NAEA convention, Washington D.C.

Enjoying this professional development trip. Touring museums and learning, talking about and engaging in art. Thanks to the Delaware Division of the Arts for supplying a professional development grant that made it possible for me to attend this great conference!

Sketched this while sitting in the Hirshorn Museum, looking at some pretty stunning Matisse sculptures. These were the Back Sculptures.

I discovered that I'm much more appreciative of Mattise's sculptures
than his paintings.

From the African Museum of Art, which I was thinking I wouldn't really care for, and
ended up loving it.
 Some really amazing masks, carvings, ritualistic items

One of my favorite things to do is sketch people when they're sitting still. I almost
never share them with the person, because usually they're not real flattering.

This was a sketch from a Japanese screen in the Freer Museum. I can't tell you how great
it is to just take full days of just capturing images...sketching, playing,
just absolutely decompressing.

A sketch of a beautiful painting hanging in the Peacock Room at the Freer, by Whistler
(yes....the "Whistler's Mother"Whistler.) This is the story of the Peacock Room.
A great story with photos. Very worth the read.

Sketches from Whistler's "Nocturne" Series. He related art to music. These were dark, moody
paintings that at first glance, weren't much. Sometimes it takes a closer look to see the beauty
in things.  Critics hated these paintings. I grew to love them.

Caprice in Purple and Gold sketch. The composition of the painting on left and some
sketches of the female model on the right. This was a beautiful, lush painting which was
the polar opposite of his Nocturne series.

Students at the conference and a detail of the painting
we were discussing at top right.

Noguchi's Great Rock of Inner Seeking. Huge basalt sculpture.
Interesting texture.

This is Yoko Ono's Wishing Tree at the Hirshorn
Sculpture Garden. The little tags contain
wishes left by people.

This is one of my wishes. I made two.