During our drive early in the evening last night, I sketched this strange little house in Smithville, MO. It’s cobbled together with additions and wonky rooflines. At one point, I imagine this wee house was symmetrical, but the front door was relocated and is now off-kilter and out of synch with the other elements. It sits on a modest street at the bottom of a steep hill. I drew it from two different perspectives — front and side. The side elevation is as wacky as the front with the crazy combination of a hipped roof and oversized dormer windows. Everything’s a tad crooked, faded, and a bit forlorn with an assortment of old, empty plastic bottles piled up on the porch and bird feeders and planter boxes that are empty and sad. There are dark, press-on metallic address stickers on the front porch gable that you really can’t read until you’re right upon them, and the lawn is splotchy and rimmed by an old, cracked sidewalk. This poor little house along Winner Avenue needs some TLC and a bit of sprucing up! #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #smithvillemo #architecturalsketching #sketchinghouses #twodifferentperspectives #dormerwindows #needssometlc
A drive in the Smithville Lake environs last night just before sunset and my last few sketches for #uskweek2024. This farmhouse was along 92 Hwy. between Smithville and Ectonville, and at Five Corners Road. I love a white farmhouse — the shape of the building, the windows, the porch roof. The green of the roof blended in with the greens of the massive trees, fully leafed out and taking over. Very strange for everything to be so far along; it’s only the beginning of May. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #whitefarmhouses #iloveafarmhouse #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #smithvillemo #ectonville #architecturalsketching #sketchinghouses
My fourth and final sketch in the rain this morning — the side of a traditional house in the Greene Hills neighborhood in Liberty, and what I could see from my car plein air sketching persecutive! I love sketching the everyday and especially the sides and backs of houses and buildings. The places where they might not be showing their best sides but promise intriguing observational stories and enjoyable sketching opportunities. I love the massive trees in the front yard (with a side view), the way the garage carves out a basement-level niche into the side of a hill (quite a frequent feature around here, a very hilly place), the wonkiness of an old-fashioned and faded wooden privacy fence, the red brick chimney and painted red trim on just the roof edge, 70’s-era wrap-around wooden stairs that lead upland around the hill from the driveway to the front of the house, simple rectangular windows, and the curiosity of that narrow entrance door in between the two larger garage doors. #urbansketching #USkKC #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #libertymo #sketchingarchitecture #sketchinghouses #midwesternarchitecture #kansascityarchitecture #drawing #sketchingthesidesofhouses #midwesterntrees #pittartistspen #tombowdualbrushpens #pentel #greenehills #carpleinair
I’ve driven by this old farmhouse many times, and finally stopped this morning to sketch it. It’s faded and crumbling with chipped paint (the brick was long ago painted white), worn and rotting wood cladding and trim, and faded red shutters — some are broken in half, others are missing altogether, and some windows only have one shutter. Nature has taken over a back wing with trees and shrubs growing into and out of the structure. There used to be an old, rotted hay bale up against the lower RH corner but it’s no longer there. I love the gigantic oak tree that commands the front lawn that slopes down to the highway. Fun house to sketch. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #sketchinghouses #sketchingarchitecture #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #limitedpalette #ruralarchitecture #pentel #tombowdualbrushpens #farmhouses #redroofs #whitefarmhouses #redshutters #libertymo #motrees #midwesterntrees
A cool, rainy morning, my favorite! House with a steep front gable and white porch railings, shed, and garage along N. Stark Avenue in the county outside of Liberty, and a wonky 9-wire mesh fence along the perimeter (for horses, perhaps?). A pretty, bright red maple tree against the spring greens of trees and bushes. A fight with my new pen as it run dry while I was sketching. I think I got the last bits of ink out. Now, to start with a new pen. Maybe I’ll get out my Lamy fountain pen. Haven’t used that in some time. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #sketchinghouses #midwesternarchitecture #excelsiorsprinsmo #limitedpalette #midwesterntrees #horsefencing
Eastern redbud reaches blooms high into western sky. Edible beauty. #lagunabeachpoet #almostdailyhaiku #seenonmywalk #springbloomers #easternredbudtree #edibleplants #floweringtreesofinstagram #midwesterntrees #redbudbeauty #ediblebeauty #indigenousfood #springhaiku #signofspring #japonesque #easternblooms #eastmeetswest
The third of three very quick house sketches in Brookside yesterday afternoon. Fun to draw these two beauties, side by side along a hill in this pretty and historic neighborhood. Those are some wacky rooflines, but I love the windows and especially the black shutters on the house on the right. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #brooksidekc #drawinghouses #drawingtheeveryday #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #limitedpalette #blackshutters
