23rd World Wide Sketch Crawl Starting Out

Read through several posts to see all the sketches that Barbara and I did for Sketch Crawl in Bryan and College Station. I hope that they are now in some sort of order. I had invited people to meet at the LaSalle Hotel in downtown Bryan and, if we had a group, we could decide where we wanted to work. Barbara met me at the coffee shop of the LaSalle, but no one else came.
I used a 5"x 7" sketchbook, a pencil, a Pitt pen, and a Winsor Newton travel set of watercolors. I also brought a small watercolor sketchbook, and a larger watercolor sketchbook, in case I might need them. Barbara used a small sketchbook, a few pens, and a small set of travel watercolors.

Hot Summer Day

Cecelia

ink and watercolors

We knew that it was going to be an extremely hot day, with temperatures topping 100 degrees, so we planned on finding a cool place to sketch for the July Sketch Crawl. Fields and lawns are burned and the dirt is either hard or sandy from the drought and heat. Some trees are beginning to die. A boat parked in a field of parched weeds caught my attention.

Orange Juice At The LaSalle

Cecelia

ink and watercolors

I'm not a coffee drinker, so, while I waited for Barbara, I ordered orange juice to drink. I picked out a table by a window overlooking the street , and got out my sketchbook. No one was just having coffee. There was a group, meeting in a corner of the room, a man with a computer, a woman with a book, groups of people walking in and out of the hotel, the people working behind the counter-all wrapped up in their own worlds.
I was fascinated by the wood work and mirrors, the art deco lights and furnishings. I had a little trouble with getting to the restroom. The rest room is downstairs. I had trouble finding the buttons in the elevator. I hate to ride elevators alone! But, the ceiling lights at the elevator in the basement, and the woodwork and mirrors in the elevator, made the wait enjoyable.
I just hoped I could find my way back!

It turned out to be a nice day.

Read on down the posts to see the rest of our sketches and adventures.

And be sure to go to http://www.sketchcrawl.com to see art work and experiences from around the world on that same day.

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23rd World Wide Sketch Crawl Start

Texas Rider

Cecelia

ink and watercolor

It was my job to direct Barbara to Rudy's barbeque for lunch after spending the morning sketching at the LaSalle Hotel coffee shop. I started sketching this young man, riding on a tool box in back of a pick up truck, missed the turn, and it ended up taking us an hour to find Rudy's. I couldn't have read the signs, anyway. This town is growing and changing so much that I can't find the landmarks that have always been here!

Signs

Joni and Ashton joined us for lunch. I gave them paper and pencil to draw something for Sketch Crawl and this is what they did. Joni thought this sign, admonishing people to clean up, was hilarious. It does fit, I guess, for people who are away from home for the first time, in college, etc. And for some older folks who forget the lessons they learned. Ashton did a quick No Smoking sign. The last time we were here, he laughed at the sign that said No Smoking, right next to the fireplace! And, considering that the food is smoked, I thought that was a funny sign, too.

Couple Eating Barbeque
Barbara

ink

Barbara sketched this man who was having lunch with his wife. He detected her drawing and they stopped to look at what she was doing. We told them about Sketch Crawl and gave them a flyer. I think they were impressed.

Oops!.. They Left
Barbara

ink

Barbara was sketching and her subjects left. A problem we encounter when drawing from life. Our subjects often tend to move!

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More about out Sketch Crawl Day in another post!

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23rd World Wide Sketch Crawl

Lunching At Rudy's

Cecelia

pencil

Barbara and I spent the afternoon in the air conditioning at Rudy's barbeque in College Station, sketching. The rustic surroundings with a Texas Aggie theme made a pleasant place to sketch after we had a lunch of barbeque, served on waxed paper for plates and paper towels for napkins. I sketched people eating on what was once a screened porch and is now closed in with lots of windows. In the main part of the restaurant, tables are covered with oil cloth red and white checked table cloths, while, on the porch, there are wooden picnic tables. There is a nice view of the creek behind the restaurant from the porch area.

Guys' Lunch

Barbara

ink

Barbara sketched these two men, enjoying barbeque for their lunch at Rudy's.

Guys' Lunch II

Cecelia
ink and watercolor

I sketched the same two men as Barbara was sketching. I added some watercolors to mine. I was curious about the orange t-shirt on the wall behind them, but I didn't get up to examine it. I thought it was odd to have a University of Texas symbol in this place that had an Aggie theme!

Ceiling Lights at Rudy's

Cecelia

ink and watercolor

I wanted to do a drawing that would show the whole scene at Rudy's. But I was using a small sketchbook that fit into my purse, and I just didn't feel I had enough room. I started with the ceiling lights and, by this time, Barbara was ready to leave. I did show how the lights look to me, with AMD and cataracts. I'm sure they were simple, round bulbs, but, to me, they had sort of a flowery shape.

Cleaning Up

Cecelia

ink and watercolor

This young lady caught my attention as she walked past and greeted us. A team of people, dressed in the uniform of the business, seemed to sweep across the restaurant and start to clean as we were getting ready to leave. I couldn't help but notice the clean, white, neatly folded rag that was hanging out of her back pocket.

These were the last of our drawings that we did during the 23rd World Wide Sketch Crawl Saturday July 11, 2009.

I was trying to figure out how to post these drawings and make them come out in order. I thought it would work to put the last one first, but, then, I realized that I can only add 5 at a time, after I had added these!

Hopefully, you will read the following post first, and this one last! That will work, I hope.

Go to the Sketch Crawl website to see art work and photos from all over the world. Look under Forum, 23rd World Wide Sketch Crawl.

It's very interesting to get a world tour through the eyes of many artists!

http://www.sketchcrawl.com/

I hope that we can get a group for the next one! Come join us! That should be in about October. You can check the website, and join, if you want, to get updates and notices.

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Winecups at Sunset

Winecups at Sunset

6" x 8"

oil

My e-mail got hung up yesterday, so I tried many different ways to send out my blog. Nothing seems to have worked right. I finally figured out today that, perhaps, one e-mail file I was trying to send was too large and it wouldn't go. I deleted it all, and everything seemed to start to work again.

