sketchbooks/drawings | Beth Emmott

This is the archive for the ‘sketchbooks/drawings’ Category

Here and There-This and That

July 23rd, 2024

Been a busy year so far. Little bit of traveling. In March we saw my brother,Curt in VA and then spent a few days in VA Beach – got to the ocean and time for a bit of sketching. Really enjoyed how the grass was blowing in the wind.

Image of Sand and Ocean. Beach Grass studies.
Sketching on a windy day

Then in April we had a long weekend in Chincoteague. Often had driven past the turn off to Chincoteague when going down the Delmarva peninsula to visit my Mom and I always wanted to see the ponies. April turned out to be a perfect time. Not so hot and buggy, few tourists but things were slowly opening up so there were restaurants etc. to enjoy. Stayed in a small cottage right on the water facing Assateague island. Large, screened room – so peaceful – I could sit all day looking out watching the birds and forgetting the world for a bit. …and we saw the ponies!

Image View from our Porch.
View from our Porch

Image of Marsh. Chincoteague Ponies.
Almost Primeval

I finished a painting commission which involved a trip to ME to deliver. Quick trip up and back but got to visit my cousin and eat lobster – saw old friends and saw the ocean.

And I’m excited to have had work included in a juried exhibition at the Galleries at Moore College of Art. One of a mixed media series with printing, acetate and stitching titled “…even after the storm passes…”.

Image of Mixed Media Art.
My entry

Maine Sketches

February 27th, 2024

I realize my last post was about our trip to Maine in a hurricane but I never showed any of my sketches. Our cabin faced the water with small islands leading to the Atlantic. Steps lead down to a small cove with a beach. So even in the hurricane I could still sketch. Many days were foggy, some were wild and stormy, and some mornings were breathtaking.

Image of Maine Fog. Maine Island Sketch
Fog came and went

Image of Maine Evening Sketch. Maine Sunrise Sketch
Weather Changes

Image of Maine Morning Sketch. Maine Bright Sketch
Maine Mornings

Garden Book-Sketching

June 5th, 2023

Well, my leg is healed – PT almost over, so all that’s good – Days have been warm and sunny. Sometimes it’s just wonderful to sit outside and enjoy the garden, the birds, and the sun.

Image of Garden book opened.
Opened traditionally

I’ve working on this project – on and off for a good while – sketching in the garden in a simple book that looks more complicated than it is. It’s all made from one sheet of paper, cut and folded. I love the way I can fold and arrange it in different ways so different pages appear next to each and how it can be opened in different ways. Fun to play with.

Image of Garden book.
Playing with folds

Closeup of pages

I started by dying sections with tea and rusty objects-one of my quick and easy way to mark things up. Very serendipitous. Never sure of the result. Then the sketching began using pen and ink. Pages run into one and other. One day I might start a new area and another I’ll work back into a page. Our garden is very organic, and I wanted this book to convey that feeling. It’s nearing the end and I will have to deal with a cover – I have some ideas but it will probably tell me once it’s finished.

Sketching

March 25th, 2023

Still dealing with my leg and can’t really stand for long as yet… so, I’ve been sitting and sketching and experimenting with watercolors. Want to loosen up and not be so literal. Also want to paint outside other than on my deck, but that will have to wait a week or so. Here’s some of my recent explorations. I’m having fun.

Image of Watercolor Sketch

Watercolor Explorations

Documentation

March 13th, 2023

This has been a very difficult time personally and I haven’t been in my studio for a while. In one month, I both broke my tibia and worst on March 4th lost my brother, Senter, to cancer.

I still haven’t been able to work but have started to document some smaller work I’ve done this past year in a small sketchbook. Mostly mark making, collage, and simple printing, resulting in mixed media books and other explorations. Some of this work was done in courses lead by Lorna Crane and by Sally Tyrie through Fiber Arts Take Two. Revisiting work is calming, a chance to slow down and think about my direction – how will this work influence future projects. I still have a ways to go with this documentation but here are some results to date. It’s a work in progress.

Image of Mark Making Book Image of Marks on Fabric
Mark Making Explorations: 1. Mark Making Book, 2. Painted Fabric Samples

Image of Print-Incoming Tide Image of Marks and Prints
1. Print: Incoming Tide, 2. Small collage using various types of simple printing

Image of Nature Studies Image of deconstructed explorations
1. Prints, acetate images and machine stitches, from a series of 14, 2. More explorations, didn’t go with these

Image of Artist Book-Closed Image of Artist Book-Open
Three earlier fabric books, combined together with a leather cover. I’m still working on the cover.

Exposition Catalog and Other Bits

February 15th, 2022

Things have been pretty busy and I realized I didn’t post about the catalogs from my exposition at iMPeRFeCT Gallery this fall. I designed them and am very excited how they turned out. The exposition included both paintings and fiber work and was titled, “Beth Emmott: Places.Spaces, Paintings and Stitches”

Front Covers
Catalog Covers

and two inside spreads:

Catalog Spread Showing Paintings Sample of Fiber's Spread
Samples of Painting and Fiber Pages

If any one wants one they are 8″x 8″ and 48 pages and are available at $15.00 each plus shipping.
For more information contact me at: beth@emmott.com
Again I want to thank iMPeRFeCT Gallery for my exposition!

In the mean time, I finished the Alice Fox workshop. We used our rusty dyed fabrics in finished pieces.
Here are two of mine.

Finished Fabric Finished Fiber
“Yellow” and “Plain and Fancy”

They are small and both used old fabrics from my grandmother’s stash. The yellow bit was weighted silk that was splitting and mainly became a tie-dye from the binding it was wrapped with – there was little rusty marking. It was finished with french knots and a simple running thread. The other work consisted a piece of a cotton napkin and old patterned silk with a couched cord. It was a very fun workshop and a good distraction from the cold weather.

I’ve also gotten back to working on my one-a-day sketch book I stopped in June when I as sick and doing a lot of drawing. Now to get working on my painting!