Tag Archives: Ink and watercolor

Catching up in the new year

Although it’s been a while since you’ve seen a post from me, I have (really!) been busy making art. Just haven’t made the time to share it. So here’s some of my latest…

About a month ago, there was an art display in Narrowsburg, NY. The requirement was the size could not be larger than 6”x6”. There were so many entries, giving lots of inspiration! I decided some of my hike sketches might work in that size, so I ordered several wood panels, and got to work. A good way to present watercolors is to mount it to the board, then coat it with a wax resist. Now you have a piece that’s ready to hang, or just sit on a shelf.

These first two are from Shohola Falls. It was a calm sunny day, and I had most of the place to myself to sit and sketch, or just enjoy the music of the falls. The small island in the lake needed to be sketched, as it was begging to be noticed. (It seems the waterfalls get all of the attention.)

The next two are from Three Mountain Ponds hike near the Delaware Water Gap. This is the “third” pond I guess, and what a treasure it is. The first time I saw it, I fell in love with the simplicity and calm feeling of it. The other – bent tree is an example of “trees with character”. Every tree has its own personality and this one says “Get out of my way, I’m growing!” 😉

It was fun to do this short video sharing music with these four. 🎶

https://www.facebook.com/reel/5855578914567102

Our local small (but growing!) artist group may be able to display some of our work in the spring.

Of course, I’ll let you know when! Meanwhile, I have a few more getting ready to mount and will

be sharing them soon. Stay warm!

Feeling blue? And maybe a little purple? 😉

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If so, you might enjoy these blue irises that recently finished blooming. Even though it didn’t seem likely, I couldn’t stop trying to capture their unique loveliness with my pen and paint. They’re gone now, but should return again and again, for us to see their rich intense beauty.

This one, the “messiest”, which I drew using the flower’s shadows, just happens to be my favorite.

Do you have a favorite?

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

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On what was supposed to be my last day in Texas, we drove the 2 hours to Guadalupe Mountains National Park to do what might be the most challenging hike of the week.

We did the Devil’s Hall trail, nearly 5 miles, with an elevation of 6,400’. Guadalupe Mountain (adjacent) is the highest point in Texas, at 8,751’.
The trail started off relatively easy, then switched to a wash, where we scrambled over large boulders, until reaching near the end. I decided not to attempt the final scramble around a tree, crossing over rocks in a stair formation. It probably wasn’t that difficult, but I was near the end of my energy, and we still had to go back over all those boulders, which grew larger in my mind as we returned. We had a bit of a challenge when we missed a trail turn on our return. I track my hikes with Alltrails, and the result where we walked around looking for the correct path looked like an Etch-a-Sketch drawing! 😆

El Capitan at Guadalupe Mountain Nat’l Park – what you see as you approach the park

Devils Hall trail sketched on site

Another Devils Hall trail sketched on site

Near the end of Devil’s Hall trail ( where I decided to stop!)

After our hikes, I was glad that I had prepped for the higher elevations by doing longer hikes with additional weight in my pack at home. I had no problem with altitude sickness, and our hikes were under 5 miles each, so not too challenging.
The next morning, at 3 am (!) my flight was delayed, so I had an extra day in El Paso. We spent it around the city, and enjoyed a delicious birthday lunch with Eric and his sister. So a days delay return to home turned out to be a lovely celebration. 🥰

Organ Mountains, New Mexico

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A recent trip to El Paso, Texas, allowed me to temporarily escape the final blasts of our northeast winter. This is where Eric, a dear friend and neighbor, spends his winters. He grew up there, and was a great tour guide and generous host. I got to see landmarks and history and there was so much to learn. The sketches so far are from the places we went hiking.

Coming from NE Pennsylvania (elev= 900’) I was concerned about altitude adjustment. (El Paso elev = 3,760’) So before leaving, I went on slightly longer hikes and even added a few pounds to my pack. That seemed to do the trick, and there were no issues with altitude.

