Skadi and Rig, Astoria Oregon, Sunday Market, Lapoynte

A brother and sister team playing music at the Sunday Market in Astoria  Oregon. They had very cleaver arraignments and were a pleasure to watch.

Candy's Farm, Astoria Oregon, lapoynte

Sunday Market in Astoria Oregon, Candy’s Farm booth where I got veggie and chicken dumplings, -Yum. I gave them my drawing

Art in the Park

I volunteered on Saturday to give the vendors in the art booths a break.  While sitting in a knife booth, I pulled out my sketching stuff and tried to capture the folks walking by - they were FAST.

EARLY MORNING SKETCHING!

Meet at the Fred Meyer parking lot in Richland at 7:00 AM this Friday, August 3rd to head out and sketch before the sun gets too high in the sky and bakes us.  We plan to head to another winery not too far away and catch the great morning shadows and soft summer breezes...

...more Airfield Estates

Jim told me a lot about the International Urban Sketchers he just came back from and one thing he emphasized was to start out with little 'thumbnails' before launching into full blown sketches.  I had a great time doing these little drawings - none more than 3" on any side.  It didn't seem to help my 'full blown sketch' at all - MAN, these barrels were tough!

"Airfield Estates"

Nancy and Jim traveled to Prosser this morning to do some "winery" sketching.  These are Jim's two sketches: one is the winery itself from the backside; and the other is a set of wine barrels sitting out behind the winery.  It is doubtful there was any wine in these barrels as they were sitting in the heat of the mid-day sun. 

Groups of people

Campers at Arlington Fly Inn July 11- 15 2012.  Weather chased off a lot of the campers.  Rolling thunder storms and wind.  Put the air show on hold now and then.  It was cold and wet camping but the events were interesting. Over all a good time!

"Farmers" Market - Los Angeles"

We are in LA/Anaheim this week with our daughter and her family.  On this day we went to the Farmers' Market, where everyone from ordinary and sundry people (us), and other people like Brad Pitt shop for great comfort foods, French pastries, Brazilian beef, cool Route 66 signs, and fountain drinks.  Lois and I shared a great Philly Cheesesteak sandwich and I sketched a few of the sundry people found there.

Afterwards we drove to the Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach, more sketches to follow: 

Roaster's Coffee, Richland WA, Lapoynte

My favorite Coffee shop in Richland for a coffee after walking along the Columbia.

Barrel Springs Winery, Prosser WA, Lapoynte

This ia a little winery North of Prosser at 

46601 N. Gap Rd. Fun looking place but nobody was there; another time I guess.

Website: http://www.barrelspringswinery.com/

LET'S DRAW!

Anybody up for a trip to Prosser wine country the end of this week?  I'm open Friday or Saturday, though prefer Friday just because Saturdays get a little crazy...

Let's say Friday, July 27th and meet at 10:00 at the Fred Meyer parking lot in Richland (near McDonald's).  RSVP so we know to wait for you!

The Winemakers Loft, Prosser WA, Lapoynte

The Winemakers Loft in Prosser Washington is a place for small wineries to get a start.

Wineries: Maison Bleue, Apex, Martinez, and Coyote Cayon.

"Santo Domingo"

The symposium was everything advertised and more. I enjoyed meeting people I've only come across, and with some communicated with, online.  The three days were filled with activities from 9am until 7pm with two-three hour sessions to attend, each day. I think my art has been stretched, in a good way, and I think I will need some time for some of what I experienced to percolate a while. 

If you want to read more, click here.  Also, the symposium made the news in SD, click here and turn on your translator, if you have to. 

Click at either photos, or sketches, to see some of my work while there.  I will only post one sketch here, I don't know if it is my favorite or not, but it is among some of those I felt good about.

Wine O' Clock Wine Bar, Prosser WA, Lapoynte

Nice Restaurant/Winebar in Prosser WA and near many other wineries.

sketch for scavenger---horse in front of PF CHANGS

Had a lunch with friends last week,while waiting for them,I sketched this horse from inside my car.

A view in Howard Amon Park

I sketched this scene on July 6th,but didn't feel like taking just one photo at a time. I like the view on the boat dock there looking south.

Pasco Farmers' Market

We got thunder storms last night,and it was still drizzling this morning,so it was not hot until later. I decided to try the Pasco Farmers' Market,and found a nice spot with a good view. I was overwhelmed with all the stuff and activities there,so after sketched in some cars & people,I filled the space with simply some pigment.

Desert Wind Winery, Prosser WA, Lapoynte

On a trip to Prosser, (a small town near my home) I stopped to sketch one of our local wineries along the Yakima River. Desert Wind is a nice winery with a restaurant and even some hotel rooms for the visiting wine tasters.

"The deBit Building on Tenth in Kennewick"

Well  didnt feel like going out into the world today, so I drew from my window of the building across the street. I'ts way off in perspective and proportion but kinda felt good doing today :))  It's of the deBIT Bldg. at the Corner of 10th and Dayton in Kennewick

Greg Ashby
Ashnmyst@aol.com

"36th World Wide Sketchcrawl - Tomorrow"

No one going to bite the bullet and organize a SK tomorrow? All the sketchers here in S.Domingo are going out tomorrow for it. I didn't realize what a big deal the WWSk is worldwide. When you sit at lunch with people from Australia, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Ecuador, Taiwan, and it is the topic of conversation you begin to understand the impact it has had on the world sketching scene.

