All this spring flower painting has made for pretty-spring-color overload for me. So when Uma turned up in my front yard to paint her current set of studies of the non-colors of dusk, I joined her with pen, ink and a pencil, drawing little stuff around me.

Here are some of those studies of flowers, rocks, trees and small views from my front porch.

The quickly fading light made it easier to leave color out of the equation. Every time something is left out of the equation, it’s a chance to explore other stuff more deeply. These little pieces are as much about the subjects they capture as they are about moving around the page, just enjoying making lines, shapes and textures.