The three of us went out for a relaxing evening of coffee, reading and sketching. I love it when people are so absorbed in what they are doing that they don’t notice me sketching them. I was almost done before Sarah caught on!
Lan Su Chinese Garden
January 30, 2011 by · 4 Comments
Portland’s Chinese Garden is one of the most authentic Chinese Gardens outside of China. A well-known Chinese garden designer was intimately involved in the planning, and a crew of Chinese craftsmen worked for many months to build it, along with local workers. I find the buildings very challenging to sketch because of the curved roofs, […]
Fox Sparrow and Grasses
January 26, 2011 by · 15 Comments
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 […]
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).