Giverny and Monet

When we go to Paris, we will also go to Giverny, where

Monet lived and painted. I was lucky enough to get to

visit his home and gardens 8 years ago, and I took lots

of pictures. These are two small watercolor sketches of

his water garden and his home. I was there in the summer,

and the flowers were blooming all over. The Japanese

water gardens were fabulous...you could actuallly stand

where Monet stood and painted. I was familiar with

his paintings, and it gave me chills. His home was also such

a treat. His studio has been preserved, and his brushes and

tools were lying around like he just stepped out. I wonder

what he would think about the throngs of people parading

through there, and the huge gift shop built on the grounds

selling his art printed on every imaginable object...what a

hoot! I think he would probably be very pleased, if not amused!

Original watercolor sketches Giverny $15.00 each 4 x 6

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Paris Landmarks

When you travel to Paris, there are several things you

always want to see. These are two of them: the Arc

and the Opera. When I go this time, I want to photograph

them both, and do some nice finished watercolors.

These are small watercolor sketches, just for fun.

I am trying to learn some French, and it is quite comical.

My Southern accent just doesn't quite know what to do

with the French pronunciations. I have been using the

Rosetta stone program, and it makes you pronounce the

words before you can move on in the lesson. I have had

to just skip several and go on...the stone can't understand or

accept what it is hearing! I'll keep trying. I may just keep my

mouth shut while I am there....

Original watercolors 4 x 6 $15.00

sheltongail@hotmail.com

"Gone to London to visit the Queen"

The last day of our visit, we toured Windsor Castle. The

Queen was there, and our guide was excited.

The little town of Windsor is very quaint. It was quite

cold, however, and I enjoyed a great cup of hot chocolate

while waiting for the group.

I have finished the London sketchbook copy and it is

being printed. It should be here in a few days. I ordered

4 copies (one is already sold), so I will have a few copies

available. If you would like one, please let me know.

They will be around $35.00, plus shipping.

I am still working on some Paris paintings, and will post some

more soon.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Can You Hear me Now?

This is a page from the London sketchbook with

the red phone booth in it. I saw this street scene

when I left the National Gallery of Art. They had

washed off the sidewalk, so it was wet. I really

like this small painting...it captures how I felt that

morning.

We have been having some really severe weather

here the last couple of nights. Our prayers go out

to those affected by the storms.

I am working on the published version of this London

sketchbook...lots of uploading and editing. I should

be finished in a couple of days. will let you know.

National Gallery of Art

When I left church, I strolled up to Trafalgar Square,

and the National Gallery of Art. I wanted to be there

when it opened at 10. I watched the people in the

square..always fascinating. It was quite cold..in the 30's

with a brisk wind. I ducked into a McDonald's and had

some hot chocolate!

At the museum, I wanted to see the Impressionist's

paintings. This is one of VanGogh's: A Wheat Field with

Cypress I sketched it in colored pencil. I always enjoy

viewing fine art...it is inspirational to me.

Back to London...Sunday morning

Back to my London sketchbook...on Sunday morning,

we had some free time. I wanted to go to church at

Westminster Abbey. I got up early, and made it to the

8 am service.

I loved the inscription on the front of the building:

May God grant to the Living: Grace

To the Departed: Rest

To the Church and the World: Peace and Concord

And to us Sinners: Eternal Life

It was a beautiful morning, and I enjoyed worshipping

in the awesome surroundings.

Paris in the Spring

As most of you know, I take my group on a special

trip every year. We are going to Paris late in April.

In the meantime, I am doing some small paintings

and postcards of Paris to sell during and after the

trip. I am using some photos that I took the last time

I was there, about 8 years ago.

This is Notre Dame of course. When I saw it for the

first time, I wept. I had studied it all of my life, and

taught about it for years in Art History classes, and I

was overwhelmed when I finally stood in front of so

much history, so much devotion, such beauty...

I may have the same reaction this time...I hope so.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Original watercolor Notre Dame 5 x 7 $35.00

London at Night

These are some of the photos that we took that night

in London. We walked all around the square, and down

to Parliament, and back to Piccadilly Circus. It was

Saturday night, and there were lots of people enjoying

the evening. I thought these pics came out well...I had

never really tried to take any at night. It was Ilse's idea.

I think she had a good one!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Italian in London

When our bus tour was over, we were encouraged to stay

around downtown and enjoy some night life. Ilse, someone

else on the trip, and I decided to go out to eat at this Italian

restaurant near Trafalgar Square. It was not crowded, and

we enjoyed some pasta, garlic bread, and salad. I had the

waiter sign the page.

We left and went to take some night photographs.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

St. Paul's Cathedral

One more page from the sketchbook from London...St.

Paul's Cathedral. We passed by here on our bus tour.

The tour director recalled the scene from "Mary Poppins"

where the woman feeds the birds in front of the church.

That movie was always a favorite of mine.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Jazz Man

This is the jazz man that I have been working on

to enter in the CPSA annual show. It is prismacolor

pencil on Canson Mi Tientes paper (grey). The convention

is in Atlanta, GA this August. The show is part of the

convention where colored pencil enthusiasts come together

for workshops, networking, etc. I will finish this up and

enter it in the next couple of days.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

London Eye

While on our bus tour, we drove by the London Eye: an

immense farris wheel that rotates slowly and gives riders

a good long view of the city. They told us that it takes 40

minutes to complete the circle, and that each capsule holds

around 20 people. I did not get to ride it while there...there

wasn't a convenient time..would love to next trip.

