Travel & Sketching in Ogden, Utah

My husband currently does a lot of travel for work, and when my schedule lines up, and the fares are just right, I love to join him. I absolutely feel guilty when I finish my work early and can head out to explore whatever town we’re in, but it gives me time to sketch & paint on location, which I also feel guilty indulging in when he’s with me!

Dressed & ready for a day of Urban Sketching! Essentials include water, a sun hat, snacks, sketchbook & art kit and SUNSCREEN!

I started at Union Station in Downtown Ogden, and learned that it was closed on Monday & Tuesday. Nevertheless, I found a shady spot and got a pencil sketch done before the heat drove me inside.

What I didn’t know was that Ogden is home to quite a lot of beautiful architecture, including some astounding Art Deco sites, like the Exchange Building, formerly part of the Ogden Stockyard.

Another amazing example of Ogden Art Deco is, of all things, Ogden High School! It’s stunning!

We headed up to Huntsville, Utah one evening for dinner at the Shooting Star Saloon, which is a VERY casual, down & dirty, simple bar in a beautiful small mountain town. This was also very fun to draw!

On the way out of town I couldn’t resist turning off the road to snap this old barn for a later sketch.

Even though it was hot as blazes, I did an early morning walk to the Ogden Botanical Garden, which was a delight. The route takes you through a residential neighborhood before you make your way onto the Ogden River Walkway, which leads directly to the Garden. It’s a lovely small space, with little pockets of plantings, a very sweet vegetable garden and my favorite, a Japanese Garden.

On another note, I was completely blown away by the progressiveness of Ogden, and kudos to them for that. Pride flags were proudly flown, and we found some amazing places to eat and drink - namely Side Bar at Ogden’s Own Distillery, which became a favorite very fast.

If you go, hopefully, Mason will be your bartender. He’s got great suggestions and looks uncannily like a young Keanu Reeves!

Plein Air Paint-out at Mother's Beach

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On Friday, Katie & I joined my friend Anne’s Plein Air group, Eat, Paint, Live, at Mother’s Beach in Long Beach. It was so nice to finally get outside again after all the rain we’ve had here in Southern California!

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As per my usual, if there is a bridge, or other type of structure, I’ll want to paint it. It’s hard to get the depth, but I think that’s part of the challenge for me and at this point, I’m all about the progress over perfection. Just getting something down in the sketchbook is important and I think it’s really helping me.

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It’s really hard to see the detail, but there’s a little shack to the bottom left of the bridge and canoes on the right side. Beyond the bridge is Los Alamitos Marina, and I just hinted at something there - I did not have time, nor inclination, to paint all the boats moored.

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Amazingly, this was Katie’s first time working with watercolor and I was quite blown away! Girl has talent, and I hope she joins us more often!

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Plein Air on a Rainy Day

The rain we’ve had is astounding this season. Yesterday was the first day of spring, and while you wouldn’t know it, many people were sharing photos of bright, sunshiny days on their Instagram feed. I was inspired by this photo of the Manhattan Beach Pier and painted it at my dining room table while it poured outside. I know the sun will be back soon!

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Whale Watching in Palos Verdes

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Yesterday I was on my way home from an appointment, and after days of rain, it was just stunning outside. I don’t ever take my hometown for granted, I feel like we are truly blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

Since I rarely go anywhere without my sketchbook, I took to the opportunity to stop at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center for a quick sketch. There’s an area for the whale watchers to sit and watch the sea, and they take this very seriously, especially during whale watching season, which I believe we are in the midst of.

It was the end of the day, so the Interpretive Center was just closing.

This is actually a great place to come and hang out. During lockdown, Scott & I would come just before sunset with our Old Fashioned’s in Mason Jars and watch the sun set. If we timed it right, there was someone playing the guitar, and for a moment, you could almost forget what was going on in the world. Of course, the Old Fashioned’s helped considerably.

Painting people is one of my pain points, but I’m working on it! 😂

Redecorating and some recent Art

It’s been a while since my last post and I’ve changed things up a bit around here. Since I decided to not take new clients this year, I realized I really don’t have to provide a portfolio of my marketing services, and decided instead to focus on sharing my art. I’m going to try to get a little better at uploading new work, but here are a few pieces that I’ve worked on lately.

I started a new sketchbook in January with a quick trip to the South Coast Botanic Garden, practically in my backyard, to sketch some of the blooming succulents. I’ve decided that even if I’m not happy with the finished product, I’m after progress not perfection, and everything counts as progress and practice.

My friend Anne, who I met last year when I took a watercolor basics class at Art Supply Warehouse and has a watercolor retreat business, Eat Paint Live, has occasional get-togethers locally. We met at Bolsa Chica Wetlands a couple of weeks ago and of course I had to paint the bridge.

I was back at the South Coast Botanic Garden last month (the 3rd Tuesday is free, but I’m thinking I’m just going to join already!) and never realized they have a very sweet, small Japanese Koi Pond & Garden just to the right of the entrance. It was so peaceful here and I know I’ll be back to sketch this spot again.

I was meeting my friend Sabine for dinner in Long Beach a couple of weeks ago and always use this as an opportunity to find a cool place to sketch. The weekend before, Scott & I were driving to meet a friend for dinner and drove past Island White off Ocean Boulevard and I tucked it away for later sketching. We were in the middle of some really wild weather and it was so cold, with a blowing wind. I didn’t last long outside, but at least it was clear and beautiful!