Thursday, January 10, 2013: We weren't entirely sure of where we'd be painting on this day. First checked up behind the new Burlington College campus, but snowbanks were an issue and bushes had grown up. Still a good view of the lake, though. We then tried Lakeview Cemetary, just down the road, which lived up to its name to provide a beautiful view of Lake Champlain. With fairly deep snow around us, we had the added benefit of being able to set up our easels directly on the asphalt of the narrow road. This also helped to soak in the sun's rays to keep us warmer than if we were standing in snow. Temperature was about 40 degrees with wind and sun.

A great day for painting 'Lakeview' in January!

Once I started in with my horizontal composition, I realized I had forgotten my baseball cap. The sun reflecting off the lake and snow right in front of me was a recipe for a headache, which did develop. Fortunately I did have my sunglasses. Note to self: bring a visor or baseball cap along on painting forays in all seasons! Clouds came and went overhead, becoming a major part of my painting, as I had chosen a low horizon line. The Adirondacks across the lake had sections of snow, plus the wind was creating whitecaps on the lake. Hard to hold those whites on my paper when it's cold out, but not too bad today. I loved the purple/blue of the mountains with blue/grey of the water. Cemetarys can be lovely, peaceful spots from which to paint!

'Lakeview' watercolor by Libby Davidson, $230 framed

"Lakeview" actual watercolor is 6.12 x 9.5", $230 framed (dimensions will be larger once matted and framed)

Join me for my new workshop, "The Natural Sketchbook", Tuesdays from 11:30 am to 1 pm. In this ongoing drop-in workshop, we travel to different spots in or near Chittenden County, Vermont. The length of walks will depend on the weather and group consensus. Email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and I will keep you informed of our plans each week. As a participant, you will be able to work at your own pace as you create your own sketchbook of the natural world. So far we have gone to Rosetti Beach in Colchester, VT and the Ice Caves in Burlington, VT, and I have a long list of interesting spots for future sessions.

Cost per 1 1/2 hour session is $20. For materials, you'll need a sketchbook of any size, sketch pencils &/or pens, water, small watercolor kit (optional), backpack and gear for outdoors. For those who are interested in watercolors, we will be testing out "Water Brushes", which are paint brushes that hold a tube of water in the handle. There are quite a few advantages: convenient and lightweight to carry along on hikes, easy to control amount of water without needing an extra water dish, easy to clean to switch colors quickly, can keep water warm in your jacket pocket in cold weather. You can find these at Artists Mediums in Williston, VT in various sizes and as either round or flat brushes, prices range from $7 to $10. Kristin at Artists Mediums also suggests devoting one water brush to walnut ink for a lovely warm tone, so we'll give that a try soon as well. Walnut ink, about $6 per bottle, comes in a small container that is easy to carry, and it works well on most papers. One bottle lasts quite a while.

Email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to join our sketching group in time to experience the unfurling of spring in Vermont. Remember, you can join for one day or more, depending on your schedule. No long-term commitment is necessary. Hone your sketching and observations skills while we learn to identify local flora and fauna together. Tuesday is for sketching!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013: A wonderful snowy day at the Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington, Vermont!

Libby Davidson paints on snowshoes at the Birds of VT Museum

The Birds of VT Museum in Huntington, Vermont, with the front doors insulated from the cold

I had been over there to visit and ski the week before and saw this breathtaking view from the bridge looking downstream, with snow covering all the rocks. When my friends called to go painting, I immediately thought of the snow-covered creek. We met there around 10:30 am and strapped on our snowshoes, since the snow was still very deep. It was Mary's first time on snowshoes and she caught on quickly. The forecast was for a high of 39 degrees, but it was only 18 degrees here in Huntington! This would be quite a test for me and Jacquie, with our watercolors. Mary would be safe using her oil paints.

I had covered my carrying bags with plastic bags, so I could set them in the snow without getting everything soaked. Mary and I snowshoed down to the creek with our gear - it took several trips down - then Jacquie followed in our tramped path with her boots. I had remembered 3 large empty yogurt containers to put at the bottom of the legs of my ease, so they wouldn't disappear way down into the deep snow. It worked great, except I almost lost one down the bank to the creek. Tying a string from each yogurt container to the easel in the future would be useful in these types of conditions.

Mary and I stayed in our snowshoes to paint, as it kept us up off the cold snow, plus kept us from sinking into the depths of the snowpack. I found this to be a great solution when painting in deep snow. The scene was just as lovely as the week before. We were quite protected from most wind gusts, being down in the hollow.

