Sketch Journal Project: Winter Nights and Black Paper

It’s going to snow again and the temperatures dropped already. Last night I slipped on the deck, covered in unexpected ice…I really felt like making winter drawings.

However I also felt like using black paper again. I experimented with it before but sort of forgot about it. But lately I have seen Kerfe and Nina from Method to Madness experimenting a lot with black paper and they inspired me.

So I combined both : winter drawing on black paper. After some sketches, the scarf and bird at the top appeared. I am happy with that one.

Na wat lenteachtige maar ook regenachtige weken, komt de winter weer terug. Lekker sneeuw! T wordt al kouder en gisteravond glibberde ik over t terras met onverwachte ijzel. Tja dan krijg je wel zin aan winter tekeningen. Dit keer op zwart papier! Een leuk experiment.

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Happy Holidays!!

Dear Friends,

I am going to take a little break…I will be to busy with mollycoddling my boys!!

Thank you all so much for your support and interest. Blogging is really a global delight with likeminded spirits!!

Lieve Allemaal, 

Ik ga even op Kerstvakantie om mijn jongens eens goed in de watten te leggen. Bedankt voor weer een jaar met zoveel plezier, interesse en support! Het is zo ongelooflijk leuk om wereldwijd te communiceren met gelijkgestemde zielen! 

Love and Liefs, Johanna

 

 

Sketch Journal Project: Festive Mood , An Amazing Present and a Wonderful Book!

Yes, yes, yes, finally the festive mood for my Favorite Time of the Year is coming!!
Thinking about a nice Christmas drawing..or maybe a collage this year?

And oh my goodness, look what Kerry send me. Months ago she had seen this moon and hare in my sketch journal and she contacted me by email. She wanted to use it for an embroidery work. Kerry is a textile artist as ever there is one and her blog is fantastic. The little sketch did not work and I was all to happy to help my dear blog friend with a better drawing. And now…look what she just simply send to me!! Such kindness. And how I admire those lovely tiny stitches.  I just got it today and I am looking at all the time, now I have to find the right spot to hang and do it honor.

And I would like to bring another blog friend to your attention, before I return to my untrimmed tree and bare halls. Laurie from Notes from the Hinterland, has published her first book! I ordered it right away. It came Saturday with a nice Christmas card and I have already finished it. It is such an excited book for teens and grown ups alike!
And look what she wrote in it….my ears started flapping with joy right away!!

Hè hè ..eindelijk in kerstelijke stemming! Eens wat ideeën geschetst voor Kerst tekening. Het is uiteindelijk de favoriete tijd van t jaar voor mij!
En blog vriendin Kerry stuurde me zomaar dit prachtige borduurwerkje dat ze maakte naar een van mijn tekeningen. En blog vriendin Laurie heeft haar eerste boek gepubliceerd en in de mijne schreef ze ook nog eens een aardige opdracht.

Terug naar de kale boom en volle dozen met versierselen!!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Sketch Journal Project: More Sketches and a Knitting Retreat!!

 

I have only a few sketches to show for. Fall is definitely a theme here. In my sketchbook and for a personal project.

These little pigs are for a commission. This first sketch is approved and now I have to think about filling in the background.

However..I had no time to work on it, since a few fabulous friends and I traveled to Virginia for a knitting retreat!! We were taught in the fine art of Norwegian knitting at Knitxperience by Beth Brown-Reinsel. What a fantastic teacher she was!!! I learned so much, met wonderful people and walked in beautiful scenery. Sigh…my head is still in Virginia with those lovely knitting friends.

Ik heb allen maar een paar “start” schetsjes. Wat lekker herfst gekrabbel en een eerste schets voor opdracht met t thema varkentjes! Deze schets is goed gekeurd en nu de achtergrond verzinnen.  
Maar ik had t even te druk met een gezellige brei vakantie in Virginia. Zo veel geleerd en zulke leuke mensen ontmoet…zucht, ik geloof dat mijn hoofd nog steeds in Virginia is!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Sketch Journal Project: Home and When Traveling and a Sweet Story!

Ha, despite all my traveling, I did not forget my personal challenge to use my sketchbook on a weekly bases. I packed my crayons and a travel sketchbook and let myself be inspired by the Rocky Mountains.
On coming home I decided to redo the bear…the first one was too fuzzy!

The sketch of the little girl has a sweet story. Whilst having our picnic lunch, Mr. Walker and I were happily observing a school class on a day trip at the lake at the foot of St. Mary’s Glacier. Myohmy, their teacher was telling such interesting stories and those kids were so attentive and interested. After that, they had some explore time before they were heading home. This one girl caught our attention when she said to her friend: ” I need to find a good spot for day dreaming, this is an excellent place for it!” Her friend looked confused and asked what she meant. In a matter-of-fact kind of way she patiently explained: ” Daydreaming is thinking about the things you love!” . She climbed on a rock and sat still…her friend looked in awe, she climbed on a rock too and started eating her lunch, in total silence.
Mr. Walker and I smiled, and concluded that this confident daydreaming girl is a promise for the future!!!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Lately…Important Nothings and Downton Abbey!

Well we had a little breather with cooler weather last weekend. Mr. Walker and I enjoyed a good walk at Rowe Woods..such joy!!!

Ragweed season has started and our Darling Girl is allergic to it. Her skin gets so itchy and she starts wriggling and crying. So immediately of to the vet for her shot and on coming home, she made sigh of relief and continued with her favorite activity.

