serendipity

i have been meaning to do a little work on updating my blog to something a bit more personal for a few weeks now but tonight was the first chance i had to look at what that would take.  obviously, i am a novice at this, but i must admit that blogger makes it relatively easy for a newbie like me to at least be dangerous.  hopefully, i haven't made it harder to read than before.  i'm going for a sparser, dare i say, more sophisticated look! :-)

this month, lindsay ostrom has created a challenge for which she provides a different word each week and participants can create anything related to that theme.  the word for this week is serendipity.  isn't that such a great word?  not only does it mean 'happy accident' (and let's face it, if there's going to be an accident, it's always nice when it's happy, no?) but it even rolls off your tongue is such a fun, happy way.  not to mention that the word is practically synonymous with ice cream in NYC.  It doesn't get any better than that!

Also on the list of "lots of fun" this week, Paint Party Friday is celebrating a birthday as it rounds the corner into its second year!  What a fun group of eclectic artists this is... Many thanks to Eva and Kristin who not only host the party but have nurtured and grown it into a dedicated throng of artists with widely distinct styles!  Each week, I'm excited and amazed to see what everyone has been up to.   If you haven't already been involved, jump on board for YEAR 2!!

serendipity, meaning happy accident, just screams fun and color to me... so i had some fun with colors!

 

Alcatraz

I was surprised, when visiting San Francisco, at how Alcatraz seemed so close.  In fact, my mom was amazed that the prisoners couldn't all just swim away-- she was certain she would have been able to! :-)

Don't forget to pop on over to Sunday Sketches for some brilliant inspiration.

Venice

I recently was going through some old vacation photos and reminiscing about some of my favorite cities.  Venice was definitely high on my list.  In a world where a commonality has been created across cities, both old and  young, with the installation of McDonald's on every street corner, Venice has an ancient feel that is less marred by modern day conveniences.  I hope to get back there soon.

I have been attempting to quickly capture the essence of places/things in 15 minute sketches.  I'm hoping that it will help me to pick up details more quickly, but I'm afraid that right now, they continue to look a bit askew and cartoonish.  Hopefully, they will get better over time.

Don't forget to check out what's happening over at Paint Party Friday!