Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
March 12, 2009 2:49 PM

Vanderbilt Beach, Naples, Florida - March 8, 2009

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Posted by: pa (190 posts)
January 29, 200911:34 PM

In early January Kristina and I spent an amazing week snowboarding at Powder Mountain which is situated west of Ogden Utah and is about an hour and a half from Salt Lake City. It was some of the best riding we've ever experienced and was six days of plundering powder for days on end. Powder Mountain has over 7000+ acres of skiable terrain which is the most in the U.S.

There's a portion of the mountain named Lightning Ridge and is accessible via snowcat and costs a mere $12 - which is a total bargain as it covers a 700 acre area of often-varying terrain from woods to bowls to steep chutes. We found the mountain to be completely uncrowded with a friendly mellow staff.

I'd intended to do some sketching but instead stuck to a strict schedule of riding all day, consuming cheeseburgers and beer, watching a Hitchcock film and passing out by 9pm.

One night we received a foot of snow and by morning the mountain was enshrouded within a dense cloud. I stuck mostly in the trees to get a lay of the land but would often find myself out in the open areas where there was nothing to see but a foggy whiteness. The low visibility, abundant snow and Jedi skill-set made for a peaceful and incredibly fun day of riding. We stayed at the Columbine Inn which was a great little place directly next to the main lodge and we were shuttled out there by Wasatch Crest Shuttle who were great in getting us up the snowy and steep road to PowMow.

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
October 3, 200810:45 AM

During our visit to Rocky Mountain National Park, Corrie and I hiked up Hallett Peak via the Flattop Mountain Trail. This poplular hike is close to Bear Lake and the Estes Park entrance. It was amazing. The scenery was gorgeous and the weather held until we were on our way down. At the end we were soaked, satisfied, and smiling. Feel free to hike with along us via our Flickr set. Titles, captions, and notes are included. Enjoy! We certainly did!

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
August 29, 2008 1:25 AM

While exploring Rocky Mountain National Park, Corrie and I spent two days at the Glacier Basin Campground. This watercolor depicts the stunning view near it's entrance. Using Glacier Basin as our home base we did several hikes in the area. You can see images from our hike past several alpine lakes on my Flickr account.

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
August 22, 2008 8:00 AM

This watercolor sketch was created during "happy hour" at Site 106 of the Winding River Resort, just south of the west exit of Rocky Mountain National Park. Corrie and I really enjoyed our stay at this campground. It was the ideal spot to pitch our tent after a long, exciting, but tiring week of high-altitude hiking and trekking. The view from our site was gorgeous. Sitting at our picnic table, we were able to gaze across an idyllic farm scene of grazing horses and bathing ducks, with the Rockies serving as a backdrop. This campground was significantly less crowded than the one we'd stayed at the other two nights, so we felt like we had the view all to ourselves.

We didn't realize this at check-in, but included in our stay was a complimentary wake-up call. At 6am, just before we'd set our watch alarms, two giant moose came clip-clopping by our tent! They were less than 20 feet away! I quietly crept out of my sleeping bag to get a closer look...you can see photos of the "morning moose" here and here.

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
August 14, 2008 7:15 PM

I recently had the honor and privilege to attend a friend's wedding in the Loir-et-Cher region of northern central France. During my time there, I stayed in the charming village of Trôo. The village is partly troglodytic, meaning that many of the homes are built into caves in the hillside. You can view photos of Trôo, along with photos of other spots I visited such as the castle at Lavardin and the Chartres cathedral, within my Flickr collection.

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Posted by: pa (190 posts)
August 10, 200810:48 AM

A few week back my three older brother and I hiked across the stunning Presidential Range in New Hampshire staying in the AMC huts along the way. The sketchbook drawings above were done in the Lakes of the Clouds common room overlooking the Ammonoosuc Ravine. Each summer my brothers and I try to gather in a nice outdoor location for an 'Art Lodge' in which we begin paintings and drawings and pass them around until each has taken a turn (these will be seen in a future post). Below brothers Phil, James and Stephen take their turns:

