Last week I went to the Japanese Garden at the Botanical Gardens with a couple of my painting buddies. It was a wonderful morning. It is such a peaceful and serene place to sit and sketch. I did the lotus garden in watercolors and on a previous visit I did the pagoda in watercolor pencils. It is so much fun just doing sketches. If lifts any tension you might have doing a painting. And it fits right in with the location that we were at.
I have just started painting seriously again. I am working on another still life that is a little more challenging then previous paintings I have worked on. I feel that I am starting to go through another learning phase. And I am really enjoying it. It seems that for the last few years I have gone through this phase in the summers. To balance things out I have been painting fruit and finding it to be great fun. A little bit lighter and more pure pleasure. Just like sketching in a beautiful location.
I must admit that I have not been as consistent with my recent posts as I would like to have been. I want you to know that it's on my list of things to improve! In the mean time I hope that you all have a wonderful summer and relax with a nice glass of lemonade!
Here are some pictures from the Botanical Gardens. My Saturday class went there and we had a great day. You can see how everyone is just painting and drawing away. It sure looks like everyone was in the painting zone! I just love visiting the Botanical Gardens. There is so much visual stimulation to get your creative juices flowing. It is so beautiful and serene. I feel instantly relaxed. So if you live in the area and want to spend a perfectly pleasant afternoon then go and see the wonders it beholds. 
