If the title of this post sounds idyllic, it was so intended. A second annual day devoted to painting Claire's lilies (after eating a potluck lunch to fuel us forward) happened last week on a blissful summer day. The next best thing to having been there is to see a few photos and read a few notes, so please be my guest and take them in! First, we insisted on seeing Claire's journal from a recent trip: Click on each image to see a larger view.

 Claire Russell and her husband Travis took a 7 week trip to Croatia in the spring. Before our lunch, Molly Hashimoto and I listened raptly to Claire tell about their hundreds of miles of biking along the hilly roads of this long coastal nation. All along the way, Claire kept a journal that knocked our artists' socks off. She did studies of all kinds of difficult subjects: lamps on lamposts, stone towers, architecture of all kinds, landscapes, and street scenes. She is a true student of the travel journal by studying and trying new page layouts, new lettering techniques, and new bindings.

When I innocently asked Claire what books on artists' journaling she likes, citing the fact that my students have asked for recommendations,  I laughed heartily when she dashed into her house and emerged with a huge stack of books she has bought and studied! A second weighty stack was brought out after lunch! Now here's a serious student...and it shows.

Yes, it tasted even better than it looked.
Thank you Claire for setting the table so very beautifully. I can still feel the fresh-off-the-water breezes, too.

Here is Claire at the same table, after lunch, painting lilies. By the way, all the lilies grow in her garden, and they are currently at their peak.

Here is one of the two postcard-size drawings I did that afternoon. This one was drawn in pencil, watercolored, and then I picked up my pencil to idly hatch away while Claire and I chatted at the table (Molly had to leave after lunch). If there were other commitments I had that afternoon, they vanished from my mind. THANK YOU, CLAIRE.

To my students from the North Cascades Institute Art Retreat and all others who may be interested, I have created a page showing my Nature Journaling watercolor demonstrations (plus a few basic calligraphy & lettering tips) with brief explanations. To see the full page, click on the image below or locate the page in the Portfolio column to the left of this center column. Also, please scroll down to see my previous post!

Molly Hashimoto taught the Landscape Watercolor group at the Retreat. To view the excellent posts on her class and their experiences, click on her name to go to her site.

Click on this image to view more demos from the retreat.