Campsite Sketching

Camping out doesn't necessarily preclude art.  A sketchbook and a case of pastel pencils accompanied me to Big Hank Campground beside the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River in North Idaho.  Such  a beautiful place inspires a painter's heart.  As I got comfortable in my sleeping bag the second night, I stared through the top of the tent (intentionally left off the rain cover) and enjoyed the stars.  Noticing the tent poles and pattern of the tent makings, I noticed a great example of the golden mean.  So, I memorized the scene to sketch the next day.

As I awoke the next morning, the same scene lit up be morning light presented itself.  So, after the morning coffee and breakfast, set up the sketchbook at the picnic table and sketched both of the scenes.  When I would raise my head to think about what I was doing, I would stare at the trees ahead of me, next to the campsite.  When I finished the skies, it was only natural to capture what was in front of me.

Great practice, both memorizing a scene and, also, capturing what was before me.