Urban Sketchers Houston on Vacation

Richard Scruggs

Whether it's a vacay or a staycay, a trip or some relaxing time off is a great excuse for some urban sketching. Judith has her retreat down in Galveston. And she enjoys the seaside views like the one in the blog header. Richard Scruggs headed out of town to New Mexico. Here he commemorates the closing of a classic old motel.

Susan Bruhn

Susan Bruhn didn't go far. She visits her parents in Spring Branch, Texas which is just outside San Antonio. She says her father feeds the deer every night.

Cissy Geigerman

Similarly, Cissy Geigerman didn't go far for this sketch.  Her trip to Corpus Christi took her to the flagship WhataBurger location. Architecture and history in one sketch.

But she also went a little further afield. Her trip to Alaska gave her lots of sketching time. The perspective from the viewing car on the Alaska Railway shows us that travel time should never be wasted.  And the scene in downtown Talkeetna is charming. Hopefully, it's a stuffed moose.

Cissy Geigerman

Barbara Daily

Barbara Daily took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina where she visited the Biltmore Estate.

Susan DeCourcy

Susan DeCourcy took a trip to Florida. The sketch on the left shows the Port of Tampa as seen from the city. But what would a trip to Florida be without a day at the beach? On the right, we have two people strolling on the beach at Fort DeSoto Park off the tip of St. Petersburg. Both the long, narrow vertical and wide, horizontal are perfect perspectives.

Peter

Then there are folks who got to take multiple trips. Peter's landscapes from Arizona make you feel the sun on your skin. The top one is from Sedona and the bottom from Montezuma's Well.

Peter

He also took a trip to Florida. What is more iconic at Cape Canaveral than the rockets on display and the huge launch complex sitting near the dunes? The launch complex sketch definitely gives you a sense of scale.

Mary McJunkin

Mary McJunkin went first to Wisconsin and then to Minnesota. This is the bridge over the St. Croix River from the Stillwater side. 

Mary McJunkin

Stillwater is the oldest city in Minnesota, Mary reports. So of course she recorded one of the older homes.

It looks as if lots of our Houston sketchers took advantage of vacation time to do a little drawing. Drawing on your vacation records memories in a way that a camera never will. If you haven't tried this yet, I recommend it as a way to slow down and savor the moment.