Upcoming Columbia City Celebration

We will have a booth at the Columbia City Celebration in the Columbia City School on First Street. Mark your calendars for September 14th. The day starts with a pancake breakfast and then enjoy a beautiful art show in the entryway of the school plus the car show in the athletic field. Inside the gym is a wide variety of art and crafts by local artisans for sale (you'll find me there). And of course don't forget the book sale benefiting the library.

My new book, "The Unique Woodwork at Timberline Lodge: Book 1" just arrived from the printer so I'll have those on hand. I replenished my popular watercolor flower cards too. Stop by!

Lake McDonald Lodge in Montana

While I was inside Glacier National Park in Montana there wasn't any wifi. Only on the outskirts there was a hint of signal, just enough to maybe text... emphasis on maybe so it would be fair to say I've been out of touch for a week. To help catch up with what I was busy doing/seeing here's a tidbit:

The totem pole in front of the Lake McDonald Lodge. While I was thinking about how to best paint the lodge (there are some significant challenges with this particular site) I sketched the pole. Quite a few folks stopped to ask about the field easel bag I was using (designed by Darsie Beck and super useful!!) and then to find out what I was working on and then they asked for my business card until I completely ran out. Usually I’m invisible when I’m sketching so that was a first for me. I was busy painting when the first rain drops started to fall. I got everything packed up before the the skies opened and we had a good old fashioned thunderstorm. Watercolor and rain aren't a mix so that was the end of painting for the day but that's also why I tell folks before starting to sketch to take a picture so when stuff happens, it's not the end of the world. I often forget this valuable tidbit but this time I did remember to start with a picture so I'll still get that rock wall in even though I wasn't able to do it on site.

In Scappoose

On the side of the highway drivinging through Scappoose you'll pass a Haida style totem pole at Welcome Island. Yesterday's urban sketching location. 

1st Presbyterian Church drawing with watercolor

I attended a last minute sketch crawl hosted by the Portland Urban Sketchers. We only had two hours to work on site before they had to set up for a wedding which wasn’t enough time to finish this there - and I was worried about using watercolor in the church. I’m liking how it turned out.

1st Presbyterian Church in Portland

We had planned on sketching locally this week but there was a last minute opportunity the Portland Urban Sketchers was offered.  It was too good to pass up on. This was definitely one of those things where I wished I had packed more than my sketchbook but there was no way to know for sure what we would have to work on until we got there. We only had two hours to work which wasn't enough time for me to ink the drawing in.  Barely enough time to get the magnificent detail sketched in pencil as it was.  I'm just going to say WOW on the location.  Just wow.  

1st Presbyterian Church
Portland, Oregon

This months press release

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Sketching at Scappoose Middle School

I have another project I'm working on that I'm not going to post work in progress pictures on because it would totally spoil the surprise when it's done so here is a minor distraction for today.Today’s urban sketching session was at the middle school in Scappoose before school starts back. The weather was excellent. The big trees in the front provided excellent shade while we worked.

#urbansketching #penandink #scappoosemiddleschool#scappoose #bonnywagoner