Apartment Balcony

View from our apartment balcony where we dried our clothes. This is the inner garden of the apartments.
I went to large for the picture.

Jerez Spain

Finally I can share some of the sketches I did in Jerez Spain. This is the entry, after the street gate, into the Bar Parron apartments. The bird is a pet of the owners.I made the picture x-Large, I hope that's right?

"Sold yet kept..."

Thought I might share that through this website, I sold the rights to use this little sketch to a company doing contracting work out at the 'Area'.  I was contacted here for permission and that's Super Cool!  Hmmm, I should have asked how they came upon it!

The "Fiery Foods Festival"

After a three year hiatus, the Fiery Foods Festival returned to downtown Pasco this weekend. Three of our sketchers took the opportunity to head over and catch some of the action:  Ed David, Renae Favor, and Jim Bumgarner. 

Just about the only thing that some of us found "fiery" was the heat of the day.  There was only one small Mexican Food vendor and the line was way too long and the workers way too slow.  The local newspaper did mention two vendors: one was selling freshly roasted hot peppers from New Mexico, and the other a concoction of cucumbers, onions and jalapenos, grown in his garden in Kennewick. In previous Fiery Foods Festivals a much greater selection of Mexican foods were available. 

We were thereat the beginning of the scheduled 8 hour event (noon), so the crowd was a bit sparse and the bands way too far apart. The thing that caught our attention was the large two-story building on one of the corners and opposite it a shade tree to hide beneath. 



L to R:  Ed David, Renae Favor, Jim Bumgarner

 

Ed's fabulously Red corner building at the Fiery Foods Festival.



Jim's sketch of the same building showing the band stand a few people in the street.

 

water garden in the Demonstration Garden

The Benton-Franklin Master Gardener Demonstration Garden in Kennewick, behind the Mid-Columbia Library, has 25 different gardens featured in it, and this is the water garden. Even though it is pretty small in size, it has what for a nice water garden...fish, turtles, water lilies, and a waterfall.

"My Day with the Spokane Sketchers"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmgarner/sets/72157635002161622/

I drove up to Spokane yesterday, August 8th, to meet up with Don Walls and his Spokane Sketchers.

We met at 10am in the Browns' Addition, an early upscale neighborhood in west Spokane, to sketch mansions, and other things. 

The weather was perfect, the coffee at the bistro where we met was hot and steamy, and the company of sketchers, about ten, couldn't have been more inviting and welcoming. 

This is mining millionaire, Patsy Clark's mansion. Built in 1897.  I challenged myself to put the line work down in 5 mins., and though I didn't really time myself, it was close.  Color added later.

To see the other two, click the caption link below the sketch.

I will definitely be returning to Spokane to join them again.  If you want to tag along, I'll drive and we'll have a great time.

"Another Day at Richland's Farmers' Market"

Yesterday the Allied Arts folks held a "First Friday Paint-In" on their patio so I dropped by to see what and how they do that.  Huddled up against the building on a concrete pad in front of the building they were all busy with their paints and canvases.  

What they were doing looked like fun, but I felt the tug of the excitement of the Farmers' Market just a block up the street, so that's where I spent my morning.

Future "First Friday Paint-Ins" are scheduled for inside the building.  Too claustrophobic for me, and I hardly ever do any sketching/painting from reference photos, or imagination: They are all on location these days for me.  

6x9 Super Aquabee Sketchpad, Noodler's Lexington Gray ink, watercolors.

A Corner at the Parkway,Richland

 

Went sketching with Nancy and Jim on Wednesday. I am very grateful that they explained the one vanishing point perspective to me. I think I finally understood the concept and knew how to approach a sketch afterward. While I struggled with an aching back that day, this was all I could do at the time, actually I did the coloring part later at home.  There are mistakes, but this is only the first try. I'll get better.

RICHLAND PLAYERS

Fun morning sketching with Jim & Jean today!  Great opportunity to talk about perspective!

"Wednesday Sketchcrawling"

Jean, nancy and I went sketchcrawling this morning in The Parkway in Richland.  The weather was very cooperative.  The sun wasn't though and we saw few, if any, shadows or nice lighting.  Maybe next time.  Today we worked on perspectives and just fun drawings.

 

These two images are 180 degrees apart.  The top is a sidewalk scene along The Parkway, the other is the old, old, theatre, built in the last forties for the many construction workers here then working for the war effort. 

 

Today it is the Richland Players' Theatre and has been for many years.  I remember back in the old days, '60's, it was a movie theatre.  I saw "In Cold Blood," "West Side Story," "2001, A Space Odyssey," and maybe, "Bonnie and Clyde," here.

 

 

 

 

 

6x9 Super Aquabee Sketchbook, Noodler's Lexington Gray ink, and watercolors.

Art in the park

I tried to sketch the big event, and it was such a challenge. I knew I needed to simplify the scene to make the sketch work, but little by little I filled up the page and forgot about doing a good composition. I used a non-waterproof ink pen, and intended to make a black & white sketch with some light shading. It did not work as planned, so I added some color, and the whole thing turned gray. I had to touch it up a bit more to bring out some detail. Well, at least I was able to put in a few more figures this time.

ART IN THE PARK!

Sitting under a tree in the shade...

Everyone moved so quickly, all I could capture were their faces.  I really enjoy doing this - it's quite amazing how many variations there are!

"Art-in-the-Park at Howard Amon"

We met this morning at 10 am for the Art-in-the-Park sketchcrawl.  Four locals, Jean Fu, Yichien Cooper, Nancy Thurston, and Jim Bumgarner, attended.  Also welcomed were visitors, Robert Dodd, and his wife, Susan Chase-Foster, from Bellingham, WA.

It is always such an enjoyable event getting together to sketch and socialize with others who enjoy the same.   

At the Noon Share, our sketchbooks lying on the ground for viewing.

Our feet prove we were there with our drawings.

L to R:  Susan Dodd, Rober Dodd, Jean Fu, Emily Cooper,
Jim Bumgarner, Yichien Cooper, Nancy Thurston.

Sketching the Columbia River in the heat!

A few Hanford buildings and White Bluffs behind.

Red Mountain and PNNL across the Columbia River.

A crazy sunset over Red Mountain and the Columbia River.

"Golden Gate"

click the sketch to see my other sketches from the event in the Bay Area. 

It seems impossible for me to drive into San Francisco without stopping here and catching my breath after hours and hours on the road.  Who doesn't love the Golden Gate with its massive spires and miles and miles of cable holding it all together? 

The first sketch I did here was just the bridge, then I noticed the people taking pictures and gazing at the bridge.  I also remembered from my workshop in Seattle a couple of months ago how Frank Ching told us that to turn an "object" into a "story," one must have something in the foreground.  So here you have the second sketch with the man in it, and hopefully more of a "story" than just the bridge all by itself. 

15 minutes: 6x9 Super Aquabee: Noodler's Lexington Gray ink: watercolors.