The second of three house sketches in Brookside yesterday afternoon. It’s one of those wacky fairy tale Tudor style house with a gigantic, still bare tree in the front yard and cement stairs built into the low hill at the front. Such a dramatic and crazy façade, but great fun to draw! I wonder what those angles all look like on the inside. The early spring greens are too bright and seem quite unnatural in mid-March. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #brooksidekc #drawinghouses #drawingtheeveryday #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #fairytaletudor #limitedpalette
Lovely day yesterday — it was very cold, below freezing when I left the house. I had a coffee then spent several hours in the Spencer Art Reference Library at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art doing some project research on the history of global textiles. Such a wondrous place, my new happy place in Kansas City. Then, a delicious lunch at Aixois Bistro in Brookside and three quick ink sketches in this pretty, hip neighborhood. This first sketch is of a beautiful house with an ornate black wrought iron fence in the front and a massive oak tree just inside the fence line. I love the old-fashioned wonky cement stairs and the red tile roof. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #brooksidekc #drawinghouses #drawingtheeveryday #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #wroughtironfences #nelson-atkinsmuseumofart #spencerartreferencelibrary #limitedpalette
The last day of January and it is sunny and much too warm. It should be cold and snowy here this time of year and I am so missing snow. Busy day, but I got in two very quick ink sketches this morning in Liberty. Love the wonky, bare winter trees. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #wintertrees #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #tombowbrushpens #midwesterntrees
The fifth of five ink sketches yesterday — the Major H.J. Vivon Residence / Ben Foster Residence, built in 1947. It has a troubled history which continues. The original 1867 house was built by Major Harvey Jackson Vivon. He was a Confederate officer during the Civil Way in Company B, Missouri 12th Cavalry Regiment, and on the wrong side of history. After it was destroyed by fire, Ben Foster and Vivion’s daughter Sheffa Vivion Foster built the current home. It’s a beautiful Colonial Revival with iconic features — hipped roof, six-over-six and nine-over-nine double-hung windows with dark green shutters, ionic columns on west and south porticos, and that beautiful, classical symmetry that I love to draw. While doing my research, I discovered a dark underbelly. The house was deeded to the Midwest Baptist Theological Seminary by Sheffa Vivion Foster and now serves as the residence of the seminary’s president. What a shame. Here’s a piece of disgraceful history I learned about MBTS and its toxic affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was granted an exception to Title IX in 2016, which legally allows it to discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons. For shame, MBTS, for shame. My husband’s father had been a marine in WWII and upon his return to the US, became a bi-vocational Baptist minister. He was an alum of MBTS and he would be horrified at what it has become — in word and in deed. HIs whole life, he fought against discrimination at every turn — racial, gender, religious, financial, and cultural. He was someone who was constantly getting into good trouble. Thank God for people like him. They are on the right side of history and humanity. #carpleinair #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #wintertrees #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #brooksidekc #tombowbrushpens #midwesterntrees #HJVivionHouse #BenFosterResidence #civilwar #colonialrevival #MBTS #TitleIX #LGBT #SouthernBaptistConvention #GoodTrouble #historymatters
The fourth of five ink sketches yesterday — the beautiful Seth E. Ward Residence and Homestead was built in 1856 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Ward was a trapper and a California, Oregon, and Santa Fe Trails trader and supplier fo the US Army. He amassed a fortune trading with Native Americans and parlayed his success into a real estate empire — some of which remains as part of the Country Club District in Kansas City. n 1853 he married Wasna, a Teton Sioux woman, and they had four children. Sadly, six years later she died of tuberculosis, and he then married Mary Frances McCarty, the widowed daughter of Col. John Harris of Westport, and had three more children with her. After Ward died, his widow sold the land to the widow of Jacob Loose to create a park — that 80 acres beams Loose Park in 1926. The form and massing of this two-story, “T”-plan, 14-room mansion (he bought the 450-acre farm from trading friend William Bent and expanded it in 1871) are vernacular Greek Revival; the porch elements are reminiscent of early Victorian architectural features, local brick, and an Italianate veranda. The house is red brick (again, I take artistic license with the color palette) with white trim and green shutters. I love the formal symmetry, a pleasure to draw. And lots of intriguing history to ponder. #carpleinair #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #wintertrees #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #brooksidekc #tombowbrushpens #midwesterntrees #SethEWardResidence #nationalregisterofhistoricplaces #trapper #trader #wasna #greekrevival #loosepark
