A Passion for Store Fronts: Daily Art Practice
Couch Talk
Another busy week but I did manage to spend a bit of time cleaning up my garden. My zinnias are looking lovely and my romaine finally started to grow, It grew up instead of out, very weird, as I am used to seeing it full in the stores. Any ideas why it might do this?
I also harvested my broccoli. It grew despite the loopers eating all the leaves but I left it too long and the blooms started getting yellow. Not only that but have had SO much rain the past few weeks that the inner stalks of the broccoli started rotting. Overall, I wasn’t able to save a whole lot and even that I am not sure will taste good. I froze it so it will be a surprise when we get around to eating it.
Baking
I made Sourdough Blueberry Muffins for breakfast one day this week and boy were they big!
Daily Art Practice
Urban Sketching
I thought I was done sharing my urban sketches from Gettysburg but I decided to make one final piece to be my title page, the Pennsylvania Monument, dedicated to the soldiers that served in the Civil War from the state of Pennsylvania. I used Prima Marketing Pans Tropicals watercolor, Sakura Pigma 30062 Micron Ink Pen Set and Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens (Soft Brush) Shades of Grey.
Watercolor
I followed along with an online tutorial for making this cherry tart. As you know, I love food in general so this is a great way to experience the food without the calories.
Shopfront Challenge
Recently I started participating in a Instagram challenge of painting shopfronts of Singapore. I love pretty buildings and this is the perfect challenge to keep me focused and give me a lot of practice. Here are my first few buildings done in ink, watercolor and gouache. If you follow me on Instagram you have probably already seen these.
Tea Day
I am joining the Tea Day ladies, hosted by Elizabeth and Bleubeard. Today, my tea is Tazo Herbal Tea Tea Bags Passion Caffeine-Free . I was so disappointed when I got home to discover this has cinnamon in it. I am currently not allowed to eat it as I am highly sensitive so instead of drinking the whole box over the coarse of a week. I had one cuppa tea to give it a taste and it was yummy! The only thing think that would make it better would be a touch of honey.
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
I am so glad you share your paintings I love your watercolors-hoping this winter to try that again.
I have never seen romaine do that and so tall as well-must be a headed romaine opposed to leaf variety but have never seen it grow like this. looks like allot of lettuce though which is good. I have found that broccoli brussel sprouts, cabbages etc need to be planted super early in the cooler weather in the spring-and then harvested before summer. you can also get a fall crop too just put them in the ground in time to harvest before first hard frost. for years we always had a huge veggie garden that I would put up-freeze, can, or dry- Happy T(ea) day Kathy
Sad about the broccoli!
We have near to no rain, it´s crazy. Your Muffins look like 70´s rock stars 🙂 Very cool!
BIG WOW to your Gettysburg! And your watercolors!
Gave a very happy T-day!
Hi Kate, your art is beautiful, I always love seeing what you have made. Sorry you are having problems with your garden. We have had too much rain here, too – lots of floods and destruction. Your muffins look wonderful! Happy T Day, Valerie
Your garden is looking amazing, so much to look at and I bet the veggies taste fabulous too. Those blueberry sourdough muffins look so yummy and wow, those shop fronts are so beautifully painted, I think book illustrating with your painting would be just your thing 😁. Take care and Happy T Day wishes! Hugs, Jo x
I wonder if your romaine is bolting. I’m not a fan of romaine, but this looks really weird. Your dill looks good, though. So do those muffins.
Your shop front drawings are great. I like the colors you chose, too. Since I;m not on Instagram, it was nice to see them here.
Your tea sounds wonderful. I love hibiscus tea and the pink color left from the bag can be a great addition to your mixed media art. Thanks for sharing your drawings, your garden, and your baking, along with your tea with us for T this Tuesday, Kate.
Kate, I am totally amazed again by your art! Can’t decide which one I like best – they are all wonderful and a treat to see.
Your muffins are equally beautiful. I remain impressed by your garden as well. I bet a salad with that lettuce would be so tasty and it is so sooo fun how it grew!
Happy T-day!
Kate your watercolours are beautiful, you are very talented, the cherry pie looks good enough to eat.
I think those baby lettuce leaves would be very tender and tasty, my son grew some and just picked a few leaves as he needed them, I think he’s started another batch now.
Happy T Day
Jan
Your Gettysburg is awesome!
Funny you should say that about the Romaine lettuce. Ours did exactly the same! My husband thinks he has ‘over fed’ it. Ours was in a separate bed like yours. I think it probably doesn’t need that much nutricion. Just my theory.
Your muffins look delicious. I have been trying again to make a proper sourdough starter. And I am going to bake my first loaf tomorrow. I have been told to use the starter when it is at its peak. I have been marking the jar and I know that it peaks in three hours. That will be in 30 minutes. So I have been preparing the flour, which I will mix with the ‘levain´. Then this afternoon I will be doing the stretching and folding and tomorrow hopefully I will bake some bread. I’m so excited!
Your Singapore drawings are so beautiful. They are really incredibly lovely. Well done you.
Happy T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca
the garden looks wonderful Kate as does your blueberry muffins. Your watercolor art is so amazing!! I have seen your buildings on IG and it is a pleasure to see them here again- so fine and detailed. Happy T day!
My zinnias had 1 bloom -just one- this year, so yours are a nice sight to see. The muffins look delicious. I like the storefront project, though I can’t imagine how you get so much detail in them. Nice! Happy T Tuesday!
Your zinnias are lovely Kate, I think your romaine is bolting. Lettuces don’t like heat and will grow too quickly so they get tall instead of wide. That might be the reason, but if not, I am not sure. Your muffins do look delicious. I’m loving the watercolor pieces too. I think buildings are definitely your forte. Hope you have a wonderful T day. Hugs-Erika
Ohhh wow the Romain growing up. I have never seen that before. Looks very cool. I too have been baking blueberry muffins. I even froze some. I am always so impressed with you art. The store fronts are fabulous. Have a nice day.
Kate, your garden looks like it is thriving! You must be keeping very good care of it. Your muffin looks wonderful and so does your drawing. Have a great week, and try to stay cool.
Your garden looks so nice. Himself planted some romaine, I’ll have to go see how its growing. Awesome watercolor buildings. My favorite is the 1937 Lounge. Happy T Day