It'sTurned Cold

Even the eight foot Lincoln statue in the South Park blocks has dawned a winter scarf. It's just a matter of time till some big winds come in and strip the fall colors down to bare trunks. A change of season is good or how would we ever appreciate  the return of spring green and summer sky blue?  And with that, I've had a cold  and fever since Monday and feel like crap.  I'm getting a little house bound so will plan on meeting the Portland Urban Sketchers today for a couple hours in Hollywood district.  Just to prove I have done something this week, here's a sketch book page from the weekend. While you're out today buy a box of tissues and cough drops.

First Friday in Multnomah Village

Yesterday I stopped by O'Connors to place the printed cards on our new monthly show(Eight+ @O'Connors in Multnomah Village) which is our last turn till after the first of the year. I like the new direction some of our group is moving .  It was such a beautiful sunny day I hung around out on the deck and sketched some of the potted flowers out for their last hoorah! Got some good feed back on our show too.

Frank Webb Inspired

This was drawn after watching the DVD by Frank Webb, 'Painting Enjoyable Color'

Break out all your big flat brushes and enjoy painting along with Frank Webb, big chunky shapes and charge in colorful animated pigments.  This DVD is chalk full of design and ideas to make your paintings dance. I recommend watching a couple times then head for your paper and paints while your creative juices are revved!  There is no production date but indications make me believe sometime between 2006-9 and created in North Carolina.

Top; Webb Inspired Drawing- 'Fisherman's Pier - Red Wax Lead

Honey Crisp

Brushing up on some fruit this month.  Painted in natural light on the window sill.

Painting Pear

From my sketchbook; bought a pear just to paint it. It had a funny unexpected shape and lots of color and texture.  Set on a kitchen towel with side lighting. Good exercise in seeing.

Color Scheme

Today I painted with Karen Joy and we decided on Landscape with buildings.  I also wanted her to try a different color scheme of her choice; used more of a split compliment.   We worked from an idea in one of the Steven Quiller books and also some sketches.  This is how I finished up. For a first lesson, I think she was happy.

Naito Drive

Watch for the 10 x 10 show at Art Media Gallery@928.  !00 artists; all art $100 or less.
Oct 31 - Dec 3rd.

'Naito Dr.'
Watercolor
10" x 10"

Life Drawing Exhibition

 

 Image Detail

Photoshop - 4 Layered Sketch

This was a drawing with a number two pencil that I pressed a little too hard on the paper and could not get a good photograph.  Couldn't fix it with levels or curves so I decided to make four duplicate layers and run them through threshold at four graduated spots on the slider.The Layer on the bottom will have the most paint /color - the lightest value. The fourth layer being the least area to receive color will be the darkest value.  I think of organizing printing plates or silk screening; any color is game as long as they keep getting darker as you add layers.See example below of image next to Layers palette in Photoshop 7. (click to enlarge)

I'm not sure if you can do this in Photoshop elements.  I would have to check with Linda R. Ollis. She is teaching Basic photoshop on her blog here.

 

Blue Footed Bowl

Gouache, Ink, and Watercolor  on paper. 7-10-10

What A Nice Suprise!

I won a set of cards from Joan Breckwoldt Blog.  Click on the image of her "Monthly Giveaway" to go there.

Last weekend was the Watercolor Society of Oregon's biennial convention.  A decision was made for next year's transparent show to begin accepting soluble water media with transparent watercolor - The purists are becoming a dying breed!

Hood River - On Location

Sketched in Hood River yesterday near a wine tasting room, down past the Hood Rive train depot. Pretty quiet morning and nothing much going on asside from the passing of a few freight trains.

*

Sketching Tuesday

I really do some kind of art almost every day but I get side tracked and don't post about it as often. I need to catch you up I guess.  After the Artists Breakfast last Tuesday it was such a terrific day - one of those transition Summer to Fall days where the sky was bright and clear with big puffy, billowy clouds; the wind might come up kind of day - but it didn't.  Not too hot- Not too cold- It was just perfect!    I talked Celeste into going to a big park just off Vermont that has nothing but big open space with lots of trees and of course the abandoned neighborhood baseball diamond. School's in so there was hardly anyone there but the occasional strolling couple or mom pushing a stroller.  

We commandeered a picnic table and just enjoyed the day. Then it was off to get a coffee.  The Cafe Auto Grill is in this same neighborhood Where we grabbed an outdoor table and sketched some more. 

Celeste took a picture of my sketch there before we finished and the paint was still wet but when I got home I risked ruin and added more color, value, and detail just because it wanted to.... and it worked out! 

At least I think it did. Do you think I improved it?

Pickles Please

I guess it's fifty-fifty if you want pickles on your tuna san.  There will be an Opening Reception tomorrow - Sunday, the 12th at the Oregon Society of Artists for the fall Juried Show.  Ed Labeadie was the juror. He's an abstract water media artist from the Hillsboro area. Please drop by and have a glass of wine and see who got a ribbon. I thought there were some very good pieces from the juried members.Maybe I'll see you there.

I See the Error in My Ways

     I'm still digging through old paintings, there are tons of them. An old graphics artist friend from home once told me never to throw out my old work because you just never know.  I don't know if he meant old crappy paintings but none the less, I pile them up.  I already put several hours in this but put it aside. Now I think I see my drawing errors and I think it isn't that far from being finished.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Egg Carton and Broken Shells

I thought I would tell you the shells are broken - I ate them for breakfast  and put them back to paint them. I didn't get around to finishing them till late last night.  I thought about adding pen but resisted; maybe start with pen on another.

