mARTa's Art

We don't wear shoes inside the house so I made these socks this week from scraps of worsted wool (alpaca and merino).  They are so soft and warm.  Just perfect for walking on the tile floor downstairs.  But you won't see these leaving the house....a bit too funky for being out in public!

I carry my work tools, art supplies, food, makeup, lots of pens/pencils, water bottle, coffee mug, swiss army knife, medication, umbrella, gloves, ipod, sketchbook(s), calculator, feminine hygiene products and about 10 other things!

Just done quickly in a small 6x8 inch drawing pad of 80lb paper. Pencil and watercolour pencil.

Today I met up with Deborah from Silverwoman Studios at the Riverside Art Museum.   We had been wanting to get together but it just hadn't happened until today.  I really enjoyed my day with her.  We spent a couple of hours at the museum which right now has the Watercolor West show in it's main gallery.  Then, along with a group she was with, we went to Las Campanas at the Mission Inn for lunch and margaritas!  After lunch the two of us found a spot on the library grounds and did some sketching together.  I loved looking at her sketchbooks she brought along.  The carnet du voyage of her trip to France last fall is beautiful!  It's so much fun to see the real sketches rather than what we see on the computer screen.  We hit it off great and hope to get together again for another fun art day!  Here are the two sketches I produced while we sat on a stone wall in the warm sunshine.


Then I came home, drew this orange in coloured pencil and then ate it!

I have really enjoyed this wet weekend.  It hasn't been too cold and the rain not as threatening as was predicted.  After morning coffee with a slice of my wonderful homemade Portuguese Sweet Bread and a scrambled egg I headed off to the gym for a morning workout.  Along with my ipod, towel and water bottle I took my moleskine, W&N travel wc palette with Niji wc brush and my Lamy fountain pen.  After the workout I sat in the car for about 1/2 hour and began this sketch of the gym.  I wanted to be faithful to the structure but quickly realized I hadn't been as observant as I should have been.  So I thought I would then just concentrate on the shapes and then make the sketch 'pop' by adding bold colors.  I like it!!!

My foot makes a better display model. :)  To answer  a few questions.  The socks are made with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn.  The colour is Iris Garden.  I knit them on size 2 dp needles (I use all 5 needles).  I made them a woman's small (shoe size 5-7).  It took me about 5 days to make these, working on them for several hours every afternoon and evening.  I knit both socks at the same time; first the cuff of one sock, then the cuff and leg of the second, then I go back to the first sock and knit the leg and heel then switch back to the second sock.  I continue in this way because when done I have 2 finished socks and both are the same size.  I have about an hour's work left on this pair before they are done!  I've never used this yarn before but already like it.  

My bountiful bosom has always made a good shelf.  The rain has kept all activity indoors this weekend.  Did venture out to the movies to see Atonement.  Good movie and followed the book well.  But I was anxious to come home after a dinner at California Pizza Kitchen to work on my socks.  Sock no. 1 is done and no. 2 will be done by tomorrow evening.  Aren't they pretty?  No sketching happening today. 

I've stayed home from work since yesterday feeling under the weather with some sort of vague virus which had me with fever, chills and nausea.   I'm feeling better but thought it best to just rest up and make sure the symptoms have subsided.  So feeling inspired and more energetic this morning I have spent the  morning in my studio listening to the novel 'Atonement' while making a color chart of my colored pencils.  I haven't used them in years but plan to start bringing them out to play more often.  The tug for a quick watercolour  spurred me to do the mug I keep on the studio table with pens and brushes I never use. LOL!  I think the colored pencils should go in there now.

The wind is howling this evening, it's getting cold out there. When I glanced out the studio window the view took my breath away. I don't think I could do this scene justice with my pen and brush; I show you this photograph instead.