I’ve been away from the blogging (and drawing) for too long. Working on cleaning up my studio for Silicon Valley Open Studios last week (more on that later) and finishing some commissioned pieces. And it just felt right to get back to sketching with a fun little series I’ve had in mind for a while.
I’m always fascinated by the topiary I see in my neighborhood. Beautiful, natural trees tamed into perfect (alright, sometimes not-so-perfect) globes and cubes, flat topped bushes, and poodle-like shrubs. I thought I’d record a few in an accordion-book.
Here’s what the book looks like.
And here it is in little sections, close up.
I used the simplest of kits: a Blackwing pencil, watersoluble graphite and my tiny split-primaries palette in a Pocket Palette.
Sketch Away: Travels with my sketchbook 
Loved these drawings, Suhita. But it’s so fun in an accordion book!
LikeLike
Great pictures as always! Best of luck with the Open Studios.
LikeLike
Interesting idea. Great sketches!! Will have to keep my eye out for some.
Pearl Fryar in Bishopville SC makes huge Dr Seuss looking topiaries in his very large garden. Some are 30-50 feet tall. We stopped by on the way to the outer banks a few years ago.
You have to leave a donation in a mail box on the property. 🤗
Amazingly he has all the neighbors doing them too. Even the gas station and the Waffle House has topiaries out front which is how we stumbled on him. I had seen a PBS special about Pearl earlier and realized we had to be near his house. His garden is just off the I-20 near the Sc Nc state line. http://pearlfryar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=9&Itemid=6
LikeLike
Great sketches of some bizarre trees! Ah — the human need to shape everything we see! 😉 We used to have a bush/tree that Greg carved into the shape of a man’s profile. Eventually he cut it down, and even years later, neighbors (many we didn’t even know) walked by and told us they still miss the “head” bush. We didn’t even know people noticed it!
– Tina
LikeLike
Love the accordion sketches – the spare use of color enhances the overall composition.
LikeLike
These are special!!! Proving that time spent away from one process to work in others can only enhance the neglected medium once we return to it! IMHO, LOL!
LikeLike