expecting clear views of Willamette River bridges from atop OHSU......

Well you can see from other postings that the expectations were not realized as the fog played with us all morning!
In the end we all had to think a little out of the box and sketch the other bridges that were around us.

Turns out there were a surprising number of brridges for us all to sketch!

A Perfect Sketching Day

We rode the tram up to OHSU where we could take in the magnificent fall views of the city, Mt. Hood and St. Helens, the river and gorgeous fall colors. The air was chilly, but the sun was shining so by putting on hats and fingerless gloves, we could stay outside or we could head inside for the coziness and the comfy chairs.

The views, the sun, and the comradely must have worked to inspire such excellent sketches. Here's what we did.

I hope people will still post their sketches, because it would be wonderful to see them close up again.

Thanks everyone for such a fun day!

View from OHSU

One of the things I enjoy about sketching with others is seeing all of the different interpretations of the same space or scene. It expands and enriches my own understanding. This is my rendition of the same view that Kalina sketched, as we sat looking out the window. Different sketching styles, materials and sketchbook format really change-up the end results!

It felt good to re-join the group after a long hiatus, and I hope to become 'a regular' once again!

OHSU Views

We met at the same cafe once before, but ended up staying in the area of the South Waterfront instead of taking the intended ride up the aerial tram to Oregon Health & Science University.  This time a group of us made it all the way up and the views were certainly worth the wobbly ride. We had our work cut out for us, but the sketchers were up to the task.

Here's long-absent sketcher Janene finally returned to the fold, and camped out for a lovely view of the river and Portland's east side...

I made this sketch while seated next to Janene. The great bridge/overpass shape was hard to resist.

When I went searching for a new scene I passed a few of my fellow sketchers hard at work...

Finally I chose a spot in the skybridge (as shown in Katura's post). The resulting sketch looks weirdly abstract, due to the strange shape of the building that houses the aerial tram dock.

OHSU was full of great views, but it was also a surreal place to spend time.  Once as I sat there touching up watercolors, a woman walking by exclaimed loudly to her friend, "I'm so glad my mother didn't die!"  There were doctors walking briskly through the halls in their scrubs and patients with crutches making clattering sounds as they passed. Of course, this is a place where lives are saved... and lost.  I felt grateful today to be visiting simply as a sketcher.

The View from Pill Hill

Another big group of urban sketchers this month--13, 14 people? Wonderful.  * Otra vez, un grupo grande para dibujar esta mes--¿13, 14 personas? Que maravilloso.

The Rilassi Coffee House on the south waterfront is an excellent place to admire people's dogs. Chops the bulldog puppy was perhaps the biggest hit in the puppy parade. * El café Rilassi, en el sur de la orilla oeste del rio, es un lugar excelente para admirar perros. El perrito "Chops" tal vez fue la superestrella del desfile de perros. 

Fast sketch as we rode up the aerial tram to the OHSU campus. Had to stop and admire the historic photo of the student rugby team from 1894. * Hice este dibijo rapidamente al subir a OHSU por el teleférico. Despúes, admiré a lost chavos del equipo estudiantíl de rugby de 1894.

From the balcony where the tram lets you off, the view down over the city is pretty fancy. My attempts to paint the Ross Island Bridge and the Marquham Bridge from above would have been better if Wayne Thiebaud had been there to give me advice. * Al salir del teleférico, hay un balcón con una vista excelente de la ciudad. Mis pinturas del puente Marquham y del puente Ross Island habrían sido mejores con la ayuda de Wayne Thiebaud.

The lovely blue-green building tiles and the bright yellow flowers made this corner of campus a lovely little scenic surprise. * Los azulejos verdes y azules en el edificio historico con las flores amarillas trayeron color sorprendente al gris del día.

And finally, before we went back down the tram to share sketchbooks and eat pho, I tried tackling the skybridge. My grasp of the architecture is so-so, but I like how the contrast between the trees and the buildings turned out. * Antes de regresar al fondo de la colina para compartir dibujos y comer pho, traté de pintar el puente de vidrio que conecta dos edificios de la universidad. No entiendo bien la arquitectura, pero me gusta el contraste entre los edicifios y el bosque.