The third of five ink sketches yesterday — The Peanuts Apartments; such an interesting group of apartments and condos. This group of a dozen or so units (four in each two-story building) feature red brick with beautiful brick bonding patterns from 1925 (I’ve remained the color scheme) and half-timbered stucco, screened in arched porches on top, and breezeways on the bottom (an old-fashioned name for this might have been a sleeping porch). I read that early residents here nicknamed these apartment “The Peanuts” in satirical response to the fancy and luxurious hi-rise brick and Bedford limestone Jacobethan Revival apartments to the west, nicknamed “The Walnuts”. Love it. #carpleinair #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #wintertrees #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #brooksidekc #tombowbrushpens #midwesterntrees #peanutsapartments #brickbondingpatterns #jacobethanrevival #thepeanuts #thewalnuts #porches
The second of five ink sketches today — the Judge H.F. McElroy Residence, a beautiful Prairie-style house built in 1917 for McElroy, the the city manager who had ties to corrupt KC political leader, T.J. Pendergast (that’s a whole other story). This pretty stucco house features a hipped roof, dormer windows, an unusual gabled front portico, a red door, and crisp white trim. #carpleinair #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #wintertrees #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #brooksidekc #tombowbrushpens #midwesterntrees #JudgeHFMcElroyResidence #prairestyle #hippedroof
Lovely day sketching today — I got five ink sketches in and a nice wander through the Brookside and Waldo districts in Kansas City. It was a bit warmer today and the sun was out. I did a mixture of car plein air sketching and straight up urban sketching, very enjoyable. This first sketch is of the Walter S. Dickey Residence; now Scofield Hall, the UMKC Admin Bldg. This four-story limestone house was built in the 1912 for Dickey, president of the W.S. Dickey Clay Manufacturing Co., and publisher of the KC Journal Post. Beautiful classical symmetry, red tile roof, and columned portico. #carpleinair #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #wintertrees #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #brooksidekc #tombowbrushpens #midwesterntrees #WalterSDickeyResidence #umkc #limestonehouse #portico
The second of my two quick ink sketches this morning, also in the Camelot neighborhood in Liberty. A pretty, traditional white house with a limestone chimney and porch railings. Very fun to sketch this beauty. The side is a bit wonky — there’s a second entrance and a tall, narrow window that rises above the top door frame, and there’s a set of double narrow windows behind the offset, more in line with the door frame, and an asymmetrically set window in the tall. top gable wall. Fun to notice and sketch these quirky details! #carpleinair #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #wintertrees #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #camelotliberty #tombowbrushpens #midwesterntrees #traditionalhouses #whitehouses
Two quick ink sketches this morning — this first sketch is of a pretty ranch style house in the Camelot neighborhood in Liberty, just down the street and around the corner from us. A few years ago, the house was completely remodeled and I loved it. It was painted a dark gray with black shutters and trim and had that lovely Scan vibe that lots of the older houses around here have adopted. It was a dramatic transformation and quite beautiful. Over the fall, the house was repainted white with cedar shutters replacing the black ones, giving it more of a Farmhouse Chic kind of vibe, which I also like. Another dramatic transformation! I wonder if there were new owners in between the dark paint and the white paint. I like both, but I really liked the first remake — that stunning dark Scandinavian treatment was distinctive and completely changed the look and feel of this 1970s ranch house. But I like this one, too — the clean lines and bright countenance. Change is good. #carpleinair #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #wintertrees #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #camelotliberty #tombowbrushpens #midwesterntrees #ranchstyle #scandivibe #farmhousechic
The fourth and final sketch this morning — a sweet little mid-century modern in he Greene Hills development in Liberty. My husband used to know the people that lived here and he has a story for so many of the houses and neighborhoods all around Kansas City. He’s a marvelous resource and I Aveo hearing his memories; they bring these pretty houses and this whole area and its history to life! Such an interesting house to draw. Supremely simple lines and a garage that is nearly bigger than the house. Like many houses around here, the Christmas wreath is still up and hanging on to the holidays a bit longer. The stores, however, have been in full capitalistic consumerism display mode, showcasing a wide array of items for purchase for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter — since right after Christmas. Ugh! #carpleinair #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #wintertrees #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #greenehills #tombowbrushpens #midwesterntrees #midcenturymodern #christmaswreathsinjanuary
The third of four sketches this morning — the back elevation of a pretty white house with a dark red brick chimney in the Greene Hills development in Liberty. Love that huge tree at the side. #carpleinair #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketchbook #sketchingarchitecture #wintertrees #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #greenehills #tombowbrushpens #whitehouses #midwesterntrees
Sketches from two different perspectives of another house in the Eagle Pointe in the Preserve at Shoal Creek. I love observing and sketching all of the angles, and lovely to spend time in this pretty neighborhood and sketch. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #ink #inksketch #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #wintertrees #englishcountryarchitecture #EaglePointePreserveatShoalCreekValley #kansascityarchitecture #kansascitymo