I have also learned a lot of the Urban Sketchers have trouble finding people to join them, not all of them though, some of them are very successful speaking to universities, schools, museum, etc.; receiving sponsorships from businesses in their communities, and even creating scholarship funds...

Will we ever be anywhere near that successful? hmmmmmmm.

Gamache Winery, Prosser WA, Lapoynte

Out drawing Prosser and stopped to draw a few wineries in the wonderful little town.  5X8

sketching for scavengers -- a picnic table

Once more I went to a park searching for stuff to sketch. I sketched a scene at Leslie Groves Park before,and I liked it very much,but I did not do the picnic table right.This time I just sketched the picnic table for the scavengers.

"36th World Wide Sketchcrawl" July 14th

The "36th WWSKCrawl" will be held across the globe this coming Saturday.  Once again, we may not all be able to get out together (as the manifesto says we do) because two of the three or four of us are out of town.  Still, everyone is encouraged to do some sketching this coming Saturday, I know I will while at the symposium in Santo Domingo:  we can post our drawings here, on our blog. 

Click here to go to the forums for the World Wide Sketchcrawl and look for "Urban Sketchers: Tri-Cities, Wa."  Right now there are only a couple comments on our particular forum, but after I return, I will be happy to take any we have posted, from the blog, and post them on the forum.

The forum is an interesting place to spend some time after the WWSkC as all those places around the world fill their postings with their sketches.

See ya, I'm leaving for the airport this afternoon at 3:30.


 

Off to Santo Domingo

3rd International Urban Sketchers Symposium:  Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic 

Personal: I will be heading off to Seattle, Miami, Santo Domingo this coming Tuesday.  The symposium begins on Thursday and comes to a close on Saturday.  Both anxious and excited about the adventure, I just hope the hurricanes, earthquakes, blistering heat and humidity, and who knows what else don't become distractions to what appears to be a well-organized symposium. 

Symposium Schedule: There will be two-three hour workshops (each with eight options from colors, to composition, to decision-making in sketching), with scheduled times for drawing in between with about an hour and a half set aside for lunch.  My guess is the 120 or so folks registered to attend will be found drawing their lunches, and each other, all three days. 

By the way, Saturday, July 14th, is the 36th World Wide Sketchcrawl.  Maybe someone here locally can organize an outing?

Friendly Reminder

Members are encouraged to post a notice when they are planning an outing. Post it in a regular posting and Jim will move it into the "What's Coming Up" space top right margin; also post it in our FB page.

The Parkway

I practiced sketching with perspective. This is The Parkway in Richland, looking toward Richland Player's Theater. 

Amon Arch

I don't feel comfortable sketching by myself in an unfamiliar place,therefore I try to find stuff in Richland.

This is a replica of the original gateway to Amon Park,constructed in 2010.

A Walk in the Park

Out walking in my favorite park and stopped to draw this man and his dog. Lapoynte, Howard Amon Park, Pencil, 5"X8"

The FOURTH!

We went out on the boat yesterday and this is a sketch of my daughter-in-law wakeboarding.  It's a little difficult sketching on a boat but water is plentiful...

The next sketch was done by my 4 year old granddaughter - it is her father wakeboarding (but watch out for the shark in the water)!

Then it was time for 3 people in a tube and man, this is rough.

The last one was when we brought the boat in and I took a minute to draw a group under a tent having a 4th of July picnic.

July 4, 2012: Out Back

July 4, 2012: Out Back, a photo by jimbmgarner on Flickr.

We didn't do much for the 4th today. Both our kids, at different times, came over. Brooke brought the grandkids for a while to swim, and Derik and his roommate Chris came over for some charcoal grilled rib-eye steaks for dinner. The sun is low and soon all hell will break loose around the neighborhood as people fire off their legal, and illegal, fireworks.

We just hope we don't have fire like the one we had on up the hill a few years ago. It was a close call.

I sat out back today, and at Nancy's suggestion, put something together to commemorate the 4th. It isn't much, but it was fun working on being looser and painting in layers.

Happy Fourth Ya'll

Dave "Indulges" at Red Mountain on July 4th

I was out at Red Mountain looking for painting spots and stopped at the West Richland coffee shop “Indulgences” on my way home. This is a card I drew while drinking my coffee. The faces were quick pencil drawings I made to catch a likeness of the people working there but they were mostly out of sight.

FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

This ironwork is an actul piece of the Twin Towers,
permanently memorialized here in the Tri-Cities.

Hey Everyone!  Today when you're packing for the picnic, the boat or the backyard - throw in your sketching gear and draw something to capture the day.  Please, when the day is through, email them to me at nancyjthurston@gmail.com (and post it/them here) and I'll gather them all up and pounce on the Tri-City Herald once more.  Your sketches are so much better than all those photos we take and not only do they bring back the memory of what everyone was doing, you remember the heat, the wind, the smell of the barbecue!  Let's FILL the blog today!!!

Sarah Bosserman, We Miss You

Sarah Bosserman was one of earliest members of the local sketcher group.  Young and full of an esprit many of us only remember, Sarah forged ahead with her art with confidence and filled it with joy and a bon vivant we admired.

Unfortunately we couldn't keep Sarah, as her family moved to Dallas, Texas, but we pretty sure the move was to her good.

Summer Rains

Summer Rains, a photo by jimbmgarner on Flickr.

We have had not so much summer and too much warm, spring, weather with too much rain in June.