First Presbyterian Church - the Pipe Organ

Last week on Friday, a group of Portland Urban Sketchers was allowed special access to First Presbyterian Church. They are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the installation of their pipe organ with a year of organ music through their Celebration Works program and were interested in seeing sketches of the organ.

Our sketch group has only had one sketchcrawl at this location before; it was a decade ago and we sketched only from the outside. This time we not only went inside, we got a demo of how the pipe organ works and some historical backdrop as well. What an honor!  We'll be returning to this beautiful building for a future Saturday sketchcrawl and are grateful to our contacts at the Church that made this possible. 

For a last minute sketchcrawl on a week day, I was impressed with our great turnout! Thanks to everyone that made time to visit, and to those sketchers that shared their sketches with FPC afterwards.

The inside of the Church is full of warm wood tones and graceful arches and curves.  However, it's also full of interesting shapes that we may not understand well yet, like the pipes on the pipe organ! I got fairly confused in my one big sketch and can't wait to try again now that I have some ideas about how to approach this subject.

Thanks again to the folks at First Presbyterian for taking the time to invite us in and let us sketch!

Maryhill

On Sunday I took a day trip to Maryhill - the state park, the old town, Stonehenge and the museum, to get some sketches in.

In the morning I started in the town, now little more than a ghost town with many of the buildings empty, and did the church and an old gas station, with a couple of windmills behind it.  And a glimpse of Stonehenge high up on the hill above me.

Then we gathered for lunch, and then caravanned up the hill to the museum.  And there we, as a group, looked at this year's plein air exhibit.  This display the paintings that a dozen or so artists did near Maryhill over four days around the beginning of August.  One of whom was Elo.  Someone had done the same gas station that I'd done this morning.  But most of the paintings were of Mt Hood, from various angles, or of water - the Columbia or waterfalls.  No one bothered with the host of windmills running down both sides of the gorge.

So, after I wandered through the rest of the museum, I bought an Italian soda at the cafe and then walked out onto the patio to do just hills and windmills.

Albina Sketchcrawl

I started out by wandering to the north from the meeting place, to get a good view of the tangle of on-ramps and off-ramps that connect I5 to the Fremont Bridge.

And then walked up the hill to Emmanuel Hospital, to the top of a parking garage there, where I found a view of the bridge itself, bracketed by a couple of evergreen trees.

First Presbyterian

Kalina arranged an outing to sketch at First Presbyterian. In return for sketches that the church could use in their newsletter.

I got there early,and started out with a pen drawing of the facade.

Then we were invited inside to sketch there. (And got an impromptu organ recital.) The church is filled with carved cherry wood, with a balcony that undulates around the sanctuary.

Facade of the Organ

Albina Mississippi crawl

I haven't sketched in this area for years, but have always enjoyed its mix of urban decay, sweet little indie businesses, massive industrial buildings, and in the distance... downtown skyline to one side, Fremont Bridge to the other.

After the first two sketches I walked down towards Interstate to sketch the Fremont Bridge... but couldn't help it, I love those criss-crossing overpasses and had to keep going!

September Sketchcrawl - Sept. 21: Thurman Bridge and Macleay Park

Our next regularly scheduled Saturday sketchcrawl will take in the historic Thurman Bridge, which was built in 1905 during the Lewis & Clark Exposition. This bridge also crosses the entrance to Macleay Park which we will have the option to explore. It's less than a mile's walk to reach some stone building ruins down a hiking trail. This should be a nice crawl to spend some end-of-summer weather in a beautiful lush environment!

Image is from https://www.hikespeak.com

Schedule: (Find your own breakfast beverages/food prior to meeting. See Resources below.)
10am: Meet at Lower Macleay Park entrance (see map below). This is one block west from NW 29th & Upshur.
12pm: Sketchbook throwdown at same location
12:30pm: Optional lunch at Industrial Cafe at 2572 NW Vaughn. (This is a ~7 block walk from the park.)





Resources/Amenities:
There is a restroom and some parking near the park entrance.
A nearby cafe for snacks/coffee is Clearing Cafe at 2772 NW Thurman, which is about 5 minutes' walk east from the park.


Getting There: The entrance to the park is a 7 minute walk from the NW Wardway & Montgomery Park Trimet stop, which is served by lines 15 and 77.  There is some parking in the neighborhood but we're uncertain how easy it will be to find a spot.

Next Month: Broadway Bridge!

N Interstate and Albina

It was cool and overcast today so we didn't have to find shady spots for drawing. Lots of people focused on the Fremont Bridge while others focused on the neighborhood. Fun day!

NW Alexandra Ave Bridge

Fremont Bridge again

I walked down to the site of the road construction under the ramp up to the Fremont Bridge.  Thurman is open to car traffic again, but there's still a lot of work yet to be done.  But no construction today, seeing as it's Sunday.