The Siamese Twins

My wife recently discovered this "twin" formation in the Garden of the Gods Park. She led me to this place and I knew I had to sketch it. I'm taking some risks here and trying to figure out how to watercolor. I have a long way to go before I am completely satisfied with this medium. In the meantime it's a good way to unstring the bow. 

Dalat International School

I recently visited the campus of Dalat International School in Malaysia. I loved the shape of this outdoor basketball court and just had to sketch it. Notice the ocean off in the distance! It was very warm that day - and humid. 

Sketching in Bangkok

Recently had a stop in Bangkok, Thailand at a transit hotel. Sketching by the pool is a good way to get over jet lag. 

Pikes Peak Stipple Drawing

This drawing of Pikes Peak was done using the stippling technique: 347,452 individual dots. Yes, I counted them all. :-) This is the same mountain that I see every morning on my drive to work.

The Balanced Rock - Garden of the Gods

Watercolor of the famous Balanced Rock in the Garden of the Gods park, Colorado Springs, CO. A beautiful winter day. 

Sermon Sketch 13 November 2001

Good message this morning. Matt Heard spoke on Giving. As he spoke the following sketch came from my pen...

Catching up with books

I thought I would mention some books that I've enjoyed lately...Humilitas, by John Dickson, is an easy to read book on the subject of humility. I love his way of combining story with truth. I also enjoyed how Dickson shared his own journey through this book. This would be a great book to give as a gift to friends this Christmas. I recommend it. 

The book "The End of Membership As We Know It" has really challenged me to think carefully about the differences between Baby Boomers and the X&Y generations. My generation really needs this book if we are to successfully hand off leadership to the coming generation. Anyone who works cross generationally should read this book. LOTS to think about in here!

After seeing the movie "The King's Speech", I just had to get the book to learn "the rest of the story". It was worth it!

I really enjoyed this thick book (although I read it on my iPad). After living in Germany for 24 years this book surprised me with more information behind the rise of the nazi movement from the perspective of Bonhoeffer - a committed follower of Jesus Christ. Excellent book.

A sketch at La Baguette and that other coffee shop...

This weekend we got to enjoy the Colorado Balloon Classic - 68 hot air balloons in the sky!! On Saturday we went to the launch very early in the morning and when we got there it was cancelled due to high winds. So we headed downtown and had breakfast at the La Baguette Cafe in Colorado Springs! That place was amazing. We loved the atmosphere, the friendly service, and food. We enjoyed being able to just sit and visit and sketch!

We tried to go the next morning after the balloon classic (successful this time), but La Baguette was closed - so we went to Starbucks downtown.

Below I'm sketching at the Starbucks on N. Tejon.

Another Alsatian Sketch

Finally finished this sketch from our trip to Europe last June. This is another one from the Alsatian village of Kayserberg, France (birthplace of Albert Schweitzer BTW). The village became a favorite of ours. And there are no end to the things you could sketch. My only question is when will I ever be back there? Just thinking about it makes me miss Germany and France very much.

I was captivated by this wonderful fountain statue of Constantin. Can you imagine this was installed in 1521? I love the carving of the faces in the fountain. His beard is worth clicking on the pictures for a close up. Really cool.

That's Sandee in front of the fountain. We had a very nice day that day. Finishing the sketch brought back all of those wonderful memories of that day. Man, I miss it. Sketching does that for me.

By the way, the banner on this blog is a picture of me sketching this fountain. 

Finally a sketch of Erasmus' Burial site.

I started this sketch back in May and finally finished it today. When we used to live in this part of the world I would go to the Basel Muenster and without fail I would take a few moment and go "visit" Erasmus. Finally, I got around to making a sketch of this favorite spot.

Here is my favorite Erasmus' quote:
"To be a schoolmaster is next to being a king. Do you count it lowly employment to imbue the minds of the young with the things of Christ and the best of literature and return them to their homes honest and virtuous persons? In the opinion of fools, it is a humble task; but in fact, it is the noblest of occupations." - Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536). 

If you are interested you can see other sketches from Basel by clicking the Basel link in the right column of my blog.

A sketch at The Broadmoor

For our anniversary Sandee and I spent several hours at The Broadmoor, walked around the place, had lunch, took photos, and then sat and soaked it all in and sketched. What a great way to unstring the bow. Thank you Lord for your creation. Thank you for blessing me with a wonderful wife.

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. 

Sketching in Basel, Switzerland along the Rhein

It was awesome to spend some time along the Rhein this week and make another travel sketch. Of course, we used to live here before we moved to Colorado - so this is not the first time I have sketched this spot. We hold many wonderful memories from this city and from this very spot.

It was fun to add in the backhoe into this sketch - it adds a little quirky element.

Sketching in Kayserberg, France

 I loved sketching these old buildings in the beautiful village of Kayserberg, France - the hometown of Albert Schweitzer by the way.

This is my initial pencil sketch - I had to work fast because I agreed to meet Sandee back at the square.

Standing in one spot sketching locks in the sights, sounds, the weather, even the smells of the moment. 

Sketching in Basel, Switzerland

 This week we were in Europe - back near our old home in Kandern, Germany. While  there we had a chance to visit Basel, Switzerland again. Had to try sketching at Barfusserplatz. What a great spot to sit and unstring the bow.

Tyler and his Kindle

I liked this picture of Tyler, our younger son, so much that I had to try and sketch it. I really like all the folds in his clothes and the shadows they created.
We were attending Luke's (our other son) graduation from Taylor University and during a break in the celebrations Tyler sat down in the grass to read his Kindle.
Like Tyler I always make it a point to have something to read with me at all times to make productive use of spare moments. Do you do that?
Reading and sketching is a great way to unstring the bow.

Sketching in Taiwan

As usual I try to find a few moments on my trips to "unstring the bow" and find something unusual to sketch. This week I was in Taiwan visiting Morrison Academy. In the center of campus are these old huge trees that are shaped like bonsai trees. I had to try and sketch one of them.

Proof that I was really there!

Check out those trees!! Cool, right? I think so. The campus is beautiful and the trees help make it that way. That high-rise in the background houses their dormitories and staff housing.