I apologize if you got my blog more than once, of if you didn't get it at all.

Please be sure to scroll down and read Wednesday's post, if you didn't get yesterday's blog.

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A mail box beside a country road. Winecups blooming in the grass beside the base of the box. Sunset driving long shadows from a house across an open field. A nice time of day. A nice time of year. Spring in Texas.

The little painting above is done with oil paint on stretched canvas.

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Please let me know if you see anything of interest to you.

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The Circus arrived at Reed Arena yesterday! Much excitement!

This isn't the full three ring circus, but is a new concept that Ringling Bros. is using, with just one ring. There are still elephants, big cats, and all kinds of acts and clowns to delight all ages.

It ends Saturday.

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One more day to Sketch Crawl! Saturday April 11, 2009

http://www.sketchcrawl.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrazosValley_Sketchers

Join us!

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If you are in the Brazos Valley area, meet at Mud Creek Pottery on Main Street in Calvert about 8:30 a.m. or the LaSalle Hotel in downtown Bryan, also about 8:30 a.m. Meet in the courtyard or the coffee shop. After 10:00 a.m, in Bryan, register at the Frame Gallery, 216 N. Bryan Ave.

Once we meet, we can see if we have a group, where we want to sketch, and if we want to work alone or with someone else.

Just bring yourself, paper and pencil or pen, or whatever sketching, painting, or journaling materials that you prefer. Also bring any personal items you need like a hat, sunglasses, folding chair or stool, or camera. Of course, you should bring any money that you want to spend.

The Sketch Crawl is FREE, but you might want to buy something to eat, drink, etc.

The weather forecast is calling for possible thunderstorms starting to move in on Saturday. That should not affect us. The stores will be open so we could find a place to work indoors. I'm thinking of several possibilities.

In Calvert, you have all those great show windows to look through at Mud Creek Pottery, if you need to work inside for a while.

Of course, there are always restaurants where it would be nice to spend some time and enjoy something to eat or drink.

It really is a nice day for anyone who likes to sketch, draw, journal, or doodle.

Let me know if you have any questions.

I'm anxious to see what everyone does, as well as to participate myself!

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Have you watched the storks, yet? Look for links to stork webcams in my sidebar under Stork Sites. They are fascinating!

EDM Challenge # 215

Draw Your Thumb

Every Day Matters Challenge #215

8.5" x 11"

ink

For a change of pace, I thought I would share a journal type of entry from my sketchbook. Each week, the Every Day Matters group issues a new challenge to draw something. Number 215 was to draw your thumb, and people could add what their thumb was on, etc. I probably should add a little color to this, but the drawing and note about it is done.

You should be able to click on the picture and enlarge it so that you can read what I wrote.

The practice of drawing your hand at different angles, and different times of your life, is a good exercise. I thought of collecting things like photos of the artists' hands as I meet them, beginning with the workshops of Harry Ahysen in Hearne.

Drawing my own hand is getting to be a big challenge because of all the jillions of patterns of wrinkles that are appearing. I think that would take a long, long while to draw! However, Myrna Waknov did some interesting work with wrinkled skin, using watercolors, by using tissue paper. I think it would be very interesting to take a workshop with her because of all the experimentation she does, and comes out with amazing portraits. I haven't tried the tissue paper approach, thinking that, if I am studying something, like my hand, I should examine every line, shape, and shadow!

I used a Pitt pen over pencil to do the above drawing.

This was something personal to record. Not a huge thing, but it did happen. My left thumb was giving me a lot of pain. At that time, I was seeing an Orthopedic surgeon about my knees. He wanted to do surgery. I didn't have the time, money, or the bravery to go through knee replacement, so I was getting shots every few months and taking Vioxx. That worked for me. I asked him about my hand and he did x-rays. He told me that I had arthritis in the joint and that there was not enough space between there to get a needle in for a shot. He suggested that he could fuse the bone, or remove it to relieve the pain.

Right then, I knew that I needed my thumb! I could imagine a useless thumb, either stiff as a board, or one that just dangled in the breeze, if he did surgery. I said no to that and said I would just take asprins, put heat on it, and massage it.

As I look at all the wrinkles appearing, I can also see that the joint in my thumb has sunk in. I can push on the joint and move it back in place, but it goes right back. It looks weird, to me. I think that the right thumb is beginning to do the same thing, but just a tiny bit, so far.

I know that people can get along without a thumb, a finger or two, a hand, arm, etc. But just think of all the things that you use your thumb for. You grip things, shuffle papers, type, tie, and all sorts of things. The first thing I thought of was shuffling through paper work at school and doing art work. Sculpture in clay especially. I used my thumbs a lot when I made clay heads. I thought that I might do those in wax, someday, if I ever got to the stage where I had arthritis in my hands, or became blind!

Drawing my thumb became a thoughtful exercise for me.

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If you are in this area, be sure to go out to the Brazos Valley Art League Show at the Art Center in College Station, before it closes. Check out their website and the Arts Council of Brazos Valley site for more information. This one was judged.

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Mary Ciani Saslow, from the Architecture Dept. at A&M, was getting ready for the Faculty Show at Stark Gallery in the MSC. Stark Gallery is online, as are the galleries in the MSC. And I have a link to them in my sidebar. I know that show will be interesting. So many creative people!

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Of course, we are hoping for a big turnout for the 22nd World Wide Sketch Crawl on Saturday April 11. Hope that you will join us! We are trying to get groups started all over the Brazos Valley area, Bryan and Calvert, in particular. Click here http://www.sketchcrawl.com for more information.