Heading down into the hollow with our gear

My easel with yogurt containers on the legs to keep it above the snowpack

I had brought a thermos of hot water, dipping my brush into it to keep everything from freezing too much. I used more water on my painting than Jacquie, so I noticed it would freeze on my paper. If I tried to paint over that, it wouldn't work. I was wearing my huge mitts the whole time, too, to keep warm, which made it more challenging to control the brush strokes.Quite far along into my painting, drips seemed to come from nowhere that went right down the center of my composition.It turned out that the temperature had risen to just above 32 degrees and snow was dripping off my easel. Meanwhile, gust of wind carried snow from the trees above down onto us and our paintings, making for interesting effects. It was an adventure for sure!

Remarkably, my 6.25 x 9.75" vertical watercolor came out better than I predicted, given all the variables. Actual paint time for me was from 10:45 am to 1:30 pm. The temperature did rise to 39 degrees by 1:30, when we started packing up, but with the wind chill, we were very glad to go inside the warm Birds of Vermont Museum to show that staff our paintings. No sun that day. Just gray skies, but none of us had any sky in our compositions anyway! The snow-laden creek had given us a lovely view to gaze upon as we painted.

I started out by painting the meandering stream

After shading the snow, I painted in trees, and acquired some drips

Added evergreens and details to the birches - nearly done

Mary Krause and Jacquie Call getting started

Thursday, December 20, 2012: Met Jacquie at the car dealer and with a clever use of time, while the car was getting inspected and oil changed, headed to Oakledge Park in South Burlington, VT, where Mary joined us for painting. It was rather overcast, but not much wind, and we all agreed it was warmer now in December than when we were there in April painting with a breeze off the COLD Lake Champlain. This time around, the lake was still about 36 degrees, despite some cold snaps.

I worked up a 5.75 x 9.5" horizontal composition, being drawn immediately to the orange hue of the grasses near the flat red rocks that make up the shoreline. There was no snow. My sky ended up bleeding into the purple line of Adirondack mountains I had painted in. This ended up giving some real atmosphere to the piece, so I decided to leave it as one of those watercolor "accidents" that can sometimes work in your favor. I enjoyed painting the grasses in the foreground. No photos taken on that day, so I will add some soon.

'Half Moon Cove' on site in Colchester, VT

'Half Moon Cove' by Libby Davidson, 6.25 x 21.75, $550 framed

On site at Half Moon Cove, before the winds!

The temperature was around 45 degrees, but the wind made it feel much colder, so we all worked quickly. Actual paint time for me was 3 hours. I had drawn in some foreground trees initially, but then hesitated to paint them in over my wash of the marsh scene, which I was pleased with. After a brief consultation I decided to just "go for it" and added in the tree silhouettes quickly, before I lost my nerve. I was glad I did, for it gave the painting more of a 3-dimensional look, closer to what I was actually seeing in front of me.

Jacquie Call's pastel in progress

Mary Krause works on her oil painting at Half Moon Cove

I was the first to be finished, so I packed up headed off. I later found out from my friends that just minutes after I left, a very strong wind kicked up and knocked over easels and palettes and paintings. Guess I left at a good time!

Monday, December 3, 2012: I felt like I'd been hit by a huge rock. My mother-in-law had passed away somewhat unexpectedly and everything seemed to move in slow motion. Any routine I had prior to her death disintegrated. I had no energy for painting. While my husband was with his family, I stayed behind with the kids, and we all were grieving. My daughter stayed home from school several days to work through the sadness, and during that time, she requested that we paint. That seemed like an impossibility to me, but I went through the motions for her sake. Since it was very cold out, we moved the kitchen table over in front of the double doors. Before even starting, we washed the windows and removed the cross pieces for a clearer view. This seemed to take hours, but cleaning was somehow comforting as we could see our progress and quietly work through our sadness. Finally it was time to set up our paints, facing out to paint the trees and snow. 

As my daughter started in on her painting, an idea came to me. I had seen one of the trees in our backyard the day before, laden with snow, and in one of the junctures of tree branches, the snow had looked like a heart. I used alizarin crimson for a background (unusual for me to start with such a bright, warm color as I gazed out at cold grays and blues). I threw some salt on. It worked just enough to give the painting a slightly frosty look. The small 5.5 x 6.25" size seemed to fit for my exhausted emotional state. I painted in one heart hidden in the tree branches. Later I added several more, and at a friend's suggestion, painted a shiny glaze just over the hearts, for a special touch of emphasis.

On my own, I would not have painted on this day, but it did feel good to express my combination of sadness, love and remembrance for my mother-in-law, whom I had grown so much closer to over recent years. We had come to a place of mutual respect and friendship. How I miss her!

No photos taken on the day I painted this, so I will add some soon!