‘I like’ Friday, a Creative Day Out.

Last Friday the library where I work was closed so I took myself on a creative day out. I jumped on the Metro Link and headed to my favorite magazine shop to start my day. I picked out a couple of mags and went on my way. Along with my magazines I also had the little sketchbook which I literally made right before I left along with a few pens and a water pen filled with ink (one of my favorite things to use).

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Back to the train and off to Forest Park and the St Louis Art Museum not forgetting to stop off and get a rosemary brown sugar latte (so good!) to walk across the park with.

The sun was shining and the trees were in their fall colours as I walked across the park to the art museum.

Once at the museum I made sure I kept my eyes and ears open. You never know what you might hear in the galleries! I made notes in my book and little sketches as I went.

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As I walked to the museum I gathered some yellow gingko leaves with a view to sketching them when I got to a bench to sit on. Also I noticed a couple of signs with bicycles on so I snapped them with my phone also to sketch when I got to sit.

Making little plans like this as I went really helped me capture the day in my sketchbook with words or sketches or taped in leaves! More often than not, I will take a sketchbook out and be so self conscious I would do nothing in it. This time I was determined and I to achieve this I made it easy to do for myself. Which is why I gathered the leaves rather than drawing them on the spot and why I took photos of the signs instead of standing in front of them sketching and feeling silly and consequently rushing to be done rather than really looking.

I made no masterpieces but I did start a new sketchbook and got some ideas and some conversation tidbits to use at some point.

Even the title of a piece of art caught my attention – ‘In Praise of Flower Hunting’ – the title of a Japanese block print. What a fabulous idea! I want to make my own something inspired by these words.

While I sat in a dark room watching a photo exhibit I over heard some people outside as they walked by and one of them asked his friend ‘Did you fart?’ which was a moment of hilarity for me because I have the sense of humor of a toddler!!! Did I write that in my book? Of course I did!

These shadows demanded that I sit and paint them, so I did. The window was off a gallery with some quiet seating, so I could get my book and ink filled brush out and make a quick sketch without interruptions from my self confidence.