Finishing my sketchbook from Guatemala

I have one large sketch and one small area left to fill, but in the meantime I thought I'd post the some sketches I added color to recently.

This view is from the roof of the convent attached to Mercy Church.  The bougainvillea in Antgua were gorgeous.

Next up is the view from Sky Cafe of San Francisco el Grande church and a volcano.

The mark in the center is thread where I sewed in an insert. Speaking of inserts, this was a sign I saw.  Apparently this place has the best sandwiches in Antigua!

Judi Betts says to always paint signs in your sketchbooks - I took some liberties with the colors, but knew this one was fun.

Paintings from friends

Tonight I thought I'd share two paintings that were given to me during my recent trip to Guatemala.

The first is from my good friend Juan Carlos Calderon. I met him and his wife just a week or so ago but felt like I'd known them for a long time. He presented me with this beautiful watercolor the night before I left Guatemala.

Our teacher, Frank Francese, very kindly gave me this demo he did during the trip.

Artists make the best friends.

Letter writing

One of my good friends is an archivist, and I remember her sadly saying people don't write letters anymore. She's right for the most part, but one of the best parts of being friends with artists is that they send the best mail.  My friend and teacher Judi Betts decorates the envelopes and sends copies of her sketches to friends.  Here are some sketches I'm sending to my friends.

I went to the opera last weekend and saw Placido Domingo onstage for the first time.  

My family was thrilled to find a photo of my uncle's old Boy Scout troop in a local history book.  I'm sure he will be thrilled that I drew a sketch of it and posted it to my blog.

My last sketch is from a photo I took in Guatemala of a statue of Archangel Raphael.  I love line drawings, mainly for the result you get so quickly.  I saw an exhibit of journals made by one of Norman Rockwell's cousins once.  Everyday she made simple but endearing sketches about her life.  She used pen and just one or two colors, but I clearly recall the pictures of her dancing, cooking something on the stove, or visiting friends. It's a nice way to make sense of a life.

For people who like books

Trying to get back into more regular postings following my return from Guatemala, so I give you this photo from Panajachel for everyone who loves puns.

Guatemala sketchbook

Three years ago I took an excellent workshop with Bobbi Friedman called Journey Books.  We made our own sketchbooks, mainly accordion style books with pockets and inserts sewn in.  I've filled three, and I started one for Guatemala.

Tonight I thought I'd post some pictures from the smaller inserts.  I also paste interesting tickets and business cards onto these smaller pieces of paper.  This came from the shop of San Francisco el Grande church in Antigua.

I also drew chicken buses, which are old American schoolbuses which are pimped out and used as public transport in Guatemala.  Each one has a name. Here is Camelia:

I love the thunderbolt windshield wipers.  They are almost as nice as the Thundercats decal I saw on a Tuk Tuk.

The last page of this sketchbook is a sketch made for me by my friend Juan Carlos Calderon - it's beautiful.  Stop by my office and ask to see it!

Guatemala paintings

I worked on small paintings during the workshop with Frank Francese.  Here is a painting I made in the forecourt of San Francisco el Grande in Antigua. Also, for anyone watching the news, I am not in the part of Guatemala where the volcano went off today, although I can see plenty from Antigua.

Here is Chichicastenango.

Finally, I finished the scene from Santiago Atitlan.

Antigua, Guatemala

Today after sketching in Antigua all morning, my friend drove us around the small villages at the base of the local volcano.  We saw five churches, had a wine tasting of fruit wines, attended a local party/dance briefly, and drew even more scenes.

This church is in San Juan de Obispo.  The town is named for the Bishop for Central America who used to live here outside Antigua and ride his carriage into town. This sketch is in my travel sketchbook. 

Before driving all around Antigua, we had lunch with the artist and other students at Sky Cafe.  The view of the volcano and the San Francisco el Grande church was fantastic.

Lastly, here is a photo of Antigua's cathedral at night, where I went for a walk after dinner.