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21sst World Wide Sketch Crawl Bryan/College Station, Texas Part II

6. Sick Bitsy-Murphy's Law was at work for me on Sketch Crawl Day. I woke up with a touch of stomach flu, which seems to be going around. I just had nausea, though, and felt bad. I went into the kitchen to find that Bitsy had diarreah and vomiting, again, which meant giving medicine and a lot of cleaning up. This goes along with the renal failure that she was diagnosed with a couple of weeks ago. It was almost noon before the sickness let up.
Bitsy is not a cuddly cat to begin with. Pick her up and claws go everywhere. She runs at certain times when it looks like I am going where the medicine is. Since she came back from the vet's, she has stayed pretty much in the kitchen/den and utility room, with a few trips into the dining room. Before the visit to the vet, she spent a lot of time on the fuzzy blanket on my bed. She hides out on a chair where she is hidden under the table. Teeth and claws come out when I start to give her medicine.
I was trying to give her pills, but I had too many bites and scratches that way. So, I took a tip from the way they give meds in the nursing home, and started putting a pill in a spoon of water. When it dissolves, I put it into a syringe. If some of it dribbles down her mouth, I figure that she will lick it off. I wrap a towel around her to try to contain her claws when I give her medicine, but that doesn't help the teeth. Now, I'm finding that she has learned to spit and will spit out the medicine while I am squirting it in her mouth! And she was so nice for the vet!
Last night, she wouldn't even come sit on the arm of the couch while I was watching tv, as she always does. She did choose my daughter's recliner and sat on top. Maybe she is trying to get closer to the heat in the ceiling vents and the ceiling fan.
I finally called the Frame Gallery and told her about my cat on Saturday.
On top of that, my daughter didn't want to drive me to downtown Bryan for the Sketch Crawl, to work for a while. (I don't drive due to my AMD and cataracts, so I have to depend on others to take me places.) She did agree to take me to one of the places I suggested that we might go to eat and sketch for Sketch Crawl. I had thought of the fireplace and warm barbeque, rustic atmosphere, and view of a little creek out back, at Rudy's Barbeque.
I had thought that I might be able to make it to town in the afternoon, at least, but, by then, Bitsy had resumed a bit of diarreah and vomiting. I sat down to darken up some of my sketches, thinking that I might get a ride to town when my grandson went to work. But, my crew all headed out the door without me. So, I spent the rest of the afternoon, darkening the sketches I had done earlier, between taking care of Bitsy.
They did announce the date for the next Sketch Crawl for Saturday April 11, 2009. I hope that this one works out better and that we will have more participation here. And that I can get where I am trying to go when I need to go.


7. Whoop!- As I sat at a long table, covered with red and white checked tablecloths, in front of a dark fireplace, I looked around Rudy's for things to draw. Just behind me, there was a Blue Bell ice cream box, draped with a sign that said Breakfast Tacos. It was jammed beside a wooden column. At the base of the column, it looked like a little pile of dirt that had been swept up by one of the several workers patrolling the restaurant with brooms. It looked like someone had used their finger to write the Aggie "Whoop" in the dirt. I thought that was a cute touch to add to other Aggie touches that are typical of this area.
Most likely it was just something made into the floor as part of the rustic decor. But it caught my attention.

8. Smoke- Ashton laughed as he pointed to a sign beside the rock fireplace. I could see the fireplace. I could see the window. I could see a dark wall. But I couldn't see the sign.

It was funny that the No Smoking sign was beside the fireplace. I meant to look closer for the sign, but I never did see it. I had to use Ashton's good eyes and description to tell me about the sign in order to draw it. I thought this was a cute idea for a picture for Sketch Crawl.

In my drawing, you can see another Aggie touch with the Texas A&M University logo over the fireplace.

All of the above pencil drawings are done on 9"x 12" Strathmore drawing paper.

I'm looking forward to the Plein Aire painting workshop in Calvert February 21. And the next Sketch Crawl April 11.

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21st World Wide Sketch Crawl Bryan/College Station, Texas

1. Rudy's Barbeque-College Station-I thought that Rudy's would be a nice place to spend some time sketching and eating barbeque on a cold, windy day. The fireplace and view of a little creek out the back windows were particularly appealing. But, the fireplace was black and cold, the building was not very warm, but this gave a place to sketch for the Sketch Crawl on Saturday. In the sketch, I showed us at our table-me, with my tote bag of art supplies, purse, and cane; Ashton across from me. Christopher with his "boot" from foot surgery, bundled up in his football jacket. Joni across from him, turned and talking to her friend, Susan. Susan said she wanted to meet us so that she could watch me draw. And, I thought, I would have others who would join in and draw something for the Sketch Crawl, since she has some interest in art. But, her son, William had a touch of stomach flu, as did Christopher and I, so he spent most of the time with his head on the table. -Until it was almost time to leave. Then he had a big smile when he decided to draw a dragon in my sketchbook. Unfortunately, the grownups didn't give him time to finish. Maybe later.
I thought this would be a nice rustic looking place and would be a bit representative of Texas. The long tables have red and white checked table cloths and plates are butcher paper with plastic utensils. There are lots of coolers with ice and beer and soft drinks, ice cream, side dishes and desserts.
I intended to take some photos of our Sketch Crawl day, but, like a lot of other things that day, it didn't work out. My daughter left the camera at home.




2. Ashton's Cup-Ashton did a pencil sketch of his cup after he ate all his barbeque.

3. My Lunch-On each red and white checked covered table, there were crates containing Sissy and Hot barbeque sauce, salt, pepper, and a little bottle of really hot sauce. We had a piece of butcher paper for a plate and little cardboard containers with tissue paper to put food in. I had a baked potato, a small slice of brisket, and some chicken, and a Sprite to drink. Beside me, of course, were my sketchbooks and pencils.

My food got icey cold while I drew, since it was so cold that we had to leave sweaters on. I had to bring my meat home to eat later after warming it.

I don't understand the idea of putting cold barbeque sauce on hot barbeque. It tastes really bad, to me, and it just makes the meat cold. I wonder if this a new thing or something that came from up north. I've only seen a couple of places that did that and I thought, then, that it was due to lack of facilities to heat the sauce. I've always seen a pan with hot "sop", which is put on the barbeque while cooking, kept on the fire, and served, hot, over the barbeque to be soaked up with bread. You can always go to the pan on the barbeque, grill, or stove, to get more hot "sop".