I love sketching the beautiful, contemporary English Country style architecture in the Eagle Pointe in the Preserve at Shoal Creek. Fun to do these two quick ink sketches of houses along N. Booth Avenue in Kansas City. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #ink #inksketch #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #wintertrees #englishcountryarchitecture #EaglePointePreserveatShoalCreekValley #kansascityarchitecture #kansascitymo
A house along Windsor Lane in Liberty in the Canterbury neighborhood that I’ve sketched may times. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #ink #inksketch #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #wintertrees #canterbury #libertymo
Another fun, focused day of sketching yesterday. A cold, foggy day today. I love fog and after an enjoyable wee drive, I found four places to park and do some quick car plein air sketches. This one is a pretty house in the Shepherd Hills neighborhood in Liberty, MO. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #ink #inksketch #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #wintertrees #shepherdhills #libertymo
Three more houses along S. Terrace Avenue across from New Hope Cemetery in Liberty, MO. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #sunsethillkc #ink #inksketch #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #wintertrees #newhopecemetery
Four houses across from New Hope Cemetery in Liberty, MO. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #sunsethillkc #ink #inksketch #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #wintertrees #newhopecemetery
Two wee bungalows in Liberty, MO along S. Terrace Avenue across from New Hope Cemetery. I love the bare winter trees. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #sunsethillkc #ink #inksketch #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #wintertrees #newhopecemetery
I had a lovely car plein air sketching session a few days ago and did four architectural sketches. A warm cup of coffee, a cold, muted, winter’s day, and lots of quiet and solitude, perfect. A pretty, traditional house in the Sunset Hill neighborhood of Liberty, MO. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #sunsethillkc #ink #inksketch #tombowdualbrushpens #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #wintertrees
Beautiful midwestern winter trees. #iphoneography #snapseed #winter trees #midwesterntrees #midwinter
Beautiful midwestern winter trees. #iphoneography #snapseed #wintertrees #midwesterntrees #midwinter
One last sketch today. Last night, we had tickets to hear luscious, bedazzling mezzo Joyce DiDonato sing with the remarkable Kansas City Symphony. We left early and took the long way to get to the Kauffman (a lovely, beautiful drive) in a snowstorm on a freezing cold evening, brrrr! I did several car plein air sketches on location over the last few days, but this one was from a photo I took at a stoplight along our way last night in Gladstone, MO. Drawing cars vexes me! I’ll keep practicing. Maybe I’ll get my gouache out and try the same sketch again. That tree was humongous, stark and monolithic, magnificent. The concert last night was magical, powerful, transformative. A beautiful, moving artistic experience that is one of my favorite live musical experiences, ever. Breathtaking. #inksketch #sketchbook #ketchingcars #sketchingtrees #midwesterntrees #midwesternsnow #tombowdualbrushpens #kansascitymo #joycedidonato #KCsymphony #livemusic #mezzosoprano #kauffmancenterfortheperformingarts #gladstonemo
A pretty white house in Liberty with a red corrugated metal roof, a garage, and a huge stand of ancient oak trees — on a snowy day. I’ve sketched this house many times, but not from this particular perspective; a car plein air sketch! Love those trees. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #architecturalsketching #whitehouses #redcorrugatedroofs #oaktrees #wintertrees #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #sketchinghouses #tombowdualbrushpens
Two quick ink sketches of houses along Ridge Rd. in Liberty on a cold, snowy, midwinter’s day. The top house has recently been completely renovated and spritzed up, with a clearing out of old trees, shrubs, and debris. New roof, new paint, new windows. Lovely. I’d love to see the inside. The bottom house has a brick porch surround atop a small garage spanning the width of the house, a lovely, simple arched cover over the front door, and two stairways leading up to the hose from the street; the lower stairway is bordered on one side by a limestone retaining wall. #carpleinair #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #sketchbook #inksketch #architecturalsketching #libertymo #wintertrees #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #limestonewall #tombowdualbrushpens
I love this sweet house in the Hart Acres neighborhood in Liberty, along Richfield Rd. Beautiful crftsman-style bungalow — unusual two-story with a jerkin head roof, grouped windows, male porch, and brick pillars and chimney. Lovely. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #midwinter #wintertrees #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #inksketch #sketchinghouses #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #hartacreslinerty #libertymo #barewintertrees #craftsmanstyle #bungelow #bungalowarchitecture #brickpillars #jerkinheadroof
A sweet old house along Nebo Rd. outside of Liberty, MO. A skiff of snow, a cold, clear morning. Bare winter trees, lovely. No stoops on either of the entrances, old aluminum canopies. A dusting of snow sticking to the roof. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #midwinter #wintertrees #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #inksketch #sketchinghouses #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #nebohills #libertymo #farmhouses #barewintertrees
