Linda Boswell's Sketches of the Dragon Boat Races

Sketches from last week's outing at the Dragon Boat races by Linda Boswell

From Sketching to Rowing

You never know what's going to happen when you head out to sketch.

Yesterday a few of us met up at Mud Island River Park to sketch at the Duncan-Williams Dragon Boat Race. We wandered around a bit trying to figure out the best place to sketch, and a couple of us looked across the Wolf River Harbor to sketch the downtown Memphis Skyline.

Just as I was finishing this quick little sketch, my friend Shannon, who was on a race team, texted to ask if I felt like rowing, as they were a member short. I asked fellow sketcher Beth, and she said that yes I probably did feel like rowing.

Next thing I new I was in a Leadership Academy t-shirt with 20 others, heading to the boat ramp to row in the first of two sprint races.

This is the only sketch I made yesterday. I spent the rest of the day meeting new people, seeing old friends, hanging out with Shannon (below, right), and rowing in the Wolf River Harbor and the beautiful early-fall sunshine.

I had to miss the last regular meeting at the Memphis Farmers Market because I was on an art trip to St. Louis. I was painting that day, however, and thinking of my urban sketching friends. Here's what I came up with at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Extra Sketch Group at the Dragon Boat Race - Mud Island River Park - September 22

Next sketch group is an extra one...

Saturday, September 22

Duncan-Williams Dragon Boat Race

Mud Island River Park

9:00 AM

We'll meet at the Gulf of Mexico on Mud Island (see map). It is free to get in to the park. You can park in their parking on Riverside or in the garages on Union, or on the park itself if you take the bridge near Harbor Town and turn right to get to Mud Island.

If you aren't able to meet with the group at 9, come back to the meeting spot at 11 to share your sketches!

Please comment here or on our Facebook page if you plan to attend. 

Hope to see you there!

Last Saturday at Memphis Farmers Market

Last Saturday we met up at Memphis Farmers Market on THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DAY OF THE YEAR to do some sketching. It was great fun, and did I mention that the weather was BEAUTIFUL!

Here's Peter Bowman sketching some lovely tomatoes.

These are all of my sketch supplies, including coffee.

 Tom Pellett

Peter's sketches of tomatoes - again, like a fully-formed painting, isn't it.

 Jenny's sketch of me.

 Jeff Stayton - new to the group!

My sketch - I sketched Jenny while she sketched me. She's in the middle-front.

Sketching This Weekend

We have been invited to sketch at the Wolf River Harbor Cleanup this Saturday! See the flyer - you can click on it for more details. Sounds interesting - no actual cleaning required!

The Cooper Young Festival is also this weekend - try sketching there, it's crazy! If you do sketch at either of these, or anywhere else in town this weekend, don't forget to post them here!

Overton Park Birthday Party

I, unfortunately didn't make it out to the Farmer's market yesterday. I did, however, get to sketch/paint a little at Overton Park during a birthday party my kids were attending.

I've been experimenting with the idea of finding a new medium that's a little more dense than watercolor, more water soluble than gouache, and that's inexpensive and mobile—can be set up and broken down simply and quickly. I landed on this combination of powder tempera on paper.

This piece took me around an hour. I'm fairly pleased with the outcome, and hopeful for rewarding results in the future.

-CF