Travel Sketches from New Hampshire

Last fall I had the great good fortune to take a trip to New Hampshire and Vermont.  I spent much of my time sight-seeing and doing some travel sketching.

For me, the impact of keeping a travel sketchbook is combining both the visual and the verbal.

I do not write down the "dear diary" sort of entry to capture everything I did on a trip.  And I don't even use the sketches to commemorate every wonderful thing I encountered on a trip.  I take loads of photos and I enjoy them.

But in the quiet moments, or the moments when I can find time to draw, I draw whatever is in front of me, and I can write a bit about what the travels have brought to my attention.

Such sketchbooks made a great record of the experience, that complements any photos I take.

Below are a few of my sketches from the start of the trip.

First, a sketch of the blaring CNN coverage of the political situation in the United States at the time.  It was around 9 am and because I am always nervous about flying, having to listen to this horror show while I waited for the hotel shuttle to take me to the airport didn't do me any good.  I recorded that moment of frustration on this page.

 Scribbling on a plane is a great way to distract yourself if you are  a nervous flyer!

We stayed with friends who had a comfy chair in their front yard with a lovely view of foggy mountains.  I had the chance to go for a morning walk and capture this scene before others were up and at 'em for the day.

I am sure I would not remember this quiet moment and that delightful wet walk if I hadn't done this sketch.

Below, I captured (and not exactly accurately) one feature of their home in New England that I remember seeing a lot in my childhood days growing up on the east coast, but which I never see in the midwest:  wall sconces.  I love them.

One day I traveled to Portsmouth, NH, to explore.  I had a lovely lunch on an enclosed porch on the water, where they let me sit for two hours and paint while I ate.

While I was painting, another woman in the restaurant came over and asked if she could take a picture of me sketching.  I said sure!  So now I and my work are in someone else's memories of this excellent day!

I see more and more how scribbling in public brings the most interesting encounters and opportunities.