It snowed lightly yesterday and we took a nice, long drive in the country. The bare winter trees are so lovely and it’s always captivating to be able to see, clearly revealed in midwinter, all the things that are well hidden in the lushness of spring and summer — rolling hills and valleys (filled yesterday with heavenly fog), houses and farm buildings, small structures, animals, and the bones of a place. This is the side elevation of a pretty house along Nebo Hill Road. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #midwinter #wintertrees #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #inksketch #sketchinghouses #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #nebohills #nebohillarcheoloicalsite #fishingriverarchaeology #archaicperiod #recolumbianmissouri #libertymo
Lovely house with a beautiful Gambrel roof in the Armour Hills area in Kansas City. I love the cheery band of inflatable snowmen festooned in black caps and scarves. A wee remnant of Xmas cheer on a chilly midwestern midwinter’s day. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #midwinter #wintertrees #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #armourhillsk #inksketch #sketchinghouses #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #gambrelroofs
Two beautiful houses in midwinter light — one in the Nottingham development in Liberty and one in the Sunset Hills area of Kansas City. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #midwinter #wintertrees #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #nottingham #liberty #sunsethillkc #inksketch #sketchinghouses #sketchbook #sketcheveryday
This is the second of two sketches I did a few days ago of old, traditional white farmhouses out in the country. This one is in the Shepherd Estates development along Martin Rd. outside of Smithville, MO. Love the stand of huge, ancient oak trees. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskc #sketchbook #inksketch #tombowbrushpens #pittartistspen #whitefarmhouses #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #farmhouses #smithvillemo #shepherdestates #wintertrees #martinrd
A few days ago we drove to Smithville and sketched two beautiful, old, traditional white farmhouses out in the country along Martin Rd. This one is in the Allmon Acres subdivision. Lovely, bare winter trees. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskc #sketchbook #inksketch #tombowbrushpens #pittartistspen #whitefarmhouses #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #farmhouses #smithvillemo #allmonacres #wintertrees #martinrd
Four houses in Plattsburg, MO. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #plattsburgmo #midwesternarchitecture #midwesternhistory #midwesterntrees #ink #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens
We took a lovely drive to the town of Plattsburg this morning on a cool, dry, sunny autumn day. It was ungodly hot here even just a week or so ago, and although it’s cooled down substantially (especially at night), it’s still nowhere near the cool temperatures I crave. The extreme heat and the current drought have caused most of the trees to wither, give up, and in a defeated manner, sprout dull and muted colors instead the bright, saturated colors normal for this time of year. There are a few beautiful, resplendent, blazing scarlet maple and sweet gum trees dotted here and there, and some lovely golds and oranges on oaks and other trees; but mostly, the fall colors are late, muffled, and dry. Still, it was a good drive and we saw corn fields — some dry and dusty with old stalks looking dead, shrunken (perhaps abandoned for some unknown reason) and sucked dry, others newly harvested and raked clean in sweeping, beautifully patterned, tidy rows. We saw large stands of ancient oak trees, glistening a subdued gold in the dappled sunshine. And we saw lots of fat steers, grain elevators, farmhouses, sheds, and barns — all regulars on a morning’s drive in the country. Here are three ink sketches I did of an old red brick apartment building just off the square — one from the back and two from the side (with one using a 2-point perspective). It used to be the Laclede Hotel, and it was once a beauty. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #plattsburgmo #plattepurchase #foursquare #craftsmanstyle #colonialrevival #tudorrevival #lacledehotel #midwesternarchitecture #midwesternhistory #midwesterntrees #ink #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens
A beautiful old farmhouse along Ridgeview Rd. In Liberty, MO, from two different perspectives. It’s a beauty; I’ve sketched it many times. Huge, ancient oak trees casting long, lovely shadows in mid-autumnal light. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #autmnallight #urbansketcherskansascity #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #libertymo #farmhouses #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #inksketch #tombowbrushpens #hybridtechnicapen
Two quick ink sketches of two buildings, one historic and one contemporary, along Gilham Rd. in Kansas City, MO. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #gilhamroad #sketchbook #sketchingapartmentbuildings #sketcheveryday #inksketch #tombowbrushpens #hybridtechnicapen
A few more rainy day ‘car plein air’ sketches I did yesterday, a bit of color added this morning. Love these historic houses in the Dougherty Historic District along N. Prairie Street in Liberty. I’ve sketched them both many times, and by now, I have developed a type of shorthand for each of them, very fun. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #libertymo #doughertyhistoricdistrict #inksketch #sketcheveryday #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #everydaysketching #rainydaysketching #carpleinair
