Another Snow Pile—Bald Eagle Lake, MN

Above: Sketch of terracota pots filled with snow on friend's deck. Looking out into a marsh. Sketchbook (6.5 x 9 inches page size) handmade with Magnani Annigoni Designo paper (tan paper). Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Calligraphy pen, Daniel Smith Watercolors, and M. Graham Titanium White Gouache. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Well if the snow isn't going to melt at least I have a toned paper journal to work in.

Yesterday I went to visit a friend who is recovering from foot surgery. She lives on Bald Eagle Lake. Looking out her window I saw lovely stretches of marsh, shadows coming and going across the snow, and a garden of planting pots all covered with domes of snow. I thought the pots still had dead plants in them, but that's just the case with the two in the front of the sketch. Everything else was emptied in the fall and that's just the way the snow falls, and accumulates in this wind protected alcove.

Since I'm not a gardener and have no dealings with pots at any time of the year this is all news to me. (Over on the left side you can see the folded green umbrella for the table.)

We sat, talking and sketching for a while with the sun coming and going. I didn't have my gouache palette with me (it must have fallen out at home) so I used my small watercolor palette with Daniel Smith Watercolors and borrowed some fresh white gouache from Diane—like a sensible artist she had a tube sitting right on the table.

After we'd put our journals away and the sun was failing, two young deer emerged from the banks and started to wander through the marsh. It was hard to believe I was only about 15 minutes from Downtown St. Paul!