Category: Life in general

Sister Spa Day

Watercolor & Ink in small Moleskine watercolor notebook
To enlarge, click images

Yesterday I treated my sister Marcy to a sisters’ spa day at the wonderful Osmosis Day Spa in Freestone, CA and then dinner at the Union Hotel in Occidental.

We started with a tea ceremony in their Japanese garden and then had enzyme baths which was the most relaxing experience I’ve ever had. After putting on lovely Japanese robes, we were escorted to a private room with a glass sliding wall facing another zen garden and pond.

In the room were two large cement tubs piled with fragrent cedar sawdust, soft rice bran and enzymes imported from Japan. After climbing in, we were each buried up to our chins with this warm, heavy stuff. It was like being in the most comfortable recliner ever, and like being in a womb. Beautiful music played while we relaxed and for once my mind went completely blank. Every five minutes our beautiful attendant arrived to refresh the cool washcloth on our forehead, gently wipe our faces with a cool cloth and give us sips of water. Because of the enzymes, the sawdust gets warmer and warmer until it’s time to get out after 20 minutes.

Thoroughly baked to just the right temperature, our attendant helped us out, brushed us off and then we showered before moving on to our heavenly 75 minute massages. Speaking of baking, across the street from the spa is the Wildflour Bakery, where Marcy bought a loaf of “Sticky Bun” bread which was hot out of the oven filled with rich, melting cinnamon and nuts.

After the massages we retreated to the zen garden and sat in the open air meditation gazebo (seen in the photo above). Marcy sat on the provided meditation cushions watching the Koi and meditating until she dozed off and almost fell over. Then she joined me on my bench where I was making the sketch at the top, of the view from the gazebo (photo below).

By then it was nearly four and since we’d skipped lunch we headed a few miles west to Occidental for dinner at the Union Hotel. The second sketch at the top is what was sitting on the bar in the cafe at the hotel along with several more large clay bunny statues. Then it was a lovely 1 1/2 hour ride back home through the most brilliantly green fields covered in yellow and white wildflowers. For city girls it was fun seeing all the horses, cows, sheep, lambs, llamas, a few deer, a squashed skunk, and many hawks out in the beautiful country.

“Pull over, I have to pet those horses,” Marcy said. So we drove down someone’s dirt road to pet the horsies, who were only interested in us long enough to determine we had no food for them and then went back to eating grass. The car above is in the side garden at Osmosis–a bit incongruous but I’m sure there’s a story behind it.

Tags Pen and Ink, Photos

Drawing Life in general Sketchbook Pages

Goodbye Old Hoodie

Memory Brush Pen in Aquabee 6×9 sketchbook
To enlarge click images, select All Sizes

Ink in my AM/PM sketchbook

These are ritual goodbye drawings of my ratty, old, gray hooded sweatshirt. I’ve been wearing it as a sort of housecoat/bathrobe for years. I put it on over my pajamas in the morning and wear it year-round to stay comfy in my house day and night, where it’s usually a degree or two cooler than I’d like.

My cat Busby chewed up the zipper months ago, so zipping it requires lining up the teeth in three different places where they’re missing. A few weeks ago the tab on the zipper fell off, making it even harder to close. It’s full of holes and threadbare spots, paint stains, bleach stains, and a grease stain from when I slipped carrying the barbeque and the grease never washed out.

Last week while my car had an oil change I visited the Target next door and bought two new grey “hoodies” on sale. They’re soft and clean and warm with perfect zippers and no stains. But I’ve been ignoring them, choosing to wear my old one. To help me part with what’s become a bit of a security blanket, I did these drawings to honor the ratty old thing before I toss it in the trash.

By the way, when did sweatshirts become known as hoodies? I somehow missed that moment in time. For years they were sweatshirts and then all of a sudden they were hoodies. It seems like such a cutesy name for such a homely item of apparel.

Tags Pen and Ink

Life in general Other Art Blogs I Read

Who Needs Paint Anyway?

I was looking for videos of painting with oils on the web when I came across this crazy video. I don’t usually post stuff like this, but I just loved watching this guy quickly paint a portrait using nothing but ketchup and fries from McDonalds. Since I spent the day with my friend Richard while he tuned up my aging computer and then had pizza and a movie with friends tonight, my sketchbook has nothing worth showing so I thought I’d share this video instead.

Life in general Other Art Blogs I Read Watercolor

Yay! Show is Up!

I had the most amazing experience tonight. Two very special people helped me hang the paintings for my show (well actually they climbed on ladders and hung the paintings while I nursed a beer to calm my nerves and said things like “Yep, you got it. Perfect!” or “Let’s move that one over there and this one over here” and they didn’t even get annoyed!) I’d been so worried about trying to hang the artwork in this rather challenging space and they made it look as classy and grand as a show you’d see in any gallery. I am so grateful and proud to have such caring and careful people in my life!