Our first hike was in the Organ Mountains near Las Cruces, NM, just over the border.
An online description: The Organ Mountains are a steep, angular mountain range with rocky spires that jut majestically above the Chihuahuan Desert floor. They range from 4,600 to just over 9,000 feet, and are so named because of the steep, needle-like spires that resemble the pipes of an organ.
Coming from the Poconos, the first views of these were awe inspiring.

We did a 3+ mile hike on the La Cueva trail, a great introduction, with deep blue skies and a cave to explore. Stopping to sketch made the hike take longer, but I could’ve spent all day here!

La Cueva/ The Cave

2022 – it’s time for a new adventure!

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It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, I know, but with good reason – it is time for me to move to a new location. Between the search, the paperwork, the prep before actually moving, AND a new grandbaby, it’s been quite busy, as you can imagine. I really wanted to have fun sketching the new views but free time has been scarce. So here is the view from my little lake house in NE PA:

And here is an aerial view of my house with the nearby beach:

All this excitement has not left time for sketching, but hoping to change that very soon! Meanwhile, my 2022 calendar consists of sketches from 2021.

The Northwest – Sleeping Beauty Mountain trail

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After a worrisome day, waking up with severe vertigo, I nearly cancelled this trip. Wasn’t sure how I could get on a plane with it. Fortunately, it mostly cleared up, so the trip was on! Still with traces of vertigo, flights and travel went smoothly, and we got to relax my first afternoon in Hood River. Love Hood River, great vibes, and great people.

Nearly sunset at the Columbia River

We agreed to do the most difficult, but most “worth it” hike first. So day 2, we drove (I say we, but my friend did all the driving.). Got to give her credit for hosting, driving and being a great friend. So we drove across the Columbia River to Washington, then up some back roads, which turned to dirt roads, with some edgy curves. Took us about an hour to get to the trailhead, and there was only one other car there, which was great. “Only” a little over 2 miles in, but with 1,365’ gain. And 6,000’ elevation. I’m not used to that at all, add the fact that it got a little scary towards the top with some vertigo kicking in. Some of the last steep part was on my hands and knees, I didn’t trust standing up.
But, I must say, it was definitely WORTH IT! Proud of us both, and views of four separate mountains from the top. Basically, we climbed a small mountain to get a better view of the big ones. 🙂

So relieved to have a chance to sit, I did several sketches from up here. Added color back at home.

View of Mt. Adams, shortly before reaching the top

View of Mt. Hood from top

Another view of Mt. Adams from the top. The clouds were starting to cover the top.

After all that work, we stopped at Mt. Hood winery (of course!) and I did a quick sketch while we relaxed.

View of Mt. Hood from Mt. Hood winery

I guess I’ll have to return, this place has so many amazing views, wine and delicious food!

Scenes from a visit

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No matter where I go, I’m often looking for sketch ideas. Here are a couple sketches of fig trees and sculptures from a recent visit to a lovely home.

I choose this one!

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I’ve decided to give overnight backpacking a serious try. There’s lots of gear needed, and even gear that you’d prefer not to think about! (ahem, toilet stuff) One necessary item is a shovel, so I went online to research. After reading these rave reviews, I just knew I had to have this one! 😁.

December art – virtual Japan

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With more time at home (I know, still!) I’ve managed to keep busy making art.

First was a virtual trip to Japan with Art Safari’s Mary-Anne. Our small zoom class enjoyed her guidance on Japan culture, people and art. This inspired me to finally try out a lovely Chinese ink set my cousin gifted to me last year. She has gone to China several years to teach English. The set includes an ink stick, brushes, and two stone stamps with my name in Chinese. One stone is made from the Yangtze riverbed. What an amazing gift to treasure, and now has been used for these tonal studies.

Following up these with a few more tonal studies (I do adore the cranes!) and what I consider a “finished” painting. Although I’m much happier with looser results.

art by bernadette

Expressing life with sketches. Inspiring you along the way.

Tag Archives: Ink and watercolor

Catching up in the new year

Feeling blue? And maybe a little purple? 😉

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Organ Mountains, New Mexico

2022 – it’s time for a new adventure!

The Northwest – Sleeping Beauty Mountain trail

Scenes from a visit

I choose this one!

December art – virtual Japan