Four Completely Unrelated Sketches

I hate to do that, but I was feeling the need to catch up, and I didn't want to do 4 separate posts! I know you will all bear with me! This week, D is at camp, so J and I are going to be wandering around aimlessly, wondering what do do with each other. Today we hit our local Jerry's Artarama (we can't go with D - it bores him tremendously) and then went on what could be the equivalent of a sketchcrawl with an almost 5-year old. When I get his copyright permission, I'll post his, too. So - this is my sketch from our date. We went to Cherokee Park in the beautiful Sequoyah Hills area and sat on a bench by the river/lake/whatever it is here. This house has always kind of intrigued me. It is HUGE, perched atop a bluff overlooking the river, and is just such a contradiction in style. It has a very contemporary, straight-line feel, with those Italianate arches and the Chinese pagoda-style roof. It's a multi-cultural house, I suppose. Anyway - as you can see, Tennessee is very GREEN in July...

This is a rather stylized sketch/illustration of Oscar, as he lounged on the floor next to the couch a couple of nights ago. I'm going to have to send him to the gym or something - he's developed a rather obvious paunch. I just loved the way he curled that one foot up and looked at me like "okay - explain to me again why that little dog can get on the couch and I can't???" It's a very touchy subject...

We went camping last weekend, to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Phew - long name - whatever happened to National PARK? Anyhow, these are some of the things we saw while we there. I was really fascinated by the bracing system for the low water bridge. I finally figured out that they used the railroad railing to prevent the boards from washing off when the water was up. And, did you know that Sassafrass tress have three different kinds of leaves? I didn't. Now I do. Isn't camping great??


Last but not least, before the camping trip, the boys and I met my mom in Fort Payne, Alabama and for a couple of days and hung out. We went over to Desoto State Park and Desoto Falls. The river was down, so the falls weren't as great as I have seen them, but it was still fun. I saw this little boathouse just above the falls and the water was so amazingly still that it was like a mirror underneath it - I had to try and capture it. I really struggle with perspective and so I am trying to work on it whenever I get a chance. The boathouse isn't terrible, but I still have alot of work to do. It was a beautiful and peaceful moment. I could have stayed all day.

(all sketches in the large Moleskine sketchbook)