Beginnings are MAGIC!

49 color sketches, each 3 x 4, on BFK

Notan done from life at the Refuge

At the beginning of something new, everything is possible. Anything can happen. Giddy optimism and buckets full of energy to throw at paper and paint and see where it goes. In my own mind goes the phrase, "Once upon a time ..." and I am rapt. Poised on the fringe between reality and imagination that could go anywhere, I am fishing for stars with a feather boa, riding a giraffe who sings baritone and it is all possible.

Yes, beginnings are magic!

Sketches from the last days of this trip

Just a few more sketches in my book before we get home.


Sometimes my drawings of boats are right on. Other times I miss the mark and they look completely un-seaworthy. This sketch looks right to me.


LaConner, Washington has a beautiful quilt museum. A new exhibit of Japanese quilts and textiles was really interesting but the colors were odd to my American eyes. Orange with magenta and pink looked garish to me, but must make sense to Japanese eyes. I favored the crazy quilts and wondered about the women who put them together.

The end of this trip is in sight and brings a mixture of feelings. Endings are sad. But they make space for new beginnings.