I've made a couple of trips to the Lan Su Chinese Garden this month. It's such a peaceful and idyllic spot with meandering paths, ancient stones, lovely plants and flowers, places for contemplation, and the gentle sound of flowing water. I never get tired of coming here, but I sometimes run out of time. The final details on this sketch were added at home at our front table.
I drew the boat in the lily pond, but went back another time to get a better view of the lilies.
How do you sketch the scent of gardenias?
I drew the side of the teahouse from a quiet, shady corner outside. A musician stopped to look at my sketch and soon afterward I heard his music coming through the open window.
Later, I decided that the sketch needed at least some color that surrounded it.
How do you sketch the sounds from a lute?
Finally, for this one, I sketched a pavilion and rooftops from inside another. pavilion.
As I sketched this, a Chinese American visitor from Seattle told me that this garden applied the feng shui principles of a traditional Chinese Garden. His two little daughters were busy taking photos and watching the koi. I should have sketched them, too!
2 comments:
Lan Su is one of my favorite places to sketch too! You've captured the serenity of the garden in your sketches, and I love the addition of calligraphy and little flourishes! You are right--the smells and sounds can never be captured in a sketch, but they can be vividly remembered by the sketcher!
Thank you, Janane. Yes, aren't we lucky that looking back on our sketchers we can recall so many elusive features of our surroundings? I love the memories that bubble up when I look at my sketches and sketches by others when I was there, too. We're collecting so many good memories!
Post a Comment