4. Susan Talking- I wanted to sketch Susan with her long, dark hair while she was still. But that didn't last long as she was getting her lunch, eating, seeing to her son, and talking to my daughter. Maybe I captured a little bit of her on that day. Possibly I should have been satisfied to do a gesture drawing.

5. Ribs-As I was sketching, Ashton dangled a piece of brisket over his face and into his mouth. It was gone, fast! I thought that would be a cute picture so I asked him to pose with a piece of meat. He didn't go back to that pose, but picked up a rib. I did a quick pencil sketch on watercolor paper. I wasn't sure I would add color, but decided I would later. I had made mental notes of colors as I sketched in order to finish it. The colors in the scan are not true as to the way they actually are in the watercolor. The yellow is showing up too strong when I scan things. I used a lot of water with it and thinned it until I could barely see any color on the paper. Still, it came out very strong. I tried using the Quick Fix feature in my computer program, but it just turned all the colors really dark. Maybe it needs PhotoShop or something.

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More Sketch Crawl drawings in the next post.

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The date for the next Sketch Crawl has been announced. Mark your calendars for Saturday April 11, 2009.

According to the Sketch Crawl website, they had about 100 different locations around the world participating in the Crawl on Saturday. Sao Paolo (I probably spelled that wrong!), Brazil had the most participating with about 124 sketchers. San Francisco was close with about 100 people.

Go to the Sketch Crawl site and, under Forums, you can see some of the work and experiences from participants. That's very interesting. You can click on the logo in my sidebar or go to http://www.sketchcrawl.com/ .

Please spread the word. I have set up a group on Yahoo for people in the area of the Brazos Valley, around Bryan and College Station, for people who are interested in drawing and painting for things like Sketch Crawl and the Plein Aire Workshops.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrazosValley_Sketchers .

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What a shock we had yesterday when an Army Blackhawk helicopter crashed near the Corps quad, on the field where they used to have the old bonfires. The family drove past there today and they said it looks much worse than the pictures on tv. The helicopter looks really smashed and flat. It's amazing that they fell into an empty field and missed the dorms or the busy street. If the students had been back, that field would have a lot of young people on it, playing ball, walking, etc. And, it's more amazing that anyone survived that terrible fall on a whirling helicopter.

I was so surprised to hear the news, and to read the news crawl that came across the computer screen.

One of the newspaper photographers was there, looking for photos for the paper. His account in the paper today was really interesting. Very well written. One of his statements surprised me. He said he called in to the newspaper and asked for a reporter to come. I thought he did an excellent job of writing and didn't really need to wait for a reporter. You can see a lot about the crash on the Eagle and KBTX websites.

Sadly, all aboard were injured, along with one person on the ground, and one person died.

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If you know of anyone who might be like to take the Plein Aire Painting Workshop in Calvert Saturday Feb. 21 and into the 22nd, please pass the information along. Virginia Vaughan of Round Rock is the presenter. You can see more on her blog and website. http://www.v-vaughan.com or http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com .

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Snow! We had Snow!

Snow Photos

December 10, 2009

A Rare Thing-Snow

Top: Ashton in front of the Physicians Center as the afternoon snow was just starting.

Second Down:Snow falling at the Physicians Center. It wasn't cold enough to stay on the streets, so it looked like rain. But you could see the white in the distance and on the grass.

Third Down: Doesn't this look Christmasey! Flower bed in front of the Physicians Center. I was behind the windows here, sketching while waiting on Christopher to come out after his surgery.

Bottom: We drove home from the hospital with big snowflakes falling and everything turning more white. This continued until almost midnight and we still had some snow the next morning.

This is very unusual here. Bob French said, on the weather on tv, that our area got 1 to 3 inches. By 10 p.m., he said that we already had 2 1/2 inches. We had a little snow in the morning and that was supposed to end by noon. And it seemed to, but, before 3 p.m. it started coming down with the big flakes. A low pressure area formed over us, bringing moisture from the Gulf, after the cold front had gone through, and it just kept spinning over us. It finally headed out for Louisiana. Even Houston had snow.

People were so excited! And it felt a little more like Christmas. At the Brazos Center, KBTX was having their annual food drive, and they really looked like they had the Christmas spirit, and some winter fun, as they made little snowmen, threw snowballs, and tried to keep warm. By them being on tv out in the snow, we got to see more of what was going on.

With Christopher having ankle surgery, and having to drive home, and figure out how he was going to get up snow covered steps, with crutches that he had never used before, we didn't have much time to enjoy the snowfall. It was already getting dark when we got home. But we did catch snowflakes on our tongues and collect a little snow to put in the freezer.

Now that it is past, I just remembered that we should have made some snow ice cream! It happens so seldom that I forgot the things that we should have done. Hopefully, we will have snow again, before too long. After all these years, we're still hoping for a white Christmas, and enough snow to really enjoy.

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Another big event here happened yesterday. I couldn't go, but it was exciting, anyway. (I was busy changing ice packs, taking temperature, making sure that Christopher had plenty to drink and eat, and all those things that go with recovery after surgery.) But, above all, the event wasn't open to the public. Seniors who were graduating from A&M got two tickets each for family to attend the event in Reed Arena. They opened Rudder Auditorium for faculty, staff, and students to watch on a big screen. I don't qualify and didn't have anyone graduating, so I had to be content to watch on tv at home. Worked out just as well, I guess. It was also on live streaming through the tv station, but I was already watching tv.

It was a historic event. And, as it turned out, it was the best speech that I have heard in a long, long time. I know that these seniors will remember their commencement speaker always, and also a lot of what he said.

President George Bush chose A&M to give his last commencement address as a sitting president. And what a grand event it was, with the Ross Volunteers, the governor's guard who are an elite group in the Corps of Cadets here, lined up on each side as the president and his entourage entered. Barbara Bush, just out of the hospital after her surgery a few days ago, introduced her husband, George H.W. Bush. Bush 41 looked like he was using a longer cane and still a bit wobbly since his hip replacement. He said that the President asked him to keep it short, so he did, as he introduced his son.

Reed Arena was filled with over 11,000 graduating seniors and their guests. Everyone seemed appreciative and enjoyed seeing the President. The traditional "Whoop" was heard a lot!