Continue reading "Presidential Range Sketching"
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Posted by: bz (54 posts)
June 25, 2008 9:17 AM

so... i've been busy planning a wedding... which will be here in 4 days! we are honeymooning in tahiti and the french polynesian islands so i hope to bring lots of art and inspiration back to this side of the world... and to invisibleman which i have shamefully neglected over the past few months. our cruise ship is even called the paul gauguin. :)

also, when i return i'll post some of the custom wedding goodies i have been crazy making over the past 2 weeks. i think i may have found a future calling.

au revoir et salut

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Posted by: pa (190 posts)
April 17, 200811:24 PM

In past years I would get a bit morose come springtime if I hadn't gotten enough snowboarding under the belt. This is not one of those years. From the deep drifts of Utah to the hidden stashes of Vermont's woods it's been a splendid year of riding either solo or with Kristina and Keith. The pattern image at the bottom was part of my entry to this years Salomon board art contest. I didn't have much time to put anything together so I quickly plundered some of the patterns I've been recently working on

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
February 25, 2008 3:12 PM

On our final afternoon in Mexico, Corrie and I were able to spend a few hours exploring the city of Playa del Carmen. You can explore yourself via our photos on Flickr, a sample of which can be seen above.

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
February 18, 2008 2:44 PM

Corrie and I just attended a wedding in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Prior to the festivities we took a tour of the interior with Alltournative - Off Track Adventures. We had an amazing time! Our tour, "Maya Encounter", included the exploration of the ancient city of Cobá, the opportunity to climb Nohoch Mul (the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan), a rappel down into and then swim within a cenote, a canoe trip across and then zip-line over a lagoon, monkey sightings, a purification ritual, AND a lunch prepared by local Mayan women. It was an incredible day! Above is an image of the lagoon, Punta Laguna, we canoed across and "zipped" over. Photographs of our entire day can be seen on Flickr.

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
February 11, 2008 3:23 PM

Just got back from Mexico! Full Flickr album including this photo of our day trip to the Coba ruins to come.

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Posted by: pa (190 posts)
January 7, 200810:50 PM

I sketched my brother while we were lounging about our parent's home in Pittsburgh a couple days before Christmas. A few days later my girlfriend Kristina and I headed to Utah for a week of snowboarding. While Solitude and Brighton were great mountains we were really taken by the Snowbird resort which you can see a few views of below. Everything I'd heard about Utah being the home of the lightest snow on earth was true.

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
November 19, 200712:00 AM

This image, from our Kaaterskill High Peak hike, depicts another view from Hurricane Ledge. This time we're looking south west towards the range of mountains that create the Devil's Path hiking trail. Click on the image above to see a larger view and read the extended entry to see the graphite sketch prior to adding watercolor.

Continue reading "The Devil's Path"
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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
October 25, 200712:00 AM

Recently Corrie and I climbed Kaaterskill High Peak. The day was gorgeous and the hike was exciting, with steep sections, several scrambles, and two plane wrecks! Although the actual summit is wooded, wonderful views can be seen from Hurricane Ledge on the south side. This watercolor sketch depicts the view looking southeast over Platte Clove and towards the Hudson River. More images from our hike can be seen here.

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
October 3, 200712:00 AM

Recently Corrie and I were able to visit my brother Danny in New Hampshire. We met his new dog, saw my painting from a previous post, and went for a hike. This watercolor sketch is of the view from Danny's home on Squam Lake. All of the photos from our brief but fun-filled trip can be seen here.

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Posted by: eric (24 posts)
August 22, 2007 9:04 PM

This was taken while flying at about 5000 feet over Denver Glacier in Skagway, Alaska, on the way to a dog sled camp. I'm not a huge fan of planes. And, unfortunately, while we were winding down our time in Alaska we heard about a number of local disasters. But, flying in a helicopter is like riding in an elevator. Definitely, the best experience of my whole trip.

We had 10 straight days of perfect weather. Which is why we had a viewing distance from this helicopter of approximately 100 miles. Unheard of in Alaska, where the locals in Ketchikan measure their annual rainfall in feet (13 on average!) instead of inches.

