jennifer russ

A great place in the heart of downtown Asheville to get some good food or to meet a friend for coffee and to hang-out.  I had made the initial sketch in pencil this March, and added pen and watercolor this October.  Prints and postcards will soon be available!

The first time I saw this sweet Tiny House Coffee Truck, I knew I had to sketch it!  And that is exactly what I did!  Great coffee, great truck, great proprietors!  I just love Le Bon Café!

I love having brunch at the Stoney Knob Cafe. Depending on when you arrive, there may be a wait, which is what happened to us when we were last there, so I decided to do a pencil sketch while waiting for our table.  Late that night, I added pen while filming a time-lapse of the process (see below). I added watercolor another night.  I'm really happy with how it turned out! 

Salsas was one of the first restaurants I dined at after moving to Asheville in 2000, and it is still here!  I love the bright yellow color!  What a fun place!  I woke up early on a Sunday morning so that I could sketch it without cars blocking my view.  This is my newest watercolor from my Asheville, NC series! 

Here is what it looked like before I added the sidewalk and color.  

Here is another one of my recent pen and watercolor paintings in my Asheville, N.C. series.  The French Broad Chocolate Lounge, located near the Vance Memorial and The Asheville Art Museum in downtown Asheville.  I love this place and I love how the painting turned out! 

I sat outside The Chocolate Lounge to do the initial pencil sketch.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  A great day to be outside.  Here is my sketch after I added pen.  

This double decker coffee bus was here when I moved here in 2000.  I think it's great that you can get a cup of coffee and sit upstairs and hang out.  I had to include it in my favorite places in Asheville series!  And as of May 24th you can get a postcard of my painting while grabbing a cup of coffee at the bus!  

I love the bright red color of the double decker bus, but I have to say that I love the way the pen drawing turned out as well!  I initially did this sketch in pencil, while looking at the bus, on a cold day (I had to put on my gloves), and then finished it with pen another evening in the warmth of my own home!

I have always loved this fun and funky store in downtown Asheville!  And when I saw there was a bench across the street, I couldn't help but sit down and sketch it!  With such great colors, it's hard not to notice this shop.  Next time you are downtown, check it out!  And pick up one of my postcards along with some of the other local artists cards that they have in the store! 

My sketch was done with pencil, which is still visible in this scan.  Pen and watercolor were added on subsequent evenings.

This pen and watercolor is from when we traveled down to Ponte Vedra, Fl this spring to see my grandma and the ocean!  My grandma loved sitting by the grass coming up out of the sand.  Such a wonderful time at the beach!

I completed this drawing after being inspired at my yearly eye exam.  No pencil.  I took a photo before I left the Optometrist's office, and I got to work with pen and paper when I got home.  I love the way it turned out!  Fun! Thanks to Dr. N for suggesting I sketch this piece of eye equipment that I now know is called a phoropter!

In addition to my Asheville, NC series, I am currently working on a year long sketch-of-the day collection that began October 1st, 2016.  Although most of my sketches are quick, I turn some of them into more detailed watercolor paintings, as I did with this pineapple from my May 2012 - May 2013 sketch-of-the day collection.  This pineapple is one of my favorite watercolor paintings that I did that year.

Here are a few more of my favorites from that collection:

The following piece will always hold a special place in my heart, and was also painted in 2012.  It was the first print I ever sold and is what opened my eyes to the possibility of following my heart and pursuing a career in something that I've always loved to do.  With many thanks and much love to you, Abigail!  

Originally from north Florida, I like to travel at least once a year to the beach.  There is something about the sound of the ocean, the pelicans flying overhead, the ocean breeze, the dolphins, I just can't go too long without it!

The following two pieces were completed while taking a Nature's Notebook drawing class at the local Community College.  Thank you Peter for the beautiful plants and flowers you brought into class for us to draw and for your wonderful instruction!

The following drawings are from my current sketch-of-the-day collection that began in the fall of 2016. 

I have more pencil sketches of places around town that I'll be adding pen and watercolor to soon!  So check back for more updates or sign up below if you'd like to be notified when new pieces are finished!  Don't forget to check out the other tabs from the dropdown menu at the top if you are viewing from your phone!  :-)