A Hare and a Robin, from Robyn

I had just commented how surprised I was that the first postcard of the new round had arrived already on Desiree's post below, when I wandered outside and found that mine had too. I literally took in a breath when I picked it up and saw the exquisite watercolour of the hare - the scan again not doing it justice. Beautiful soft, subtle tones, the most delicate detail in the eye and whiskers - and on the other side the sweetest, bright-eyed little robin. I want to frame the hare painting, but don't want to lose the little bird...
Thanks so much Robyn, I'm so happy to have this truly beautiful postcard!

My golden treasure.

Just before New Year, my postman drove all the way to the house to drop me my mail. We are now on good foot...we should be! I bought a calender from him! And to my delight, it was a postcard from Robyn. My Christmas was extended with a whole week.

It was an experiment she did with oil pastels on a gold acrylic ground. The gold doesn't show up so well with the scan so I took some photo's on angles with added light to catch the gold. I wanted you to see the gold acrylic ground.
On Robyn's blog you can see more of this technique she is playing around with(or messing around with, as she calls it...). How does the saying go..."One person's mess is another person's treasure"...?

...the gold reflects beautifully in the dark corner bottom left...

...more golden reflections on the ground and a view on "Giornata mondiale del teatro"...

Thank you for my golden treasure, Robyn!

Postcard from Castiglion Fiorentino

Thank you so much Robyn for this lovely card. The images on the card increase my wish to travel to Italy again. Yes, in fact, it would be terrific if we met one day and sketched together. The quince – including the leaf – you've painted looks perfect in color and shape. I can almost feel the velvet surface. I think your report of your afternoon sketch group and the other information you have written can be read easily here on the blog. Thanks again! Albrecht

A ray of Tuscan sunshine!

This beautiful card came from Robyn in Tuscany. I'm afraid my scanner hasn't captured the colours at all well but the stone walls are painted in a range of very delicate pinks and soft browns which seem to radiate with the warmth of the Tuscan sun! I love the shadows playing across the blue/green door and it's all been painted so delicately.

On the back Robyn has written "This is the door to the old convent house we rented when we first arrived in Castiglion Fiorentino. I stop by often because it is now owned by friends but mainly because it holds such great memories of our first year in Italy with an open fire, two dogs and no television!" Isn't that wonderful? Now I want to open the door and go inside!

Sunflowers of Summer

Robyn Sinclair
Watercolor and ink on Paper

This wonderful postcard arrived on just the day I needed a fresh look at a gloomy day.  It brightened my attitude and the rest of my day.  Thank you Robyn, you made my day so much better.  Can you imagine sitting in front of this wonderful vista?  Robyn has these picturesque scenes all around where she lives in Italy. I dream of one day visiting and painting with her at all the wonderful places she sees every day. 

Robyn and her binoculars!

I'd forgotten that, as well as sketching and posting postcards, I also receive them. So getting a beautiful  watercolour scene from Umbria, Italy was such a lovely surprise today. 

Now, we at Sketchercise know how much Robyn treasures her binoculars, but to use them to see a distant view which she thought I would enjoy, and, at the same time sketch that view is possibly even a first for Robyn! And I do love it - the hillside house, the patterns of fields and trees and the Umbrian greens at this time of year.

Thankyou Robyn for the effort you've made. I do appreciate it. Though, at the same time I have this lovely, quirky mental image of you holding binoculars in one hand and a paintbrush in the other busily sketching and its making me smile - as you always do!!