Sketching in Ute Valley Park

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There are lots of ways to Unstring the Bow. I've found sketching to be a good fit for me - but going on a good hard hike with my wife in the mountains is another good one. Combining a hike WITH sketching - well, that's just about perfect!

Is that rock interesting? In Ute Valley there is a ridge that we like to hike on and the rocks up there are truly fascinating. And of course, the view is incredible too.

 

Sketching the Hunter's Lookout

Back in late May Sandee and I went on some of our favorite hikes in the woods around Kandern, Germany where we used to live. I had to try and sketch this Hunter's Lookout that we passed many times. I really like the rickety construction of this thing.

Who knows when we will be back to this spot. Rather than taking a photo, making a sketch sorta "seals" the thing into my memory. Not only do I remember the object, I remember the smells, the temperature, sounds, even the humidity.

A saturday morning in Manitou Springs

This was a saturday morning back in June. Sandee and I went to town early and sat outside at the Spice of Life coffee shop. It was a great way to start the day. An added benefit was to be able to get in a quick sketch. Coffee, Sandee, sketching - is there anything better than that?

Putting on the finishing touches to the sketch. 

Sketch in Riquewihr, France

I finally finished this sketch from the village of Riquewihr, France. This was originally done on June 4 in pencil (see below) and today I finally put the finishing touches on the pen and ink version. I've been busy over the last few weeks, but also I almost didn't want to finish this sketch since it means no more sketches from Europe for a long time. You just can't find scenes like this in Colorado. No offense, we live in a beautiful place, but the Alsace is the Alsace.

While finishing this sketch today it sure felt good to draw again. I need to make space for the creative in my life.