Apricot Tree in Watercolour

Moleskine watercolour sketchbook

After yesterday's morning walk I headed out to the farm to pick some apricots. Apricot picking is accomplished by vigorous shaking of the tree and then scrabbling around on the ground trying to gather up the fruit before the ponies steal it all. In my next life, I think I'll come back as one of Jean's ponies - living in the orchard, making an endless feast of cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, apples, and plums.

Ponies in the orchard

Me in my next life.

Anyway before we shook the tree I made a little watercolour sketch as my 4th contribution to Vivien's Tree Challenge.

Sketching Trees

Pencil in cheap sketch book ( that's why you can see the ghost of Raspberries).

Expect to see a few trees here in the coming weeks. I've joined Vivien Blackburn's Tree Challenge on her blog, Painting, Prints & Stuff.

The Tree Challenge fits in rather nicely with my other current obsession, Sketchercise. I'm walking six mornings per week - about 4km. Still haven't worked out how to post the Sketchercise badge on my blog though - so I'm fit but stupid!

The quick sketch of the tree above (must ask Jean what it's called) is beside the pool where I did my first laps of the season (after walking 4km, so I'm extremely stupid!). Too exhausted to move I turned around and sketched another tree (must ask Jean what that's called too).

Lamy pen in cheap sketchbook

Lime trees - painted on my walk a couple of days ago.

I'm using a beautiful sketchbook made for me by Marta for these little watercolour sketches. Gorgeous HP watercolour paper. Thanks Marta!

Flying Pictures - Different Strokes

I've finally added the back cover to my Flying Pictures Sketchbook - Different Strokes and created a slideshow to present the completed book.

You can see the artist of each page by moving your cursor over the picture. It's a wonderful roll of talent:

Casey Toussaint - France
Nina Johansson - Sweden
Glen Heath - England
Vivien Blackburn - England
Ronell van Wyk - France
Lindsay Olson - USA

Thank you all for your gorgeous gift!

Thank you too all of you who've followed our travelling sketchbooks, offering encouragement through our creative angst and remedial chocolate. A sketchbook exchange is an unforgettable experience that I would recommend to all.

Slide shows of the other books and the story of the Flying Pictures exchange can be seen on the Flying Pictures Blog.

Flying Pictures - Local Colour

Casey's Flying Picture Cover (right) with Vivien's 'spine'

Casey's Flying Pictures Sketchbook Local Colour has arrived in Tuscany. It is full of surprises and delights and it really made me smile.

First of all, Casey painted a front and back cover for her book, not realising just how fat these sketchbooks were going to become as two to three new pages were added by each of us taking part in the FP Sketchbook Exchange. By the time Casey's book got to Vivien it had enjoyed itself so much, as is inclined to happen when one is travelling, and that which had previously fitted, no longer fitted!

There was nothing for it but for Vivien to cut Casey's original cover in half and attach a new spine. That's it on the left in the picture above - one of Vivien's beautiful seascapes. It came with a note which I would like to share with you:

Casey - Your cover wouldn't fit any more. I hope it's ok but I've extended it for you with a bit of sea.
I've left it too long so would the last person please trim a bit off it when they know how thick the book will be? Thanks - Vivien.

Okay, 'the last person' happens to be me and if you think I'm going to cut up one of your beautiful seascapes, Vivien, you have another think coming! The way I see it, Casey's got a bonus original Vivien Blackburn!

My next smile came from what was tucked inside an envelope in Casey's cover.

The Art Fairy - Ⓒ Casey Toussaint

Isn't she delightful! I'm really tempted to keep her. This is the first book I've received with paintings by Casey - it's been worth waiting for. You can see the entire contents of Casey's beautiful book with everyone else's contributions at the Flying Pictures Blog.

What nobody has seen yet are Lindsay's beautiful oil pastels in Casey's book. I'm now going to post them on the Flying Pictures Blog HERE. She calls them Lake Michigan Sketches 2008. I call them beautiful little gems.

This is the last book in our exchange - I don't know what I'm going to paint yet - but at least I've got the Art Fairy to help me this time.

I do need to get cracking though because I'm almost mad with delight that my darling daughter and her partner are on their way from Australia to visit. I haven't seen her for almost two and a half years! Art and blogging are going to have to take a back seat for a few weeks.

Flowers for Glen's FP Sketchbook

Watercolour & ink

This is my contribution to Glen Heath's beautiful flower theme Flying Pictures Sketchbook. Flowers are a favourite subject of mine but inspiration was scarce - and I went as far as Venice trying to kick start my imagination before settling on subjects right outside our back door!

I think this wonderful shiny blue insect is a Carpenter Bee. He was a regular visitor to our sweet peas this year.

And finally a sprig of ivy to create a transition to Casey's contribution.

My spread follows Lindsay's - you can see the entire book so far on the Flying Pictures Blog.

Vivien Blackburn is a British artist who is part of our Flying Pictures. She's just written a marvellous post about taking part in sketchbook exchanges.

