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...

Autumn

Urban Sketching

We've had some nice weather days lately, making it really pleasant to get out for a sketch.

Some sketching friends and I nabbed a picnic table with a view of Pittock Mansion one direction

and a view of Portland and Mt. Hood from the other direction.

It was a gorgeous day and lots of people were enjoying the view. We got in some sunshine, some sketching and I had my first picnic of the year. 

The leaves are starting to come out on the trees. The Fields is a new park and the plantings are still immature, but someday those trees will provide shade around the wide open space. When I sketched this, I was glad for the sunshine.

I drive by this apartment building several times a week because it's by my gym, and the other day, there was finally a parking space directly across from it. It's always odd for me to see palm trees in Portland, but there are several around town that have managed to survive for years.

Inside and Outside Portland Buildings

Looking toward the Centennial Mills from the Fields, this is one of the rustic buildings that you see. Right now, this is the only view that doesn't include a crane in close proximity. 

When I was sketching across from the Deschutes Brewery, a traffic accident occurred in

 the intersection to the east. No one appeared  to be hurt, but it certainly jammed up the traffic trying to get around it. I felt like I should have been directing traffic instead of finishing my sketch.

I had coffee and pastry at a charming luncheonette, Maurice. The Nordic/ French food was delicious and the decor seemed very French, until I realized it was unlike any place I'd been in France.

There are lots of nice details in Maurice.

Going Back

Last week, I sketched again at the Fields park in NW Portland. I didn't finish it, so I returned today. I think I was sitting in a spot that was nearly the same as last week, but the weather, the sun, the cranes, the sky and my perception had all changed in a week. It felt kind of like solving a puzzle to try to finish what I was seeing last week. I ended up taking lots of liberties and changing some things  significantly. I hadn't realized how hard it was to return to the scene.

Here are a few home grown (by friends) tomatoes to finish up the summer.

Reed College Sketchcrawl

The Urban Sketchers of Portland had a sketchcrawl at Reed this past weekend. The college ha a beautiful campus with gorgeous trees and interesting architecture. I think I could spend another day just sketching gargoyles

This time, I drew another sketcher, ...

the Anna Mann building through the trees, ...

and the doorway to one of the old residence halls...

And now for something completely different: 

From the opposite side of town, here's a view from the Fields, Portland's newest urban park.

It seems like the colors are getting better and better each fall, but maybe I just have time to appreciate them more now.