"From a Week in San Miguel"

This is what we saw over the garden wall from the back of our hotel.
The beautifully designed "Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel"

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on sketchbook page

The "Jardin" is like the center of the town along with the Parroquia because many people (tourists and locals) gather here to enjoy the beautiful ambiance of the town and each other.

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The pool behind our hotel as seen from the garden.  Every evening we sat in the garden and had drinks as we relaxed.  I enjoyed drawing in my sketchbook as Bo read and enjoyed the environment.

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A study of a tree in the garden of our hotel.

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A lovely clay pot within a decorative iron casing/stand by the door at our hotel.

colored pencil (I don't think I've ever published a colored pencil drawing before this one!)
on sketchbook page

Doorway as seen from the garden of our hotel.

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on sketchbook page

Beautiful use of pottery to adorn the wall and circulate water into the pool at "Hotel Villa Rivera".

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on sketchbook page



Two quick sketches done with ballpoint pen in my 3 1/2" X 5 1/2" Moleskine sketchbook:

 

Entrance to the "Parque"

 

                                                          Entrance to "Hotel Villa Rivera"
                                                                      ('Our' hotel.)

Recent Sketches in My 3 1/2" X 5 1/2" Moleskine Sketchbook

All of these were very quickly done on location with a ball point pen.  I'm finding that rendering images very quickly within such a small format is very challenging!

                                          Behind "State Employees Credit Union"

                                          "Corpening" parking lot.

                                          In a waiting room.

                                                        At the end of "Stockton Building"

                                          The old "Hanes" manufacturing plant.

                                                        Things seen at street side: an interesting fence and car at curb.

January 16 and 24 Quick Sketches

                                          I sat in my car and quickly sketched this as I waited for an office to open.
                                          The temperature was 10F outside this morning.

                                                         This poor little Holly tree was so severely and brutally pruned to install
                                                         a new underground power line. It's next to a parking lot at the
                                                         "Corpening Building".                  

Last Week's Quick Drawings

All of these were done in my small (3 1/2" X 5 1/2") moleskine sketchbook with a ballpoint pen.
Having fun trying to capture what's around me as I go about my day.

"January 2 and 3"

A quick-sketch done in our living room on a page in my new 3 1/2" X 5 1/2" Moleskine sketchbook with a ballpoint pen.  I usually don't sketch this small unless I'm just doodling on something while talking on the phone.  I just bought this sketchbook and intend to carry it in my pocket so that I can take advantage of "free" moments in my life to capture what is before me.

This lovely Amaryllis (as red as Santa's suit!), a Christmas gift from Don and Don, is growing on our kitchen counter.  My quick-sketch done mid-day today with a ballpoint pen.

More Sketches from Thanksgiving Week

This day was cold and windy.  However, the sun was brightly shining and the bark and structure of these Sycamore trees  was too beautiful to resist sketching while sitting in the warmth of our car. "Precise" pen and a touch of watercolor.

An inside still life at our vacation retreat.  "Precise" pen, applying water for wash and some watercolor.

Thanksgiving Week

Over and over again I enjoy sketching/painting the interesting wind-swept  "Live Oak" trees at Fort Fisher. I did this while sitting in the front seat of our car on a windy, misty day during our holiday travels.

Earlier in the morning this amusing lavender colored house on Salisbury St. in Wrightsville Beach caught my eye.