My Gettysburg 2017 sketchbook

I’ve had a whirlwind summer of travel, and now I have a few weeks to catch up and review what I created!

My return trip to Gettysburg this year was delightful and busy! I was a visiting teacher at Adams County Arts Council, where I had the joy of teaching a weeklong Sketchbook Journaling summer camp for youth, ages 10 to 13, as well as an adult creativity workshop entitled, “Hope for the Late-Blooming Creative”. I also did an Instagram takeover of Destination Gettysburg for the week, posting three photos a day on their account. On top of that, with the generous support of Lynda Taylor, Monica E. Oss, and J. Jay Mackie of Gettysburg, I was able to transform the lobby of an old bank building into a pop-up exhibition space for one evening. All in one week! This left me few large swaths of time to sketch on the battlefield, but instead compelled me to capture smaller moments around town when I could.

Here are the results.

First some airport sketches: I was astonished that this father was carrying two backpacks (one in front, one in back), and three suitcases through the SFO airport. His partner carried one child in a front pack and a toddler walking next to her. They were not smiling.

Brief layover in Chicago, drawing some faces from memory…

Noticed that the Susquehanna River through Harrisburg was brown with high water, reminding me of some of the swollen rivers I had seen in Southeast Asia.

Then my first meal of the day, with rain pouring outside, at Food 101 in Gettysburg. Delicious! I got caught up in all the ceiling tiles and never got around to sketching my food.

Morning sketch of the Evergreen Cemetery gate on Baltimore Pike in Gettysburg:

Sketch from the back patio of Ragged Edge Coffee House:

And a quick sketch of my food from Ragged Edge:

Quick 10-minute pen and ink sketch (colored in later) of the flowers in the back garden of my airbnb:

My afternoon sketch of the Pennsylvania Monument on the Gettysburg battlefield — almost three hours in the sun doing this one!

I find a shady spot to capture the Gettysburg Hotel, and happen to sit in front of this Ford Model A:

And a report on the magic unfolding, as it always does for me, in Gettysburg:

I am driving around, chasing the sunset, when I catch this view of the Eisenhower Farm, and I pull my car over to sketch from the side of the road.

Wandering around the Soldier’s National Cemetery before 100 Nights of Taps, I notice the bronzed words of the Gettysburg address at the base of this statue.

I take some rubbings in my sketchbook, and I look forward to using them in a future piece:

My students receive a surprise invitation to visit the attic of the Seminary Ridge Museum and sketch the views from there. I manage to snag a 10-minute quick sketch in between taking photos of them.

Every morning as I walked out the back door of my airbnb to go the half-block to Adams County Arts Council, I saw this view of the Thaddeus Stevens log cabin on Middle Street. One morning I finally took out my stool and sketched it.

More food notes and sketches.

At the end of my trip to Gettysburg, I had one afternoon to spend in Harrisburg before leaving on an early morning train to Vermont. It was a gorgeous day, so I luxuriated in a sketch walk around the capitol building and riverfront, followed by dinner at Cork & Fork.

Harrisburg State Capitol Building, with a lime green dome (!):

Study of a historic mansion’s roofline on Front Street:

Wanted to find a way to quickly record some of the architecture and the presence of the river on this walk, so I attempted an illustrated map:

At dinner, I sat outside and could not help being inundated with the loud conversation of the table behind me. I embraced it as a illustration opportunity and created this collage of phrases overheard:

The food was excellent, and I had to create this mini tribute to Cork & Fork Harrisburg:

Visit my Facebook page for photos of my students at work, and stay tuned for stories and images of my time in Vermont!

Gearing up for Gettysburg!

Fresh from a trip to the mountains of Yosemite National Park, I’m now getting geared up for my 2017 residency in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania! Last year, I spent thirty days sketching, walking, biking, and painting in Gettysburg National Park. I came home and shared my work in an exhibition at the Half Moon Bay Library in my hometown.

Next week, I’m going back for one action-packed week of teaching, sketching, exhibiting, and reconnecting with all of the historical significance and natural beauty this place has to offer.

