Sunday, March 25, 2012

Venice Beach: An Iowan Explores a Corner of the LA Metropolis: Part III

This is the third and final post, showing my time in Venice Beach, California.  My husband and I stayed in a rental house (really more a cottage) on Flower Avenue, during our week in this west Los Angeles neighborhood. We did all our own cooking (Whole Foods Market and year round farmers markets close by). So I stood at this kitchen sink window everyday, looking at this huge cactus and the backyard.

"Kitchen Window Flower House", watercolor and ink, 7"X7"

We rode the bike trail, that borders the expansive white sand beach, from Venice to Santa Monica, the adjoining seaside community. On a previous trip, last September, I sketched the Santa Monica Pier, an old time amusement park.

Santa Monica Pier
"Santa Monica Pier", 5B pencil, brushpen in pocket-size Moleskine, 7"Wx5.5"H 

This time, from the same spot, but all I could muster was this snippet. I guess I was played out after doing over 20 drawings during the two weeks in California. I was ready to go home.

"Santa Monica Beach", 5.5"W x  3.5"H, pocket-size Moleskine

And from September 2011:

Santa Monica  Beach
"Santa Monica Beach", watercolor, 16.5"W x 5.5"H

Packed and soon to leave for the airport, I did a final quick one of the house diagonally across the street. 

"Orange Tree on Flower",  ink & brushpen in pocket-size Moleskine. 7"W X 5.5"H


Link to Part I and Part II Venice Beach: An Iowan  Explores a Corner of the LA Metropolis

10 comments:

  1. Marcia, your sketches make me excited about sketching again! (I'm in a long looked-for painting mode.) I love your energy and your lovely, quirky style. And this is a great USk regional blog... well done, Miss Kate and everyone!

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    1. Thanks for your applause! And encouragement. We are a fledgeling group with potential as vast as the Great Plains. So stay tuned!

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  2. Thanks, Miss Laura! I'm delighted with our gang, and hope to find more Urban Sketchers in the Midwest to join us. I know they're out there!

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  3. And Marcia, I've painted that same beach and shack, love seeing your interpretation of it!

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    1. Isn’t it great to share our intersecting places and experiences through drawings?! SO LIFEFULL!!

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    2. YES. So much fun to see what other people choose and how they handle it...I love the house you stayed in! We did a B & B last time we were out there, but I only got sketches inside...

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    3. I’d love to see your beach scene! This reminds me of another great spin-off from sharing drawings of places on-line: Virginia Hein got excited by my sketch of Wonderland Ranch ruin in Joshua Tree National Park. She asked me for directions on how to get to it and the following week she painted her interpretation! So cool! Find the link to her drawing through mine http://flic.kr/p/bDyGfK

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  4. I'll post it when I can dig it out, Marcia! And cool, I'd seen Virginia's sketch but didn't know the backstory. There are several places friends have told me about that I'd love to go sketch!

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  5. Hi Marcia, a wonderfully captured and fascinating series of art works. I'm gradually catching up after being away :)

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    1. It takes time to really be home again after being away. I’m still doing the turnaround from California. I’ll truly be home again when I get outside with my stool and sketchbook in Cedar Falls.

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