Inspiration and Sea Monsters

Inspiration can come from…anywhere. This sketch was inspired by the shadow of my bathtub faucet when backlit by candles! The shadows created by my hands when I photographed the sketch with my phone added unintended depth!

Cat Sketching

This summer I’ve been sketching my cat at least once a day. Sometimes I sketch the friendly squirrels of Baltimore too. (They are especially friendly if I have nuts.) The sketches prime my creative pump and get me started for the rest of the day, no matter if I paint or write, or both!

Mango Lassi (or smoothie)

1 mango peeled and loosely chopped

3/4 Cup yogurt

1/4 Cup water; if using Greek yogurt, use 1/2 Cup water

grated fresh ginger

pinch of cardamon

pinch of salt

3 ice cubes

optional garnish of a cucumber slice, or sprig of fresh mint

Mix everything but the garnish in a blender until smooth. Season to taste. If you like sweet tastes, add some honey or sugar.

Writing and Awareness

As I work on the craft of writing, I find myself observing people more closely. Here’s one sketch based on a gesture that happened within two seconds.

Baby

I don’t usually paint from photographs – preferring studio still lifes or plein air painting. But someone posted a picture of their beautiful child and I was inspired.

Watercolors Whirling

Lately I’ve gotten back into watercolor painting. The tree paintings were inspired by a photograph by my friend Sooyong Kim. I found a caterpillar pencil sketch from summer and decided to color it. The abstract came from testing colors on a scrape piece of paper but I really like it!