At Gleason Park

Things are loosening up in Florida and people are going to parks and beaches. There were many people in Gleason Park, and they were socially distancing. I had a picnic table to myself and was able to paint in my journal, sitting comfortably in the shade, and enjoying the breeze.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Carmen

Journaling During Quarantine

Since I have been remiss in my journaling lately, I decided to catch up. There's not much to say since we have self-quarantined since March. On the previous page I wrote a little summary, which I won't bore you with.

We've never had so much time to work in the yard, so it is really looking good now. And I did eventually make successful masks. Click on the picture to see it better.

Carmen

A Couple More Pages from my Journal

 I'm almost done with my sketch journal for the Brooklyn Art Library project. It's certainly given me something to occupy my time during the pandemic, not that I'll ever run out of things to do.

In Florida we are under what I'd call Wimpy Lockdown. They haven't enforced much so far, so my expectations are low.

It's funny the things you are forced to notice during isolation. I can't go to the nail salon for a pedicure and I'm wondering when my toes got to be so far away.

The virus has certainly improved the looks of our yard. We have spent our time in isolation whipping it into shape, and it is much improved. I wish I enjoyed cleaning out closets as much as I enjoy gardening. Maybe this summer I'll be able to do some more paintings while standing in the pool. It's the only way, what with global warming and all. It's going to be a scorcher of a summer.

More From My Journal, My Life in Limericks

I have not posted anything in weeks because I've been sick. I'm better now and have done a bit more in my journal. In the last post we were living in Bermuda. Click on the picture to view it better:

This was our second tour in the Azores, and we had a great time there. I started working at Lajes Air Force Base, and the rest of the time we were playing sports. We got our first horse there, a little Portuguese cart horse named Canasta. It was a great place to raise children.

Carmen

More from my Sketch Journal, My Life in Limericks

We were living in Charleston and Suzanne was a baby when President Kennedy was shot.

Next came Bermuda. Can you imagine living in Bermuda for three years? Yes, it was wonderful. We lived in Diamond Cottage on Suffering Lane. That was our whole address.

The water was turquoise, the beaches had pink sand in them. Snorkeling was great and we could stay near the shore. Beautiful fish were abundant. It was a great place for kids.

Carmen

Recipes, Medical History and Being Crafty

 

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Two of the artists in our painting group, Pieces of Eight, have inspired me this month. Jean Thomas did a journal workshop in which I participated and I learned how to make the handmade journal, above. 

During a recent doctor visit I was asked when a certain injury happened, when pain recurred, etc. and I thought that it would be handy if all that was written down in a certain place, with all symptoms, because who remembers the dates of medical problems? Fay Picardi gave me a nice little sketchbook for Christmas, and I decided that I would use that for my medical history from here forward, and include sketches of my pain locations. And of course, being me, I have already included a sketch of my doctor. To give the book more importance and assure I would actually use it, I used my newfound knowledge to fancy up the cover.

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Unlike my travel journals, for this one I say the less entries, the better!

Carmen

Down Memory Lane

I lived in Winter Garden in the late 50s and had a wonderful time there. It was a tiny, out-of-the-way town, and its base was the citrus industry. Because of the wisdom of the town management, it is now a vibrant, trendy place to visit. The day my sister and I were there the farmer's market was in full swing and there was a car show. I found the apartment building I lived in with Marilynn's family, back when life was so much fun in a small town full of interesting characters.

We also visited Disney Springs and Winter Park, where we enjoyed Leu Gardens and the Morse Museum, which has the largest collection of Tiffany glass anywhere. It was a lovely weekend.

Carmen

Lake Junaluska Journal, Adventures in Remodeling

We just returned from a big trip to North Carolina, helping our friends remodel their second home. It was very ambitious and involved bringing a huge double wide refrigerator upstairs and another one downstairs--two flights--and tearing out and installing a kitchen. Flooring was laid throughout, wiring and plumbing moved, ceilings scraped, doors and windows moved, and everything painted.

It only took 200 trips to Lowe's and two to the Buttered Biscuit, where the biscuits are 10 inches tall.

Below, two movers were hired to move the fridges and the one in charge constantly berated his helper, Joel. Even when carrying a refrigerator up the stairs, he never stopped talking.

This garden was a few steps away. 

 We took one day off to go to Clingman's Dome in the Smokies.

  

 My motto is: When you can't take another step, stop and paint!

Blowing thistles on Clingman's Dome

A lot was accomplished and there were many sounds of moans, groans, laughter and singing throughout!

Twenty-Minute Challenge

My friend Donna Vines introduced me to artist Mary Gilkerson's 20-minute challenge, which means doing a small painting in just 20 minutes. Here is my first attempt, a scene in Florence, Italy. I learned from this one that the subject was a bit too complex for a 20-minute execution!

This was my second attempt, and it went much easier. No buildings or people!

I was more deliberate with this last one, and stopped panicking over the time ticking by.

If you want to paint more loosely, this is a great exercise. One important tip: mix up your paint before you set the time.

Below is a page from my sketch journal, starting with my gym class the other day. Jean Thomas's class really inspired me to sketch more about everyday happenings.

Carmen

Adventures in Gordes, France from my Sketch Journal

See my sketch of the steep road we walked down? You might think that's an exaggeration; no, it is not. The cobblestones have probably been there since 1300 AD. Inside the restaurant we had to climb a steep, narrow spiral staircase that had me hanging onto the railing. It was all worth it. We had a table on our own little balcony, with a view of the sunset over the valley. The meal was elegant and delicious, the service impeccable. Gordes is a beautiful medieval cliffside town full of kind and friendly people.

Carmen

Whitewater Grannies, 11x14 Pen and Ink Drawing, Cartoon of a Real Event

This is the tenth anniversary of the first Pieces of Eight artists' retreat, when we went to Carol Schiff's home in North Carolina. The highlight of the trip for Denette, Donna, Carol and me was our whitewater rafting adventure in the Nantahala River. We had some trepidation at first, but soon became confident and--truth be told--smug. We had a great time until we hit something called The Slot, which is a little waterfall that eats rafts. I saw Donna fly by me and reached out to catch her, not realizing I too was airborne. We were rescued by a kindly man in a boat we had earlier complained about going too slow! Shame on us! As we met again on the shore, Donna said, "We have bonded over a near-death experience!"
Below are our Before and After photos. Notice we have no helmets? Safety precautions were sadly lacking but we were clueless.

I had one of those cheap underwater cameras sold in drugstores, so we got to commemorate the moment. 

Carmen

Pumpkin Hill, Sketch Journal in Watercolor

We recently visited our family in Pennsylvania and it was just beautiful there with all the Fall colors. They live right on top of a hill which slopes down to cow pastures. See the little fat cow? That is not even exaggerated. 

A lot of cooking went on and we enjoyed it immensely. We hiked through the woods and found the mushrooms depicted above right. The big one was huge and very hard. Fungi can be quite peculiar.

I once had a high school biology teacher who had this question on a test: _______have no ________.

He offered not a clue. Worms have no feet? Fish have no pockets?

The actual answer: Fungi have no Chlorophyll.

Carmen

Sketch Journal: North Carolina

These are scenes from my journal of the recent Pieces of 8 artists' retreat to North Carolina. We happily sat on rocks and sketched a waterfall, and we didn't mention to Donna that we passed a large example of bear scat on the trail. Ignorance is bliss.

Carmen

Journalling at Silver Springs

Computers are so mysterious. In the words "stabilize" and "small" above, the letter "l" is missing. It's not missing in the journal. That is just weird. 

Above, looking down into a spring; below, a very interesting palm tree that loops out over the water.