Travel inspiration

The past few years I've kept a travel sketchbook when we go on vacation, but there are many great vacation images from the past that I never sketched. This 20 minute sketch (pen and watercolor, 5 1/2" x 8") was from from one of these old photos. It's a view of the very interestingly shaped "copper pot stills" at the Labrot & Graham (Woodford Reserve) bourbon distillery in Versailles, KY. As I recall, the stills were custom made in Scotland and shipped to KY and assembled there. If you happen to be a whiskey or bourbon connoisseur, Woodford Reserve is truly a top shelf bourbon superior to any other, and it was a fascinating distillery tour.

Out the window

With all the still life and random images sketched since January, I have really been aching to try some landscapes with this restrictive 20 minute timeframe. The snow is finally melting here and the view from my studio window (drawn quickly in pen and painted with watercolor, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2") is starting to look like a slight promise of spring.

Though not consciously done, I really like the loose Fairfield Porter-type feeling achieved here. He's one of my favorite artists of the modern era; with such vibrant expressive interiors and beautiful light-filled landscapes, often using analogous color schemes (art lesson for the day!) Even though what I do here is small beans, I still try to absorb as much greatness from the masters as possible.

Ornate key

This ornate key, inspired by an old textbook of design, turned out better than I originally thought it would for just 20 minutes effort. I subtly included our family's initials just for fun. Ink and watercolor, 5 1/2" x 8".

Bowl of corks

Taking a bird's eye view of this silver bowl of corks proved to be a delightful challenge for tonight's 20 minute sketch (5 1/2" x 8"). I used watercolor and water soluble pencil, and a large and small mop brush. The large mop brush is great for laying down big washes quickly, pretty much eliminating the need for a pencil sketch and forcing me to loosen up. I really like the color palette here, burnt sienna and yellow ochre are the best for rich warm tones like what's found in the corks.

Pencil sketch

Instead of drawing with the pencils for 20 minutes, I made the pencils my subject and drew them with conte crayon (5 1/2" x 8"). After so much pen and painting, it's easy to forget how nice it is to sketch with something more substantial like a conte crayon or charcoal. I love the immediate dark line and the way the crayon or pencil drags across the paper.

Delft jar

After the black and white sketches the other day, I was itching to do color again. A treasured Christmas gift, this small Delft jar was a cute little subject for tonight (pen and watercolor, 5 1/2" x 8"). The blue, green, and brown color palette wasn't intentional, but as it features in some of my other artwork lately I must have it on the brain.

Musical Inspiration



detail of grapevine design on curtain



As part of a large captive audience enjoying nearly four hours of exuberant a cappella music, I had a great opportunity to work on several 20 minute sketches in pencil and pen (5" x 7"). The concert was held in this gorgeous cathedral style auditorium with an interesting architecture combination: Gothic-style exposed beams and arch details, and Art Deco-style stage, lighting and woodwork.  The room dates from 1928, so the stage section certainly resembles other classic movie theaters/palaces of the time. Between the variety of music and the decorative room, it was nearly sensory overload.