Scavenger Hunt! Our Ladys Chapel, St. Louis

No June wedding here but an awesome cathedral for the June Scavenger Hunt: Churches

 Our Ladys Chapel

One of the most visually intriguing interior spaces in the city is the sanctuary of the Cathedral Basilica. The floor plan is reminiscent of European cathedrals and its stone walls are built up high. There are few windows so the atmosphere is subdued and the overall lighting level is low. A blue rose window by Tiffany and Company is placed over the entry doors and a vast dome is centered high above the great space that is filled with mosaic covered arches, walls, lunettes and columns. On either side of the Baldacchino that covers the high altar are two smaller richly detailed chapels with barrel vaulted ceilings. Each is filled with marble sculptures and elaborate mosaic work. This sketch was done in Our Ladys Chapel during a Meetup with the St. Louis Drawing and Painting group. The Cathedral Basilica website features an excellent virtual tour of this remarkable and inspiring place.

Our Ladys Chapel, 09/30/2011, Michael Anderson, waterbrush, watercolor on Canson 140lb cold pressed; 7″ x 9″.

The Final Palmer House

This is a quick sketch of Potter Palmer's final resting place.  The Palmer House Hotel in Chicago was originally built as a wedding gift for his wife, Berthe. She's buried here too. I did most of this onsite but had to finish it up at home. It seems the ground crew wasn't informed that our Monday group had received permission to sketch in the cemetery and told us to pack up and leave. I hate when that happens. Being a peaceful group we complied but not before registering our disappointment with the manager. 

All in all, though, it was a delightful time touring the cemetery and getting a little sketching in while enjoying a beautiful day.

Gabi Campanario's latest project--don't miss it!

http://storify.com/TDIS/the-day-in-sketches-06-20-13/slideshow

Over the course of this past week I've been trying to get out of the office at lunchtime to do one sketch.  As I am in the middle of the Kansas City urban environment it is a great place to seek out scenes that catch my attention.  Interestingly, there is an urban garden right around the corner from me.  It is a wonderful place to take in the sights, sounds and smells of a garden while surrounded by the activity of the city.  The middle sketch is obviously in the garden.  The other two were sketched from benches in the garden but looking at the surrounding environment.  I'm having fun with these and hope to continue over the coming weeks.  I should note that I do the drawings only on the spot and add the color in the evening at home.  I do what I have to do given the time constraints of the day.  Hope these do capture the essence of a great city.

June Sketchcrawl, KC area--VanTill's Winery

Joseph adds the finishing touches after the rain drove us indoors! Malinda's daughter looks on...

His is on the left, mine's on the right...

Lots of color, and good food and wine as well.

This is Carolyn, our newest member!

Sketching the folks at the next table

Our dear friend Malinda and her youngest...

Here's Malinda's sketch of the cob fence at the winery...

Carolyn and Holly enjoying pizza and goodies--the box was full of art supplies I was passing along!

Holly's gorgeous hand bound sketchbook...

And her sketch from last month...in a VERY large Moleskine.

I think the part we all enjoy most about our crawls is sharing the sketcbooks afterward!

We finished up and got back home in the nick of time--a BIG storm blew up and nearly took this tent arbor down!  Van Till's had to move all their visitors inside while the staff literally tried to hold everything down out here.

Whitehall United Methodist

Here's my contribution to the June scavenger hunt. This is a sketch from this past weekend of the United Methodist church in Whitehall, Michigan. The church is located a few blocks from our boat and its short bell tower hosts a bell that actually rings. The church provides a beautiful accent to a very pretty street.

Still on the Hard

Sailing season here in Michigan has been off to a slow start. To much cold and rainy weather kept a lot of the boats in our marina out of the water. This weekend, though, the boats are pretty much back in their slips and out of the parking lot...all except for Ghost Wheel. Ghost Wheel is still waiting for her owners to give her a spring bath, give her a coat of wax, put her sails on, and get her back in the water...maybe next week.

Interestingly, Ghost Wheel, a Contessa 32 that I sketched yesterday afternoon, once survived a horrific open ocean race in the UK and was found by her present owners living in the Caribbean.

Rockford Summer Blues Series

My wife and I walked downtown this evening and had a great time at the Rockford Summer Blues Series concert. Tonight was the first concert of the season. The weather was great...nice and warm. Lots of people, good chocolate ice cream, and fun music. A good way to spend the evening!

Shhh–It's a Secret!

Lincoln Park, Chicago: The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is one of Chicago's best kept secrets. It's a beautiful little pond filled with wonderful surprises depending on the season. Monday there were geese and goslings, ducks and ducklings, water lilies and irises, and urban sketchers. We had a great time!

Snowcapped Mountains/Alpine Meadows/Rushing Water

We stayed for a week in a cabin along Icicle Creek in Leavenworth, Washington. The east-facing peaks of the Cascades, still snowcapped, contrasted with the lush, new green at the lower elevations. Everyday, we hiked--in the towering forests, along rushing creeks and rivers, to a glacial lake, through alpine meadows filled with spring flowers. I drew less than usual because I felt flu-y for the first 3 days.

                                                               

Camas Meadow from the Ridge

                           

Camas flower

     

   

Twin Falls

           

Bush Sunlit Across the Creek

Saturday Night in Westport...

We checked out the Westport Flea Market Bar & Grill...dinner with Batman feels so safe, somehow...

Then off to English Country Dancing, which Joseph loves...he danced, I sketched.  FAST.

And of course I added the color and bits of the program after I got home...

Had the opportunity to be in Baldwin City, KS this past Saturday.  This building was built in 1914 as the Wes-Hartley Lumber Co.  It is now the Lumberyard Arts Center and has been very well done.  Inside it retains much of the character of the original structure.  It was a nice day to visit.

some ancient graves

This past Saturday, we drove to Pawnee Rock to attend Bill's aunt's funeral.  Arriving there too early (a common habit with Bill), we walked around looking for the oldest gravestones --- many from the civil war and earlier. The ones I sketched here are all children, the oldest one possibly the one now being embraced by a red cedar tree.

Popping up everywhere were these sweet wild geraniums. The ancient cemetery would have been quite peaceful if it were not for the fierce, cold Kansas winds.

Under and Over

I was in downtown Rockford, Mi this afternoon and sketched our old rail bridge. Rather than tracks, these days the old bridge hosts a section of Michigan's White Pine Trail and provides a path across the Rogue river which runs through Rockford. The White Pine Trail runs well north of Rockford and is heavily used by area cyclists, runners, and walkers. It's a great trail with wonderful scenery...some of which I've seen from the seat of my bicycle as I've pedaled along the trail. The over pass provides the main highway in and out of town. Personally I prefer the trail! Following same makes for about a 10 minute walk from downtown Rockford to our new condo.