Union Station

An impromptu outing, in honor of the symposium going on in Chicago.


Union Station from the other side of the pedestrian bridge, and the bridge itself.



Inside the station, a woman deeply engrossed in writing.  (She didn't board the train to Seattle that everyone else got on.  I hope she was taking a later train.)

And finally, Big Pink, on the other side of yet another construction site.














Symposium Week - Extreme West Edition - This Saturday!

As I write, some of the Portland sketchers are making their way to Chicago to attend the 8th Urban Sketchers Symposium, and many of the rest of us are watching from afar as early arrivals start posting their work on social media. They're going to have a grand time this week and weekend! We'll enjoy seeing their reports.

For those of us that can't attend the symposium this year, let's have a grand time here in Portland as well. Portland is connected to Chicago by Amtrak's Empire Builder train line -- 45 hours to Chicago from Union Station -- so in support of our friends in Chicago and Chicago's role as a central hub of train travel in the U.S., we'll gather at Portland's Union Station and sketch views of the Portland skyline and the rail lines.

(I know the attendees of our recent 10x10 Workshops may have sketched here recently, but there's much to see in this area and there will be no running out of great views.)

Saturday, July 29
 
10:00 am - Meet at Union Station, 800 NW 6th Ave, in the waiting area, for introductions. 

10:30 am - Sketch in or around the train station - some of us will be focusing on views from the nearby pedestrian bridge.

12:00 pm- Meet outside the main entrance for sketchbook sharing, then optional walk to nearby Ecotrust building (NW 10th & Johnson) for lunch.

August 19 Sketch Crawl - Beth Israel

August 19 Sketch Crawl - Congregation Beth Israel

Let's sketch a piece of Portland history - Congregation Beth Israel.  The geometric forms will be a special treat to sketch.

Schedule:
10:00am - Meet at World Cup Coffee, 1740 NW Glisan St., for introductions, coffee, and snacks.
10:30am - Sketch around the Congregation Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders St.
12:00noon - OPTIONAL sketchbook sharing and lunch at Mcmenamins Blue Moon Tavern & Grill, 432 NW 21st Ave.

July Sketchcrawl

I eyed Tilikum Bridge for a bit, but ended up walking around to the side of the OHSU building to try my hand at a bit of the messy construction going on next door.

And then, with just a little time left before the throw-down, did a quicky of the sculpture in front of the building.

A Beautiful Day for Sketching at Tilikum Crossing

We had a good turnout for today's sketch crawl, with 19 people, by my count.  There's a lot to draw in this area and the diversity of sketches reflects that. It's always so fun to see the variety of techniques, materials, and viewpoints when we share our sketches. I always get new ideas with the 'throw-down."

Notice Julie's extra tiny palette in the photo above.

Here's my sketch from before lunch...

and a grid of sketches from the afternoon.

Thanks for showing up, everyone!

Yet more storm recovery

When my catalpa fell over in January's snowstorm, it busted a chunk of my sidewalk.  After a months-long delay, the people that I contracted to fix it finally started to work on it.

This was just the first step, breaking up the broken slab and hauling it off, and building forms for pouring the new slab.  Now we have to wait for an inspection before pouring concrete.

The People You Meet

Recently, Deb and I sketched the PSU Native American Center and a couple asked for a photo of us and our sketches. We chatted and Jason told us that China was famous for T'ai Chi, Kung Fu, and calligraphy. He also told me that he could paint shrimp, so of course, I asked him to paint some in my sketchbook. The dagger brush wasn't the best for it, but he made a valiant attempt and we were delighted with the result.

Here's my sketch of the center. It's a really fascinating building with influences of several different tribes. It's tricky to get a view of the whole place, so this is one corner, with a modern totem structure that features our beloved salmon.

Lunch time sketching in the square

I'm lucky enough to work downtown and have enough time during my long workday to be able to get out and sketch a bit. Here is my quick pencil sketch of the courthouse (detail). I've been away from my urban sketching for a while so thanks, Andrea, for the unexpected encounter last week...and inviting me back into the group!!! I'm excited to be here!

Sketching at Riverplace

Watercolor

A good group of some regulars and some new sketchers assembled at Riverplace to sketch today.
The sun came in and out so on the whole it was a good sketching day with many options for sketching.
I did a warm up sketch looking over the boat marina towards the Hawthorne Bridge and then moved further north to get a closer view of the bridge.

multi colored pencil, graphik pen, kuretake brush pen

 After sharing I decided to stick around and try to catch some of the people movement along this popular walkway. And I may have been channeling Kalina's quick sketch of the scene too.

watercolor

Get over your fear of drawing people

Our last four classes from Reporting from Portland series will focus on life in the city. We will tackle the exciting subject of visual reportage, learn to draw ordinary people going around their daily life, master sketching crowds, interactions at markets, and street performers. If you always wanted to have more "life" and characters in your sketches but feel intimidated by drawing human subjects, their reactions, their sudden movements, their proportions–these classes are for you.

Drawing people is as exciting as it gets

Here is the schedule and a brief description of each session starting with this coming Saturday:

June 17th from 11:00am to 1:30pm
A Day in the Life of Kenton Neighborhood
Drawing people in the context of their immediate environment, learning to quickly capture the essence of our subject

June 24th 11:00 to 1:30pm
Textures, Colors And Activity At PSU Farmer's Market
Unleashing the power or texture and color to tell the story of a busy urban market

July 8th 11:00 to 1:30pm
Reporting on a Street Fair: Making Sense of Chaos on your Page 
Tackling moving subjects, crowds, and using color and value to bring it all together

July 12th (Wednesday) at 4:15 to 6:45pm
Music In The City–Reporting from “Music on Main” Outdoor Concert
The exhilarating craft of drawing street performers by harnessing the power of rhythm and music to guide our hand.

I am offering a discount for those who want to register for all four classes.
Click here to register or contact me with any questions.