From there to here, with a stop in the middle
Posted: January 7, 2022 Filed under: Uncategorized 37 CommentsJanuary sketching started with our last day on the beach in Sanibel. I wanted to get in one more session of people sketching, and this couple caught my eye with the strange contraptions on their heads. Some sort of shade device, I assumed, and post-sketch I found this on Google. Turns out they are personal canopies you can attach to your chair. I might have to get one next time I go, since this would shield my head but keep my sketch in the sun to dry.
Our three-day drive back to Montreal yielded some unexpected sketching time from a dumpy motel with a great view of a storage facility and a U-Haul truck. The reason for our stay: we drove straight into the snowstorm in Virginia that stranded drivers overnight on I-95 in Virginia. Luckily we exited the interstate at the first sign of trouble (cars in the ditch, tow trucks on the shoulder) and found a dog-friendly hotel (with a great view) nearby. I don’t think Alice would have enjoyed spending the night in a cold car in a snowstorm. Sketching the view from the room helped to calm me down after the drive.
My first sketch of the snow in Montreal was from my kitchen window this morning. Sketching this scene is like pressing a reset button for me. After this I can move on to more complex winter scenes, but this happy marriage of oak tree and broken wheelbarrow is a must at least once or twice each winter.
Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook 
So glad you were able to get off the Interstate quickly, Shari. What a horrific mess that was.
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It sure was Lois. I’m glad we got off too. Some of the stories from that night were unbelievable!
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What a great trio of sketches! They tell it all. Happy you’re home, safe and sound.
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Thanks Alison. We are so happy to be home safely. That was an exhausting experience and it taught us a few things about being prepared!
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Great sketch of the parking lot and storage facility! I can almost feel the cold and damp!
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Thanks so much Carla!
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I’m glad your instincts led you off the highway to warmth and safety.
That wheelbarrow is starting to look like an old friend.
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Thanks Debra! Yes, that wheelbarrow is most definitely an old friend!
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Love the sketches …. but can’t believe you took Buff Titanium all the way to Florida but not the wheelbarrow!
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Tony, we tried so hard to get the wheelbarrow into the Thule but no matter how hard we pushed and shoved, we just couldn’t get it to fit. So we took it out and replaced it with my easel, some Buff Titanium and a vegetable peeler. I regretted not having it when we were there but the peeler came in handy when I making my G & Ts.
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🤣 Now I understand!
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So sorry to know you got stuck in our crazy snowstorm. You all could have stayed with me if I’d known. Glad you’re home safe though. I guess the snow here made you feel at home. Cheers! Paula
On Fri, Jan 7, 2022 at 3:56 PM Shari Blaukopf’s Sketchbook wrote:
> Shari Blaukopf posted: ” January sketching started with our last day on > the beach in Sanibel. I wanted to get in one more session of people > sketching, and this couple caught my eye with the strange contraptions on > their heads. Some sort of shade device, I assumed, and post-sketc” >
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Paula, don’t think that didn’t occur to me. We ended up staying a little south of Fredericksburg and it was fine, but if we had been a little closer I would certainly have called. Your house looked pretty amazing in all that snow.
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I’m glad to hear you’re home safely, but boy-oh-boy, does Sanibel ever sound great right about now! And speaking of Buff Titanium – did you use that in your wheelbarrow sketch?
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Hi Melissa,
Thanks so much. I did not end up using Buff Titanium in the wheelbarrow sketch. That light colour is probably some diluted Raw Sienna.
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Happy to hear you’ve made it back home safely! New Brunswick is getting its first severe winter storm right now. Looking forward to your wonderful winter scenes – delighted to see that faithful old wheelbarrow making it through another year! Stay safe and stay warm.
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Thanks so much Gayle. I hope the snow was beautiful in NB. We have snow on the ground here but no big storms yet. Just some intense cold!
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I’m so happy you’re safely home – some friends made it through Washington state’s scary snow storms;
I especially want to thank you for reviving my home state treasures – palm trees, beach goers, water, boats etc …… your skill rekindles me with sweet memories
happy new year to you and yours
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Thanks so much Soni! I’m happy to be home safely too.
And it was my pleasure to bring you some of Florida’s treasures!
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Talk about from one extreme to the other! Glad to see “old faithful”, your wheelbarrow again.
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Thanks Denise!
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Lovely sketches but none more beautiful and heartwarming as the familiar oak and wheelbarrow! Great to know you are home safe and sound.
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Thanks for the warm welcome Dee!
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Welcome home Shari! Those interstate snowstorms are terrifying…..
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Thanks Mary. We are happy to be home!!
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Loved the paintings and the story of your travel home. We’ve had some unexpected driving experiences ourselves. The scene turned out lovely!
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Thanks so much Cynthia.
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I think the wheel barrow have thousand stories to tell !!
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I think it probably does. But it hasn’t done any real work as a wheelbarrow in a long time. It probably has some good stories about being my model!
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A real STILL model !!!
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What a great visual story! Driving in snowstorms is horrific, and isn’t it great sketching is so calming and such a reset. All wonderful sketches, I can feel the weather in each.
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Thanks so much Iona!
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I love that oak tree and wheelbarrow. Looking forward to some great winter scenes. Happy New Year!
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Thanks so much Sharon. And happy new year to you too!
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Shari, I’m glad that you were able to avoid a worse trip back to Montreal. We are all lucky that sketching can bring us comfort. Your big yellow tree and your wheelbarrow paintings are ones that I always look forward to each year. Best wishes!
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Vicky, it’s always so nice to hear from you! Hope all is well. I’m enjoying your experiments with negative painting!
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Good Evening dear friend Shari,
Lovely and Very beautiful sketches.
Blessings
Uma
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