Nina's sketchbook with Lindsay's Leaves

Ⓒ Lindsay Olson mixed media on CP watercolour paper

Nina's Flying Picture's Sketchbook is here in Tuscany. I've been feasting on it for the last couple of days and getting rather stressed because I don't want to add something that will let down the stunning standard of work already done by Nina Johansson, Glen Heath, Vivien Blackburn, Ronell van Wyk and Lindsay Olson. It is worth going to the Flying Pictures Blog to see all the beautiful painting already posted from this particular book in our sketchbook exchange.

Nina's theme is Polychromatic Behaviour and it has inspired work of the most glorious colours. Lindsay's multi media painting of Cambria Leaves knocked my socks off and I'm sure anything I put beside it is going to look 'faded' by comparison.

I've got lots of juicy colours on my desk - if I can just squeeze them.....

Summer Fruit & Todi Sunset

A basket of plums from a neighbour - watercolour.

Todi, Umbria in the late afternoon - watercolour

What a long, hot and largely unproductive summer I've had. If it weren't for the Flying Pictures Sketchbook Exchange, I would have had precious little art to show.

The watercolours above are my contribution to Vivien's sketchbook which has since touched down with Casey in France and is now off to Nina in Sweden. You will see from my previous post how much I loved the opportunity to contribute to Vivien's beautiful book.

Glen's book has now arrived so I really do have to get up and give myself a good shake and start trying to make some art. I'll post some pictures from Glen's book in the next few days. As you would expect it is stunning and challenging.

A Feather for Vivian

Wood Grouse Feather - watercolour pencils

Vivien's Flying Pictures Sketchbook contains some beautiful feather sketches by Vivien. She tucked a real one into the book with an invitation for each of us taking part in the Flying Pictures sketchbook exchange to have a go. When Vivien's book arrived here in Tuscany it had already picked up additional feathers by Ronell and Lindsay.

The same week Vivien revealed her feather theme I found myself caught up in a flurry of feathers, one of which (above) landed at my feet. I decided then and there it was a feather for Vivien.

This feather did not come directly from a Wood Grouse (Capercaillie) but from one of the flamboyant hats worn by members of the famous Italian Bersaglieri army corp.

A couple of hundred current members and veterans of the corps were in our little Tuscan town for a reunion.

Our first sight of them was when an officer ran into the piazza where we were enjoying a local concert. He called the concert to an abrupt halt and then gestured to his troops waiting in a side street. A whole militatry brass band, sporting spectacular hats, festooned with Capercaillie feathers, dashed past playing their instruments on the run. I learned later that the Bersaglieri (sharpshooters) are famous for doing everything on the run. An unforgettable and totally delightful sight. Of course I didn't have my camera!

I caught up with them later when they paraded through the town.

After the First World War the Bersaglieri rode bicycles. Today they move in modern army vehicles, but when they're on foot they're still on the run.

Vivien's beautiful sketchbook is now with Casey in France and I'm sure she is already on the track of a feather or two.

It was wonderful to have your book for a while, Vivien and I loved the opportunity to see your beautiful original art.

Vivien's Flying Pictures Sketchbook Update

Cover ⓒ Vivien Blackburn

Vivien's Blackburn's Flying Pictures Sketchbook is now in Tuscany. It has become a daily treat for me to open out the ten beautiful concertina pages of original work by three artists - Vivien, Ronell van Wyk and Lindsay Olson.

You can see my post about Lindsay's stunning additions to the book HERE at the Flying Pictures Blog.

Scroll through the blog to find Vivien's and Ronell's earlier spreads. The artful journeys of all seven Flying Pictures Sketchbooks in this exchange are being constantly updated on the FP blog.

I have now started work on my addition to Vivien's book. It is a daunting task, as you can imagine.

Brush Sketch Challenge

Large Moleskine sketchbook - 2B mechanical pencil

This is my Raphael No9 Petit Gris Pur watercolour brush. I bought it (and a couple more) when I had more money than time. Now I have more time than money, I find it's not a brush I use very often. I also wonder what I, who won't eat anything with big brown eyes, is actually doing with this brush!

It came out of the cupboard today to pose for a portrait in the Vivien Blackburn Brush Sketch Challenge. You can read about it on her blog Painting, Prints and Stuff. I was so excited to have the opportunity to be in the running for one of Vivien's sketches, I launched into this without reading the instructions properly. I used to lose marks for that in examinations. How tough a teacher is Vivien, I wonder? She actually stipulated a sketch of 'your brushes'.

A Day in My Life - Cartoon Strip

I was charmed by a recent post by British artist, Vivien Blackburn on her blog Painting, Prints & Stuff.

Vivien had been inspired by illustrator Liz Minichiello to try a cartoon strip based on a day in her life.

Vivien's beautifully rendered effort inspired me to come up with this rather slapdash effort. But I had fun.

Heaven

After sixteen days wait, my copy of Shirley Trevena's Vibrant Watercolours has finally arrived! It was worth the wait. Thanks to both Vivien Blackburn and Katherine Tyrrell who recommended the book. Now I'm in a state of bliss, doing the exercises and discovering just how Shirley Trevena achieves such wonderful colour.

While I'm in the mood to give free plugs, our friends, Grant and Julia, are selling their newly renovated Tuscan villa just outside Cortona. After a long stay in Italy they are heading back to Australia. 'I can't imagine why!' mutters HWEM.