Here’s a list of the things I’ll be involved with in Gettysburg, from July 29 through August 4, 2017:

  • Instagram takeover of Destination Gettysburg’s account! I’ll be posting photos of my adventures and stories during the week on Destination Gettysburg. Be sure to follow this account to keep up with my latest news from the road.
  • Sketch crawl at Gettysburg National Park! Sunday, July 30, 2pm to 4:30pm. Bring your sun protection, hydration, and sketching supplies and wander the park with me. We’ll meet at the Pennsylvania Monument, and you’ll be set free to sketch landscapes, sky, barns, people, nature journaling, and maybe even historical reenactments happening in the park. If you need a prompt or a demo, I’ll happily provide it, or you can simply enjoy your own practice in the company of others. Details here.
  • Hope for the Late-Blooming Creative workshop at Adams County Arts Council! Tuesday, August 1, 6:30pm to 9pm. Part of the Healing HeARTS Initiative presented in partnership with Gettysburg Hospital, this workshop will help you reignite (or discover for the first time) your creative spark! Whether you’re a professional artist needing a kickstart, or someone who has always wanted to make art, you’ll leave this workshop with a renewed sense of your own ability to create with freedom, spontaneity, and joy. Register here.
  • Sketchbook Journaling for Youth Summer Camp at Adams County Arts Council! Ages 10-13, Monday, July 30 through Friday, August 4, 9am to 12pm. Observe and record the world.  This unique camp combines drawing and writing to create expressive journal pages with a visual story on every one. You will work with various media and venture outdoors to create Gettysburg sketches. Register here.
  • First Friday pop-up show at Grant Building in downtown Gettysburg! Friday, August 4, 5pm to 8pm. Exhibition of my work created in Gettysburg, live music, light refreshments, & artist talk at 6:30pm. Some items available for sale. Enjoy a night on the town, where multiple venues in downtown Gettysburg will be featuring artists’ work. Made possible through generous support from Lynda Taylor, Monica E. Oss, and J. Jay Mackie of Gettysburg. Details here.

I hope you’ll follow along on social media or join me in person for one of these events!

Stay tuned for a gear report on the supplies I’m bringing on this trip…

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Announcing: My Gettysburg 2017 Residency

Last September, I decided to create my own artist residency at Gettysburg National Park. I had been a finalist for a sponsored residency, and I told myself if I applied a second time and wasn’t accepted, I would do it anyway. So that’s what happened, and in so many ways, it has turned out to be exactly the kind of inspiring experience I – and my creative process – thrive on.

You can see and read more about the unfolding of this process here, but the reason I’m writing this is to announce that I am returning to Gettysburg this summer! What started as a mention, a pipe dream, is swiftly becoming reality. Here are the events confirmed so far:

First Friday Pop-Up Show & Artist Talk – Friday, August 4, 2017, 5pm to 8pm, Grant Building, 12 Chambersburg Street, Gettysburg.

Light refreshments and Exhibition, 5pm to 8pm, Artist Talk 6:30pm to 7pm. Presenting illustrations created during a 30-day residency in Gettysburg in 2016: Battlefield & Beyond. Plus, a public interactive textile created during exhibition of this work in California.

Event made possible through generous support from Lynda Taylor, Monica E. Oss, and J. Jay Mackie of Gettysburg.

Youth Sketchbook Journaling Summer Camp at Adams County Arts Council – Observe and record the world.  This unique camp combines drawing and writing to create expressive journal pages with a visual story on every one. You will work with various media and venture outdoors to create Gettysburg sketches. Ages 10 to 13. Monday, July 31 through Friday, August 4, 9am to noon. Register here.

Hope for the Late-Blooming Creative: adult creativity workshop at Adams County Arts Council. Tuesday, August 1, 6:30pm to 9pm. Contact Adams County Arts Council to register.

Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook to hear about other spontaneous events while I’m in Gettysburg. I’m looking forward to a collaboration with Destination Gettysburg, maybe doing some sketch crawls, creativity jumpstart sessions…who knows? I’ve learned to embrace all the pleasant surprises in the beautiful compost of life.

Before and After: Gettysburg-inspired Community Quilt in Half Moon Bay

Today was finally “Uninstall Day” for my Gettysburg in 2016 installation at Half Moon Bay Library. It had been extended by two weeks, and I was excited to see how FULL the jar of fabric squares was today. Visitors were invited to write their responses to the excerpt from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address presented on a muslin painted panel above them.