With apologies for this rather blurry photo…but all this packing material was used to send  the three little bottles of vitamins in the front of it….

The Walker boys and I text a lot and send each other photos during the day. The Youngest Walker Boy received some doodles making fun of the difference in height between him and his Princess (she is adorable) and him spoiling those cats! ( there is always a lot of teasing going around amongst the Walker Clan)

I showed the Oldest Walker Boy this book and we decided to challenge each other drawing a map…this was his, of course so creative and original!!

Mine…your traditional medieval map. Good practice but not very original.

And what a great book this is!! Cocktails and literature…best of both worlds and beautiful illustrations to boot! 

And I leave you with all these photos of the splendid costumes from Downton Abbey!!! The traveling exhibition arrived at the Taft Museum and my friends and I ordered tickets all ready last spring and were of in a thunder gallop as soon as our time came up!! There was a lot of ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aaahs’ ….and I would be very happy with that red coat!

Have a great weekend!!

Love and Liefs,
Johanna

Sketch Journal Project: More Farm Animals

I am working on that children’s book and actually on a deadline. But my sketch book was calling me and so I did a few quick sketches to relax mind, body and spirit.

After a couple of cooler days, the heat is back again. And I have to find my outdoor fix indoor…well have a look at this wonderful website the kitchen garden. Cecilia tells about her daily life on her farm and takes marvelous photos of all her happy animals.
Such bliss and I could not help being inspired to draw yet a few farm animals again. After all , I did spent a large part of my youth on a farm and it brings many happy memories!!!  

Och hemel, na wat koele dagen is de hitte weer terug. Het landleven moet ik dus wel binnenhuis zoeken…gelukkig is er deze fantastische website , The Kitchengarden. Nouja, ik kan altijd wel naar boerderij dieren kijken (ik bracht een deel van jeugd door op de boerderij) en Cecilia maakt wel hele mooie foto’s van haar gelukkige dieren!

Love and Liefs! Johanna

Toronto and Art Again: Vilhelm Hammershøi and I…

 

So when we visited the AGO in Toronto last time, there was an exhibition on the master of painting serenity and stillness Vilhelm Hammershøi. To me, his work oozes that Scandinavian minimalistic style and elegance. The center of the exhibition was the painting “Interior With Four Etches”. A painting rarely seen before as it comes out of a private collection. I understand it is traveling around the world now and we were so lucky to admire it in Toronto.

The Walker Men thought it a rather gloomy affair but I was in love. The light, the muted cool colors, the perfection in little details…

This set up was a little joke the museum had set up to make it look as if you could be in the painting. Mr. Walker planted me on the chair right away and I was very happy.

Although, I posses by no means even an ounce of this magnificent painter talents in any way…I could not resist this drawing…And I know it does not look like me at all. I personally would have turned the chair around and poured the Lady and myself a cuppa anyway!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Lately….

Little important nothings of the goings on at the Walker Residence. Like the summer nights that gradually start a little earlier, now midsummer has passed. It’s really noisy with crickets and cicadas chirping and buzzing like mad.

Charley adorned with her favorite jewel is looking out for those cheeky raccoons!

And what a glorious feeling it was, to safe together with a neighborhood boy and two police officers 11 little ducklings who had fallen in the sewer. Mama Wood Duck had alerted us with running in circles around the grate of the sewer. Amazingly, once we started hauling up the little babies, she settled herself underneath a bush in the garden calling to and collecting her brood.  The long limbed lady in hat is me, the handle of the net was a bit short and my arms were by far the longest…

Summer baking..a lovely lemon pie and an upside down apple cake.

Experimenting with markers…that’s actually quite hard to work with!

Summer reading consists of revisiting classics like ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘Middle March’ .But I also enjoy this delightful 1930 children’s book ever so much! I am certainly of a later date but it still brings happy memories!

Youngest Mr. Walker was here for a week, and Charley enjoyed going for drives even more!

And I always enjoy watching water striders. They have so many different names. In Dutch they are called ‘skate riders’ .

But the Stars of Summer in my opinion are these elegant water damsels.

De zomer gaat door, met steeds langere zomeravonden, samen met politie agenten en een buurjongen eendjes redden uit t riool , taarten bakken, lekker lezen, experimenteren met stiften , een bezoek van de jongste Walkerboy en leuke dieren in de natuur als schaatsen rijders en waterjuffers.

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Saturday!

Tomorrow is my favorite day of the week! Charley wonders if the weather is good enough for a hike or if visitors will come?  Well what more makes a good Saturday ?

Definitely a good breakfast! (best GF breakfast ever!)

A trip to Findlay Market…myohmyohmy the colors are so pretty there

We buy there the best tea and coffee and Mr.Walker’s sourdough breads.

How splendid can you look in a cowboy hat underneath one of the best signs ever?

Excellent healthy street food for lunch, sitting on a bench and watching other market shoppers go by…and they are watching us of course.

This area down town is becoming more beautiful each time we go there!

Whilst we are downtown, we might as well visit the Cincinnati Art Museum…even the Bicycle Rack is artful there.

When home again, a good nap is in order!

And we finish the day with an excellent BBQ, all local food!

Wishing you an excellent weekend…what are you up too?

Love and Liefs, Johanna

ps very proud to finally manage to use the photos of my phone on my blog with google photos…I only need to figure out how to watermark them.