I did this sketch last week, added some color this morning. It’s a house in the Camelot subdivision in Liberty that is a bit of an architectural mash-up; a dark quasi-Tudor style that is typical in this area. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #libertymo #camelotliberty #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tudorstyle #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #everydaysketching
Two sweet little houses in Liberty, MO. Nothing fancy about these two, but there is something quite endearing about them both. The top house is white with wide cladding, black shutters, and the kind of floating stairway I see everywhere here set into a sloping lawn. The bottom house is actually a dark brown with simple windows and a wooden side deck. There are light poles for twinkly lights, lovely and festive at twilight this time of year. Both houses have a double gable — one on the side and the other in the front. I love drawing complicated buildings, but I also love drawing the beauty in the everyday. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #libertymo #floatingstairway #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #everydaysketching
A lovely drive yesterday afternoon to Weatherby Lake, a city in Platte County, MO and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. My husband tells me that in its heyday, TWA executives and pilots lived here and was an exclusive and fancy area. The city is named after Glenn Weatherby, one of the developers who built the then Lakeview subdivision. The 274 acre lake was created by the construction of a dam, completed in 1937; the town encompasses the lake. A drive around all of the little fingers and spokes of the lake is interesting, and fascinating to see all of the different architectural styles — from small, dated bungalows that look as if not one iota of updating has occurred in the last 50 years or more to grand, palatial, over-the-top lake villas, some of which present a modest curb elevation but from the back sprout multi-levels, private boat docks, numerous kinds of sitting and dining and leisure areas (there were a few tennis courts and swimming pools) that all slope down to the lake. This house was unlike any of the others, a wacky kind of A-frame house with a red tile roof. There are large pontoon boats and all kinds of small boats moored at the many private docks dotted around the lake, and there were lots of people out on the lake yesterday on a very hot, but not quite as humid, early fall afternoon. There are many lake communities in MO. I’m a Colorado girl, so I am always looking for the mountains and beautiful mountain lake communities — quite different in appearance from those kinds of communities here. #urbansketching #USkKC #USk #urbansketcherskansascity #architecturalsketching #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #weatherbylake #missourilakes #lakecommunities #plattecountymo #GlennWeatherby #twa
A lovely old barn on Long Road outside of Smithville, and a pretty house with a red, corrugated roof in the College Park area of Liberty, MO. I like sketching the backs and sides of houses, too; interesting and different perspectives. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskc #architecturalsketching #collegepark #smithvillemo #midwesternarchitecture #libertymo #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens #barnsketches #carpleinair #redcorrugatedroofs #midwesterntrees #differentperspectives
Two houses in the New Madrid neighborhood of Liberty, MO. The top house is an 1890 Victorian house, nicely kept up. It has light beige wooden cladding with white window and door trim, and there are some typical gingerbread trim elements. The gable trim on this house features beautiful gingerbread craftsmanship with curved accents and scalloped shingles — it’s not as heavily-ornamented as some other Victorian houses in town, but its classic features add detailed and visually dramatic elements. It has two stories, a bit of a complicated, asymmetrical shape, a steep roofline, a large, first-story wrap-around porch, and slender, graceful, spindled porch railings. There are some new windows, I think, but also some beautiful updating of older double-hung, sash windows. I’d love to see inside. I wonder — is it all Victorian decor and furnishings, or have the owners updated to a more contemporary style. The house on the bottom is a faded beauty. It must’ve been quite something during its time, but today it is in desperate need of some general repair work, a new few coats of paint, and an overall update. The entryway and the porch railings are all lattice — not my favorite. They do seem to have been carefully constructed, but it’s not a fine feature. I can imagine how charming this old house would be with a proper entryway and porch. I love the beautiful trio of slim, small, vertical windows above the entryway and the simple and pleasing symmetry of this house. And that neglected and time-battled cement sidewalk feels so ‘small town America’ to me. No address that I could see, but fun to draw and I’ll do some research, later. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskc #architecturalsketching #newmadrid #victorianarchitecture #gingerbread #midwesternarchitecture #libertymo #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens #bungalowarchitecture #carpleinair #scandivibe #dormerwindows #midwesterntrees
