Jan's Art Journal

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. It's time to regroup and set goals. One of my goals is to post on my blog REGULARLY. I mentioned in an earlier post that it was a challenge to sketch the animals in Tanzania. They wouldn't pose for me! My dog, Cruiser, is a great model. When he is taking a nap I can leisurely sketch him. Nature does not have straight lines. Neither does Cruiser. He likes to get in a fetal position. He seems to go into hibernation on these dark, winter days.

Jan's Art Journal

Merry Christmas! It's a rainy, dreary day in Michigan. I'm sure glad we have our little tree. We put it up as soon as we got back from Tanzania. I enjoyed looking at it so much that I decided to sketch it!

Be spontaneous in your sketching. Maybe you'll get something worth doing something with later, and maybe you won't. Look at the effort as a "warm-up." I have pages that look just like doodles. So what.

I'm onto a new sketchbook. I'm just like a kid with a new box of crayons. I bought several gray pens to use for the middle tones. Can't wait to use them.

We'll be leaving for our winter sojourn to Florida on Jan 2. Can't wait for the sun and warm weather.

Jan's Art Journal

This is Olasiti Lodge in Arusha, Tanzania. While enjoying our R and R, I had an opportunity to sketch. Tanzania is very close to the equator which means that colors are more brilliant. It was quite a visual shock when we got off the plane in Detroit. Living in Michigan, we're not aware of this difference except that we know we are searching for color and light this time of year. One year we kept up our Christmas tree (an artificial one) until March 17th. I know, I know. Usually, we are in Florida by this time of the year, but this year it was very different. While on safari, my husband developed severe arthritis symptoms. As soon as we got home, we got to a rheumatologist. He's now stable and we are heading south for sun, warmth and color!

Jan's Art Journal

Tanzania Travels.

This is Joe, our patient driver/guide. He is sitting at the wheel waiting for us to take picture after picture. Joe would laugh and remind us that on the first game drives we would get excited if we saw a zebra or a giraffe or any "common" bird or animal. Now, it's a cheetah or leopard, or we lose interest. It's sort of like "seen one castle, seen them all."

The other picture is of the baobob tree. It is referred to as the "upside down" tree. It looks like all its roots are at the top. The trunks are huge and fascinating. This is a typical tree in Tanzania.

Jan's Art Journal

Continuation of sketches from our Tanzania Safari.

As I sit at my computer in the "frozen" north, I can't help but recall the warm, bright days in Tanzania. Being so close to the equator, there is little variation in the length of their days. The colors are so vivid. The sunrises and sunsets are exquisite. The Christmas tree lights here adds some color to the gray days.

I call this sketch The Honeymooners. I was able to sketch the lion couple because they are resting up between "rounds," if you get my drift. The honeymoon activities are continuous for 4 to 7 days, depending. During the honeymoon the relationship in monogamous, then it's on to the next bride in the king's harem.

Since I had the luxury of still models, I filled in the background. Now I actually have a finished composition. Even though it was dusk the colors were still vivid. We overstayed our visit. A sudden downpour slowed our progress to camp. The word slow on the park roads take on a special meaning during a storm. Anglebert drove around huge ponds that seemed to come out of nowhere. We sure didn't want to spend the night with the lions! What a ride!

Jan's Art Journal

The first picture, in case you can't figure it out, is of hippos. The hippos are relatively slow moving, so I was able to catch some accurate lines. We visited a hippo pond while on a game drive. Hundreds of hippos call this large pond home. We visited in the afternoon so many were taking their afternoon siesta. I sure wouldn't want to get my arm caught in a hippo mouth!

Going on a game drive is quite an experience. We drive and drive and are constantly on the lookout for game. The bigger the prize, the greater the pressure on the driver/guide. As soon as a lion or cheetah, for instance, has been spotted, the game mobiles seem to come out of the woodwork. I don't know whether or not smoke signals are sent, but all of a sudden there are 10, 20, 30 vehicles all jockeying for the best "looking" position. Heads are popping out of the roofs and windows. Folks are jockeying for the best camera and binocular positions. Quite a sight!

This is the view of the Serengeti Plain from the gazebo at our MOBILE tented campsite. Mobile is in caps because this one word has loads of impact. The tented camps are on platforms above the ground. Nice and safe. Nice and comfy. The OTHER KIND are on the ground. We had regular night visitors. The local cape buffalo crowd spent the night in our campground because they knew the local lions wouldn't come near the camp. Between the snorting and chomping, I didn't sleep through the night!

Jan's Art Journal

We recently returned from a trip to Tanzania. A trip to Africa is mind changing. I sketched along the way, but it's not easy to sketch people or animals when they are constantly on the move. Sketching is a wonderful way to really look. I used pen and then went over some of them with watercolor pencil.

The first picture is sketches I did while on a game drive. The animals are cape buffalo and elephants. Central Africa has been experiencing drought conditions for several years. It has taken its toll on the people and the animals. The Massai man was our nature guide on a hike at the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The mountain is referred to as the "Shy Lady" because she doesn't show herself. We never saw the mountain until we were headed to the airport!