My Sketchcrawl Adventure... and Win a FREE e-book!

My friend, author Mary Pax, is having another book launch!  

I'm super excited to be participating, since I enjoy her writing. It's a strange combination of urban fantasy/contemporary sci-fi/paranormal adventure/ and even steampunk. Weird is a good word for it! 

Mary has generously provided a FREE set of e-books (Books 1 & 2 of The Rifters series) to one of my lucky commenters here. I'll announce the winner on October 1st (last day to comment and be included in the drawing: Sept 30th).

The new series is called The Rifters, and Book 1 launched on Sept 8th. Here is the LINK to Mary's website, where you can read Chapter One of The Rifters; it also has links to Amazon and other sources. As of this writing, The Rifters e-book is FREE at Amazon, Smashword and others! Cool deal, yes?? 

I've read several stories by Mary Pax, and enjoyed every one. I always end up shaking my head, thinking "how in the world does she think this stuff up??!" 

I have a lot to share, so will be posting thumbnail pics from my sketchbook. Just click on them to enlarge... don't wanna crash anyones pc, with so many images to load, ha!

Without further ado, here is our "Book Launch Vacation":

(Spoiler alert: 

forget what the Settler Tourism Department says... 

there ARE weird happenings around Settler, Oregon!)

I'm one of the lucky ones. I live in Southern Oregon. The infamous town of Settler, Oregon is within a days driving for me, being up north from my town. Since my husband is a photographer, we drove up to the Caslow County Fair and Expo at the end of August. Jim wanted to take photos of the high desert country, and maybe Swit Lake if he had time before sundown. 

Me? I did a SketchCrawl.** That's where you take your sketchbook and painting/sketching paraphanalia and just hike out to... wherever. Last time we visited Settler, Francine at the Settler Mercantile let it slip that the rumors were TRUE about "otherworldly beasts" being spotted near Settler. 

We found out for ourselves this time! I had hoped to stumble on some Beasties to draw. Was thinking... "Wouldn't that be cool?? If I survive the encounter, that is! Mwa ha ha, sure wish they were for real."  Careful what you wish for!

                                 

          

Well, we DID make it home in one piece, and I am so excited to share images from our "vacation".

I really DID get to see some of the rumored "other worldly beasts". Honestly, I thought it was just "marketing hype" for the tourists, ya know?? But after Jim dropped me off so he and Joey (our Mini-schnauzer) could go exploring on their own, I took my time poking around. It was an overcast afternoon, so not too hot.

There were boulders to sit on and sketch, but it was almost dusk when the adventure REALLY started. That's when the beasties ventured out!! 

Enough jabbering... below are pics from my 5.5 x 8 inch sketchbook. Some were rough... I was trying to draw fast, the light was fading. So a few of the color touches were added from memory once we made it back home. But wow, it was amazing to see what really lives in Settler, Oregon. You've GOT to visit Settler for yourself. Honestly, if you love "weird", you'll have a blast!

You can click the pics to enlarge. I didn't caption these; they are in order, so you could read each journal entry if you'd like to know about the sketch following it.

And a few of the photos Jim took:

He thought this was funny...

Morning glow on a pansy...

And they were functional!!

Taken right before the sun came up...

He said he noticed a lot of strange things around Settler, this being one of them...

Yikes, Jim almost ran nose to nose with this guy...

He said he had a hard climb to get this view of Swit Lake, but it was worth it...

Even some of the plant life there is weird...

He stumbled upon this old house right at sunset...

A full moon!

I wonder if that full moon might explain some of the weirdness, including these strange lights he saw??

Well, what can I tell ya... I now know where Weird lives. 

Hoped you enjoyed the visuals from our vacation, and I know you will enjoy this new book series from Mary Pax. And don't forget to leave a comment by Sept 30th so I can put you into the drawing for a FREE set of e-books!

Happy painting - and reading,

Retta

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**The town of Settler, Oregon is a figment of author M Pax's     imagination, as is my account of our vacation, my Sketchcrawl, and my encounters with the Beasties. Oh yes, the sketches are real!! But they were drawn right here in my own safe little studio, with Joey barking and Vevie and Butterfly meowing to be petted or fed. They are the only carnivores around here, and they don't glow green. ;-)

Edited to add:  The drawing is now closed. Thanks for looking at my sketchbook... hope you enjoyed it.

Merry Christmas!

Meet My Studio Assistant!

It's been awhile since I shared some of Jim's photos. I've filled in the gaps with pics from my little Canon Powershot to introduce to you, in photo journalism style, my official Studio Assistant. 

Her name is Joey. She is energetic, mischievous, innocent, always in a good mood, and far too intelligent for her own good.

Did you say... she must be a Mini-Schnauzer?? Why yes, you are correct!! Her nickname when she was a baby was Greased Lightening. :-D

Without further ado, here is this little Mini-Schnauzer's story in picture form.

 

(You can click on any to enlarge)

I hope you enjoyed meeting my Studio Assistant, Joey!

Retta

PS: Why does Joey make such a good Studio Assistant??

• She is ALWAYS in a good mood, and it's contagious.
• I MUST pick up after myself, or she will steal stuff to use as Toys.
• She can tell time; always tells me when it's time for Jim to get home, so I can wrap up what I'm doing.
• She will always get excited when the Kitties show up, so I know to cover any open paint.
• She is high energy and needs my attention often; keeps me from sitting too long in one position and letting rigor mortis set it :-D
• Did I mention she is always in a good mood?? That is partly how she got her name, because she is so full of JOY. :-)

Just For the Love of It

You don't need to be an official "expert" to share your passion with others!

This coming Saturday my photographer husband, Jim, is leading an outdoor photography field trip. He's taking his litle class of 11 to a beautiful and famous park in Ashand, Oregon, Lithia Park.  This 93 acre park, with 2 duck ponds, is one of his favorite places for gorgeous photos.

While announcing the class, Jim was asked: "What makes YOU an expert?" 

Jim's answer was: "I don't know that I am, but I'm just sharing with others what I know." And I also know, without even trying, he will be passing along his passion for finding "the" photo. He can't help it... he loves it, and it comes out.

Painting and photography have so much in common, so I find his class interesting.

Here's are some of his class handouts (can click to enlarge):

(example of using reflections and the Rule of Thirds)

(example of lighting effects)

(example of movement & reflections)

(example of the Golden Hour)

(example of composition and back lighting)

(example of a macro as subject 

matter and lighting effects)

(example of natural framing)

(example of showing size and proportion)

(example of low light 

and unusual composition)

And lastly, one of my favs: an old tough craggy tree above Crater Lake, Oregon. To me, it speaks of strength, determination, and power. No matter what, it's there, strong and proud. For whatever reason, that speaks to my heart, and I cheer it on.

(example of drama with silhouettes)

Happy painting, even if you don't feel you are an "expert",

Retta