I have been under the weather the last few days...just a cold.

But I have been managing to work on a piece for the Colored Pencil

Society show to be held in Atlanta Georgia this summer. I am

a signature member of this group, but haven't gotten a piece

juried into the show the last couple of years. will post my

progress soon.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

A Department Store and More

One of the most famous locations in London is Harrod's.

We drove by it on our tour. I did not get to shop there

this trip, but have in the past. It is an incredible store;

I found it delightful. I understand that many of the

locals think it a "dreadful bore". I particularly enjoyed

seeing the food markets on the bottom floor.

I tried to do some online shopping when I got home,

and found out they will not ship certain food or tea

selections because of FDA regulations. Shucks...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Our Sightseeing Tour

On Saturday, we left for our sightseeing tour of London

with our guide, Keith. Our first stop was the Prince

Albert Memorial near our hotel. Keith was very

knowledgeable about English history, customs, etc. He

was a "blue badge" guide that means he studied for

2 years to become one. My husband, daughter, and I

traveled to London 8 years ago, and Keith was our

guide then. I still remember some of the fascinating

facts he told us years ago. He signed this page for me,

next to the drawing of the memorial.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Our Leaders

These were our leaders for our convention in London:

Jenni Ruddy, Joel Reid, and Lauren Penna. The two

girls are employed by Go Ahead Tours, a division of

EF Tours. Joel was our Tour Director in London. He

is a native, and knew lots of inside information. They

were all delightful, and it was fun getting to know them.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Gone to Market...Covent that is

As we continued on our walking tour, we made our

way to Covent Garden. I love outdoor markets, and

this one did not disappoint. There was fruit, arts and

crafts, jewelry, etc. There was good food ( I ate a

pasty with potatoes and bacon), and had some hot

chocolate (it was very cold). We watched a "busker"

perform his bed of nails act in his zebra-striped

underwear....I guess you have to have the English

sense of humor. Anyway, it was a great place, and I

would love to return someday.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

A Walk in the Park

One of our first stops on our walking tour was this

quaint little park, not far from the Embankment

Subway stop. The crocuses were blooming and

were beautiful. Some people were enjoying the

sunshine in the outdoor cafe. That is the page from

my sketchbook, recording this stop on our tour.

For info on group travel:

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Day One

After checking into our hotel, our tour director, Joel,

took us on a walking tour to acquaint us with the area.

He wanted to teach us how to use the "tube", the

subway system. This little flower shop was next door

to the Gloucester Road station where we hopped on

the tube for the first time. very charming...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

"London...all that Life can afford"

"When a man is tired of London...he's tired of Life;

for there is in London all that

Life can afford."

dr.samuel johnson

This is the first page in my sketchbook...my intro page.

I did see a great deal in London this trip, and I certainly

was tired..but not of life...just jet lag! I can see that

it does indeed have a lot to explore and experience.

I will share a few of those discoveries in the next few days as I

post pages from my travel sketchbook.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

At the beginning...

Living where I do, I have to start a lot of my journeys

at a major airport far from home. I started my trip to

London in New Orleans, one of my favorite places. I

strolled around the French Quarter the day before my

flight, and took a few photos. I always love to watch and

listen to the street musicians, and these were two I had

not seen before. It is nice to see the Quarter coming back

to life after the storm; there were a lot of tourists enjoying

the early spring weather, and sampling all the delicious

food. a good start...

Home from London

I am back from my short little jaunt to London. We

had a great time. The weather was glorious...cold,

but dry. I met a lot of interesting people...all with a

passion for travel. We received a wealth of valuable

information on new tours, policies, etc. Jenni and Lauren

were delightful, and our tour director, Joel, could not

have been better! Thanks gang for a memorable time.

I managed to sketch and paint a little, and I will be

posting some of them in the next few days.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Pip, Pip, and Cheerio

I am London bound tomorrow. I am going to attend

the Go Ahead Tours annual group coordinator convention.

I will be gone for several days. I have already checked the

weather, and it seems it is going to be very cold and wet, for

this warm-weather Southerner. I hope to do some net-working,

check out some sites, eat some lousy food, and sketch a little.

This little watercolor is of the Red Lion Pub; one of several really

old pubs in London. We ate here on my last trip (the food was

awful...) Anyway, I did this little painting during the trip.

Hope to get to do a few more, and sell them to the convention

goers! Will let you know how it goes when I get back next week.

for info on group travel:

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Final Tiger Bait

When we went to the LSU/Oklahoma Championship game

in New Orleans in 2003, there were many OU fans in town.

It was a festive atmosphere, with a lot of friendly rivalry.

We rode the street car down St. Charles avenue, and at one

of the stops, several OU fans got on. All the LSU fans on the

streetcar started chanting, "Tiger Bait, Tiger Bait....". They

did not have a clue what was going on...they didn't at the game

either?!

I finished this version of "Tiger Bait" tonight for a client. They will

pick it up tomorrow.

sheltongail@hotmail.com