Golden days

As the days turn cool and fallish, I take advantage of the opportunity to sketch outside a bit longer, and Lusher Farm in Lake Oswego is always a favorite place to draw, as there is such bounty at this time of year. There are scarecrows and pumpkins getting round and orange in the sun.
These are some of the gourds that I recently purchased especially to draw. Each one is unique and delightful and provide endless possibilities for sketching.I love those bumpy things and look forward to Fall when they are plentiful. I won't say cheap, as I paid $3 for one especially unique gourd, but most of them were 33 cents at Uncle Paul's , my favorite produce outlet.
A sketch from Paris at a lovely little restaurant in St Paul village. This was a typical dessert called quatre quarte,essentially a pound cake which was served with homemade applesauce.
Hmmm. This sounds so good that I think I should make some soon.
Even though I have been to this part of Paris many times before, I had never visited St Paul village, a charming collection of antique shops and restaurants. It feels like it is a long way from the bustle of the Marais.
This watercolor was done by one of my students in my Artful Journal class that I taught last week at the Art and Soul retreat. I was so pleased and impressed that she would dive right into her new journal. She obviously is a skilled watercolorist and will, no doubt, fill her journal with lovely paintings as I hope all my students will.
Every student made a gorgeous journal to be proud of ! Here is a small sampling of their creations. My favorite part of every class is getting to see all the journals displayed together. I hope they are all put to use and become filled with stories and drawings of lives well lived.