When we were visiting a salmon hatchery, we spotted a fish out of water: a coho salmon leaped out of the water tank and was slowly suffocating on dry land. Unable to find help, my youngest sister hopped the fence, picked up the salmon, and threw it back over the wall into the water tank.
So to kick off #Inktober , here’s a drawing of my sister, the Salmon Savior. 😀
I drew my family’s house, my childhood home, for my mom for Mother’s Day. It reminded me of some gift art my 7-year-old self drew for another occasion… It’s still hanging up in the bedroom my two sisters and I shared as kids!
It’s neat to see what sort of details I noticed as a kid. The garbage bins (screen left side of garage) and drain pipes were so important to me! I remember hearing the empty bins scraping along the concrete as my dad brought them in after garbage day; that’s how I knew he was home.
As I was drawing my family home as my 31 year old self, I noted particularly the landscaping. My mom assigned me the chore of watering the plants during summer breaks when I was a kid. I remember how time consuming it was, but never appreciated it as much as I do now. Maybe it’s because Karl and I are in the middle of redoing our own front yard…but I can’t stop admiring the hard work my mom put into planting and maintaining her flowers.
It’s amazing how perspective can change over 24 years. Here’s hoping that Karl and I can make a home as inviting as the ones we grew up in!
When I went to visit my hometown a couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of shadowing my youngest sister, Lauren, a wildlife biologist. She’s spending her summer surveying piping plovers, an endangered bird, along the NJ coast. Every day, she visits different beaches and counts plovers and their eggs, which are found among broken shells and sand.
We went to Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, known for “Old Barney”, the historic lighthouse that’s on the northern end of Long Beach Island. Originally, I was going to paint the lighthouse while Lauren worked, but I realized this is an amazing opportunity to record a “day in the life” of my sister. She pointed out shorebirds as we walked together.
Later, Lauren met up with 3 other biologists to put up an exclosure, a wire mesh fence that protects plovers’ nests from various predators. They had a small window to set this up, as setting up the exclosure prevents the plover from warming their eggs. I was so impressed by the whole process I couldn’t help myself from trying to capture it.
We ended the day with chicken wings at Chegg, an awesome way to end “Take your Ate to Work Day”! Thanks again, Yowen, for a fun day at the beach, much needed for this Seattle transplant. 😉
The Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle is a neat place to wander around. It sits in Lake Union Park, a gorgeous park right on the lake. A few weeks ago, I biked from our house to visit my husband who works downtown. On the way back, I made a pit stop to paint at the park. I love looking at all the wooden boats parked there, and hearing the sound of the water lapping against the docks is very nostalgic for this Jersey Shore girl. 😉
A couple watercolor sketches from our 3rd wedding anniversary trip back in March. We celebrated it in Port Townsend, WA, a charming historic town on the water. Port Townsend not only had a bustling downtown waterfront decorated with Victorian buildings, but they also served food using ingredients from the rich farmlands surrounding the port town.
The 1st sketch is from the patio of a cafe named “Sweet Laurette”. It was a beautiful day, so we had brunch and hung out with our dog. The 2nd sketch was from brunch the next day from the window of “Point Harbor Cafe”. The cafe sits right in the harbor across the water from the “Wooden Boat Center”.
I highly recommend visiting the town. It reminded me of Savannah with its waterfront and historical buildings, but with a PNW spin to it. It’s not too far of a drive from Seattle (about 2 hours or so) and worth a weekend visit.
This year, we spent Christmas with my husband’s family in SoCal. The first 2 sketches are from the Santa Barbara Zoo. My favorite aspect of the SB Zoo were the creative names given to each of the animals by the donors/keepers. (”Bling” is a great penguin name.)
The third sketch is the facade of the Mission Courtyard in the Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks. I love the Spanish architecture and the creeping vines framed by the olive trees.
#Inktober Day 31: A long time ago, I had this crazy dream that my family was part of the neighborhood zombie watch in my hometown. Figured it’d be appropriate for today’s final Inktober. Happy Halloween, and thanks for following this year’s Inktober!
#Inktober Day 30: Sorting through my vacation photos last night reminded me how much I love the bright colors of the houses in Key West.
#Inktober Day 29: I just can’t win.
#Inktober Day 28: Awhile back when I was down in the dumps about my artwork, my husband framed my worries with the question: “What would your 7 year old self think of everything you’ve accomplished?”
When in self-doubt, it always helps to get a reality check from the “you” that was inspired in the first place.