Monday, August 31, 2009

I saw a woman spraying water on the plants in front of the cafe this morning. She held a small water pump in her hand and spritzed water on top of the bushes.

"What's that crazy kook doing?" I wondered. We've had plenty of rain this season, and anyway, spritzing a yard full of plants seemed, well, kooky.

It turns out she was spraying the water gently on spider webs in the yard and then taking photographs them. Cool, not kooky!

I finished the cafe drawing today. I had trouble with the corners, but I had fun trying and I'll try drawing buildings again. The nice thing about buildings is that they don't grow, wilt, or turn to seed from day to day like plants do.



But plants remain my favorite thing to draw. I was running a bit behind schedule this morning, but I stopped by the churchyard anyway to do a quick contour drawing of this plant.



While I drew the plant in the churchyard, I saw the spider-web photographer again. She got in her car and drove away. I threw away my empty coffee cup and walked home.


The park in this spot has an enchanted feeling, I think. The cafe faces west and the front is dark in the morning when the rest of the park is beginning to get bright. In the afternoon, the sun is softened by a hill to the west. Tall trees covered with vines keep the area shady, dark, and cool all day. Woodpeckers drum out of sight, and their music adds to the magical feeling of the place.

Number 2 pencil in Moleskine sketchbook, plus a photograph of the cafe.

3 comments:

  1. This is a great drawing. It has a magical quality to it. And I love your description of the place.

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  2. Funny you should mention the girl out in the rain with the spritzer. A few months ago, me and hubby were driving along the road, and it was absolutely horrendous rain. We pulled up to the traffic lights and we saw this man out in the garden with a heavy duty raincoat, and a watering can, and he was pouring it over the flowers. We were stunned, and almost rolling on the floor laughing!

    I love your drawing. It's gorgeous, and such a beautiful place to draw.

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  3. Ann: It is indeed a special place. And, there is a clean bathroom open to the public around the back, which is a bit of a local secret.

    Heather: What's your saying? Nothing as funny as folk?

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