Library book sale!

Ah, yes. It's that time again! I went to the library book sale on Thursday after work, knowing that things would be well picked over. That didn't worry me; no way! That only increases the thrill of the hunt. And, I was sure I wouldn't be hauling too many books home. Right.

First, an odd assortment. A nature book for the grands, a book on Scandinavia with lots of colorful photos which might serve as inspiration in artwork. Also a book on writing and selling children's books, which is outdated, but still might have good ideas. The Artist's Way is probably the copy I donated a while back, but never got around to reading. Still not sure I will. She seems a little new agey to me. But, it can sit on my shelf while I decide. Lastly, a Brother Cadfael mystery. I've never read one, but it might be interesting.

 These go in the history category. I wish I was one of those people who could quickly read through books and remember all the details. I tend to quickly forget what I've read when it's dates and such, but I'm still very fascinated by history.

 I read Open Heart, Open Home back when it first came out, but thought it might be worth another read. The others are just more history, really. Only from a faith viewpoint.

 And, lastly, a stack of classics. I've read The Chosen before, but bought it because I love Chaim Potok's characters and wanted to give it a home. And maybe I'll read it again.

These books are stacked on the floor in front of my bookcase. I'll have to find some room...somewhere!

I've been working a lot on my Sketchbook Skool assignments. I think I'm finished.

This one was for Jane LaFazio's class. We might call it "Let's All Try to Do Art Like Jane". (It should be called "Produce I found on the internet", since only one is a veggie.)  It's not what I would do if left to myself, but it's what she asked for.

 

For Roz Stendahl's class we needed to work on contour and gesture drawings. She suggested going to a natural history museum or large sporting goods store where there might be some taxidermy to work from. Sorry, not in my neck of the woods! She told us we could use dinosaur or other animal models/toys if we couldn't find taxidermy. Voila!

 

After drawing with the still models, she gave us the assignment of doing some quick gesture sketches with live animals. Sorry again! No live animals here. Most students had a dog or cat to use. I, with my usual resourcefulness, decided to draw from a YouTube video.  https://youtu.be/WzqV5RuHRUY

I think I'm not much of a sketchbook person. I like the idea, but when it comes right down to it, I mostly enjoy doing ATC's. I'd rather give my art as gifts than to keep it in a sketchbook on a shelf. Call me weird. ;)

 The last artist to do a class for Sketchbook Skool was Tommy Kane. I really admire his detailed pen and ink/watercolor drawings. It's lots of fun to watch him work, but I just don't enjoy drawing the kind of subjects he gives as assignments. He also spends about 4-8 HOURS on a drawing. Sorry, I have other things to do! His assignment was to draw our kitchen. His version was interesting, but I've decided to skip the assignment. I have no enthusiasm for it. And since I paid for the class, I'll do what I wanna, lol. :)

 An art friend from the UK is having a swap of her own called "Cute Dinosaurs", so I made this one for her.

 I've just begun reading The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee. I've had this on my shelf for MANY years. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to get around to reading it. Well, probably because I have too many books and I'm an indecisive person. Maybe? This particular copy came from an old friend who was a chiropractor. He also invented alternative methods of healing using magnets and electronic devices he made himself. He was quite a larger-than-life character. One of his gadgets actually cured my husband's prostate cancer almost 20 years ago. He was also an on-fire Christian, and believed in the power of prayer. As you can see, he was (or maybe still is; I'm not sure if he's still alive or not) an enthusiastic underliner and margin marker. It will be fascinating to try and decipher his writings. Bless him! (I just remembered that my son, Josh, said he was just starting to read it, which reminded me that I had a copy. So glad!)

 On the garden front. As you can see, I have one ripening tomato and several green ones. The red you see in the upper left is the cap on the propane tank, so don't be fooled. ;) I had to do away with my squash plants. They turned completely yellow. They were very root-bound. Obviously, my pots just aren't big enough for larger plants. We'll see how the tomatoes and sunflowers do. I may have to water more than once per day to keep up with their needs.

Audrey and Nathan both have birthdays this week. I'd better get busy looking for some new puzzles for Audrey. She's a master at them and has been wearing out their puzzle supply. I'll have to get a card and some money off to Nathan. My grandkiddos are such a blessing!

I hope you're all enjoying the last half of your summer. I haven't gotten outside much, except yesterday when I babysat for 6 hours and took the girls outside to play. They blew bubbles, we threw and kicked balls, they swung (swinged?) on the swing set and slid down a dirt hill and we discussed why we don't eat berries and mushrooms we find in the yard and woods. We also discovered a bunch of raspberries growing right behind their house. (I didn't encourage them to eat them because I think that might have negated my warnings about other berries!) and some pretty bergamot flowers, which we picked and put in a mason jar with water for their mom.

Thanks for dropping by!
Shalom!