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Posted by: keegan (155 posts)
August 7, 2007 1:00 AM

Here are some images from when Paul, Kerry and I camped out at Watch Hill on the Fire Island National Seashore a few weeks ago. It's an incredible stretch of nature, and refreshingly isolated from the more popular beaches on the western end of the island. There were close encounters with a huge snake (a Black Racer), countless nocturnal toads, rabbits and of course, the voracious mosquitoes. We managed to beat the odds on the gloomy weather forecast, and were able to do some painting (see my landscape above), drawing and night photography.

See more pictures on Flickr here and here

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
July 17, 200712:00 AM

Just after July 4th, Corrie and I spent three days kayaking and camping in Casco Bay, Maine. The trip was truly amazing. Organized through L. L. Bean, our small group of ten was led by two enthusiastic and experienced guides to the Goslings, two small islands, where we created a base camp. From there we explored the surrounding area, practiced our kayaking skills and got very, very wet while waiting out a storm. All our meals were prepared by our guides and all of it was top notch. We even had lobster! In fact I had two!!

A Flickr set our trip can be found here. Most of the images have captions and all have been placed on a map.

The sketchbook image above was begun on the trip but completed at home thanks to some gorgeous photographs taken by one our guides, Gregg Bolton.

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
June 23, 200712:00 AM

Another image of from our hike on the Escarpment Trail. This one is a sketchbook watercolor of the view looking south towards High Peak and Roundtop Mountain.

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
June 22, 200712:00 AM

Bláfjallakvisal. Fjallabaksleið / South Iceland interior. N 63º 43' W 18º 48'

A small casein image painted from a postcard Corrie purchased while exploring Iceland with her family last spring.

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Posted by: keegan (155 posts)
June 21, 200712:00 AM

This is a small gouache landscape I did in my sketchbook, looking down onto the Hudson Valley from the top of North Point on the Escarpment Trail in the Catskill Mountains. A small sketch to remember a fun excursion into the woods.

Having not done any backpacking in a few years, Kerry, Paul and I were determined to do a trip early in the summer to get our mojo back. Kerry picked this amazing hike, which was a perfect way to break us back in. And we needed it.

This was such a spectacular geological area, with a whole range of mountains and lakes perched high above the Hudson River valley on steep rocky cliffs. Thomas Cole painted these very views years ago. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it, and it made for a beautiful hike, the way the trail hugs the cliff's edge, constantly rewarding you with sprawling views, each more splendid than the one before.

We camped out near a peaceful meadow, in a shaded grove of pines, and had a hearty campfire to eat our dinner by.

We also saw a huge snake on the trail, which was quickly identified by the flickr community as an Eastern Milk Snake.

Pictures from the hike can be seen here.

Of course my fellow Google Earth nerds, you may look at the placemark of our hike here.

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Posted by: keegan (155 posts)
April 12, 2007 9:54 AM

Here's a smaller subset of the pictures I took on our recent trip to Morocco. We spent time in Casablanca, Fez, Marrakesh, Merzouga and Ilmil in the High Atlas. It is one of the most fascinating places I've traveled to, and I'm still reeling from all that we took in and experienced in the time we were there.

Fellow Google Earth nerds can check out the path we took around the country by downloading this placemark.

You can see the full set of pictures here (with descriptions).

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Posted by: keegan (155 posts)
April 6, 2007 9:13 AM

This was painted on the roof of the wonderful Casa Lalla riad in Marrakesh, Morocco on March 29th. The large minaret in the upper left is the Koutoubia mosque, next to the famous Jemaa el Fna Square. I had done another version of this in gouache, which I thoroughly screwed up. Pictures from the trip coming soon...

Continue reading below to hear the call to prayer being called out over the entire city by loudpseaker...it's a haunting, droning cacophony.

Continue reading "Rooftop in Marrakesh"
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Posted by: keegan (155 posts)
December 6, 200612:38 AM

I totally forgot to do this post!

Back in October, Julie and I returned to one of our favorite places we have visited together, the mysterious and majestic state of Utah. Having visted Bryce and Zion a few years ago, we promised to return for Arches and Canyonlands. Utah has such raw natural beauty and varied terrain, it's hard to believe it's all in one state.

A big thanks to fellow invisibleman Jamie for the use of his amazing Nikon D70. An amazing piece of hardware...