That was one of the best speeches that I have heard in a long time, as I said. He showed a lot of understanding of A&M and its traditions, and Texas. His sense of humor made the speech enjoyable as he sprinkled in words of wisdom and advice to the graduates. "Listen to your mother." " If you have a job and know what you are going to do, congratulations. If you don't know what is coming next, I know how you feel." He also mentioned that there are some lasts. This was his last commencement speech. Laura had decorated the White House for Christmas for the last time. And Barney had bitten his last reporter-they hope.

He talked of some of the Aggie traditons that he would have liked to have participated in when he was younger, like dunking the senior ring. He would have liked to have taken Laura to Midnight Yell. And he would have liked to have Reville in some of his classes. (If Reville barks during a class, the class is dismissed!) He would have liked to have had her at some press conferences. He concluded his speech with a tribute to his parents, especially his father, saying that he was proud to have carried his father's name, George Bush for 62 years. He was clearly emotional as he talked, while earlier he spoke with a twinkle in his eye.

The new president of A&M talked briefly and mentioned that they still have the plot of land next door to the George Bush Library. (People would really have liked to have the two presidential libraries for father and son together, but, instead, they picked Laura Bush's alma mater, SMU in Dallas. That will form a triangle with the LBJ Library in Austin, George Bush Library in College Station, and the George Bush Library in Dallas.)

The program ended with the Singing Cadets rendition of "The Spirit of Aggieland", and the Bush family leaving through the honor guard of Ross Volunteers.

A short ride over to where several helicopters, including Marine One, waited in a field, and they were off to Waco, where Air Force One would take them back to D.C.

People were really excitied to see Marine One. I guess that our runway may not be long enough for Air Force One. I'm not sure because Tony Blair's big plane was here when he visited a while back.

You can find the President's address on the KBTX tv website here:

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/36062784.html

Or at C-Span here:

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/watch.aspx?MediaId=HP-A-13390

There is also quite a bit on The Eagle (newspaper) website

http://www.theeagle.com/

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I haven't posted for a few days. I've had trouble getting on the internet at times, and, when it was working, I didn't have time to post. I have some things I wanted to share with you.

Among those things was that last Wednesday was "Support Ramos and Comean Day". Of course, that was when we were busy with the upcoming surgery, snow, and all. I hope that President Bush will pardon those two before he leaves office. If they can pardon criminals and turkeys, why not do the right thing and get these two out of where they should not be to begin with. It doesn't make sense to me. But then, a lot of things don't make sense, these days.

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I don't have a lot of Christmas spirit this year. With no shopping to do, parties or programs to attend, etc., the nearest thing to feeling like Christmas was the snow. We haven't even decorated for Christmas. Usually, my daughter puts everything up on Thanksgiving afternoon, or right after. But, this year, everything is still boxed up. I always think that I am going to make my Christmas cards, or get those done early. But my calendar is still on November! I only thought that Christmas will soon be here-today!

When we still had the store, I always wanted to make some big papier mache figures to go in the show windows. Irvin, especially, liked Santa Claus, so I wanted to start with a jolly Santa figure. Then add some angels, etc. Never got that done, though. Then I decided that I would like a nice nativity scene, so maybe I should make my own. (I have this thing where I think that I should not buy things like rugs or decorations. I should be able to make my own! Of course, I know how, but doing it is something else.)

I guess I have been thinking of pictures that I need to do, events coming up next year like the Sketch Crawl January 10th, and the Plein Aire Painting Workshop February 21-22.

And other things like laundry, making sure that Ashton gets his AR Reading done, and learns the Preamble to the Constitution, that Christopher has what he needs, and trying to figure out how to work the new remotes for the tvs, and finding something worth watching on tv. (They have had some Christmas time old movies on tv, and that's helping a little.)

I hope that you and your's have a lot of Christmas spirit and are enjoying the season.

Thanks for reading and sharing. Please pass this on to others who might be interested.

If you are interested in forming a group, or doing Sketch Crawl, where you are, I'll be glad to answer any questions. Or you are welcome to join us, if you are in the area.

Also, it's time to start thinking about the Plein Aire Workshop in February. Let me, or Virginia or Sonny know, if you are interested in that. Virginia has more on her blog and website at http://www.v-vaughan.com/ or http://www.vvaughan.blogspot.com/ . Or you can click on her name in my sidebar under Artists and Authors.

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I finally got to see the episode of "Texas Country Reporter" that featured Virginia Vaughan in the wee hours of this morning as I was flipping through channels on tv. It was great to watch her paint and talk about the farm, and to see those places that she has painted and written about. If you missed it, hopefully they will rerun it again and you, too, can enjoy the program. http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show.htm

http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show_time.htm

I think I recorded it. I tried, anyway, but I'm not really sure about these new remote controls. I saved it to watch while PBS is fund raising instead of showing the programs I like to watch.

Be sure to check out Virginia's website with her work and her upcoming events.

Saturday Treat

Members of the Texas A&M University Orchestra

photo by Joan

Pictured left to right: Evan Cherry, violin, Arlington; Jenn Chu, violin, Dallas; Colin Bryson, violin, Arlington; Katie Burke, violin, Denton; Kelly Locke, violin, Dallas; and Alma Lahnum, cello, Midland.

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Saturday was a busy day.

Ashton represented his school in Picture Memory at the UIL meet at Bryan High in the morning.

We heard that the Aggie orchestra was going to perform at the nursing home where Thelma is a resident, also on Saturday morning. Friday afternoon, when I was visiting, I had asked Thelma if she would like to go see the orchestra from A&M play on Saturday. She wasn't talking, or looking around that day, but she did say, "Yes", enthusiastically. She would love to go see the orchestra.

Parents couldn't watch the competition, so the plan was for me to make sure that Thelma got to enjoy some good, live music and Ashton's mother would drop me off there, while she dropped Ashton off at Bryan High. She went back to go to lunch with the group, then returned to pick me up at the nursing home before the awards ceremony for UIL.

