbook Tuesday :: poinsettia

Sketches of poinsettia plants have become a tradition in my sketchbooks. Here is this year's. As we near the winter solstice I find myself wanting to retreat inward. The approach of the shortest day of the year has that effect on me. This year the pull inward is even stronger. Staying close, appreciating each moment, enjoying the company of our little family and all of the day-to-day trivia that is our own unique rhythm. And that is our light in this darkest time of the year.

The solstice also signals a turning of the year, with the return of the sun, and a desire to start anew. I will be taking a short blogging break until after the start of the new calendar year. I have plans to refresh my small studio space, revive my art routine, and our homeschool routine could use a little mid-year shaking up as well. So a break is in order for planning and recharging. I promise to have new art to share when I return! I do want to wish all of you the happiest of holidays and thank you all for your visits here, your interest and support is always so very much appreciated.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

sketchbook Tuesday :: shiny things

I put vegetables into the oven to roast and had 30 minutes before they would be ready for dinner. I had wanted to sit down with my sketchbook all day and this 30 minutes was my first opportunity. So I grabbed a couple of ornaments from our tree to sketch. This is the result. I did have to interrupt my sketching at one point in order to stir the vegetables. The sketch is watercolor only with a little white gel pen added later, for a few of the sparkly spots.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

sketchbook Tuesday :: Christmas Cactus

A page from my sketchbook, just a quick study of my Christmas cactus. I got this plant full of blooms last December. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall it sat quietly beside a sunny window. And then a week or so ago, just like magic it began forming blossoms. There are several more tiny buds yet to open, but this first blossom is glorious. I only wish I could have captured its brilliance in my sketch. The flower is actually a bright fuchsia pink, a color that proved impossible to mix with my current palette. Oh well.

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Don't forget to visit my Etsy shop! 

Use coupon code SANTA12 to get 20% off your purchase throughout the month of December!

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

sketchbook Tuesday :: harvest

We had a very nice Thanksgiving holiday. Lots of cooking, baking and eating happened along with some sketching and visiting.

And we made our traditional visit to a local farm in order to get our holiday tree. Christmas trees are the main agricultural product in our mountain county. Fraser Firs are most commonly grown. They are beautiful trees that will last through the entire holiday season and then some, shedding very little when given plenty of water. Our town collects the trees at the end of the season to turn into mulch for the town's landscaping. Since we live outside of town, every year we put our tree into the wooded part of our property to provide a winter habitat and shelter for small animals and birds. Above is a view from the tree farm we visited, looking across the owner's lawn to the mountains beyond.

2013 Weekly Planner by Ann Thompson Nemcosky | Make Your Own Book

I have been busy with a new project, a 2013 weekly planner. I wanted a planner that would also serve as a type of diary, where I could not only make planning notes but also note progress on various projects. Something with enough pages (but not too many) where I could combine all the parts of my days including homeschooling, art making goals, and art marketing plans. Of course it had to be pretty to look at too. I filled it with my ocean themed colored pencil drawings to inspire my days throughout the year. It was a fun project and after seeing the result I am inspired to make more books! I decided to make my planner available in case any of you would like one for yourself or to give as a gift. You can find a link in my sidebar or just click above to preview all of the pages.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

sketchbook Tuesday :: November shadows

Coming back from town last Saturday I captured a few scenes with my camera phone. (I wasn't driving, don't worry) The late afternoon sun was painting gorgeous long shadows on the hillsides. I do like that about November.

Busy days this week preparing for our Thanksgiving feast. Hard to believe it's already that time of year again. I hope all of my American readers enjoy a lovely, restful, and satisfying holiday this Thursday and weekend.

We can only be said to be alive in those moments 

when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.  

~Thornton Wilder~

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

Ocean Time :: the series

7:52 AM

colored pencil on museum board

6 x 6 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

 

Here is my latest colored pencil piece. Yes, I am still working in colored pencil, it just takes me forever and a day to complete one drawing. Yet I keep getting ideas for more works in this series, which is a good thing. However I do wonder when I will ever get to them all. And that is in part where the title for the series comes from, Ocean Time. It's an elusive landscape, and like time itself is ever changing with the rhythm of the waves and tides, impossible to capture, yet at the same time it can be a calming, meditative place to be. I continue to be intrigued with the changes of light and color, as the sky works its magic on the water. So my obsession with the ocean's surf continues...You can view the three completed works to date in this series here.

sketchbook Tuesday :: November's color

I love the subtle color of November. The ochres, deep blue-greens, and muted violets found in the softly lit November landscape are somewhat a relief after the fiery color of October. A brief walk around my yard revealed these remnants of color from seasons already gone, now that November is here. They were sketched with watercolor and a little watercolor pencil, in my handmade sketchbook. What month has your favorite colors?