I sketched these two sweet little bungalows in the Liberty Heights neighborhood of Liberty, MO a few days ago — they’re both c. 1955. The top house is a creamy, pale yellow with white trim and the typical wood + shingle cladding from that era in two varying horizontal widths. I like the wee decorative windmill in the side yard next to an enormous and ancient oak tree with gnarly branches reaching out and up, way above the roof line of the house. The bottom house is a light, warm gray with crisp white trim and a dark red panel door behind a white wooden screen door. There are three large, flat-bottomed, black planter boxes along the ground-level cement porch. I wonder what they’re meant to contain. I love the two dormer windows and the slim, chic, horizontal window close to the roofline — giving the house a Scandi vibe. And the beautifully manicured box shrubs lining the walkway and stairs up to the house are a nice touch. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskc #architecturalsketching #libertyheights #midwesternarchitecture #libertymo #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens #bungalowarchitecture #carpleinair #scandivibe #dormerwindows #midwesterntrees
I love this sweet little house. It was built in 1930 and now functions as a multi-family home. It’s a typical exile of the popular Dutch Colonial Revival houses of the 1920s and 1930s and has a cross-gambrel roof and the flared eaves which mimic the Flemish eaves of many Dutch Colonial originals. There are three or four houses like this in Liberty that surely must’ve had the same architect/builder. At some point, an upper door was added, but originally, the upper floor would have featured three symmetrical windows. It’s a wee beauty, this one. Love the pretty teal blue color of the shingles (didn’t have quite the right color of Tombow brush marker with me), the crisp white trim. and the simple widows and wide frames. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketcheveryday #sketchbook #sketchinghouses #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #ibertymo #dutchcolonialrevival #crossgambrelroof #tombowbrushpens
Quick ink sketches of two houses in Mission Hills, KS. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketcheveryday #sketchbook #sketchinghouses #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #missionhillsks
One of my favorite houses in the Eagle Pointe Preserve neighborhood at Shoal Creek Valley in Kansas City. A contemporary American Vernacular additive design and a mashup of Colonial Revival + Millennium Mansion influence + New American Farmhouse — three front-facing gables (there are ten gables, altogether, I think) with limestone “wallpaper”, tall entry element, complex, high-pitched gabled roof form with lower cross-gables (and four heights visible across the main roof bridge), and many different window shapes and sizes, including one round-topped arch. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketcheveryday #sketchbook #sketchinghouses #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #EaglePointePreserveatShoalCreekValley #MckinleyAvenueKCMO #americannernacular #colonialrevival #milleniummansion #newamericanfarmhouse #ilovegables
Three houses in the Eagle Pointe Preserve neighborhood at Shoal Creek Valley in Kansas City. American Vernacular additive design and a mashup of styles. Fun to sketch all those angles! #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #inksketch #sketcheveryday #sketchbook #sketchinghouses #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #EaglePointePreserveatShoalCreekValley #MckinleyAvenueKCMO #americannernacular #colonialrevival #milleniummansion #newamericanfarmhouse #ilovegables
Trash day on N. Prairie Street in Liberty, MO. Hot, humid, and miserable weather here in the Midwest. I’m ready for fall and winter! Good to get out and sketch today. I’ve been madly making gel prints for the last few days. Love both processes — so different, but each essential and lovely ways to create, document, abstract, and connect. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #libertymo #inksketch #sketcheveryday #sketchbook #sketchinghouses #carpleinair #midwesternarchitecture #libertyarchitecture #midwesterntrees #hotsummersketching
A pretty house on S. Leonard Street in Liberty, MO with a long, hilly front yard. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #libertymo #inksketch #sketcheveryday #sketchbook #sketchinghouses #carpleinair #midwesternarchitecture #libertyarchitecture #midwesterntrees #rainydaysketching
Houses along E. Mill Street in Liberty, MO on a cool, rainy day. The news of a friend’s death early this morning has made for a somber mood, but this helps a bit. Rest well, dear Neita. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #libertymo #inksketch #sketcheveryday #sketchbook #sketchinghouses #carpleinair #midwesternarchitecture #libertyarchitecture #midwesterntrees #ranchstyle #rainydaysketching #rememberingafriend
An old house, a faded beauty in Liberty, MO from three different perspectives. Loving sketching in the rain — fabulous thunder and lightning! #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #libertymo #inksketch #sketcheveryday #sketchbook #sketchinghouses #carpleinair #midwesternarchitecture #libertyarchitecture #midwesterntrees #differentperspectives
Three buildings — a hair salon and two houses in Liberty, MO on a cool, gray, rainy day! Beautiful weather, perfect for car plein air sketching. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #libertymo #inksketch #sketcheveryday #sketchbook #sketchinghouses #salondidella #carpleinair #midwesternarchitecture #libertyarchitecture #midwesterntrees