Some of the third floor residents gathered in the dining room at the nursing home, eagerly awaiting the orchestra. My daughter stayed for a while, until she had to go to lunch with the group from Ashton's school. We thought that they may not come and wondered how they would get all those students in this small space.

Soon, six students set up their music and instruments, and performed beautifully as morning sun streamed through the wide windows. They played such classics as "The Hungarian Rhapsody" for a most appreciative audience.

Thelma seemed to sleep through the performance, but she was listening. One man rolled his wheel chair right up by the cello and kept perfect time with his head and his foot. I wondered if he had once played in a band or an orchestra, or maybe had been a director. I thought at first that he wanted to look at the music, or maybe sit in the middle where a director would have stood. He did seem to enjoy the music.

I was trying to remember which foot we used to keep time when we were in band. I think it was the right foot, and the left foot went forward, as we played for concerts. Or was it the opposite position? I remember that, for UIL band contest, we were told to pat our toes in our shoes to keep time, instead of allowing people to see us patting our feet. I thought of this, especially, as I watched the young orchestra members, tapping their toes to the beat.

After the concert, I talked briefly to the members. I asked them if they knew of Joe Tom Haney, who had been our band director in Calvert, and was a long time band director of the famous Aggie Band before he retired a few years ago. They said the name was familiar but didn't know who he was. So, I told them. You can't go to an Aggie game or hear the band without hearing some of Haney's songs, and the drill field was named for him. And, now, there is a room with memorabilia from him in a new music store in downtown Bryan.

It's always so nice to be around the students. They are all so smart, talented, well-mannered, and full of life. And they do so much to share with the community.

One man asked if they had any trumpets. I thought that it would have been nice to hear some flutes, too, since Thelma and I had both played flute in the band.

Thelma did talk to the students as they were leaving. Just a little bit, but she did communicate. I asked her which song was her favorite and she told me "The Hungarian Rhapsody #2". I think she was doing better than I was in remembering the names of the music. They didn't announce the titles, so I was trying to remember. I believe that one was by Bach and I kept thinking of "Bach's Air On The G String" (my favorite), but I decided that it was another similar piece.

I hope that they, and others, will return to share more of their talents. I know the residents enjoyed it. That's so much better than tv, radio, or even a CD. And, I'm sure that many people were used to going to concerts, or played instruments themselves, when they were able to do so.

A big thank you to the students who took time to brighten the day for a lot of people.

After the program, I visited with Thelma for a while, then went with my daughter to the UIL awards ceremony. The cafeteria was packed with parents and students from the elementary schools. We hoped that Ashton would do well. He was nervous about it.

He was disappointed that he got 6th place, but we told him that he should feel good because a lot of kids didn't get anything. I felt like he should have practiced writing the titles and artists' names more. Last year, he didn't practice that at all. In fact, they didn't know they were going to have to write anything, then. I told him that the important thing was that he participated and represented his school, got to get out and be with other kids, and learned a lot.

Another activity in town Saturday was the big International Festival in downtown Bryan. Ashton and I wanted to go, but his mother was tired and wanted to go home. So, we came home, and she took a nap. Ashton worked on building boats with Legos and I worked on my blog during the rest of the afternoon. Pictures on tv, later, looked like it was really interesting. Maybe next year. As I've said before, it is so inconvenient to not be able to drive and just go when you want to go somewhere. I guess we had a busy enough day.

And, of course, the evening was topped off with watching the British comedies on Houston PBS. "Keeping Up Appearances", "Last of the Summer Wine", and "Are You Being Served", and looked forward to "EastEnders" on Sunday night.

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If you would like to say "Thanks" to a soldier, you can go to http://www.letssaythanks.com/ . Xerox will give a card that you select to one of our service members. You can select from cards designed by children. That would be a good thing to do at this time of giving thanks.

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I looked on the NASA website to see if the space shuttle/station will be going over us again anytime soon. It doesn't look like they will be going over us for a while. Maybe they will before the Endeavor returns. I'll have to check again later.

If you want to check to see if they will be passing over your area, and when, go to http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/index.html .

You can also see where they are, live, at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html .

While you are on that site, you can see who the astronauts are, what they are doing, and there are interactive things to do, things for kids, teachers, parents, the media, etc. I was looking at some of the photos of this area, taken from the space station. It's a strange feeling, to think of what they were seeing while we were looking up at them.

I was amazed at the photos of the space station and shuttle. Despite my warped view, due to my Macular Degeneration and cataracts, what I saw looked a lot like the space craft photos, just thinner and smaller, and with rays around it. I didn't see just a dot or moving light across the sky.

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I hope that you are preparing to have a big, memorable Thanksgiving with family and friends.

I miss those big family dinners, with all the favorite recipes, the good china, silver, and crystal, although it seemed kind of boring at the time. The ladies bustling around the kitchen and dining rooms for days, people gathering and visiting, everyone eating until they were thoroughly stuffed, then going back for "just a taste" during the afternoon, kids trying to find something to do and just hanging around while the grownups worked or talked, the crew gathering in the kitchen to wash and dry the dishes, going out to the pasture to pick out the Christmas tree, or watching the Aggie-Texas game on tv, going for a ride, then having turkey sandwiches for supper, along with more left overs and more dessert.

My dishes will sit in the china cabinet again this year while we go out to eat. Less work but not so memorable, or tasty.