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

a fresh start

Autumn Morning

watercolor on cold pressed paper

5.5 x 7.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available for purchase

Autumn has always inspired me to make changes and start anew. I have been working behind the scenes, reorganizing, adjusting, planning...it's all good, fun stuff. I have added new information to my 100 Paintings page, with some new works too. I am in the process of updating my Fine Art America shop, adding a few new works available for prints and cards. And I have reopened my Etsy shop. It has been a while now since I offered original art for sale, and it's time. Things are beginning to pile up around here. It's time to clear some things out and make room for the new art that is happening.

The scene above is from my neighborhood. It is a view that I see most every time I return from town. Just a couple of weeks ago, one crisp fall morning, it looked like this, with the long shadows of morning creeping up the hillside and around the brilliantly colored autumn trees. I just couldn't resist that autumn morning glow.

sketchbook Tuesday :: pears

Something to look at that's not about politics, on this election day. Seems we have a lot of fruit in our house these days. Fun to paint, these bosc pears looked very elegant to me at the market, so I just had to bring them home. I painted them with watercolor only in my hand made sketchbook.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

sketchbook Tuesday :: frightful

The weather, that is. Not these honey crisp apples that I sketched yesterday. In between keeping up with hurricane reports, local weather reports, I had little focus for much of anything else. I made the apple bread thinking that I should prepare as much food as possible before the power went out. Those wind gusts got up to around 60 mph. The snow was blowing sideways. As I sit here I can hear the wind still howling through our mountains and the snow is still coming down. But we never did lose power and are safe inside our cozy home. For that I am so thankful. I do hope all of my readers are safe and warm this evening as well. Check in when you can, okay?

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

sketchbook Tuesday :: Autumn leaves

Our back deck is fast becoming covered in leaves. Our yard has all but disappeared under drifts of leaves. Every time our springer comes in from outside, he brings leaves in with him, stuck to his fur. There are still many colorful leaves hanging on to the trees, but not for long I am afraid.  However, if you enjoy the fall season, North Carolina is probably one of the best places to experience autumn. That's something I learned many years ago, as a newcomer to the south. I grew up in the mid-west, where there are basically two seasons, summer and winter. Autumn and spring happen so fast there that if they don't occur on a weekend, you've missed it. However, in the south, spring and autumn are long, slow seasons. I have come to really enjoy these less hurried shifts from season to season, and the changes of color and light that each new season brings.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

Softly Morning

Softly Morning

watercolor on cold press

7.5 x 9.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

 

This is a watercolor that I completed a few weeks ago but neglected to post. The scene is from the marshes at Edisto Island in the spring.  While on our trip last weekend I snapped more photos of the marshes, some while on a walk, and some from out the window of our moving the car. These are not great photos, in fact some are pretty terrible. What they do give me is an arrangement of land, water and sky, a starting point from which to create a painting. When doing this painting I felt that I got a little hung up on the details, losing some of the freshness. But in the end I suppose it all worked out okay.

sketchbook Tuesday :: lovely long weekend

The Professor had a long weekend off for fall break, which also happened to be Kiddo's birthday. And the weather was gorgeous. So we went to our favorite, Edisto Beach.

Each day I painted the little slice of ocean that I could see from our rental cottage, which was situated across the street from the ocean-front houses. It was a fun way to document the changes in light and colors of the water and sky, all from the dining table looking out across the way. I fully intended to fill the facing pages with our beach finds of shells and feathers, but with such pretty days and a birthday to celebrate I only managed to begin one page. The others may still happen. I haven't unpacked our beach bag yet, where our treasures were stowed for the trip home.

 We were fortunate to have gloriously sunny days, although our third day was extremely windy. Notice how I never managed a straight horizon in these sketches. Each one was done with watercolor only, no drawing first. And oh yeah, I took another million photos of the surf. Should keep me busy drawing for a while.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

pumpkin patch

Pumpkin Patch

ink and watercolor wash on cold pressed paper

5.5 x 7.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

 

Yep. It's pumpkin week here at BlueBird Hill. This is a scene inspired by our visit to the BOOger Hollar Pumpkin Patch last weekend. It was late afternoon, the light was magical, and the pumpkins all lined up and waiting for their new homes seemed to glow.  This is where I purchased the gourds used in my sketch, while Kiddo selected a large pumpkin to grace our front porch. I also got a bunch of Indian corn for our front door. And yes, that really is the name of the pumpkin patch.

sketchbook Tuesday :: gourds

We stopped by the "You Pick Pumpkins" field last Friday and I purchased these small gourds for our seasonal decoration. The shapes and colors were too pretty to resist. These were sketched with watercolor only in my handmade sketchbook.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

sketchbook Tuesday :: hydrangea

Along with the changing season, my hydrangea blossoms are changing from their brilliant blue to subtle pinks and greens. I clipped a few of the blossoms and brought them indoors to dry. I love their beautiful, understated color.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

sketchbook Tuesday :: pumpkins pick you

The first sketch on the first page spread of my newly made autumn sketchbook. A fresh beginning to welcome the autumn season. Kiddo picked out the pumpkin from the grocery. I chose the squash and will be cooking them sometime this week.

