Every Sunday morning I make pancakes for my family. Once the batter is prepared, I like to add blueberries or bananas or some other fresh fruit and twirl it all together with a wisk. I have to say that although I enjoy eating the pancakes, nothing gives me more pleasure than combining the ingredients, pouring the batter onto a hot griddle and smelling the warmth of an easy Sunday morning.
twirl
prepare
As soon as the flood waters began to recede, preparations were made for waterproofing the basement including replacing the mortar between the large granite blocks of the foundation.
highlight
Another New Year and another drawing of a light bulb. I did not start off thinking that I would illustrate the same object that had begun my 2011 entries, but the IF topic seemed right.
Besides the turmoil and destruction that flooding caused to my home and studio this year, I was further hampered in posting to my blog by a series of escalating computer system failures. Well, I am happy to report that my home has been repaired and I now have a new computer. All of this change had me reflecting on my preferred working method, too, so I have put aside my pen and picked up a trusty pencil. I know, it’s not a big change –but change is good, and 2012 is already looking better.
fuel
Coffee is undoubtedly the starting fluid favored by most, but tea is the fuel that gets me going.
gesture
For the past few weekends, I have been scraping decades of paint from a pair of wood columns that flank the front stairs of my 175 year old home. It is labor intensive work utilizing a variety of paint removal products and tools. A pair of work gloves have taken the form of clenched hands from my relentless grip and the repetitive gesture of scraping.
launch
Popping open a bottle of champagne is always exciting…it’s the launching of the cork that elevates people’s spirits!
swept
A straw whisk broom that was left in our house by the previous owner. It was found with an old copper dust pan. I have used the pair many times since moving in. That’s the great thing about ‘manually operated’ tools, you don’t need to consult a tech whiz or install updated operating systems.
shadows
This weekend I had visited the Concours d’Elegance Car Show in Greenwich, Connecticut. Being that it is an unlikely that I will ever attend the Pebble Beach classic in California, this may be the closest I will ever get to seeing a collection of vintage automobiles of this caliber. There were prime examples of cars from every era; from Stanley Steamers to Muscle Cars, and vehicles from the “no frills” Model T to the “over-the-top” Duesenbergs. Truly rolling masterpieces all.
asleep
My initial rendering of this pillow was soft and ethereal. It looked like a morning vision, with bright sunlight delineating the edges of the pillowcase. I was pleased with the drawing and put it down. When I took another look, I decided it was all wrong. It was not an illustration for “asleep”, this was “awaken”. I started to add some darkness to the image, getting rather aggressive with my strokes. The drawing seems more appropriate to the topic now but I’m not sure it’s a peaceful slumber.