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World Wide Sketch Crawl Update

Monument Hill

6" x 9"

watercolors

World Wide Sketch Crawl

Saturday March 29

Tomorrow is the big day for everyone to get out there and draw/journal your surroundings. So get ready, get set......
Now, here is the deal for here Bryan/College Station area. If you are local and would like to join us, that's great!
If you are somewhere else, you might find a group on the Sketch Crawl website at http://www.sketchcrawl.com or you are welcome to work with your own group or alone.
If you only have a few minutes to work that is fine, or you can draw all day. Whatever is best for you.
Remember that this is for everyone, everywhere, all levels and ages.
And it's Free!
Greta Watkins from the Frame Gallery downtown has offered to have people check in with her, just so we have some idea of how many and who all will be participating locally. Also, some might like to meet at the LaSalle Hotel where they have a coffee shop. It's easy to find too. We could meet in the courtyard or inside the coffee shop. There is parking in a lot at the end of that block near the hotel, I'm told. I'm also told that they have good coffee, if you are a coffee drinker.
We are thinking about 8:30 a.m. But, if you want to start earlier, that's fine, too.
Everyone can then spend the morning sketching anywhere you want to. Downtown would be great, but there are so many intersting places, and so many events going on in the area, that there is plenty of material.
I've heard that we have the possilibity of isolated thunderstorms as a front is coming through, but we can still work indoors, if needed. Rain or shine, we're drawing tomorrow!
If anyone would like to meet for lunch, they could do that. More sketching in the afternoon, then, if you would like to meet to share what you have done, we could do that.
We would love to see everyone's work!
You can post some of your work on the Sketch Crawl site, your own website or blog, or, if we get some response and people want to, we might set up a blog just for this work. It isn't required, of course, but we might not know if you participated, if we don't hear from you.
I know that we got a sort of late start on this, so, maybe, if you can't do the Sketch Crawl this time, we can do it for the next one in 2 or 3 months. It just sounds like such a neat idea-everyone all over the world, drawing, all at one time. Recording the way things are now, thoughts, etc.
Let me know what you think! And, "Draw, draw, draw!"

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Music From Ireland
Congratulations to Miss Simpson and the music students at Mary Branch. They had a delightful program last night with the 4th graders performing "Music From Ireland". The kids were so cute dressed in green, white, and orange t-shirts with a flag of Ireland on the wall behind them. How could you not be tapping your toes and singing along to "McNamara's Band" and "Danny Boy"! They even sang a wee bit in Gaelic.

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Youth Art Month

Art Fest

Did you know that March is Youth Art Month? This is observed each year. The Bryan ISD is having an Art Fest at Bryan High on Saturday from 10:00 to 2:00 with exhibits of student work and demonstrations and workshops. They have a big art program and always have amazing art work to show.

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Brazos Valley Art Teachers Show

P.David Romei Art Center

Brazos Valley Art Teachers have been invited to show their art work in the Art Center during the month of April.

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Also this weekend

Youth Livestock Show at the new Expo Center

Open House at the TAMU Vet School

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Thanks for reading and sharing! Please sign my guest book and join my group, if you haven't already.

"Monument Hill" is a small watercolor done near La Grange, Texas. It is on 140# paper, using Winsor Newton watercolors.

Happy Easter II

Cross

by

Ashton

computer drawing

Today's image is by my youngest grandson. He experiments in a lot of different media. Lately, he has been really involved with computers from games to designing cars. He would like to create his own blog. Until then, I can share some of his creations on my blog.

I thought that this one was appropriate for this day as we watch movies like "King of Kings" and "Easter Parade" on tv and wait for the Easter ham to be done. (Sure smells good, with the cloves , pineapple, and cherries baking on the ham.)

We all slept late today as there was a car wreck in the brand new tunnel last night. That tied up traffic as the family was coming home after picking him my oldest grandson from work and getting last minute groceries. We all got to bed very early in the morning, and, as usual, I didn't get any sleep until after the sun came up. ( I got back in that habit after being up all night with the last round of flu.)

Hmmm. Wasn't this the multi million dollar project, complete with mosaics, that was supposed to prevent traffic tie ups on that very busy street? The reasoning for the tunnel was because trains sometimes blocked traffic when it might be needed by an emergency vehicle, or just ordinary traffic. So, they have spent a long while, and lots of money, moving the street under the tracks. Now we learn that one car in an accident can close the road, and block traffic, just like a train did in the past.

It doesn't seem like Easter without going to church in the morning, having a big family over for Easter dinner at noon, hunting eggs, and the like. Oldest grandson has to work today and tonight, daughter is cooking, youngest grandson is playing with his latest computer game or watching his movie, and I have on "King of Kings" on tv, and am at the computer. Just like most days. We'll have our Easter supper tonight and the oldest will have his special meal when he gets home. And, tonight, I look forward to watching "East Enders" on tv, just like most Sunday nights now.

We probably should be making some better memories.

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Please remember to sign my guest book. Go all the way to the bottom of the page and add your name, and a picture, if you want to. It doesn't have to be of you, but it can be of a place, your art work, or just leave it blank.

You can also sign up for my blog by subscribing, or join my Google Group, Art By Cecelia.

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I hope that you are planning to go out somewhere and sketch (and journal) Saturday March 29th. Join the Worldwide Sketch Crawl that day. You can sketch for a few minutes or all day. It's free! All you need is something to draw on and something to draw with, and the interest in recording what is around you.

For more information, you can look in my sidebar for a link, do a search for Sketch Crawl, or click on http://www.sketchcrawl.com/.

I registered for it and I hope that others will as well.

I hope that a group in our area will get together and "draw the Brazos Valley" and participate in the sketch day around the world. Woudn't that be a neat thing! Especially now that the Bluebonnets are popping out.

We have a lot here that would make excellent subject matter.

This is for everyone-beginners, professionals, students, children, adults, families, groups or individuals. Just go out and draw what is around you. You can post some of your sketches on their website and your own, or anywhere you want. And, maybe, a spectator might like what you do so much that they want to own it.

Let me know what you think. I'm looking forward to it and think it is such a neat idea.

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Be sure to see the Brazos Valley Art League Juried Show at the P.David Romei Art Center in College Station, if you haven't been already. Pick up entries March 28th.

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Easter Eggs
These children were all dressed up for Easter in the early 1970s.

