Now Before the Eye Can Focus

Good heavens, days are rolling past so quickly and I've had no creative time due to the meditation course I'm taking (which finishes in late June).  My "inner creative natives" are getting extremely restless so I snuck this quick drawing in today in my sketchbook, but now need to go back to studying.

It's from Kelly Barone's new book, Drawing Botanicals.  Her book comes fully illustrated with step-by-step drawings, and each has a link to a video for drawing that particular flower.  There must be 150+ flowers (each linked to it's own short video) in the book. They go from A-Z, from African Daisy to Zinnia.  I am highly recommending it, and you'd be supporting a working artist.   Click on the link above to order a copy.  (And don't go by my quick sketch above--you can do even better, I'm sure!

It's amazing how quickly one's skills can deteriorate when one doesn't use them.  I used to be far better with the colored pencils than I am now--can't wait to be putting in regular practice again later this summer.  Kelly is a watercolor artist extraordinaire--you will really enjoy looking at her full website HERE.  I dream of someday creating the subtle beauty she produces--I love her work.

I paired the sketch above with my favorite springtime poem by Lilja Rogers:  "First a howling blizzard woke us; then the rains came down to soak us.  Now, before the eye can focus--Crocus."  Every year in the spring this poem makes me laugh.  May it have the same effect on you.  I fell in love with it the first time I read it, decades ago.  Reciting it is a spring ritual for me.

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