"Comfort zones are most often expanded through discomfort." (-Peter McWilliams)

Yesterday, I spent a fun afternoon with a newly-formed local group of "Urban Sketchers" in North Carolina.  I received an email from my extremely talented friend Laura Frankstone,  (of Laurelines fame,)  informing me of this outing.    A group of six of us met this time in downtown Durham at an area known as Brightleaf Square.   We plan to travel throughout cities in the Triangle area over the coming months. 

For those readers unfamliar with this area of North Carolina, at one time, Durham's economy pretty much depended exclusively upon tobacco.   Let's just say the Brightleaf tobacco was very important to this region. 

Thankfully, today, our region is known for many other things, but the old tobacco warehouses are still a part of the city of Durham's history, and the old brick buildings have been converted these days into little shops and restaurants that are quite attractive.

My sketches are embarrassingly sorry:  I always feel so out of my comfort zone looking at a broad expanse of buildings and trying to simplify the expanse into an all-encompassing image.   The urban sketchers group will be very good practice for me, forcing me to get out of my box and just try.   In the meantime, here are a few tiny images from our day's outing. 

Laura and I have gone sketching before, and she amazes me with the images she dashes out in a few minutes' time.  You'll have to peruse her blog when she posts her rendition of the setting: it was beautiful!    You'll be addicted if you start looking at her lovely work.  



 In the past, when I've joined Laura for sketch outings, it has somehow become our tradition to find decadent sweets along the way.  Yesterday, our dessert of choice presented itself right there at Brightleaf, since we were sketching outside of a little pastry shop called  Amelia's, so of course we had to indulge in some wonderful gelato.  

It's our job.  

Thanks, Laura, for a fun afternoon!  It was great to see you, as always.