Summer seems to be winding down fairly quickly, after almost continuous rain since May (thunder and rain right now as I sit here typing). Now that all the 'must dos' are nearly done, I am getting back to some sketching and painting.

I have started doing some pen and ink sketches of seed pods and dried plants, just to get going again. Here is a dried rudbeckia from the garden. I coloured it a bit with watercolours - those haven't been out for a while!

I also started a new oil painting yesterday, a little still life with my favourite fruits and a little silver jug which must have been a creamer at a Sheraton hotel at one time. After putting the brushes down for four months, I was wondering how rusty I'd be, but it wasn't too bad. This is the 'underpainting', that is, the main shapes and colours blocked in. I'll finish it in a few days. Tomorrow is one more commitment, and then I can start getting back into the routine.

This year I will have two full days I can dedicate to painting - Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have moved my piano lesson to Wednesdays, so that gives me no commitments on those two days now. I am looking forward to having that time to focus on painting. That is particularly in light of having my own show at Circle Park in October. I'd like to have a few new pieces to put in for that.

I am hoping that we will have a reasonable autumn as it hasn't really been possible to sit outside to paint - too much rain and damp. And I don't like being outside in thunderstorms, of which there have been many.

Well, back to some sketching and planning. And watching the rain sheet down once again.