Sisterhood of the Traveling Sketchbook-June/Lori, July/Kathy and Aug/Nicole

June entry in Lori's sketchbook

July entry in Kathy's sketchbook

2nd spread in July entry

August entry in Nicole's sketchbook

2nd spread in August book

It has been a very busy summer and blogging has not been foremost on my list of things I want to spend time doing.  I've been walking, fundraising, participating in Susan G. Komen 3-Day's for the Cure, doing art both for myself and for others and just enjoying a beautiful summer.  Here are my last 3 entries in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Sketchbook.  I cant find an image of my 2nd spread for June and I don't know that Lori has a blog.  (Sorry if you do and I missed it!)  These entries are always fun for me.  It is funny how I can go from no idea, to a fully formed idea, and then again how it changes as I am working.  It has been a challenge to think of how to display the months in new, personal ways. 

Sisterhood of the Traveling Sketchbook-May/Jaime

I was able to spend the entire afternoon with Jaime's sketchbook.  This is my spread for the month of May.  To me, May represents beginnings and endings.  It is my birthday which always makes me reflect on the past year, give thanks for the good and hopefully the bad seems less severe when revisited.  It is a time of celebration, of gathering my family around me and of hopes for what will come in the year ahead. 

May is the end to my teaching year.  It is celebrated by a nice recital where all my students can showcase their developing skills.  It is when I can sit and think about the progress each one has made, and begin to plan the directions I'd like to take them in the fall.

May is a time of stepping back my studio teaching obligations so that I may enjoy a more relaxed, free summer.  It allows me more time to spend outdoors during the beautiful Michigan summer.  It gives me time to devote to my art and time to really enjoy being by myself.

Finally, May is planting season (usually, but we've had so much rain everything is delayed this year!).  I love seeing all the freshly plowed fields while I'm out walking.  They look so neat and orderly and I've always wanted to go and play in one.  (I've managed to avoid doing this so my farmer neighbors wont be upset with me).  I also love to plant flowers while I'm surrounded by the fragrance of lilacs in bloom and the flutterings of the first butterflies of the year.  May brings many things to a close in my life, but it also opens many new and exciting doors.

I hope that Jaime likes my entry in her sketchbook.  I  had a relaxing and fun time painting it.