Memphis Monday: The Art Center

That's the Art Center over there across the street. I was sitting at Sean's Deli, which has yummy falafel and hummus and gyros. The Art Center has yummy paints and pens and sketchbooks. Visit them both!

Unexpected Night Out

Most Fridays I go to art openings, even when I want to go home and put on my house pants. But this particular Friday night I got a text saying we're having dinner at Bosco's - fun! Even if it's not house-pants friendly.

Poetry Listening

More sketches from the poetry reading I mentioned in the last Follow Friday.

Last Month's Sketch Group

Memphis Urban Sketchers met at the Clark Tower area for the March Sketch group.  Here are my sketches from the day.

I call this one Big Monster with a Hat On, inspired by Inma Serrano.

I also sketched in side the Poplar/White Station Library, which sits in front of the White Station Tower and the Clark Tower. It's the library of my childhood!

And I sketched at Casablanca Restaurant, where some of the sketchers met for lunch.

Join us for the next sketch group Saturday, April 5 at Elmwood Cemetery, 9:30 til noon!

Studio Night Last Night: Class Prep Mostly

That's right, class prep mostly. Sigh.

There are seven paintings here just glaring at me. Don't worry paintings, I'll get to you.

This picture is from the first class last week. I like to make my students make sketches for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. It's so fun, even if I'm the only one who ever enjoys it. But they do like it later when I let them collage into and over the quick sketches.

Do you ever make sketches that quickly? It's fun to mix it up.

Follow Friday: Poets and Bookstores

My friend Heather Dobbins-Combs just had a book of poetry published titled In the Low Houses. It is lovely and I know this because she read several of them to a us at Burke's Books last week. I also bought a copy so that I can read the rest of them myself.

Go to Burke's and buy yourself a copy!

Tiny Sketchbook

In addition to my everyday Stillman & Birn Alpha Series sketchbook, I've been carrying around a very small Laloran sketchbook. It's 4.5" x 4.5" - that's tiny! It's perfect for when I only have time for the quickest sketch, or when I want to practice sketching people (there are more people in later sketches - you'll see.)

Studio Night Last Night: Slides!

I show my age when I refer to images of my artwork as "slides," but you know what I mean.

Before I began Studio Night proper, I went to David Nester's house to pick up some paintings he photographed for me. He does an amazing job photographing artwork! I could never get the subtleties of the paint and colors like he does.

This one is:
La Oveja de Robledillo
2013, oil on paper, 30" x 22"

La Presa
2013, oil on paper, 30" x 22"

These are both from my ongoing series Learning to Say I Love You in Spanish. I showed six of these at the Botanic Gardens in December.

These two are from my series Small London, which I also showed in December.

This one is:
Westminster Abbey
2013, oil on canvas, 12" x 12"

UK Border
2013, oil on canvas, 12" x 12"

Teaching at Flicker Street Next Week

Getting Comfortable with Your Sketchbook with Elizabeth Alley

Thursdays · March 20 - April 3
6:00 - 9:00 · 3 sessions
$125 · Plus $25 Material Fee
Beginner and up

An artist's sketchbook is bedrock for ideas, recording impressions, feelings, and thoughts about their world. This class will focus on sketching from direct observation and other methods for bringing those impressions to life.

Sign up Online Here OR
Call 901-767-2999

Also take a look at Flicker Street Studio's redesigned website!

Memphis Monday, Delayed by Weather: Jury Duty

I keep saying "it doesn't get any more Memphis than this," but really, it doesn't get any more Memphis than THIS. I was supposed to start jury duty Monday, but it was put off for two days due to an ice storm that shut the city down. BLAM: Memphis!

Then they told me that I don't even have to go and my obligation is complete. Somehow that feels very Memphis too, but I can't explain why.

I made this sketch during... I don't know what it's called but it's when a whole bunch of people are called to the convention center to get jury duty orientation and to schedule the week that they'll serve jury duty. I guess it's called orientation. It's actually a pretty good system, and it allowed me to accidentally pick the week with the craziest of this crazy winter weather, which ended up getting me out of it altogether.

Studio Night Last Night: Painting with Words

Supply Sunday: Laloran Sketchbooks Again

I've featured Laloran Sketchbooks before, showing the freebies we got at the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Barcelona last year. I finally bought some - four, in fact, to try out a variety of sizes and paper. These are great and I can't wait to use them all up. I bought smaller ones because I like a change from the heavier ones now and then. 

Trip to Savannah

Here's my trip to Savannah that I mentioned before. Six of us from the Urban Sketchers board met there, one from Portugal! The rest were from the US and Canada, and we were able to skype with our seventh board member in Germany.

Here's my obligatory airplane sketch, above.

I ate lunch by myself at The Distillery - it was good! It was also nearly the last time I would be alone all weekend.

I can't resist these trees. Live oaks, I think? The place is lousy with them, and with squares as well. Memphis could use a few more squares. I keep saying we need one in East Memphis, preferably within walking distance of my office.

Below is a sketch from the dinner that our lovely hosts provided. What a meal! It was a low-country boil followed by chocolate covered strawberries and bananas. Also followed by lots of talking and sketching. Plus, our hostess Lisa made that cake plate!

After working and working and working and working on Saturday, we took a break and had a sketchcrawl with locals from Savannah and the surrounding area, and even as far away as Atlanta!

We had all ages and skill levels, just like I always tell people in Memphis to get them to come out. Although this young man's skill level was pretty high! He's good.

We even had someone using an Etch-A-Sketch! I think that was a first for Urban Sketchers. She was good, too!

Again: trees.

So. Much. Deciding. It was fun to just be able to pull out my sketchbook during a meeting and start sketching without anybody thinking that was weird.

And here we are! Six-sevenths of the Urban Sketchers executive board! I feel very fortunate to be a part of this group - such smart people all dedicated to the same cause of promoting the educational value of on-location drawing. Yay us!

(You can click on the images for more detail.)