Casey's Book Flies Home

Detail of pen and wash watercolour sketch

Casey's Flying Pictures Sketchbook Local Colour is in the mail, on its way home to France.

This sketchbook exchange has been an extraordinary experience full of challenges and delights. Casey's is the last of the seven sketchbooks I have contributed to and now the creative part is over for me. When Casey tells me she has received her book I will post my final pages and then I will be bursting with anticipation for my book, Different Strokes to make its way home.

You can follow all the travelling sketchbooks 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.

Watercolour Rio De S. Vidal Venice

The little red house on Rio De S. Vidal - Venice

I have two favourite houses in Venice - houses as opposed to Palaces of which there are many and one really finds it hard to choose. The first of 'my' houses is Peggy Guggenheim's former home (now a museum) on the Grand Canal, the other is the little red house in Campo S. Vidal which one passes on the way to the Accadema Bridge.

I painted the little red house for Nina in her Flying Pictures sketchbook themed Polychromatic Behaviour.

I follow Lindsay in Nina's book.

Nina's book is a beauty. You can see everyone's contribution to date on the Flying Pictures Blog. Casey has the book in France and as she's already finished her pages, it is probably now on it's final journey home to Nina.

Casey's book has arrived in Italy and as soon as I come up with something appropriate for the last entry that will mark the end of the Flying Sketchbook Exchange for me. But it is far from over yet because I still have to post Lindsay's contribution to Casey's book.

Tulip Oil Painting

Tulip 18 x 24cm oil on board

Our Wednesday afternoon oil painting group has reconvened after the summer. I'd been working on the tulip painting before the break and it languished in my studio all Summer. I did get bored looking at it. Apart from varnish, it's now finished and I face my usual problem - where to sign it. I always think my signature spoils the painting.

I took the photo of these way back at the beginning of the year and if it looks familiar it's because I did an earlier study in watercolour pencil, posted here.

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.