Fire Prevention Month

Fire Prevention Month
Drought
22" x 30"
watercolors
October was Fire Prevention Month. A time when teachers were called upon to have their students make fire prevention posters. Each year, a contest would be held and the winning entries would go on to area and state competitions.
I usually made some demonstration and sample pieces to use in my classes. We did lettering, including letters cut out from construction paper. Students did a variety of techniques, each child attempting to get over an idea about preventing fires.
I told my little stories and we looked at information about fire prevention. Often, something happened during that time that would make the posters seem more relevant. Students died or were injured when their homes burned, homes or a landmark would be destroyed, there would be an accident concerning fire, or we would have concerns that there would be more fires during extremely dry conditions.
The painting above is one that I used as an idea to go on a poster one year when we had drought conditions and there were many fires in the area. We had been riding on the highway from one town to the next at night, when we could see flames in the woods on the other side of the railroad tracks. I put two silhouetted figures on the left, representing my dad and my son, watching the woods burn. The contrasts of the red and green, along with the solid figures, gives this painting energy and strength.
I don't remember having Fire Prevention Month, or poster contests, when we were growing up. We did have fire drills at school, though. It was when I was a teacher that we began having more fire drills, and the poster contest. I thought it was a good idea.
I decided to post my Fire Prevention Month Painting today as we watch pictures on tv of the tragic fires in California. The extent of those fires is just unbelievable. We hope that those people who are affected, and the animals, are going to be alright.
Thanks for reading and sharing my work. Please pass it on to anyone who you think might be interested.
For those in the area of Bryan/College Station, Texas, be sure to check out the Downtown Art Auction Friday November 2. This goes along with the First Friday event downtown.
The Brazos Valley Art League show ends October 30 at the P.David Romei Art Center in College Station. Go see it if you have a chance. Look at the Art League's website under organizations on my sidebar for more information.
Let me know if you see something of interest to you.

Froggy Went A Courtin'

FROGGY WENT A COURTIN' (detail)
Image Size 11.5" x 15.5"
Paper Size 12" x 16"
Mixed Media
On an autumn night, when the moon was full, Old Mr. Froggy put on his best overalls and his lace-up boots and rode in his carriage over to the holler where Miss Mousie lived. He met Miss Goldie Frog, his true love who lived near the bog. While fireflies danced around them, and stars twinkled in the sky, they spooned by the light of the harvest moon, all on a Saturday night. He gave to her a flower fair and laid his cheek on her golden hair. His grin was as wide as the sky, and , while her smile was shy, her toes curled up as she looked at him.
And who else did he see in the moonlight, but little Miss Mousie, who came out of her door, and old Mr. Grasshopper, who brought a bouquet of posies. Miss Lady Bug came dressed in her finery, but who should she meet but old Mr. Flea.
This is how I pictured the old song, as Grandma and Grandpa Miles sang it to me when I was a child. I thought that Froggy really needed a girl frog instead of a girl mouse to court. And I thought of him riding on either a horse, or taking a fringed carriage to take Miss Froggy for a moonlight ride. "Why doesn't he just hop over there?" I asked. A frog would hop, not ride a horse or a carriage, in my way of thinking. I guess I made up my own story! Grandma and Grandpa had a hard time teaching me this song, because I had my own idea of how the old story should go.
The image I have shown above is a portion of the top part of the painting. There is more which shows their feet, the other characters, and Miss Mousie's house. I know. there could be more characters, but I thought that these were enough. (After all, Miss Mousie needs a mouse boy friend, Mr. Grasshopper needs a lady grasshopper, and Miss Lady Bug and Mr. Flea need them a date, too.)
The colors in the original are a bit different than the scanned image. The purples, especially, are more interesting in the painting.
I started this one by pressing Dewberries on the paper. These are in the distant trees or brush that appear rust colored. Usually, I get a beautiful purple color by starting a painting with Dewberries. But, this time, unlike the way I usually work, I had to stop and put this one aside for a while, after I did the drawing and applied the berries. By the time I decided to finish the painting, a year later, the purple area appered more brown.
It sort of inspires me to see that lovely Dewberry color on my paper or canvas. The next step is to add some Cobalt Violet paint, then use my yellows and work to my darker purples and blues. With watercolors, you work light to dark, while in oils, it is the opposite.
Someone told me that the acid in the berries would damage the paper, and that the sugar would attract bugs. But I use natural materials sort of like watercolors, or, when I do press the berries on paper, I use water on a brush over it, which dilutes the juices, once it has stained to the color I want. And, I have found that, if these paintings, where I experiment with using different natural materials, are framed and sealed in properly, they will last many years. So far, I haven't seen any show signs of deteriorating. This painting is the only one that has shown even a change in color, and I feel that is because a lighter weight paper (140# Arches, while I have used vellum or 300# watercolor paper in the past for this technique) was used, and it was left untouched for so long. Using the water and other colors with it probably helps. And there have been no bugs, at all.
White acrylic paint was used to make the fireflies show up and for the occasional small highlight.
Once I got into this one, I enjoyed working on it. It just took me so long to get around to it! (I am kind of slow-spend a lot of time thinking about things before I actually do them-, and I get distracted, sometimes. So, be patient. I will get things done, eventually.) I have others that I have painted with the theme of old songs that I remember, including "Big Rock Candy Mountain", and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". I even have a drawing of Grandpa Miles, baking in our kitchen and singing "Billy Boy", and other old songs.
With cooler temperatures and the arrival of autumn, I've noticed that other artists are posting some fall themed paintings on their blogs and their websites. So, I thought that this one might be kind of fun to show, with a bit of a fall theme.
Hope you enjoy this one, and share it with others .
Please be sure to notice the new artists and authors that I have added, and the new Organizations section. There are also some new things under Eye Sites.
For those interested in Vision Problems, I noticed that there is a website called Don't Lose Sight, and, on that site, actress Jane Seymour has a page as a spokesman. Her mother, who just died this month, had AMD and she tells a very interesting story. I didn't know that Seymour also is an artist. I tried to add a link to those two sites, but they just wouldn't save. So, maybe, if you are interested, you can just do a search for them.
I also had an e-mail from Prevent Blindness America yesterday, concerning legislation to help prevent and treat loss of vision. I did a Google search for HB 3750, the Vision Preservation Act of 2007. Believe me, I contacted my legislators as fast as I could. I just thought that I would pass this on, in case you have an interest.
Also check out BlogRush in my sidebar. They are making updates and improvements in it. If you have your own blog, and want to add that widget to your own blog, know that they are working on the feature.
Thanks for your comments and support.