Looking Back on April 2019

Portland's Urban Sketchers had a Scavenger Hunt (the sketching kind where you don't have to knock on people's doors). These are some of the things that I sketched for it. I didn't win, but Kay very nicely gave me a participation award: art supplies! She knows what we like!

Here's the Hollywood Library sign and "ensemble", as seen from the Bitter Rose Coffee shop, on a rainy day.

Spring Blossoms: I love it when the tulips get wild.

The story on the coffee table: Tulips in a special vase, trip planning (i.e. guide books and a magnifying glass to read them, laptop, and wallet with credit card), New Yorker showing the newly changed shape of Notre Dame, coffee in a mug from a previous Ceramic Showcase, on coasters from John when he lived in NYC.

More blooms and an Easter chick at PW's home...

and things I resisted (except for two mugs) buying at this year's Ceramic Showcase. MG bought the bowl. The black and white piece with the red tulip is actually a lamp!

This is a view of Tanner Springs Park...

...and some very reflective buildings nearby.

The Urban Sketchers drew from the vicinity of OMSI on a chilly and cloudy day. I popped into OMSI to warm up my hands midway.

There was also a worldwide challenge to sketch 100 people in one week. I did it (well, at least the heads of 100 people). There was no prize for this except for the satisfaction of actually finishing it.

Then is was May at HL's home with the French tradition of giving Muguet (Lily of the Valley) for good luck. The fragrance always takes me right back to spring in junior high.

>>>*<<<

More October Sketches

Portland State Farmers Market

Giant Trees by the PSU Walk of Heroines

South Waterfront

Tanner Springs

Cormell Farms Pumpkins

NW Portland, view from Ken's Bakery

Sketching with the Urban Sketchers at Rocking Frog on a very rainy day.

The Fields and Vicinity

I rarely get tired of drawing in the parks in NW Portland.  There are new buildings popping up all the time...

...and old ones that are changing.

The sky seems wider here...

There are fun spaces for people and dogs...

and gathering spaces for important causes...

Hither and Yon, Sketching Outdoors in Portland

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens are gorgeous now, with the rhodies in full bloom. I sketched there last week on an 86 degree day. There's an abundance of trees and bushes in all their spring glory and plenty of birds and other waterfowl. Although I only sketched a duck and a couple of geese,  I heard bird calls from a number of different birds--even one that sounded like a Whippoorwill!



The Japanese Gardens are serene and beautiful, but it's always a disappointment not to be able to use watercolor there. Colored pencils are just so slow to me now and pen and ink doesn't show all the saturated greens against the blue sky.

On a new building across from Tanner Springs, I tried to capture the reflections of the buildings and sky. This is far trickier than I expected!

The shadows are what caught my eye on the YWCA. This was sketched from Behind the Museum Cafe on a chilly day before the leaves were out.

I sketched the top of the First Congregations Church from the sculpture court at the Portland Art Museum.

Closer to home, the Urban Sketchers of Portland had a sketchcrawl near my neighborhood. I took the opportunity to try to draw a car outside the Hollywood Vintage store. I don't like to draw cars, but thought I might like drawing an old design. I still don't like to draw cars.

This was sketched from my porch when the lilacs were just in bud and the camellias were still loading the branches nextdoor.

February Leftovers

I didn't get these posted in February, but here are some sketches from then.

These two sketches were done at Tanner Springs the day after Valentine's Day.

The Portland Art Museum is having a show of Italian fashion after WWII. These are some of my sketches of that exhibit. (Of course, the color had to be added at home.)

And here are some urban scenes...

                                            with the Portland Urban Sketchers in the Beaumont neighborhood...

Playing around with Perspective

Sketching Around Town

This week, I checked out the dragon boats on the Willamette River...

and the Festival of Flowers at Pioneer Courthouse Square ...

At the PSU Farmers Market, I got a free shopping bag and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from my favorite market family, the Vangs. Some of their daughters were my students and it's always a pleasure to see them at the market...

I had just enough time to get some of these shadows before the parking meter expired.

Tanner Springs Park is full of wild flowers and tall grasses right now...

and maybe that's why my eyes are so itchy tonight!