September 21 SketchCrawl - WTC/Salmon Springs

sketch by Vicky Porter

Those of us who have been downtown of late may have noticed that it's been overrun with cats.  They're scheduled to leave town in mid-October, so I thought we'd time our September sketchcrawl to catch them.

Let's meet at the World Trade Center, at the base of Salmon.  There are two cats very close, one at the WTC, at SW 1st and Salmon, and the other across Naito at Salmon Springs.  Or, if that feels too kitschy, there's always the nearby architecture, or the springs and waterfront.  And even Mill Ends Park.

It's downtown, so well served by Trimet.  The 6, 10 and 14 all stop a block or two away, and the bus mall is just up the street.

There are a couple of spots to get coffee: 40 Lbs, at 2nd and Salmon, and Starbucks, at 2nd and Main.

For restrooms, the coffee shops are probably your best bet.  Otherwise, there's supposed to be a public restroom on the waterfront under the Hawthorne Bridge.  And there used to be some up by City Hall at Chapman and Lownsdale Squares.

• 10am: meet at the cat at the World Trade Center for introductions
• noon: meet at the same place, or some place to be determined, for an optional sketchbook throw-down

Cathedral Park

Well, it ended up being a beautiful morning, despite a scary weather forecast.  

Thanks to everyone for making the long trek to St Johns.

August 17 SketchCrawl - Cathedral Park

For August, let's have a change of pace and jump in the river! The new swim dock at Cathedral Park in St. Johns is a great place to sketch the underside of the bridge, sit on the dock and practice painting water, or draw people and boats.  There are also about sixty-five species of trees around the park just waiting for someone to sketch them.

And we can also go for a swim and hang around for a picnic! So pack a lunch and a cold drink, bring a swimsuit and a beach chair, and let's enjoy the summer.  (The river's shoreline is a bit gravely and rocky, so water-friendly footwear is a good idea if you're going to wade in.)

Sketch by Andrea

There are several bus lines that stop a few blocks away, but we can also organize carpools. Feel free to post a comment (or reply to this email) if you'd like to meet up with a few other people in your part of town and go together. 

In terms of other basic amenities, there are public restrooms, a few picnic tables, and the bridge and the trees provide some shade--but feel free to bring an umbrella if you want a little extra sun protection.

• 10 AM: Meet at the beach, directly under the bridge, for introductions
• 12 noon: We'll figure out a picnic spot nearby and have our throw-down at the same time. Stay as long as you like to enjoy the river!

Rainbow Road

It was great to see everyone - a huge turnout with a lot of first-timers.  And the weather couldn't have been finer.

July 27th SketchCrawl - Rainbow Road

(Note the changed date - we moved it from the third to the fourth Saturday, to accommodate people going to Edmonds.)

Let's try a street plaza this month, the Ankeny Rainbow Road Plaza at SE Ankeny and 28th.

There'll be buildings to sketch, and public art and people.  There's a coffee shop and bakery on the corner, and other food available in the area.  

For public transit, the 20 gets the closest.  If you're on a bike, well, it's right on a major bike route.

• 10am - meet at the giant red chairs (closer to SE 27th) for introductions.
• noon - meet there or nearby for an optional throw-down

International Rose Test Garden

Thanks to everyone who braved the rain to come out and sketch with us.  We should call this the 'Raindrops on Roses' sketchcrawl.

And a quick reminder, that our July sketchcrawl will be delayed a week, to July 27th, because a bunch of us are going to Edmonds on the weekend of our regular sketching.

June 15th Sketchcrawl - International Rose Test Garden

By the middle of June, the rose garden up in Washington Park should be popping with flowers.   

• 10am - meet in the plaza between the gift shop and restrooms, at the SW corner of the garden
• noon - meet again nearby, wherever we can find space for an optional throw-down

The free park shuttle loops around the park, with stops at both the Rose Garden and the zoo MAX station.  There's also a Trimet bus, the 63, that comes to the Rose Garden from downtown.  If you're willing to hike up the hill from Burnside, the 20 stops at the bottom of the carriage drive, and the 15 a couple blocks away.

For people driving, parking can get tight.  There's a small lot at the Rose Garden, but it fills up quickly.  Overflow parking is down SW Sherwood, which might lead to a hike back up to the garden.  It might be best to park at the zoo and take the shuttle.

Links:

• Trimet 63 schedule
• Washington Park Shuttle
• Park Map

Heads up for July!

A bunch of us are going to SketcherFest in Edmonds, WA over the weekend of July 20. So today we decided to move our July sketchcrawl to Saturday, July 27.

Also, if anyone going to Edmonds wants to carpool, there's a posting over on our facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/urbansketchersportland/) to connect with other drivers.   If you don't do FB, then reply or comment to this, and someone will (I hope) help connect you.  You can also take Amtrak directly to Edmonds from Portland if that sounds appealing

There are still tickets left for a few events. If you scroll down on this page to the individual event listings, it looks like the ones that say "add to cart" are the ones that still have availability.

https://sketcherfest.com/2024schedule/

Kennedy School

We started out with dry weather, if fairly cloudy, and I was thinking how silly we'd been for chickening out and choosing a place where we could get under shelter if need be.  And then I felt raindrops.  It didn't rain for long, but enough that we had the throw-down under a gazebo.

Thanks for coming out everybody.  It was good to see you all.