I have a hard time asking for help, never wanting to bother others. So when my dear friend Richard, who is a brilliant photographer and absolutely the best computer and audio technical guru around, volunteered to help me when he heard about the show I was amazed and thrilled because I know what a perfect job he does with anything he touches, as does my wonderful son Cody, who was the second to volunteer (after I asked him, but still…) Cody is my best art critique and has a dead-on eye for detail and is meticulous when it comes to the things he’s passionate about (including restoring to perfection fabulous “muscle cars“ from the 70s). With a team like these two, I knew the show couldn’t fail. I’m so proud and pleased at how it looks and how much fun it was to hang with my team.

Here’s a few photos taken at the end of the evening (in dim light and not the steadiest of hand).

Above, Richard after we finished hanging and he treated us to a slice of pizza.

Non-blurry versions available on my website.

Drawing Dreams Life in general People Sketchbook Pages

AM PM Sketchbook

Espresso pen, Handbook Journal

A woman from Scotland wrote to me and said she’d come upon my blog my accident and that I’d inspired her to start adding drawings to her daily journal. Her email inspired me to start a new sketchbook project that I’ve really been enjoying. Each morning before I get out of bed I write a few sentences about my dreams, the weather and/or how I’m feeling that morning and do a quick little drawing. Then in the evening I do another brief entry about the day or something I’m grateful for and draw something of the day. These are drawings from memory or imagination so they’re pretty goofy, not at all realistic.

Before drawing in it, I dated each page in the sketchbook in advance. It’s a square Handbook Journal Co. sketchbook that I didn’t like too much for watercolor so now I have a good use for it.

The drawing on the left is supposedly me (I don’t really look that terrible, even in the morning) and Busby doing his silly morning snuggle where he sticks his head below my ear and kneads his paws on my neck, purring madly and half choking me. I drew it while he was doing that, holding up a little mirror. The one on the right I drew tonight after a lovely Thai dinner with my dear painting group friends as we celebrated Judith’s birthday (she’s supposedly blowing out a candle stuck in a big blob of coconut ice cream surrounded by chunks of fried bananas). If you think these are funky drawings, you should (or shouldn’t) see the hilarious cars, bus and boats I drew yesterday!

Tags Pen and Ink, People

Life in general Outdoors/Landscape Sketchbook Pages

You Can’t Always Get What You Want…

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date February 11, 2007
18 Comments on You Can’t Always Get What You Want…

Ink & watercolor in small Moleskine watercolor notebook
(To enlarge, click images, select All Sizes)

I’m back from Puerto Vallarta and trying to return to regular life. I did these little sketches at the pool and on the beach in the afternoons after the workshop. The reason for the title of this post is that while I didn’t really get what I wanted, I did learn some important things at the workshop that I needed to know. What I didn’t get was much time painting outdoors or many sketches of charming Mexican vistas and people.

I was suprised to learn that breakfast was at 7:30 a.m. each day; that the workshop was to take place inside a classroom from 9-2 every day (with no lunch break); and that we were to work on one painting the whole week, using a black and white photo of a person supplied by the teacher combined with photos we took on a trip to town after class the second day. We were suposed to use the teacher’s special techniques using salt to make texture and designing with patterned backgrounds.

The first day was all lecture and I learned some very valuable things from it. On the second day I started on the assignment. By the end of the day I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing so abandoned it, spending class time alternately watching the teacher demonstrate and occasionally ditching to go outside to sketch on my own.

As a bit of a recluse, constantly being with 20-40 people was exhausting. There was another workshop going on at the same time, a Photoshop for Artists class that had even longer days inside a darkened classroom, and we ate most meals together.) Most of the participants were seasoned travelers on the “workshop circuit” that I hadn’t even known existed prior to this. They are apparently quite financial comfortable and able to go to painting workshops all over the world on a regular basis.

Puerto Vallarta was shockingly different than what I’d seen last time I was there 30 years ago, with horrible traffic, a Sam’s Club, Walmart, Starbucks, Hooters, Office Depot, Carls Junior, Hard Rock Cafe, sprawling hotels with more under construction everywhere, and giant supermarkets — everything for the huge population of gringos visiting or living there. The only thing that remained the same was the people. The Mexican people are the warmest, most beautiful, kindest people.

Two highlights of the trip were being able to speak Spanish well enough to have conversations with local people and swimming in the warm ocean on my last day–my only day without scheduled activities.

Tomorrow I’ll post some of what I learned in the workshop that was valuable to me.

Tags Pen and Ink

Life in general Plein Air Watercolor

Hasta la vista

I’m off to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a week of painting, swimming, reading and siestas. I’ll be joining Judy Morris for her watercolor workshops from 9-2 in our courtyard patio “studio” and on plein air painting trips around the area. The trip is sponsored by Flying Colors Art Workshops.

The picture above is my new watercolor easel recommended by Judy. Here’s what she said about it:

“Some of you may be interested in the PERFECT plein air easel. I have one! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! Look at Valpod Artist Easel website to see it. Norm Kramer in Idaho makes them (Valpod Artist Easels – Telephone: 208-522-8677 in Idaho). I prefer the #U8000 model. I take the tripod, shelf, plastic cups that are provided, and the small (1/4 sheet size) board. Fits in my suitcase perfectly!”

