Washington, DC

I've just returned home after a week in the nation's capital, where I was guiding a group of 17 students on a field trip. We did a lot of walking, museum visits, and stopped by a few architecture offices. The day prior to the start of our touring, I did a quick sketch of Dupont Circle ... one of my favorite places in the city. Long ago, when I lived in DC for about five years, I worked in this part of town. So Dupont was a regular lunch spot for me on nice days. The central fountain was designed and sculpted by the same two people who did the Lincoln Memorial - Architect Henry Bacon and Sculptor Daniel Chester French - and was completed in 1920.

When we had finished our touring, I had a free day to myself, so I got down to the Mall and took on a few more substantial subjects. The wind made sketching a bit of a challenge - I was working in a Moleskine A4 book, and did my best to secure the pages with rubber bands while I was trying to paint ... but it was tricky, and I probably gave up a little earlier on these than I would have on a calm day. The first is the Washington Monument, followed by the Tidal Basin with the Jefferson Memorial on the right, and finally the Lincoln Memorial.