Like a stained-glass cathedral it was
Back from a solidly inspiring long weekend with wondrous artists- Cindy House, James Coe, Julie Zickefoose, Mike DiGiorgio and Barry Van Dusen– in beautiful New Hampshire, with lots of fresh air, brilliant foliage and discussions of what we do and why we do it. We somehow nailed down the perfect weekend for fall color and weather. The awesome pastel artist Cindy hosted the gathering at her 1790-built house in the woods of Sutton, and we enjoyed hikes, a walk in a cranberry bog (“why, what’s that little round red thing sitting all alone on the moss? A cranberry? No way!”), some fresh ocean air at Plum Island watching gannets and eiders on and over the waves (Cindy illustrated the waterfowl plates for the National Geographic Field Guide to North American Birds, so we were in capable hands). There was a show-and-tell day with comments and critiques, we sketched wild turkeys at the feeders, paid a visit to the Banks Gallery in Portsmouth (or was it New London?) where Cindy and Jim exhibit their work; there was comedy and morning coffee on the deck, and vast amounts of inspiration spread around. I came home with a head full of ideas and new directions for my work, and it’s back to the drawing board, literally.
A wild cranberry on the hoof
Deep retinal burns can be avoided by not looking directly at this tree
Barry Van Dusen (left) ponders the latest plein air canvas by Jim Coe (right)
Sketchin’ with Mike DiGiorgio and Barry Van Dusen
Julie takes a call
A backyard bird
Cindy’s pastel collection- one of every color known to man
A quiet moment at Cindy’s pond.
Drawing The Motmot 
WOW! Look at all those pastels. She must be a serious pastel artist.
Great photos and wonderful drawings.
Loved the “stained-glass cathedral”. Could not but envy. Is it one of the next inspirations? 🙂
We are all geared up for the next journey….
Oh my gosh, what an incredible week this must have been.
Look forward to more sketches. Our turkeys have been AWOL for about a month, since before hunting season started…
What a fabulous weekend you obviously had … I am soooo jealous! To boot, I read that you were at Plum Island (and the Parker River Wildlife Refuge?). You were oh so close to where I live, in Topsfield, just down the road. (Route 1A is closed up in Newbury cause of a bridge that crosses the Parker River needing repair. I was “exploring” some dirt roads up that way just this past weekend … with a following of folks in cars who must have thought I knew something they didn’t … that is, I ignored the detour signs with the intention of some exploring … they must’ve thought I knew another way across the river without taking the detour! Well, they got a ride out of it anyway!!!)
I love the Refuge, fellow birding friends of mine and I walk through there often.
And the turkeys! Did you know it’s really not that long ago, well … maybe 15 years or so, that the wild turkeys were reintroduced in this area? That would be at the Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield/Hamilton. Now, the turkeys are all over the place!
I can’t wait to see what sort of art you create from your inspiring weekend!
ooh, what a nice recollection of a weekend that seems like a dream. Nice turkeh! So glad Cindy and I got to “do” Plum Island on Tuesday, even though we were nearly flattened by a gale. What a place. Those gannets were ossum. Lovely post.
OOOH! Fun with The Tribe! I am, of course, quite envious, since I know how inspiring and nurturing such gatherings can be. Hi to everyone… and back to work!
Photos and drawings very lovely. Post some more drawings please.