I’ll let you know how I liked it. I normally use a Winsor Newton Bristol watercolor portable easel and make a shelf by clipping a flat old palette on top of my old lady shopping cart that I drag my plein air supplies around in. I can’t bring that cart with me so will have to carry everything, which I’m not thrilled about. I may just use my watercolor sketchbook when we go off site. I’m bringing a Canson Montval Field Watercolor notebook (140 pound watercolor paper 7×10″), small Moleskine watercolor notebook and sketchbook in my backpack on the plane, and maybe a few others, depending on room.

Well, it’s already 9:30 PM and I haven’t finished packing yet and I’m leaving in the AM so I better say Adios now.

I’ll be back next weekend.

Tags Plein Air

Life in general Watercolor

Getting ready for Mexico

I’m getting ready for my painting trip to Mexico with lists of things to take care of before I leave on Saturday morning. I’m trying something new–starting to relax a little before vacation instead of pushing up until the last minute, which has always meant starting a holiday with a migraine.

Tonight my painting time is being used to prepare my palette for the trip so no art, but here’s a picture of my plein air/travel palette which I’ll be packing in my suitcase. The piece of painted watercolor paper beside it serves to remind me which colors are which and also serves as blotter paper in case the paints drip. It fits inside over the top of the paint. I use this palette regularly for plein air painting when I’m setting up an easel.

9 x 11″ Holbein palette that folds to 9×5.5″

This is the cheapie palette I’m going to take on the plane with me so I won’t be upset if it gets thrown away (thanks to Belinda Del Pesco for the idea of taking a cheapie onboard in case security puts it in the bin with the other dangerous items, like toothpaste and hand lotion.) I bought this to try it out for about $4.00 and didn’t like it much but it’s handy as a loaner for students.

8×8 cheapie palette, folds to 8×4″

While I’m at it, I thought I’d throw in pics of my other palettes that I use on a regular basis. This is my standard studio palette. It has a lid to keep the cat hair (and cat paws) out and I like it a lot. I have all of the paint names and pigment numbers marked around the outside edge.

15″ x 11″ Robert Wood studio palette

And here are two little palettes. The one on the left is an ancient Holbein palette with some of the original paints and some that I’ve refilled with new colors. I keep it in my backpack along with my little sketchbook for times when I’m not planning ahead to paint but want something small and flat to carry along just in case. It sat on my desk at work for a long time, begging to get used but only did once. I keep the Winsor & Newton on the right in my little grab-and-go kit that I use when I’m planning to paint in a cafe, at the farmer’s market or in my car — somewhere I wouldn’t use an easel. It’s very handy and portable, since it has a little water container (that dark thing at the top) as part of the kit. They both have little finger loops on the back so that you can hold them comfortably and mini brushes, though I use Niji waterbrushes for painting with them since they have handy tops to protect the brushes.

Schmincke folds to 3×5″ and Winsor Newton folds to 2.5″ x 4″ but it’s chunkier.

Every Day Matters Life in general Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Pilates Reformer – EDM 103 (again)

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date January 23, 2007
13 Comments on Pilates Reformer – EDM 103 (again)

Ink & watercolor in Aquabee 6×9 Sketchbook

This week’s Everyday Matters challenge is to draw your exercise equipment so yesterday and today that’s what I’ve done. I drew it directly with a pen which is why it’s not proportioned properly but I told myself to just be playful and draw for fun which I did.

This is my Pilates reformer plus various associated exercise gear in my exercise room. I have lots of exercise equipment and I used to use it faithfully for at least an hour every day until I started blogging. Since then my exercise time seems to have transformed itself into blogging time just as my muscles seem to be transforming into blogging blubber.

At least if I was doing an art/walking or art/bicycling blog like two of my very favorite art bloggers, Julie and Alison, I’d be doing art and getting fit at the same time. I think the only solution is to go to bed earlier so I can get up in time to do an hour of exercise again before work. So I’ll end this here and get to bed so tomorrow I can get up early and workout.

Tags Pen and Ink

Life in general Other Art Blogs I Read Photos

Always doing

In trying to catch up with email and blog visiting, I discovered Suresh Gundappa‘s site with some of the most amazing photos I’ve seen, especially the one linked here that so brilliantly illustrates his powerful essay on how Westerners are so busy and in a hurry all the time that they are “driving themselves mad with their activity…” which really hit home.

I often complain that there’s never enough time to do everything I want to do, and make long lists of things to accomplish on days off and vacations. I’m so glad that when I go to Mexico in two weeks, I will be disconnected from all activity except relaxing and painting and that it will be goal-less painting. A week of just being. I haven’t done that in years.

Sorry…no pictures here today, but I hope you’ll scroll through Suresh’s images and words…there are some really thrilling photos there.

Tags Photos