Alleyways of Cedar Falls, Iowa

Back alleys bisect many blocks in my Cedar Fall, Iowa, old-town neighborhood. They're unpaved and un-curbed. I love walking down them and peeking into people's backyards. Even if homeowners keep the fronts of their property neat and tidy, the backs--as seen from the alleyways--are often scrappier. I find this interesting.  

One of these days, the garage on the left is going to fall over or be taken down. Meanwhile, I wanted to capture its twisting form. I drew this this evening after the temperature dropped below 100 degrees. It's a couple blocks from my house. I tested out my new stool for the first time, the one I'll be taking to the Urban Sketching Symposium next week.

Tilted Garage

I drew this next one the day before, looking from my backyard down the alleyway to the bi-colored brick Lincoln Elementary School, several blocks away. I was attracted to this scene initially by the curvy shape of the alley and the odd shaped patches of weeds that grow down the center.  Again, the heat was beastly; I waited until evening when the temperature dropped to the tolerable 95 degrees in the shade.

Unpaved Alleyway from 11th

Bring on the Heat!

Clothesline & Garage

Yesterday was a great day for drying clothes outside. It was also an excellent opportunity for testing the  limits of working with my Neocolor II wax pastels. Temperatures were in the upper 90s and high humidity made it feel over 100. I was comfortable sitting on my stool on the grass between the sidewalk and street, one block up from my house, drawing this backyard clothesline. My crayons didn't fare as well; they got pretty soft and messy, but, at this point, I'm undeterred from bringing them with me to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2 weeks for the Urban Sketcher Symposium.

Summer in the CIty

Two familiar Chicago summer sights are what I call city roses and farmers markets. These roses are seen all over the city in backyards on the allies. The Green City Market in Lincoln Park is one of the best farmers markets in Chicago. My husband shops while I people watch and sketch. The amount of sketching I get done is often dependent on the length of his shopping list.  I love the chef demonstrations and the music is always fun!