a giant pelican with his landing gear down

Mary Ann Moss

Jun 4

Greetings middle-aged mammals and all homo sapiens coming here on a Sunday for a read and catch up!

At the end of May, I spent more time going for chariot rides on the back roads of Santa Barbara. I stayed up in the Mission Hills again and shortly after daybreak most mornings I sailed down hwy 192 headed towards Butterfly Beach. The coast mountain ranges were draped in fog. There was drizzle early with mostly grey days, but the sun also shot its mighty beams down from the sky and illuminated everything periodically. On this back highway I always find myself in a blissful state. There is an abundance of growing things and singing birds and banks of petals and leaf all mounded beside the road. One doesn't know where to look.

I saw Syd & Mary & Sharron again. We had some good laughs over our art-making. Here's some of what I did.

I drew pages of blind and semi-blind contour drawings in my almost-finished giant sketchbook with the thin crinkly pages. It's just a Strathmore sketchpad meant for dry media, but if you paint on it, it's divine. I did an Instagram reel of a quick flip through last week. Horses, geese, swans, birds, people. One thing leads to another. I'm not a planner, I just go with the flow.

Lots of quick & dirty drawing with the brush.

Sharron and I did some upside down portraits. Not the standard kind you might be familiar with, but THIS kind as shown on this Good Ship Illustration Art Club video. It's confusing and hilarious. Try it!

How I love walking on the beach in the morning. Look at this By-The-Wind-Sailor.

They were washed up on all the beaches. Their journeys on the warm ocean currents over forever.

Sometimes my journeys seem over forever, but no, I'm just taking a travel sabbatical. Sticking close to home. I don't like leaving Otto & Iris for more than 5 days or so. I haven't been in an airplane since 2018. I feel wistful thinking about the old exploring days and riding busses in foreign cities and picking things up off the street and pulling stickers off light poles to put in my journal. But I'm more careful with my money these days. I have old-house issues that need attention.

Heading north to Santa Barbara county never gets old. Walking beside the ocean is a gift. So I am content to stay in California for now.

After a walk on the beach I like to visit Pierre la Fond in Montecito and transcribe conversations. I have heard the most outlandish talk here. This is a place of high rollers and eccentrics and their chatter is fascinating. I get my cinnamon rose, plop down in a chair, and tune in to the static from distant galaxies.

I've been on a horse-drawing kick. Gorgeous creatures forced to run races for the entertainment of people. May I live to see the entire industry dismantled one day.

I find one must draw an animal a lot to really capture it. I'm not there yet, but I have fun swishing my paint brush around and trying.

It's all practice.

Our weather is cool and grey. Unusually so. We're rarely getting over 70. In fact, I believe April was sunnier than May or June so far. Typical to have a heavy marine layer hanging over the coast this time of year, but the persistence of the cool temperatures is not typical.

Cathy Cullis, who I follow on Substack, had a loosely defined fill-a-sketchbook challenge. I thought I might fill this toned grey sketchbook and finally be done with it. I quickly realized though that I'd have to work even faster than I usually do. It's a fun concept especially if your sketchbook is small, but it's impossible for me to fill 30 more pages tomorrow. Or is it? I did 5 pages today then needed a nap. Maybe tomorrow I can do 5 more. We'll see!

I will say it's laughter inducing! These pages were meant to take 7 minutes, but ended up taking 28 minutes because I kept hitting the timer again and the bird on the left has major issues and looks like a first grader painted him in under 1 minute.

As soon as I finish typing this post I'm going to march into different rooms and draw more things with my paint brush. Maybe I'll do some little horse heads, or mushrooms after that. Who can say? I will devote myself and get this sketchbook finished for once and for all!

But probably not this weekend.

The sun shone briefly the other day. I captured an actual shadow.

Sharron and I did a timed exploration of birds without using any references. It was v.v.v. funny. I think I will do this again today. I had seen a giant pelican with his landing gear down that morning and wanted to capture it.

That's all friends. This is my last week of school with the children. They culminate on Friday. I plan to come home and collapse in an exhausted heap. Then it's onward to jury duty. I hope it's exactly the same as in Jury Duty the mockumentary by the same name, but I have a feeling it won't be. I wonder if I can take my sketchbook with me if I get sequestered. Hmmm...

Thanks for the little notes left on my last post. I didn't respond to a single one even though I thought I had. I loved reading them and hope everyone received my telepathic responses.

I hope you're experiencing many moments of bliss and tranquility and zero moments of irritation, anxiety, panic, or fear. But this being life I'm sure you're getting a well-rounded daily menu of tragedy and wonder and boredom and frustration and elation and calm just like me. I raise my glass to you in a salute. CARRY ON!