On our way into town there is a field with a pumpkin patch where they are selling pick-your-own pumpkins. As you round the curve there are signs placed along the road on each side of the entrance to the field, one for each word, "You", "Pick", "Pumpkins".  As you approach the pumpkin field entrance from either direction the signs read as I suppose they are intended, "You Pick Pumpkins". But, after you pass by, the signs read in reverse, "Pumpkins Pick You". We get a chuckle out of that thought every time. Because yes, when looking for a pumpkin, we suppose they really do pick you after all.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

painting skies

September Afternoon Near Bamboo Gap

watercolor on cold press

7.5 x 9.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

 

Have I mentioned that we have had the most incredible skies here lately? Well, we have. The kind of brilliant blues with big puffy clouds that make you stop and remark, "would you look at that!". The changing patterns of light have been breathtaking. It was on a recent drive home from town (I wasn't driving, so don't worry) that I snapped a few photos just because the sky was so remarkably beautiful. One of those photos was inspiration for this watercolor.

sketchbook Tuesday :: acorns and clouds

Acorns are falling. The big oak tree just at the lower part of our drive has been dropping acorns steadily for a couple of weeks now. The noise can be startling. Sometimes we think it sounds as if some angry squirrel is throwing the acorns down from the tree. Plunk, when one hits the asphalt drive. Ping when one strikes the wheel barrow at the base of the tree. Thud on a wooden fence post. It's as if we are under an acorn assault.

The clouds in our skies have been quite dramatic lately. Beautiful autumn blues with big puffy clouds. While Kiddo was at tennis I sat under a tree and attempted a sketch of the clouds over a nearby mountain view. The afternoon was just too pretty to sit in the car while waiting.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

clarity

Grandfather in Summer

watercolor on cold press

7.5 x 9.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

I have come to the conclusion that what I like the most about painting with watercolor and drawing with colored pencil is the ability to achieve a clarity of color. I suppose it's because both media have a measure of transparency that allows for a sense of light coming through the pigment. I have tried colored pencil on colored supports and can never quite achieve that same clarity of color. The same goes for painting in oil. The opacity of the pigment can muddy the color. As I learn to watercolor with restraint, I am delighted by the richness and subtleties in color that the paint allows.

Above is a view from the top of Grandfather Mountain, captured with my camera this past July. Of course I played with the color just a bit when making this painting. Such fun. I am also playing with putting a watermark on my images that I post on the web. Cause, well, you know. One can't be too careful these days. But I really don't like seeing my name plastered across the image. What do you all think? To watermark or not to watermark?

Sketchbook Tuesday :: press pause

Taking a moment to pause, refresh, and do a quick sketch.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

Sketchbook Tuesday :: Blue Moon and August fog

In celebration of August's Blue Moon, we went for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway after sunset to look for the full moon. There was a good deal of cloud cover yet we did manage to catch a glimpse of the moon peeking through the clouds. It was very dark up on the Parkway. I did snap a few fuzzy photos to help me remember the scene for sketching later.

An August ritual in our Southern mountains is to collect beans in a jar, one for every fog in August. Local weather folklore says that for every fog in August there will be a snowfall that coming winter. Every August we collect beans in a jar. And remove a bean every time there is measurable snowfall that winter. Taking into account that weather conditions can vary widely depending on what side of a ridge you are on, or your elevation, or even if you are in the Eastern or Western part of the county, and all of these factors put together, our bean count from observation from our house, has always been very close to the measurable snowfalls we see in winter. By the 30th of August there were 8 beans in our jar. But then we had a fog later that day. And again on the morning of the 31st. So I was a little too eager to declare a final bean count this year, hoping, I suppose, for not too many snowy days this coming winter.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

Sketchbook Tuesday :: trees

Lately, I haven't been filling my sketchbook pages as often as I'd like. And that's something I miss doing.  A beautiful day Sunday beckoned me to sit on our back deck and sketch a few of the forest of trees that make up our back and side yards. They won't be green for long. Already you can find red and orange leaves here and there. But for now, the katydids and locusts hiss and sing, the bull frog still croaks in the evenings, and yes, our cat birds still call every afternoon.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

okay, now

7:56AM 

colored pencil on museum board

6 x 6 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

 

Now I am calling this one finished. It did take me a while, probably too long with too many interruptions, to get it to this state of completion. What with my usual busyness and being easily distracted, I let this drawing sit idle much of the time. I do see a small series, or companion pieces, to go with this one. We'll see.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

Sketchbook Tuesday :: sunflower

I picked up a bunch of sunflowers at our market last Saturday in celebration of returning home after a brief trip away. The trip was good but there is nothing quite the same as being in your own place.

And this week we are beginning a new school year here which is also cause for celebration. New beginnings, new routines, a new season is calling.

right now

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 "right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, that acknowledges the "right now".  If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.