Morning Page October 5
I saw this most excellent skeleton placed just so in someone’s garden while traveling through Arcadia. A celebration of life, I think (which of course includes death). I had a little extra time this morning to play with value contrasts so that was fun.
I’m leaving Maine tomorrow. It’s been 10 days of touring the midcoast region, and yet a very small portion of this big wooded and coastal New England state.
I have never been here before. And yes, I only have surface impressions over such a short time, but the earth here is truly magnificent - all the islands and peninsulas and bays in the coast…the thick northeastern forests. Amazing. And I do feel like I understand more how both history and geography must have shaped the people who live here. Not to mention, by all accounts the cold, cold, long winters.
This California girl can’t begin to comprehend what that even means.
Anyway, good trip. But I’m a homebody at heart. Time to go home.
Morning Pages October 2-4
Three more morning pages…
I’m pleased that I’ve been able to keep up with my Morning Practice while traveling (though not just in the mornings.). I’ve never been able to do this much drawing while on the road (and I have other pieces I’m working on besides Morning Pages too). So that’s a win. But damn, I just can’t seem to post one each day! It doesn’t take that long! I’m going to try harder for rest of the trip which is now just four more days.
On Oct 2 I drew shapes inspired by the forms we saw at the Boothbay Botanical Garden. That garden was definitely a highlight of the trip. Beautiful foliage everywhere. When I experience nature, I’m always thinking about how to create abstracted shapes inspired by natural shapes. The quantity and complexity in nature is truly astounding.
On Friday, Oct 3, we went to several coastal areas in Arcadia National Park and the rock cliffs are beautiful. I couldn’t unsee these elephants.
Finally, Oct 4, we got there early (8am) and hiked a gorgeous trail through the Arcadia forest and also some carriage roads. I was back to being dazzled by natural shapes and forms, but the old bridges built of the land’s rock…oh my. I spent a pleasant few minutes drawing this one.
Morning Pages Sept 30-October 1
Again, I did my morning pages but didn’t post them over the last couple of days. I frustrate myself. This little Morning Practice is really a digital journal project, as much about getting myself to quickly journal and upload the image of what I create each “morning” as it is to get into habit of drawing in the mornings—my most creative time.
But oh well. Here I am. Drawing, but not always in the mornings. Posting when I can. We have spent the last couple of days in Boothbay Harbor at a nice little place on the water. Clearly we have arrived late in the season. Mostly just a few retirees passing through. Staff getting ready to leave and many places around the area have signs posted: “Closed for the Season.” “See you in May 2026.”
Most not closed yet though. It’s quiet and quite lovely everywhere you look. Maine is so full of forest and waterways and here on the coast, batteries of harbors, inlets and points and islands just on the horizon. Kind of wish we could take a boat out on the water, but the tourist boats are closed and I would have to kayak alone. I could…but no. It’s cold and getting colder.
Anyway, I’m managing to draw a little as we travel and that is good. Good practice to get outside and draw. I need it! And I had fun. The blue fish is a little bit of collage (chopsticks packet). I’d like to get in more collage going forward.
The Pemaquid Lighthouse is out of proportion because I made an error at the top with the number of rings needed. When I allowed myself to solve the problem by letting go of realism I felt much better.
