More Lights, 6:34 a.m.

12/2/20 across the street in Maple Leaf

The family next door to the house with white lights put their lights up a few days later. At 6:34 a.m., the sky in the east was turning pink, but above this house, it was still mostly dark. Other than the colored lights, all I could see was the traditional Tudor trim and windows. I made them and the sky a bit darker than they looked because I wanted the festive lights to be the brightest.

Technical note: I’ve been using my square-format Stillman & Birn Nova Trio for these nocturnal sketches, and I am thoroughly enjoying the flexibility and additional real estate of a 7 ½-inch square. With my usual 5 ½-by 8 ½-inch rectangle, I must commit to a composition before I begin, and sometimes I regret whichever way I decided to turn the book. With this square shape and size, I can just start sketching and grow the composition in either direction. But as I discovered when I used my square Zeta book outdoors last spring, the same extra space and format that I am enjoying now make the book unwieldy to use while standing on location. It’s too bad – I think I would like using this format all the time. At least while I’m sketching through the livingroom window, I can perch on the arm of our couch to make holding this book easier.