No Sketch Meetup Last Night

Worked on an old figure;

Our Plein air group that meets Monday night didn't meet because the 'Canvas' bistro was closed for Labor Day.  I took one of the sketches I did from last week (on better)  paper and put in a background and enhanced some of the darks.  I was sorry I had outlined with the Pitt pen. It might have been a not so bad little figure study in just watercolor.

Watercolor Society of Oregon Workshop in October

Just letting anyone know there is space left to anyone interested!!!!

Lots in Progress

I've been working on a couple of paintings and then going out sketching with different people and different locations.Busy busy- almost too busy to blog. Over the weekend a group met from the watercolor society and then there was the urban sketcher group and Monday night was the costumed model. I like having all these things, places to go - people to meet.  Check out some highlights. Summer is flying.

 

(Behind the Scenes Blog)

The Bluff Over Oregon City

Willamette Falls and Locks were behind us, looking this direction you could float the river right through Portland if you had a few hours (or more) and a canoe.It's 26 miles from the 'Falls' Where the Willamette River empties into the Columbia. Portland is about halfway, quite a fun experience. This sketch is a medium point Pitt pen and watercolor.

Tanner Creek

 (Click to Enlarge)

A Public Park in the Pearl, Tanner Creek is a naturalized area with grasses, rushes and cat tails.  Get a closer view of this natural looking water shed via a permanent foot bridge.   We had a little sketching session here last Tuesday and you can view what other members of our group did here.

Red Umbrella at Elephant's Delicatessen

Had a cappuccino and a little lunch with my niece earlier to day.  Now to prepare for three day workshop Friday=Sunday.

Waiting, Might As Well Sketch!

Hate waiting for the dryer. I have to admit either the time went faster because I was sketching or the clothes dried faster because it was a warm day!!  Worked from a photo  but see if I could make it look as though it was from life.  I don't think too many life sketches have their subject smiling this much but it was worth a try.

***

Color Thumbnail Sketches

Cleaning out some stuff today and found these.  They were painted fast and simple.

Frame These Up

Time to frame!  These were completed during last month's paint outs and now to be included in August shows in the Utrecht store located in The Pearl and Walters Cultural center in Hillsboro.

************

Journaling

Pretty close to sketching in a sketch book but if you add a verse or a couple lines as a caption they call it 'Journaling.' 

Plum Crostata

Cafe Autogrill;  

Capitol Highway. between Hillsdale and Multnomah Village.

Wi-Fi

I pretty consistently reserve Tuesday mornings for some art related activity with art friends. This morning I took a different bus over to the village for the  breakfast with fellow plein air painters. You can't miss the awning on the front of this little Euro style cafe and suggested to Celeste we do a couple sketches there while she waits for a phone call. I knew what I had to sketch when I saw the little plum pastry - My niece makes a similar version of these from her own backyard plum tree! It was a nice little escape. The managers say they are interested in showing art upstairs in a few months.

Chicken Challenge

Chicken Challenge...

Finally, we have a chicken

I offered up a photo of one of my sister's chickens for the monthly challenge on the Behind the Scenes Blog.  I finally completed  my painting in Acrylic of Henrietta Chicken; check here for the rest of the participants as they are posted sometime Monday.....

I should have given you some brief info last week about my computer having an internal cookout  which extended to the backup and external hard drive. I find out tomorrow if I have permanently lost about three years or so of pictures and miscellaneous files.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed. ....

Tomorrow

   

Watercolor Batik on rice paper 15" x 15"

List for Tomorrow

1. Drop off Art Work OSA
2. Bastille Day Plen Air At Jamison Fountain and Square
3. Utrecht sponsored Plein Air event in North Park Blocks (Everett St)
4. Water Scott's tomatoes
5. Feed Olivia's kitten
6. I'll fill this when I remember what it was.

.....

Lavender Fields

A group of Portland Plein Air Painters traveled  to Washington County landmark, Helvetia Lavender Farm and Gardens above the Helvetia Tavern. We all had a great day of painting and breathing the scent of freshly cut lavender.For a change the weather cooperated all day with well timed sun breaks which meant moderate temps and no need for sunscreen.Owner Nancy escorted us on a personal garden tour and invited us to paint on their private deck. We were entrtained by the two family St. Bernards; Mudly (shown below) and Penny.  Enjoy some of the bird house collection in the garden! To see more paintings from todays outing check out our group blog, Behind The Scenes!

 Celeste and Mudly

Penny could be lady-like if she thought you would scratch her ear too.

 Alpacas across the road

 ..

I Never Know What to Expect

This started out as an experiment to work out a color palette.  I should know better than try to go with yellow.  It is just too light and I never get the mood I expect so I obliterate the light with a complement. What I like about this is using a broad flat dry stroke that introduced a bit of broken color.  I seldom use dry brush but I'm going to bring that into some more work in the future.  

A Daily Pencil Portrait

 

..

On-Line for the I-Phone

I really wanted to sketch on the sidewalk downtown but didn't want to look so conspicuous out there on my own.  When my niece started making noise last week about spending the night in line for an i-phone I thought I could inconspicuously sketch in line.  I need more practice or I just had way to much time to get bogged down with detail.  It was fun listening to all the tech talk among  these 20 somethings and realize they have no memory of those old computer punch cards you used to get from the airlines as  a boarding pass or college registration packets.  One of these guys looked at me quizzically and asked if I was going to actually get an i-phone. When I asked why he wanted to know he said he thought it was mostly the younger generation that was interested in the new gadgets. Well, I guess he is a little right - I mainly talk on the phone, but I do send a few texts a month and take advantage of the camera.

Below are some other sketchs from the week , various times and locations. It's almost the weekend!

.......