Sketching in the West Side of Portland

This old fire station in NW Portland is under construction as it's being converted into a residence. Besides the sign, an old telegraph box has also been preserved. 

A block away, an old Victorian peeks out between the trees. In my college days, I lived a couple of blocks from here. Then it was a neighborhood largely made up of students and very old people. Now there are lots of high-end shops, several popular restaurants, and many lovely, restored homes. It's always been charming, just in different ways.

I've always liked this gate to apartments in the Pearl District. This is just a few blocks from where I worked when I was in college. Then, the neighborhood was made up of offices, warehouses, and small businesses and there were very few places to grab a lunch. Now there are apartments and condos,  restaurants, shops, art galleries,  public parks, and lots of lively people.

This is a corner of the Studio Building, a downtown building that now houses Pastini, a tasty Italian restaurant.  At one time, this building ( 1928)  held rehearsal spaces as well as studios for musicians. The frieze around the building has busts of several composers. 

Across the street to the west of Pastini is Directors Square, a block with a popular fountain, large chess pieces, and a cafe with outdoor seating. This is one of my favorite downtown places to have a coffee and sketch people and the surroundings. In the summer months there are often day and night events held here. Some of my favorites are the dances with live music, but it's always fun to watch the toddlers play in the fountain.

A few blocks away, outside the Historical Society, this young woman cooled her heels and took a nap.  Napping people are always a pleasure to sketch.

Architecture and some Chairs

With a sketching trip in England coming up, I've been preparing by drawing some architecture.

On the Bishop's Close sketch, I practiced grays (ultramarine blue and Quinacridone Sienna) and discovered that I love Arches Watercolor Paper (several grades above my usual paper).

The Firehouse Restaurant is the first of a series of firehouses that some other sketchers and I are beginning.

These are some quick pen sketches made after going to the Farmers Market by PSU.

Parts of the Winchester Inn in Ashland were under construction when we stayed there last week.

It was wonderful to sit under an umbrella or on the porch sketching, until the heat got to be too intense. Then we headed for the plays, movies, or the air-conditioned shops.

Here's a final sketch with no architecture, but some yummy cherries and bright snapdragons.