Lazy Daze

Blue Sky Dragon

Shabbat is always good for a lazy, reflective, do-nothing-much day. Today it has rained on and off. So I fired up some wax tarts (Cinnamon Roll and Orange Spice), took out the sketch book (if you can call what I do at this stage ‘sketching’ lol), and connected the phone to the laptop. Yes. I multi-task. Oh, and I also read some of my current Michael Pollan book.

I discovered that a) 6707 items are in my phone DCIM folder. There are things missing, too. Sigh. b) It is difficult to sketch something with light and shadow. Particularly when the light keeps going away. c) Despite working for years in IT, I really oftentimes abhor it. Mostly I abhor having to learn new systems time and again, and the fact that people have phones in their hands/faces practically 24/7 these days. (mini-rant over).

Chakra heart with rain backdrop

I do carry my phone around, but that’s because it is my camera and I take a lot of pictures. Otherwise, I have times I use it as a phone, times I use it as a notepad (love, LOVE Samsung Note!), times it is my GPS, and I do sometimes use it for social media. That occurs less and less frequently. Mostly I use it for texting to stay in touch with far-flung friends and family and to read emails. I’ve only had a smartphone since I moved to the boonies after my husband died, and my kids were adamant that I’d need it. Same for Facebook. I concede to the phone, but not Facebook, lol. Whoever thought these tiny computers in our pockets would be such a dominant force in our lives! I have even watched movies on them. I think that is why I squint so much, haha!

Today’s bad art is an attempt to sketch and then color in the mountain scenery around me here. I did the sketch in pencil, and am working on the light and shadow in colored pencil. Painting might have been easier, honestly, but I am really trying to work on my sketching skills. It’s rather like kid’s fridge art, but I can see progress in my ability to see and capture details. Your mileage may vary 🙂

First run after pencil sketch

Work in progress

Clouds, by the way, are very hard. They look so innocent, fluffy, benign. But they have a lot of shading and depth to them. And mountains, holy moley! Trying to replicate the ridgelines, denuded parts versus forested parts. Maybe I should have chosen less challenging subject matter. Perhaps more can be added tomorrow if the sunlight is good.

My view yesterday before sundown. Splendor.

Is anyone that is a reader a beginning artist? If so, do you have a blog? Post it in the comments if so, thanks!

It’s dinner and baseball time. I leave you with the words of Longfellow:

“Each morning sees some task begun, Each evening sees it close. Something attempted, something done, Has earned a night’s repose.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

SE, off to gnosh and root for the team! Be well, keep attempting things, and remember to rest.