—while I don’t need a new hobby, I’ve been developing a #sourdough starter. I attempted to bake with it Sunday but the bread did not rise (though it tasted good) so I am trying recipes that call for both starter and yeast for a while. Two loaves of #ciabatta, a success!
#sabbatical
—yesterday I discovered ten new holes in this #handsewn shirt. Fortunately I’ve mostly been wearing it under sweaters! Button craft thread held double on cotton.
#neverendingmending #alabamachanindiy #handstitching #reducereuserepair #visiblemending #sabbatical
—year 6 of #drawing these old cherry trees: I’d never before noticed this view of them from the sculpture courtyard of the studio art building. I was much closer to them than usual, not sure I did them justice. Must continue practicing!
#urbansketching #pleinair #inkandwatercolor #sabbatical
— #drawing #classwork: draw some crushed cans and make them gigantic in the foreground of an architectural setting, with a smaller can in the background, using one- or two-point #perspective and full values. I had models for inspiration. India ink on cotton paper.
#sabbatical
— #drawing class #homework, part 2: exercise in one-point #perspective. I sketched this pathway adjacent to a sunken garden on Friday before and after meetings and have been working on the values at home all weekend. I get to work in such a beautiful location!
#charcoal #sabbatical
—this week in #drawing class we’ve been learning about #perspective. For part 1 of my #homework, I started outside drawing a building, but it was obscured by cars (that kept moving, also) and pollen fell all over the paper. Finally I thought to go into the small art gallery.
#charcoal #sabbatical
—hopefully this is the last installment of the #drawing midterm! First photo is from yesterday (27 hours in 6 sessions), the second from this evening (5 1/2 more hours). It’s not much different. I’m sure I could continue to play with it but maybe 32 1/2 hours is enough!
#still-life #sabbatical
— #drawing midterm, I-really-hope-this-was-the-right-choice edition: first photo is from yesterday (22 hours of work in 5 sessions), second is from this evening (5 more hours). I decided to darken most of the background and there is no going back. Still not done!
#charcoal #still-life #sabbatical
— #drawing midterm continues! First photo is from Monday (14 hours of work in 3 sessions), second from Tuesday (2 more hours), third from this evening (6 more hours). Feedback: too much white and gray, must get darker. Much #charcoal seems to be on my fingers rather than the paper.
#sabbatical
— #drawing midterm in progress. First photo shows where it was before yesterday’s class (9 hours of work in two sessions); second photo shows where it was after yesterday’s class (5 more hours). 14 hours down, who knows how many to go! #charcoal on cotton paper.
#drawingclass #sabbatical
—the 21-year-old started #patching her dad’s work pants back on the 14th, the day before she headed back to school. I’ve just finished them, trying to honor her design choices. Button craft thread and denim on cotton.
#MendMarch2026 #MendMarchSplit
— #drawing midterm in progress. The first photo is the outline I did on Wednesday (4 hours); the second photo is today’s work, adding values (5 hours). #Charcoal on hot press cotton #paper.
#drawingclass #homework #sabbatical
—this week and next we are working on our midterms in Intro to #Drawing. First photo—inspiration, second photo—study (9 hours), third photo—work in progress in #charcoal on hot press 100% cotton paper.
#classwork #sabbatical #still-life
Exercise sessions/dance classes attended: 6
Mini-baguettes baked: 4
Sketches created: 1
Items of clothing partially mended: 1
Months left before I am back in the classroom as a teacher: 5
3/3
Close friends that I got to spend time with: 5
Days spent doing taxes: 0 (oops)
Days in which I visited my office at least briefly: 2
Days spent working on my possibly obsolete research project: 1
Days spent working on a Fall 2026 course brochure: 2
2/
--Spring Break round-up:
Total days and nights: 9
Days overlapping with the twenty-one-year-old’s Spring Break: 1
Nights that I got more than six hours of sleep: 5
Nights that I got fewer than five-and-a-half hours of sleep: 1
Days spent entirely in pajamas: 0
Restaurants visited: 4
1/
I adapted a technique from a book I’ve had for years, Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.
—Sunday project, last day of Spring Break: I went all out with these two #mini-baguettes, incorporating pâte fermentée, extra stretch-and-folds, longer rising time, and more time in the oven. They could be longer and better tapered, yes, but hoping they will be delicious!
#homebaking
—watercolor pencil, ink, #collage (to cover mistakes), watercolor, looking through my dining room window. I love how the street looks after we get some snow.
#inkandwatercolor #urbansketchers #sabbatical
—fresh from the oven, lemon meringue pie for #PiDay!
#pieinthesky #homebaking #sabbatical
—Spring Break begins today!So this week’s #drawing #homework was to finish our #classwork. Working in #charcoal on cotton paper to prepare for the midterm. Some weeks I have had too much white space, and some weeks too much dark, so trying for a good balance. #drawingclass #stilllife #sabbatical
—raspberry slab pie: a relatively easy dessert for a crowd of people who love pie crust.
#pieinthesky #sabbatical
—perhaps I will eventually reconcile what I am learning about light, shading, and value with atmospheric perspective, so as to focus on the foreground. Wishing I had not omitted our baby dogwood tree from the middle ground—the composition needs it!
#inkandwatercolor #urbansketchers #sabbatical
—I experimented with #mini-baguettes over the weekend! The one I made Saturday morning was a hit so I made another one yesterday.
#homebaking #amateurbaking #sabbatical
—it was warm enough yesterday to sit on the front stoop and #sketch! I started with #watercolorpencils, then I added #watercolor, then ink. The color of the sky went from blue to purple to gray in 90 minutes. Thinking more about light and value.
#urbansketchers #inkandwatercolor #sabbatical
—attended a faculty meeting yesterday and completed another round of #mending on this old shirt in good company, while listening to academic reports and voting. It developed a dozen holes in the last wash, so hand washing from now on! Embroidery thread on cotton.
#MendMarchTogether #MendMarch2026
—first #drawing is #classwork, second is #homework. I spent 8 1/2 hours on each. New this week: fabric and shutters. I keep ending up in the backlit part of the studio.
#charcoal #sabbatical
—this morning’s #notes in Islamic art and architecture. I finished the #sketch of the Grand Mosque at Córdoba after class, as it was not on the screen long enough for me to get more than the minaret! Both reading and #looking are part of #homework in #arthistory.
#textandimage #sabbatical
—a warmer day, decided to sit outside with the dog and #sketch. I’m very out of practice with #ink and #watercolor. I hope eventually I can bring what I’m learning in my drawing class into my sketchbook!
#sabbatical #urbansketching
