Matagorda Bay Sunset

This was a switch from my norm... instead of sketching the view OF the house, I did the view FROM the house!  

This Bay House is the home of my clients fiancé ... they got engaged at the end of the pier watching the sun set... one of their favorite pastimes, can you see their silhouettes?

I was happy to commemorate this special occasion for them with this sketch and wish them the very best in their lifetime together!!

Empty Nesting

We raise our kids... celebrate birthdays and graduations and then they're gone making lives of their own, it happens so fast!  We are left with a big empty house full of memories.  

That's the story for my clients in The Woodlands, whose beautiful home, where they've enjoyed making those memories since 1996, is for sale as they "right-size" (not down-size) for the next chapter of their life!   It was my pleasure to sketch this house, that will be framed and enjoyed in their new home!!  

So here's to Life!!   

To moving on and making new memories in new places!!

Congratulations to Lauren and Christian!

My husband and I were thrilled to attend the wedding last month of his nephew Christian, and his beautiful bride Lauren.   They were married at The Monastery in Cincinnati, Ohio!  I had never been to Ohio before and loved this historic city, it's active waterfront of parks and ballfields, old historic churches and of course spending time with our family!!   

"The Monastery" was originally built as an observatory in 1843, it eventually closed (due to air pollution, even then!) and was leased to the Catholic Church to serve as the Holy Cross Monastery and Church from 1873 until 1977.   After sitting empty for nearly three decades, it was purchased and remodeled, opening as this beautiful event venue just last year.  Oh, if walls could talk!!

I hope that his sketch, will serve as a reminder of their special day and beginning of their new life together!  

Best wishes to Lauren and Christian 

for a happy and joyous life!

Congratulations to Julie and Marc!

I love the sketches that celebrate special occasions in ones life, and this is no exception!!  

My good friends Julie and Marc got married last month!  I wanted to give them a one-of-a-kind gift, so I sketched Bistro Chat Noir in NYC, where they got engaged the previous October!  I received the photo below in a text the following morning that said..."so this happened last night!!"  

Congratulation Julie and Marc!

Wishing you a lifetime of joy and happiness!!

Pine Grove House

I was thrilled to do this sketch of the Pine Grove House, located in Pinehurst, North Carolina and 

built in 1894.

I did my best to capture the feeling of the photo's my client sent me to work from, but the pen and ink just didn't do it justice... so I went at it from a different angle and added watercolor.   

Yes, I'd like a mint julep now please!!  

Kates Family Tree

Congratulations to Laura and Curt Kates, who recently celebrated their 40th Anniversary!  

I love sketching Family Tree's, but this one was especially fun for me since I've known the Kates family since our kids were in Pre-K together!  What a treat to have watched them grow into such great young adults and start families of their own.  

Our Viking River Cruise!

Ver Welkoming, Guten Tag, Szia, Hello!

I'm back from what really was a "trip of a lifetime!"

Thought I'd share a few of my favorite photo's before getting back to the business of posting my sketches!!

Our trip began in Amsterdam!  We had two and a half days to explore this historic city and recover from jet lag!  I was inspired in the Van Gogh and Richtsmuseum, intrigued by the the maze of canals throughout this charming city and entertained by the "window dressing" in it's famous Red Light district!

The first few days were spent drifting down the Rhine River, visiting the windmills in Kinderdijk, Holland, exploring Marksburg Castle near Koblenz, Germany and along the way passing quaint little towns with their tall steepled churches and ancient castles towering above.

One of my favorite stops was in the town of Miltenburg.  This view was from Mildenburg Castle, overlooking the arched bridges over the Rhine River, the half-timbered houses and it's famous pubs!

Along the Rhine-Main-Danube rivers, this was a familiar site, along with about a million beautiful swans!  I'm pretty sure this one will become a painting!

Saturday, May 27th was our 11th anniversary and we spent the day in Salzburg, Austria!  We visited countless cathedrals on our trip, but this one St. Peter's Cathedral, was my favorite.  

This view in Salzburg is from the Catacombs where early Christian Monks lived in 775 a.d.  We enjoyed lunch nearby in the oldest restaurant in Europe (some web searching said the oldest in the world!) that began serving (the monks, I assume!) in 803 a.d.  

Our last day was spent in Budapest, Hungary!  

After dinner, we cruised the Danube to experience the breathtaking view of the city lights!