Sketching the Ruhr river in Germany

It is fun to walk or bike along the Ruhr river.    Even more, to sketch.  The first sketch depicts the Hardenstein ruins in Herbede, upriver from Essen. The next six were done fairly near our home in Essen.  The last two, depict the yacht club on the Baldeneysee, a lake-like section of the Ruhr above a dam and locks, within Essen's city limits.




 


Urban Sketching Workshop in Witten






Zum Boesner Kursangebot klicke hier
Spaß am Urban Sketching workshop in Witten, NRW

Green delight




While being isolated, yearning to go outside, the tropical banana leaves theme was refreshing.
 
I love the reflections and the warm sunlight shining through the leaves, while they perform a subtle dance at the rhythm of the breeze. 





They make me feel welcome and harbored, and allow me to bring some nature into my apartment.  






Acrylic paintings on canvas, sizes 100x80 and 80x60 cm.
For price and sale information, please contact
dorisraecke@yahoo.com

  


Rural and cultural spaces within city limits

Kein Wunder, dass Essen 2017 zur grünen Hauptstadt Europas erklärt wurde. Einst ein kleines Dorf, hat diese Stadt ihre Grenzen um benachbarte Dörfer erweitert. Viele ländliche Gebiete blieben unberührt. und aus dem Nachlass der Kohleindustrie wurden Pfade, Wälder, Museen und historische Wahrzeichen.

Wahrscheinlich nie war der Himmel über Essen seit Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts so blau und klar. Die Pandemie beschränkte auch den Flugverkehr.




No wonder Essen was declared Europe´s green capital in 2017.  Once a little village, now this city has expanded its limit incorporating neighboring towns.  Many rural areas within the cluster remained untouched and the remains of the stalled coal industry became trails, forests, museums, and historic landmarks.

Probably never, since the beginning of the 20th century, the skies above Essen have been as blue and clear.  Pandemic restrictions stalled air traffic too.

Thumbs up for Essen!







Langsam fangen die Workshops wieder an


Seit Anfang März wurden alle Workshop-Aktivitäten aufgrund der COVID-19-Vorsichtsmaßnahmen eingestellt. Es geht endlich weiter. Mach mit und hab Spaß beim Urban Sketching Workshop in Witten am 31. Juli.

Für das Boesner Kursangebot, bitte klicke auf   


Waiting rooms, again / Wieder im Warteraum


The last months have been a big challenge for us, running from one doctor to another, trying to find answers, to end up landing at the emergency room over a week ago. 

 Early March,  there were no restrictions put in place, as yet.  A week later, social distancing and masks were put in place.  


People waiting for the doctor's practice to open.  
Safe distancing once inside the waiting room.

 
A few days before the emergency, we had our first professional haircut after two months of isolation.  In the meantime, I cut my husband's hair and trimmed his beard.
 

He continues hospitalized, now off the ventilator and out of the induced coma.  It will take time for him to recover. He tested COVID-19 negative.

Thanks to sketching, all the waiting is interesting and a great opportunity to capture people.

Some urban sketching... again


These are sketches of my first time out after 8 weeks of coronavirus isolation. 
Water castle Strünkede and its park, in Herne, Germany



The museum in the castle was closed. The park was open allowing people to walk around at a safe distance from others. It felt so good to be there!

Blumen für Schley's

Trotz der Absage des April-Events wird Schley's eine weitere Ladies Night in ihrem Megastore in Wattenscheid in Herbst veranstalten. Seit Februar arbeite ich an meinen bevorzugten botanischen Themen, insbesondere Bromelien und Bananenbäumen.



In spite of having canceled the April event, Schley's is going to hold another Ladies Night in their Wattenscheid megastore. Since February I have been working on my favorite botanical themes, specially Bromeliads and Banana trees.






Journal Sketching Workshops in Kunstpark, Herne, NRW


Journal Sketching ist ein umfassenderes Konzept als das Urban Sketching, da es nicht alle letztgenannten Regeln einhält, jedoch dieselben Techniken verwendet und eine gute Möglichkeit ist, Erinnerungen zu bewahren, um sie in Zukunft zu genießen und sich der weltweiten Bewegung der Urban Sketchers anzuschließen. Anfänger bis Fortgeschrittene sind herzlich willkommen.


Für die Kunstpark Kursangebote, klicken Sie bitte hier