September 20, 2026 — Elaine O.

Aww...it's our first Christmas tree! Lest you think we had bad taste in trees, this was honestly the best one on the lot, since we waited until Christmas Eve. Still, it made for a lifetime of family jokes and set a low bar for every tree thereafter!

14" x 10"

This week I attended a dedication of a lovely little urban garden and I had to add it to my sketchbook. Originally, I planned to finish with ink outlines, but I don't think I need to do that. Also, I didn't originally plan to divulge the location (so you couldn't check the sketch for accuracy), but it's too cute to keep secret. It's right on Irving Park Road (at St. Benedict's between Leavitt and Bell).

7" square

A village - from imagination

The Hub - Edinburgh, Scotland

Overlooking the port of Portree, Isle of Myst (Sky)

Old restaurant in Seoul - picture taken in 2013

Just checking the color of all my discarded paints mixed

Apothecary Tower - a quiet spot in Portree UK

Apothecary Tower - Portree, Scotland - plein air 

a watercolor sketch

Three 9x12s

Did this in class.  Maybe a tad too much sepia, but I think I got away with it.

This one was going to be great and I was excited, but then I put a little blob here.  Oops, that meant now it needed another blob over there which did not work, and then everything I did went wrong and it was absolutely wrong and in frustration I dipped deep into the sepia and slathered it all over the page.  But when I saw it the next day, well a little yellow would go well here and a some touches of green and, well not too bad.

And this, well, it's not done yet.
 

The Dragon Fly outside Regency Ss912

Last Labor Day weekend,I attended an Accountants convention at Hyatt Regency downtown.The view from my 22nd floor hotel room was the Chicago river with busy tourists boats of people , the blue skyline & the various skyscrapers that defined Chicacago. After a half year of family illness and transition, I returned to class although I could not find my regular brshes.After a period of boring staring at the photos I took of the outside view from my hotel window, I decided to let go & just paint what I feel of the dragon fly view of the landscape from the 22nd floor.So I let the buildings & theparking be the lightest values.The views from the left and right side of my face are just blurs of excitement of downtown energy!The river view is priceless.And the Chicago clouds are just there watchful. Where ever you are, hope you are smiling my love of 52 years!

September 12, 2026 — Elaine O.

I'm calling this done as I've got the feel of the day. Just so you know, there's more value contrast in real life than the photo. My camera just doesn't seem to want to acknowledge the dark side! I'm not usually into lots of layering, but this time, I really went in with dozens of adjustment layers. I think it contributes to the fuzziness and wonkiness of the edges, but I like the effect here. It just adds to the sense of heat and the "memory" feel.

12" sq.

And here's the beginning of another one. Same room, same subject, different season. Our first Christmas tree...and just to reassure you, there are more branches (not a lot, but some).

14" x 10"