And now, my work is to make these squares into a community quilt of our own words, in 2016, resonating with Lincoln’s ideas in the present moment. I have some sewing to do!

Gettysburg 2016 Limited Edition Notecards Now Available!

I’m pleased to release this series of eight designs, each created on location in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during my September 2016 artist residency there.

These cards will be available for a limited time only on this site, so you are encouraged to place your orders as soon as you can.

Each folded card is blank inside, and is printed on 150-pound, luxurious, eco-friendly bamboo paper, with a watercolor paper envelope. The paper is uncoated, so will accept inks without smudging. Card dimensions: 5″ by 7″.

All cards are individually wrapped in a clear sleeve.

Set of 4 cards (any single design): $19.99

Set of 8 cards (variety pack with one of each design, or single design): $35.99

USPS Priority Mail Shipping: $5.95

Sales Tax (California shipping addresses only): 9.5%

International shipping — please contact me with your shipping address for an estimate on shipping costs

ORDER NOW

Design options:

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8-pack assorted designs (one of each design in the set): $35.99

Set of 8 assorted designs
Set of 8 cards – one of each design
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Yes! Installation Day for “Gettysburg in 2016” at Half Moon Bay Library

Here’s to stretching beyond our comfort zones.

This morning I installed the pieces of my exhibit at Half Moon Bay Library for my “Gettysburg in 2016” show. This involved several firsts for me.

  1. I have never worked on this large a scale (36 inches by 72 inches) before.
  2. I have never used fabric and yarn in my work before.
  3. I have never hung a fabric work from the ceiling before.
  4. I have never exhibited pages from my sketchbook on a wall before.
  5. I have never tried making giclee prints of my sketchbook pages and mounting them on panels for wall hanging.
  6. I have never tried an interactive art piece using fabric before.

I am making this list mostly to remind myself to celebrate today. Everything looks beautiful! I finished installing in about three hours. I managed to use a ten-foot ladder safely. Continue reading

Announcing a new show!

It’s scheduled! I will be creating an installation and visual essay at the Half Moon Bay Library, entitled “Gettysburg in 2016: What does it mean to us today?“. Through whimsical illustrations, mixed media artwork, and visual journals of a traveling artist, viewers are invited to revisit the significance of Gettysburg, the American Civil War, and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in our current lives — as individuals, as a community, and as a nation of diverse people.

I’ll be giving an artist talk and video presentation on Sunday, November 13, 2016, at 4pm. Light refreshments will be served at 5pm.

This event is free and open to the public. The installation will be at the library through December 21.

The show will include new works and selected works completed during my recent 40-day residency in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and surrounding Civil War battlefield sites, museums, and monuments.

flyer-half-moon-bay-library-gettysburg

My first classroom reading of “Too Late For Pie”

In 2015, I wrote and illustrated a story and self-published a paperback edition book called “Too Late For Pie“. I debuted it during my November Open Studio, to a warm reception by all the adults who read it. I read it out loud at an open mic, also filled with adults, to positive reception as well. Due to cash constraints, I only printed a handful of hard copies. At the last minute, I decided to throw two copies in my suitcase for Gettysburg.

While in Pennsylvania, a series of coincidences* led to my reading the book to Mrs. Cook’s third grade class at Rolling Acres Elementary School in Littlestown, Pennsylvania. What a fun, lively, engaging discussion we had! Led by Mrs. Cook’s questions, the students came up with several alternate endings, and plenty of ideas about the characters’ backstories that I had not thought about before.

After a second reading, we posed for a class picture, and a few of the girls in the class approached me.

“Will you be writing more books?” one of them asked me.

“Um…should I?” I asked.

“YES YES YES!” they chorused. “And you should send the books to us in the mail!” one of them said, while jumping up and down a little.

“Well, OK! I guess I will be writing more books! But here’s the deal. Will YOU keep writing and make your own books too? And send them to me?” I said.

“Uh huh,” the girls nodded their heads in unison.

None of us were quite sure what we had just gotten ourselves into.

All I know is I have made a promise to an entire class of third graders in Littlestown, Pennsylvania, and it’s time to get working on that next book!

*Details on these “coincidences” will be revealed in a future list of all the Pleasant Surprises that appeared for me during this residency in Gettysburg.


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