In my Sketchbook

School is back in session for us - the July heat and humidity are too much for doing anything outside, so we take the opportunity to get a jump on our school year. Yes, it's painful - but we will thank ourselves next spring! School feels different this year - the kids are older and do much more on their own, checking in with me a few times a day. I have a high schooler, two middle schoolers and a fourth grader. When did they grow up?? Starting the school year is very labor intensive for me - there are lists to make, last minute books to buy, school supplies to procure and color coordinate (yes, each student has their own color. I love organization), lists to double check, and finally we enter the tentative first day. To keep my sanity in the midst of starting a new school year, I try to find a few minutes every day to doodle in my sketchbook.

Nothing jaw dropping, but the exercise of getting out the paints and putting pigment to paper keeps my mind moving. It's a discipline of finding inspiration in the everyday things around me. The picture above was an embroidery pattern on a woman's shirt - I secretly painted it while sitting poolside waiting for the kids to finish swimming lessons.

And some quick lettering before turning in for the night.

And lest you think every page is something I love, here's proof that some days are just a disaster. I just roll with it and use the page for lettering practice instead. 

Now that our school routine is settling down, I think I will have more time to work on some bigger art projects.

Like this one.

Can you guess what's hiding under the sheet? 

A very large (and boring) painting - the walls in our garage. This is NOT pretty, but trust me, our neglected garage looks much better than it did a week ago! It is barely large enough to drive our mini van into, but not quite big enough to open the doors and exit said van. I have no idea who designed such a tiny parking area - someone who drives a motorcycle, perhaps? So the garage has become a catch-all for our STUFF (no basements in our reclaimed swamp area). I finally took everything down and patched and painted the walls. I plan to use this space as an art studio where I can create and hold classes! This will give me much more room when I have painting students, and nobody will have to worry about spilling paint in the house. A long table, a comfy chair, and we'll be ready to create some art!