Virtual Sketchcrawl #12 - Winter - Empress Tree

I'd been thinking of sketching my own catalpa, because winter exposes its true nature, with branches chaotically strewing themselves every which way.  But from my windows on the first floor I can only really see its massive trunk, which doesn't change through the seasons.

So, when I realized that it wasn't going to be raining this morning, I decided to bundle up and walk to the MLC school grounds to do their empress tree instead.

Virtual Sketch Crawl #6 - Favorite Green Space

It's hard to pick a favorite because it's easy to love a lot of Portland's green spaces.  It's also easy for me to walk to this tree, lie down underneath it, and be transported by the pleasure of the warm sun on my skin and the complex pattern of leaves and light.  I call this tree the Symphony Director - it reminds me of Mickey Mouse as the wizard in Fantasia.