My watercolor sketches of entrepreneur William B. Strang, Jr. (1857-1921) and the Marty House in Overland Park, KS. Strang was an entrepreneur and railway magnate who founded and platted several subdivisions; one was Overland Park, KS. He founded the Missouri and Kansas Interurban Railway which ran from Olathe, Kansas to Kansas City, Missouri until 1940, nicknamed the "Strang Line". He was a creative man who loved new ideas and technologies, and has a fascinating history that includes innovative railway car designs that were entirely self-propelled and did not require electricity from overhead wires. I’m still working to find the history of the Marty family in this area (there are buildings and streets and avenues here named “Marty”), but I love this beautiful house! #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #overlandparkks #summerinmissouri #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #watercolorsketch #sketchbook #watercolorsketchbook #williambstrang #railwayhistory #interurbanrailway #martyfamily
Such a lovely morning on a marvelously unseasonably cool, gray — did mention cool — Midwestern summer’s day! I wish it would stay like this for the rest of the summer. The weather is diabolical here in the summer. The Kanas City chapter of Urban Sketchers met this morning for our monthly sketch crawl at Strang Hall in the Edison District in Overland Park, KS. Lots of new members, and a few for whom this was their first urban sketching outing! This is my watercolor sketch in my handmade sketchbook from across the street of businesses on the ground floor and loft apartments above, with beautiful young trees and a lively flower garden along the street — perfect against that gray sky. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #overlandparkks #summerinmissouri #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #watercolorsketch #sketchbook #watercolorsketchbook #stranghall #edisondistrict #handmadesketchbook
Two houses in the Meadowbrook Estates neighborhood of Gladstone, MO. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #gladstonemo #meadowbrookestates #summerinmissouri #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #inksketch #sketchbook #tombowbrushpens
Ink sketches of two houses in the Camelot neighborhood in Liberty, MO. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #camelotliberty #libertymo #summerinmissouri #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #inksketch #sketchbook #tombowbrushpens
Ink sketches of three wee houses in the College Park neighborhood in Liberty, MO. The little red door adds a bit of cheer to the modest house in the middle. Everywhere, bright summer greens and huge trees and shaded canopies, beautiful and vibrant. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #collegepark #libertymo #summerinmissouri #midwesterntrees #midwesternarchitecture #smallhouses #inksketch #sketchbook #tombowbrushpens
JEWEL BOX GROUNDS - I have not identified this tree. #forestparkstlouis #jewelbox #forestparkforever #urbanpark #citypark #floweringtrees #midwesterntrees #onlyinmissouri
Two houses in Mission Hills, KS, and a contemporary house in Iceland (from a photo), ink sketches using a Pentel Arts Hybrid Technica pen and Tombow brush pens, quick and fun. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #missionhillsks #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #summerinmissouri #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens #pentel
Quick ink sketches of two houses in Kearney, MO. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #kearneymo #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #summerinmissouri #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens
One last quick ink sketch of another beautiful contemporary house by Evan-Talan Homes. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #prairievillagekansas #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #contemporaryhouses #summerinmissouri #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens #homesteadcountryclub #evantalanhomes @evantalanhomes @homestead.countryclub
A lovely cinnamon latte at my happy place, French Market in Prairie Village, KS, and some sketching afterwards. These two beautiful contemporary houses are in a relatively new development, Homestead Country Club, designed by Evan-Talan Homes. The top sketch is in progress; I’ll be eager to sketch it again when it’s finished. I love the lines and angles in these houses, the simple but elegant Scandi-like windows, and use of steel, local limestone, and wood. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #prairievillagekansas #midwesternarchitecture #midwesterntrees #contemporaryhouses #summerinmissouri #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens #homesteadcountryclub
Ink sketches of two beautiful houses in the Blueberry Hills neighborhood of Liberty, MO. I keep working to simplify (I love line and I tend to want to get fussy with it), a lovely process. It’s a lovely, cool evening, perfect for some sketching. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #libertymo #midwesternarchitecture #dutchroofs #midwesterntrees #ranch #ranchstyle #summerinmissouri #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens #blueberryhills
Two more ink sketches of a sweet, old farmhouse in Kearney, MO — from two different perspectives on this rainy, gray day. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #kearneymo #midwesternarchitecture #farmhouses #midwesterntrees #summerinmissouri #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens #birthdaysketches #rainydaysketching
A lovely early breakfast and then a drive in the country on a rainy day — gray and beautiful, perfect for my birthday today! Ink ketches of two pretty houses in the old part of Kearney, MO. #urbansketching #USk #USkKC #urbansketcherskansascity #kearneymo #midwesternarchitecture #bungelows #farmhouses #midwesterntrees #summerinmissouri #inksketch #sketchbook #sketcheveryday #tombowbrushpens #birthdaysketches