Hot summer in the city

This is how you celebrate the end of a hot summer weekend.  Almost every weekend in the summer in my city there is a festival of some kind.  Last weekend was "Taste of Calgary" which is one of my favourites.  Lots of local restaurants get together at Prince's Island on the Bow river and offer small bites of their best dishes and drinks. It was hot and sunny and lots of fun.
We came home and relaxed on our shady deck with a Blue Mojito.
I had my first Blue Mojito on the island of Curacao where they produce the orange flavoured Curacao liquer that makes this drink so beautiful and tasty.  The little sprig of orange mint came from my garden. Summer in the city has been good this year.

Cordelia's Blue Mojito Recipe
Pour some rum into a glass (live large and use good amber rum rather than that harsh white stuff)
Throw 6 mint leaves and half a key lime into the rum.
Muddle or mash together until it smells amazing.
Take out the leaves and lime.
Pour in some Curacao liquer until you have a really pretty blue colour.
Add ice cubes and top off with club soda.
Take it out onto the deck and relax and celebrate how fabulous your life is.
Repeat as needed.

What's blooming this week

I often find inspiration in my garden and, in tune with keeping it simple, I returned there for my subject.  We had lots of rain in June, and lots of hot sunny weather in July.  The garden exploded into lush wild growth (including the chickweed, but we'll pretend that didn't happen).  These three flowers represent the simplest shapes and the simplest colours, too.  Nothing is extraneous or overdone. The bees love these flowers, it's probably easy and quick to gather the pollen.
Micron pen, watercolor paint, and white gel pen.

Keeping it simple

For a while, I forgot to keep it simple.  I forgot that my main source of inspiration in sketching is to celebrate the simple beauty in every day life.  My drawing got tight and frustrating and was no longer a source of joy and release for me,
So I've gone back to the basics.  I was on my deck eating one of these white peaches.  They were fresh and sweet and juicy and I noticed the rich colors and interesting swirly patterns on the skins.  And that's why I like to draw - to capture that simple beauty in the ordinary.   I think John Keats had it right:

'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'	50

It was fun to play with softening edges and blending colors and adding salt to damp paint. Keep it simple and enjoy the process.
Watercolor (and salt) in the Hand.book journal