Thursday 25 August 2011

Summer Sketching




I sat outside my backdoor in the shade and sketched these prickly pears/fichi d'india on Sunday morning.  It was far to hot to go anywhere or do anything else, hopefully this hot and humid weather will break soon.


Yesterday afternoon I sat on a little sea front in a nearby village hoping to catch a sea breeze and draw the view.  An old couple came and stood directly in my line of vision, the woman had a very bright yellow handbag so I sketched them instead.  It's not often I find people who stay still long enough for me to draw but they  didn't notice they were been observed.






This last little sketch is of the top of the church tower as the sun came down, but didn't quite get finished as I was attacked by fiendish mosquito's.  Must remember insect repellent next time!

22 comments:

Vicki Holdwick said...

Lovely, Cathy,

I especially like the church tower.

xoxo

bettyfromtexas said...

DELIGHTFUL sketches! With the heat and the cactus, you could be in Central Texas. They are promising our heat (70 days of triple digits . . . records broken) will at least ameliorate by the 10th of September. Phew!

MaryO said...

I admire you for going out to sketch in the heat. Lovely sketches in spite of it, though. Seems we are all having an intense summer.

Connie said...

These are wonderful. I do like the church tower a lot, but I think the folks looking out over the water are my favorite. I don't know if it's their stance or the yellow handbag against the blue and brown that draws my eye, but I really like it. By the way, I see you won a goodie the other day! Congrats! Hope you survive the rest of the summer heat and mosquitoes! - Connie (aka CoffeeWoman)

Elizabeth Rose Stanton said...

Hi Cathy!
Great sketches. Once again, I am drawn to your architectural subjects. The church tower sketch is exquisite! SOOO nice!! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh to have some of your hot weather! Lovely drawings - I love the two ladies.

Cathy Holtom said...

Thank you Connie, it was the yellow handbag that caught my attention too!

jill said...

Great drawings, I like them all

Lynn Logan Roselli said...

These sketches are wonderful. I especially love the couple.
The first time I went sketching, I was attacked by mosquitoes! Now, I leave a can of off in my art bag.

Ann said...

These are all great sketches but there is something really endearing about the couple that I especially like.

martinepittet said...

Lovely series ! Congratulations for sketching whatever the weather !

Gillian Mowbray said...

I think I prefer our cool summer to your hot, sticky one!

Love the prickly pear piece but the sketch of the couple is very characterful - I wonder if they'd recognise themselves? ^_~

Alex said...

These are so beautiful! I really like the cactus =)

Lucia B. said...

BeUtiful works, Cathy! They all tell the beauty and colours of Sicily, that you describe so well!

Carin Winkelman said...

Lovely. I like the old couple best and the fact that it's not finished probably gives the churs tower a little dreamy atmosphere. I keep reading blogs with people complaining about the heat. You should all come and live in The Netherlands, we've been having fall most of the summer ;-) (not complaining, I like it better than hot weather, but I seem to be alone in this)

Cathy Holtom said...

Gillian - I think they would recognise themselves if ever they were on my blog (highly unlikely)!

Caatje - I prefer a cooler climate too, so you're not alone.

BrandNewStudio said...

Wonderful
work
thank you for sharing

Indigene Theresa said...

I love these sketches! They make me feel as if I'm there! :)

kazumiwannabe said...

Awesome drawings, as usual! I especially like the prickly pears - in France we call them "figuier de Barbarie" - they look fantastic with the blue sky and sunny light.

Timaree said...

Great sketching in spite of the heat. The people really came out nice. I'd say you can always capture a view of the ocean but people who stay still long enough to draw are a rarity and then for them to not notice you drawing them was a real plus. Her bright handbag is great too!

Dan Kent said...

So many folks in the blogs are complaining about mosquitoes lately, and here I am in Miami, Florida where the mosquitoes are legendary, and nothing.

Isn't it great sketching people when they don't know? It excites me, and the challenge is great when you have no idea when they will leave. You did a great job with it. I like their familiarity.

And the prickly pears are complex and interesting.

Cathy Holtom said...

Freebird - My thoughts exactly!

Dan - I don't often get the chance to sketch people, but I did think of you and your advice on how to sketch secretly!