1/19/10

Bay View Cottages

A Row of Cottages in the Snow

Another small painting done in my sketchbook. This is a scene I have painted many times in the summer. In fact, it is one of my favorites. There was a very cold wind coming off the Bay the day we went there to take pictures. There is no way in the world that I would have stayed there to sketch. It was the kind of cold that make your cheek bones ache.

Sketching from the photographs on my monitor certainly isn't the same as really being there, but living in Northern Michigan, I do have to compromise now and then. Doing them in my sketchbook gives me a chance to work out the colors and play around a little bit with the composition. I obviously didn't play around with the colors enough here.

I'm thinking of changing the name of this blog to "My Quirky Life". We've been talking about remodeling our bathroom for quite awhile now. My husband decided to put shut-offs on the bathroom sink before we really get into anything. While he was doing that, he broke the pipe. So the electricity to the bathroom light fixtures went out!!! That's the kind of thing that happens here. At the same time, my car sat in the driveway and had a flat tire.

4 comments:

Marj said...

I love your trees with the snow on them...so simple, yet you get the cold feeling immediately!
What a contrast--I painted that same house (on the left) in our summer sketchbook class :-)

Carol Bonomo said...

This is another wonderfully COLD scene. I think you've got the values just right.

ann said...

BRRRRRRRR . . . though we do have a light dusting of snow on the Santa Rita Mtns here in Green Valley, AZ. I was in a workshop yesterday and overheard a lady say she was from Petosky and my ears immediately perked up. I had to ask if she knew the lady that wrote the book about sketching in Petosky. She, of course, knew you - her name is Susan Sheets. She said to be sure & let you know I ran into her. I was so envious that she lives in Petosky!!!! I do so want to come there and do a workshop with you. I really enjoy seeing your work & hearing about life in Petosky. Susan highly recommended I look into the bookmaking. Regards, Ann

Catherine said...

Thanks Marj - that is quite a contrast from the summer journal pages, isn't it!?

Thanks Carol - I'm not always sure I am capturing the "cold".

What fun gvann! What a small world! Susan is fun isn't she? So full of life. The bookbinding is really addictive. I want to teach it with a friend next summer. Try it - once you start you won't want to stop making them.