We arrived back at La Thebauderie from the US just a week ago. It has been quite cold the whole time, with a bit of snow one day; too cold to get out much – it is 29F (-2C) as I am writing this at 10.47am. We have stayed in except for excursions to the supermarché, La Poste, and the hardware store. Any travelsketches I have done are the result of journeys in my mind.

I found this quote in the book, “Vincent Van Gogh, A Life in Letters.” Not sure all it means, but it moved me to grab a pencil for a sketch – if the quote stimulates any ideas for you I would love to hear them.

Friends in Seattle gave me a dozen Blackwing pencils, my friend Tim said, “someone loves you” when I told him about the pencils. Blackwing pencils are like no other, for writing and even for sketching, so I did a couple.

It seems that Paris and France are places where my mind often takes its journeys. We are hoping to visit Greece this year, a place easy to sketch.

Red umbrellas in Paris are frequent in the art world, they are just intriguing to paint and draw.

The PNW of the USA will always hold a special spot in my mind. For many years I hiked the mountain trails and camped near the lakes.

The cold weather makes one take a mental journey to someplace a bit warmer, like Nice on the Cote d’Azure. It is a place I could easily live.

The weather will be cold for a few more days. Next Friday we head back to Paris, Tricia has an appointment with an eye doctor, then on Tuesday we or off to Peniscola in the south of Spain, sun is a certainty, and a bit warmer temps will be welcomed.

I hope you are keeping warm wherever your journeys take you. And as always keep sketching. If you have never sketched and want to try, check out my book on the “About me” page – it is free.