On a recent walk, I noticed how the winter grasses all leaned in the same direction, creating a pleasingly graceful visual harmony despite their broken down condition. I have been enjoying using Derwent Graphitint pencils on my pen and ink drawings lately. The graphitints are water soluable much like watercolor pencils but the colors are […]
Figure Drawing
January 18, 2011 by · 5 Comments
I spent the evening at The Canvas, an art bar in NW Portland, with my sketching buddies yesterday. The bar provides a clothed model for about 2 and a half hours, in several timed poses. We had a great time sketching, sipping wine, and snacking. This is the best of my timed sketches–as for the […]
Lovejoy Bakery
January 16, 2011 by · 13 Comments
The steady drizzle today couldn’t keep the Portland Urban Sketchers down. We met in a bakery in the Pearl district, then dispersed to sketch, gathering later at a pub for lunch. At least some of us dispersed…the bakery was warm and dry, with free refills on coffee, so why get wet? I spent a cozy […]
Asiatic Lily
January 16, 2011 by · 5 Comments
I just started a 27-month course with the Society of Botanical Artists, and the first assignment was to make a simple line drawing of a flower, with the stem included. I used part of the line drawing as a basis for this little watercolor I did on my daughter-in-law’s birthday card. I’ll be posting more […]
St. Johns Bridge
December 12, 2010 by · 19 Comments
Here’s another attempt at the beautiful St. Johns Bridge. The graceful cathedral-like structure with the misty, dark Douglas Fir-covered hills in the background make me want to sketch this scene every time I drive over the bridge. Of course, the other drivers wouldn’t appreciate it if I stopped right then and there, so I found […]
This blog is about my journey as a botanical artist--what I am learning, what inspires me and what I am currently drawing or painting. My desire is to continually hone my skills to better express my wonder and gratitude for the beauty of the creation around me in the Pacific Northwest (USA).