Mark your calendars!

Currently showing in the Gallery at the Columbia County Courthouse

"For My Mom" 

Watercolor on acid free cotton paper.

Red hydrangea

New card design finished and scanned. Some people turn to their seed catalogs this time of year. I go through the reference pictures I took from the year before and start painting. This particular flower is from Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose. They have an incredible selection of hydrangea to drool over in Scappoose. Sometime in the spring they host a not to be missed informational presentation on hydrangeas and tour of their display garden that inspires me to bring home another new specimen for my own garden. This is a watercolor on Sennelier hot press cotton paper - a delightful paper for detail.

At the Portland Art Museum

Something fun from urban sketching at the Portland Art Museum a couple weeks ago. It was an experiment using a water soluble ink and water. Using ink this way is a very unforgiving method so it's going to take a bit of practice but I do like the results. It's good for quick sketches that are more robust.

The show at the Columbia City Library

Starting today is a new program at the Columbia City Library displaying the work of local artists and artisans. First up is Dana Belisle and your’s truly for the month of February.

Revisiting an old (I originally thought dreadful) drawing

I had a drawing in an old sketchbook. I didn't like it so I never finished it but recently revisited it to run my new ink through its paces. I rather like the results.

Oregon Arts Commission

Since I was in the area today I dropped in to chat with the Oregon Arts Commission in Salem. My longtime motto has always been any day I learn something new is a good day. I learned LOTS so mark this as a VERY good day.

Something that changed from years ago is the public doesn't have ready access to this area.  It's now behind a key coded door.  They were nice and paged someone to come out and talk to me about the program I had previously emailed about and never got a reply.  Turns out the program no longer exists.  But I did learn about a new avenue to research so I'll be starting that in the near future.