Summer sketching

There has recently been a spate of summery weather which has been facilitating lazy days of sketching. I don't always have to go somewhere else. Sitting out the back there was lots of flora to choose from. We have a large pot of azaleas and delicate flowers are appearing on the rosemary plant.

I recently re-located my flat drawing pencil -- like a carpenter's pencil except it has a 4B lead in it. I used it to do a quick sketch of our curry plant.

This sketch of my daughter reading in the front yard makes her look older than she is. I thought she was disturbed by something she read, but when I asked her later why she was frowning, she told me she overheard the neighbourhood children "playing" -- they were collecting bees in bottles to kill them.

I am happier with the pencil drawing of my daughter concentrating on her book in the sunshine.

Killruddery House & Gardens

Summer is most definitely here! Recently I have been meeting one of my sisters on a weekly basis at Killruddery House & Gardens, a 17th century big house estate on the outskirts of Bray (just down the road from where I live). Especially in the good weather we've been having, it's a lovely place to walk about and also to stop for a pleasant coffee. I was there yesterday, and the waterlilies were starting to flower in the long ponds.

Last week in the woods I was surprised to see trillium. I thought they only grew in Canada, and are the provincial flower of my native province, Ontario. Last time I saw trillium was as forest floor cover in Aurora (near Toronto) while visiting in 1998 or 1999. I was a bit taken aback by seeing these trillium, which seemed larger than I remember, but with distinctive colouring, petals and foliage.

After walking through the woods, we found ourselves at the top of the large rockery with a gorgeous view of Killruddery House. 

Anticipation!

It took a bit of figuring out - I re-sewed the hanging loops to make them a bit shorter and gave a bit of direction to my personal slave (I mean husband) - Fractured City was taken down from the studio wall to make some space for some new work that I want to start. Of course, putting this painting up (above my husband's workspace in the bedroom) meant that at least 6 other paintings had to be manoeuvred about the house!

So yesterday morning once again I required some assistance to get the kraft paper onto the wall in my studio.

I have planned another triptych and now it is ready for me to start!