Zentangle and cheer

The zentangle moleskin has been neglected. So I sat down to enjoy the process of creating. This was done with Micron pens and colored pencil. I continue to learn with every project. The background was done with three layers of colored pencil. I think that I am a little timid when it comes to doing areas. Still, I learned more about technique and layering.



I went to the hardware store and discovered this fat cat who didn't let a sale bother him. I learned that his name is Ace. This name is an inside joke to Americans. Ace Hardware is a chain hardware stores:)



Last is this unique tulip in our friend's garden. The distinct coloring in on one petal with others either red or yellow.




Ahh, the joy and beauty of spring!

Iris at the cemetery

Sacramento has a lovely old City Cemetery. Famous people such as John Sutter (think of the discovery of gold), Stanfords (railroads) and Virgil Earp (Wyatt Earp's brother) are buried there. They have a heritage rose section which is maintained by volunteers. Yet, it was the Iris that caught my eye today. I took an "artists day" and spent time wandering, taking picture and painting. There was no deadline and there were so many lovely flowers and plants. This was a very calming experience.

Believe that the top Iris is named Root Beer. I drew with a Pitt Pen and used Inktense watercolor pencils.



What one person can do

My friend, Ron, used to jog around his neighborhood. He began picking up trash. Then he realized that there was a strip of dirt between the sidewalk and wall that was just begging for some attention. Since he is a Master Gardener, he decided to plant a garden. He improved the soil and planted California poppies (our State flower) and iris. Oops! twice the city sprayed for weeds and killed the new plants. After going to the city council, he got them to realize that something good was going to grow.

People will stop and thank him or honk as they go by while he tends his garden.

We call it RON'S WALL. This is what one person can do.

Finally, Spring!

Sunshine is really important to me. I've set up the outside table and chairs and have begun to spruce up the garden. I even made a trip to the nursery before the crowd which will jam the aisles this weekend. Certainly I didn't want to overwork, so I sat at my table and drew this plant which will grace the table and some other spots in the yard.

Saturday is a Sketchcrawl day in Davis, CA under the leadership of Pete Scully. It's probably not the "official" one, but the gardens at the University are just waiting for us.

This was a warm up piece.