i took advantage of the  unseasonably warm weather this 

week and met a friend early in the morning  at the manhattan beach pier

for a sketching session.  we sat on this bench.

this was our view.  the hill in the background is palos verdes 

where i live.

my watercolor of the morning.   i am used to the brilliant

colors that acrylics offer and and finding my way with watercolors.

afterwards we walked to the end of the pier and watched the surfers.

they surf adjacent to the pier.  you can hear them talk to each other

while waiting for a wave.

the water was so clear that you could see the bottom.

as i left a woman was just starting her day.

a few posts back i showed van gogh's 

mulberry tree that i was to copy for my art class.

here are a few pictures of the process so far.

this is where i am as of now.   i am reading letters that van gogh 

wrote to his brother theo.  it was a particularly torturous time

in his life.  his brush strokes reflect his state, very wild.   it is a 

challenge to reproduce it but i have learned that patience and layers

of paint help.  

and lastly, for this week, i want to share a journal spread.

today, as every friday, i am posting along with friends at 

paint party friday.  click and visit some of the wonderfully

creative folks who share their works there.