Jocelyn Curry

Some autumn weeks have now passed since our group of 29 convened in the foothills of the Cascades to spend a weekend together to focus on recording the natural surroundings of Camp Huston; we were well cared-for and very well fed by the conscientious Huston staff. A very special thanks goes to Flo Wilkins for her diligent, caring work in organizing the retreat. The afterglow of the three days is still with me. Why? The participants launched into the drawing lessons I gave them on Friday evening, and continued drawing, painting and writing with impressive focus throughout the three days. On Saturday, they resumed the lessons, working on the tea-dyed portfolio sheets and case I had prepared for them. We were graced by crisp, clear early autumn weather, a huge boon to the indoor-outdoor curriculum I had designed. Even by Sunday morning, in the chill of the mountain air, an energetic spirit still prevailed as we went outside for a final, difficult drawing lesson en plein air. In short: they worked hard, ate well, laughed and shared much with one another (and with me), tried new techniques, and thoroughly impressed me with their beautiful, sensitive work. Thank you to each one of you.

Here are some of my photos (click on each for a larger view), taken in between meals (I left there spoiled) and drawing lessons, with added captions.

 A typical studio workspace during the weekend held participants' collections of small natural objects collected from the woods, snacks, notebooks, instructions on how to draw trees, and their works-in-progress. Here is Dewey Henderson painting a maple leaf which she later cut out and applied to her journal case.

On the left, Gayle Waddle-Wilkes has drawn items on her table as small studies.

On the right are Sandy's studies of poppy seed pods and a cedar branchlet. 

Below, from left to right: Kay Lewis' journal case, Roxana Augusztiny's outdoor sketch, and Randi Kander's four completed journal pages.

Many students succeeded in sketching both small, natural objects and more complex outdoor scenery for the first time. Watercolor was added to pen drawings, bringing them to life, especially on the tea-dyed paper. 

On the left, retreat participants write journal entries after making small-scale sketches by the Wallace River. On the right, chilly sketchers take their places for a step-by-step tutorial on drawing buildings.

Below, you see the buildings that were the subject of my drawing lesson. On the right is Randi Kander's sketch of the buildings. Capturing perspective, scale, and dimensionality were the goals of the session.

Some students continued to work on their tea-dyed portfolios after they returned home. Below are some of the images from Claire Russell's completed pieces. To become comfortable and confident in your drawing skills, you must practice, and practice some more. Keep at it! You'll see steady improvements the more you do it. Some participants will be getting together at home to sketch together. Indeed, camaraderie & mutual commitment make practice more fun.