BlackHorse Golf & County Resort
Played this golf course on Friday, August 21, a sunny, hot day, perfect for golf. The number breakdown looks like this...
18 holes  -  16 sketches  -  2 tall boys  -  4 hours, 5 minutes  -  89 total
Riding in a cart while golfing, always gives more time for sketching. The "on course" sketches are very quick... I never want to be "that" golfer who holds other golfers up! So, I have learned to sketch very quickly, especially on the golf course. Sometimes, I start with some pencil lines (I was using a mechanical pencil, which I have had since college), but sometimes I go right to permanent black ink.  All of these sketches were done on the course and the colour was added later.

I still sketch every golf hole I play. This obsession started in the spring of 2016 and still I still have the urge to record every hole I play. If I have already sketched the holes/course, no need to do it again. Greenhills Golf Club is no longer owned by Clublink, which means I have played all of my rounds at the same course since this season started. But... while out of town last week, I got to play 2 different courses: a 12 hole course in Eagle Lake (not a typo... a 12 hole course) and an 18 hole course.

"Eagle Lake Golf, is tucked away just a short picturesque drive west of South River. A gently rolling one of a kind 12-hole course, designed to tantalize the everyday golfer yet it reminds you that accuracy is more important than distance alone." A fun course to play, needs some work, its a little rough around the edges.
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"Osprey Links Golf Course. The front 9 is a traditional links style golf course with eight strategically placed ponds enhancing every hole, while the back nine is a completely different challenge. Being almost completely cut out of the forest, it features tree-bordered fairways and extreme elevations." I loved the tree lined back nine, did not like the front nine so much. .

A week of waking up to this view! When you are surrounded by trees and water, no internet or TV, the day consists of sketching (images to come), reading (J. D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski / a novel by Stuart Woods and started PAUSE, an Emily Carr Sketch Book), and kayaking. Later in the day, maybe a curse around the lake on the boat. While others like to get up and go fishing at 6 am, I liked to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet. The cottage is located on Eagle Lake (north of Huntsville).

Located on a point... the bay on the west side makes a great perfect place to kayak.

We are in the heart or should I say HEAT of golf season. Last evening on the course was about 32 degrees plus humidity, making it feel like 39! It was pretty hot walking.
Golf season means less time spent doing artwork and more time spent on the golf course. Playing golf three times per week takes about 15 hours. That does include the nineteenth hole beer. New policies and procedures are place on the course, but golf is the one thing that feels very close to the normal that used to be. There are few exceptions, but easy to deal with, just happy to be on the golf course... no matter how hot it is!
Below is artwork completed in 2012. My favourite quote from this piece is: “One minute you’re bleeding. The next minute you’re hemorrhaging. The next minute you’re painting the Mona Lisa." Mac O'Grady. If you are golfer, you can relate. Recently I translated the image into a greeting card.

What is inspiration and where does it come from? Everyone will answer that question differently. For some it's internal, for others it's external, or maybe a combination of the two. We are all unique and find our inspiration in different places at different times and for different reasons.
My inspiration comes:
walking: can be in nature or urban setting, but focus on what's around,
reading: choosing a random book or subject ~ downloading books from the London Public Library is great option,
and listening: conversation, the most important part of communication is listening. 

I borrowed the book "The Hidden Life of Trees" from a friend. It took quite a while to read. For me, it was too technical in places, but in the end... Trees are alive. They think. They feel. They communicate. That's where the inspiration started. For the last couple of months I have been observing and thinking about trees more. I have done a couple of sketches, but it's really just the start. I am not sure where this will take me....

An interesting read:  "Why Inspiration Matters" from Harvard Business Review.

Located in Old South, "The Village Idiot" is a destination for music lovers from all corners of the city and beyond. The original illustration (SS80 The Village Idiot) was completed in 2016, based on the photo taken in 2013. A recent request prompted me to do a new one. You gotta love the red trim! It gives the facade so much character and so much charm. Some buildings need to be recorded, captured, illustrated and enjoyed. This is one of those buildings.

Below: First image is photo is from 2013. Second image is recently completed illustration. Third image is photo taken in 2020.

​Do you like the red colour scheme OR the black colour scheme?

After reading the book, "The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben, I look at trees differently. I did not find the book an easy read and it took a long time to get through it... but the book certainly opened my eyes to appreciate trees differently. Whether I am walking by river or walking on a golf course, I look more closely the shape, the size, the colour, the texture of the bark, the way it grows, where it grows, and think: how much pain has this tree suffered during its lifetime, how old is this tree, how deep are the roots, how is it communicating with other trees, is it happy?
This tree, with its eight twisty trunks and the umbrella shaped crown, located between the 17th green and the 18th tee box at Greenhills Golf Club is just begging to be drawn and used in my artwork. 

I have been asked "why do I call some of my artworks - sketches and some of my artworks - drawings?"

Official Definitions
sketch: a rough drawing representing the chief features of an object or scene and often made as a preliminary study
drawing: the art or technique of representing an object or outlining a figure, plan, or sketch by means of lines

I find a "sketching" in a sketchbook fun and relaxing. There is no pressure to please other people. I am using a sketchbook, which is relatively inexpensive, (usually) acid free, 60 lb paper with a fine tooth surface. The finished product is just for me. I find my lines are freer and there is more life in the sketch when I am not concerned about exact shape, size, colour, etc.

Most of my commissions required more detail. I use a much more expensive substrate, (usually) Arches Watercolour Hot Press 140 lb, and 100% cotton paper. The challenge is always to keep the "life and character" in the finished drawing.  I would say... my finished artworks fit somewhere in the grey area between a sketch and a drawing. My finished works are not exact, but they are close.