ARTISTIC LICENSE

Hi Everyone!

Bonnie isn't the only one cleaning out and doing some re-organization in the studio!  Oh yes, you can always tell it is FALL in my neck of the woods when I drag out the sewing machine, pull out the knitting needles and do a general decluttering of my work areas. This phenom takes place usually before Thanksgiving (Fall) and before Easter (Spring) in the studio ( oh there's the mini-declutter/straightening up in between too ;-0).  

So what does this have to do with anything?  I found these little paintings from an afternoon on the water near Bon's house.  You can see I was experimenting with pen and ink by the notes I've written on the page. 

 Often I'll add the details in a journal-like style or make notes on the back of the painting.  This particular day it was overcast with a hint of rain in the air, warm and humid.  It is funny that even without the notes, I remember exactly what the weather was like; there's something about painting outside that intensifies the senses. 

There definitely was some frustration for me that day with the whole marina thing. Lots and lots of boats were moored in the marina and for some reason this made me crazy.

Too many boats!!

But as you can see, I finally worked it out that I could use my artistic license to "edit" the scene and make a simplified version that captured the essence of the place.  I also took many photographs that day because it helps me to really "see" through my camera lens. 

Using Artistic License 

I hope you will find time to go outside and enjoy painting, drawing or sketching your surroundings!  Remember, you are the artist and you can EDIT the scene.....draw a portion or sketch the details and make field notes.  Go have fun!!

Happy Sketching!

Suzy

ONLY TIME WILL TELL

My mother was an exceptional knitter, she mostly knitted socks as I recall.  When I was a teenager she tried to teach me to knit.  She showed me how to cast stitches on to the needles and how to make the knit stitch, then how to purl. 

It was not as easy as it sounds, and if you have ever tried to teach a teenager anything, you will know the difficulty she was facing.  I remember Wanting to knit, but had extreme difficulty with knitting the first row, the tension was all wrong and it became impossible to get the stitches to the other needle, needless to say, this was very frustrating for me and more so for my mom as she untangled the mess and for me each time I started over.  Eventually, I learned the basic knit and purl stitches but did not continue with knitting, my mother thought crochet would be easier for me to learn. 

We started with the basic chain stitch and then on to the single crochet, and she lost me at the double crochet, but I was determined to learn in order to make a Juliet Cap inspired by the 1968 movie Romeo and Juliet.  Even after all these years I remember the actors names : Olivia Hussey and Len Whiting. Oh I loved that movie! Juliet wore this lovely knitted cap and it became all the rage, everyone wanted a Juliet Cap.  I was no exception and my mother figured out how to make a crocheted version of the cap (no Google back then).   

Only as time will tell......I learned to adjust the tension in both knitting and crocheting although my projects didn't quite turn out the size they were supposed to, you see Mama forgot to tell me about gauge! 

Coats & Clark (see it here) "Learn How To Book" (#170) was a wealth of information and my "go to" book when I got in a pinch. In the late 70's  I decided to give knitting another chance by knitting a sweater for my son (I had no idea this was a bit ambitious for someone who just learned to knit).  Bonnie came for a visit one day and I proudly showed her what I was doing and because she seemed to want to know how to knit, I gifted her with the Coats and Clark booklet, needles and yarn at Christmas. Bonnie went on to be a wonderful knitter. I gave knitting up after making that sweater but continued to crochet. 

Bonnie and I are both knitting again for various church ministries after having given it up for many years. I've had to relearn the process of knitting and adjusting tension and gauge is something that still escapes me, but I'm enjoying the process so much more now.  

Sketching this week has been put on hold as I am busy knitting a sweater and hat for my baby grandson, Jackson as I in anticipate visiting him in his new home state of Michigan! 

Promise more sketches next time! Until then,

Happy Sketching!
Suzy