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Posted by: keegan (155 posts)
September 25, 2005 6:50 PM

I just got back from my two week trip to Europe. We visited Germany (Düsseldorf and Cologne), the Netherlands (Amsterdam) and Denmark (Aarhus, Copenahgen and Møns Klint). We saw over a dozen museums and galleries, the best of which was probably the Louisiana Museum north of Copenhagen which had a really inspiring Matisse show (more on his tree drawing later).

On our last day we took a journey down to the southeast corner of Denmark to the island of Møn. There we found the most spectacular landscapes of our trip in the 400 foot white chalk cliffs of Møns Klint. A breathtaking end to our great trip.

In addition to taking scads of pictures, I tried to draw as much as possible, and I've created a collection of a few of the sketches to share. Click on the above image to see them, or click here.

I also have to recommend the sweeping epic of a novel, "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell (recommended to me by fellow invisibleman PA). This was my travel book, and it delivered exactly what I was looking for on a good trip. It's an epic that sweeps through time as well as distance. Be sure to check it out.

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Posted by: keegan (155 posts)
September 16, 2005 1:45 PM

I'm writing this entry in the lovely Flingern neighborhood of Dusseldorf, Germany. I was determined to add to our "travels" category with a euro-dispatch, so here I am. My invisiblewoman and I have just returned from a little side trip to Amsterdam, and are spending the weekend in our home base in Dusseldorf, which happens to be our gracious hosts Marcus & Vanessa's cool apartment. They have been taking us around to see the sights, all the art openings in Dusseldorf's art scene, the best doner kebab shops...And we had a nice trip to Koln today. The Museum Ludwig was spectacular...

Amsterdam was really lovely, and our time there helped erase some unsavory memories of my first visit years ago. In particular, we were quite taken by the Jordaan neighborhood, which is full of great shops and bars, and some incredibly quaint canal houses.

Of course we took in some inspiring art, including the suprisingly good collection of van Gogh's drawings at his eponymous museum. Nice to his his little sepia sketches in his folded letters to his brother Theo. They had several of his sketchbooks on display, which was a treat! Off to Arhus, Denamrk on Monday, then a brief visit around Copenhagen.

Couldn't scan in any of my sketches while on the road unfortunately, so the above photo will have to do until my return. A few more photos are available for perusal here."

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Posted by: kerry (81 posts)
September 2, 2005 6:12 PM

Last week my girlfriend and I hiked a healthy portion of the Appalachian Trail within the Presidential Range of New Hampshire's White Mountains. We took advantage of the High Mountain Hut System the AMC runs up there. Our hike was incredible. After an initially dreary hike-in day, we enjoyed "the best weather of season" according to the locals. In total we spent 3 nights in the huts, 4 days on the trail.

I've created a web gallery of our pics. Several of you IM contributors will recognize the sites: still beautiful, awesome and amazing. (And the huts only make 'em better!)

As the sheer number of pictures will attest, Corrie and I took our time getting from hut to hut. That left very little free-time for stationary sketching. Fortunately I did fit in some painting on the shores of Squam Lake prior and did draw the kitchen accoutrements with the Madison Hut, as seen below.

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Posted by: pa (190 posts)
August 21, 2005 9:12 PM

While in Maine this past week, my brothers Stephen, Jamie and I each did mutliple drawings/paintings of a piece of driftwood. The drawing above came from the sketchbook. The images below are from some of the photography/video sessions we managed between swimming, hiking, canoeing and exploring the woods w nephew Finn.

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Posted by: keegan (155 posts)
July 13, 200510:23 AM

This isn't technically MY post, but the first by none other than Our Man in Japan, George Guida. George and I went to high school togteher and shared countless hours speculating on who would play Wolverine if they ever made an X-Men film, and discussing the finer points of Nicholas Hammond's acting in the live action Spiderman TV show from the 70's. We also made an ambitious film of our own (more on that later).

Continue reading "Star Wars in Japan"
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Posted by: keegan (155 posts)
March 25, 2005 3:18 PM

These are some quick gouache studies I did in my sketchbook this summer while driving cross-country back from California. The upper right nad one is from Lake Tahoe, the rest are from Grand Teton National Park in the Great State of Wyoming.

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