Blue Ridge June

Blue Ridge June

watercolor

6 x 8 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

As much as I love the coastal Carolinas, there is really no place I'd rather spend the month of June than right here at home in these Southern mountains. There is a soft gentleness to the days where the thermometer rarely rises above 80F and the nights are cool enough to snuggle under a warm blanket. We live without air conditioning in our little house and love the sounds of summer coming in the windows. Bird song throughout the day and katydids along with bull frogs sing throughout the night time hours. And when we venture out to the Blue Ridge Parkway it is views like this that remind us just how beautiful our home here really is.

Along HWY 174

Along Highway 174

watercolor

6 x 8 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

There are beautiful views along every turn of this scenic highway that leads to Edisto Island, SC. With this painting I was inspired by the softness and color of the marsh punctuated by the shadowy trees and the sky-clear water at high tide.

Across Jason's Lake

Across Jason's Lake

watercolor

6 x 8 inches 

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

This small study is inspired by the view of Jason's Lake as you meander along Rabbit Road at Botany Bay on Edisto Island, South Carolina. There is a stillness to that place that I love. And the mystery of so many stories it has to tell.

Daybreak Singing

Daybreak Singing

watercolor

8 x 12 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

I love the colors of the sea and sky at the first light of morning. There is nothing quite so magical as that soft pastel glow when the sun is just beginning to rise above the watery horizon. And the new day's possibilities seem as limitless as the ocean.

sketchbook :: Edisto 2016 - water

Water. You know it's one of my favorite subjects and naturally I spent some time while at Edisto painting the subject of the surf. This was the final result of my exploration, watercolor pencil and watercolor on a 9 x 12 inch Canson watercolor block.

I began with a couple of small, quick sketches while sitting on the beach. This was with paper from a 6 x 6 inch Fluid watercolor block that I dipped into the surf until it was saturated with salt water, then very quickly sketched the sea and sky.

Working from the small surf sketches I painted larger impressions on the 9 x 12 Canson watercolor block.

Each time, I focused in a little more from my previous sketch.

...and more

...until this. I enjoyed working without expectations.

And for the last of my Edisto sketches, this is one from an afternoon spent at St. Helena's Sound. It was windy. Very windy out on the beach, yet the sky was gorgeous. As I tried to capture the movement of the water and those wonderful clouds my sketchbook paper would fly up. You can see at the top where I was trying to hold the page down and left a print of my hand in the wet wash of sky. 

And if you have read through these posts all the way to here, thank you! I hope to be back to my regular routine soon as I have new projects in mind as well as series in progress to get back to. Settling back into my working schedule is a little more challenging this time around as we are also in the midst of a big home renovation project. I am happy we are getting it done, but yes, I will be even more happy when it's completed!

sketchbook :: Edisto 2016 - still life

Continuing with my Edisto sketches, this post focuses primarily on the still life studies that I did while there.

Our most important criteia for a cottage rental is that it have a large screened porch with a good sized table. Four artists all together need room to spread out!

Especially when so many treasures are collected.

More each day.

I enjoyed having the time to fill my sketchbook pages with these found objects.

I especially like the old, weathered sea shells. The markings tell such interesting stories.

Onions from the local market became the "challenge" subject that we all painted at least once. Of course, many fine meals were shared that were created with produce from King's Market at Edisto.

sketchbook :: Edisto 2016 - land

It's already been a week since our return from Edisto Island, SC, and I have finally managed to scan most, but not all, of the sketches that I did while we were there. Since there are so many that I want to share here I have grouped them into three categories, for three separate posts. The first of these are the sketches that relate to the landscape of Edisto. 

I love the palm trees there, and listening to the rustle of the palm fronds in the ocean breeze is one of the most calming experiences that I know. The sketch above is the view across the way from our rental cottage, on one of the rare overcast days we had during our stay. This sketch was done with watercolor in a 9 x 12 Kilimanjaro sketchbook.

Much of Edisto is a watery landscape and I was happy to be able to spend a morning with a friend sketching this marsh view at Botany Bay. It is a view of Ocella Creek, while the high tide was filling the marsh, also watercolor only in the 9 x 12 Kilimanjaro sketchbook.

And while the first sketch was drying I focused on a different view of Ocella Creek for another quick sketch. This time on a 9 x 12 Canson watercolor block.

My sketching spot.

Here is that stunning view with the watery marsh in the morning light.

And once again view across the way from the front screened porch of our cottage, this time on a sunny morning, also in my 9 x 12 Kilimanjaro sketchbook.