"Franklin County Courthouse"




Click Jim's Courthouse to Find the Others

All last week we felt cooler air move in at night, watched the sky cloud over, and noticed we had rain a time or two, as autumn finally began showing its face. 

But this morning there were no clouds and by noon we were in the middle of an absolutely wonderful fall day with a low noon sun and great lighting.


We agreed to meet over at the Franklin County Courthouse for a sketching/painting session that proved more difficult than expected.

Next time you drive past the courthouse on 4th in Pasco, check out all the architectural features on the building. Deciding which to leave in and which to leave out was one of the challenges of this sucker, not to mention perspective and composition problems.

Thanks to Nancy, Fred and Jim for a fun-filled few hours.

Next Saturday: The 33rd World Wide Sketchcrawl.

"Sketchers Featured in Local Newspaper"



Pat Fleming, Nancy Thurston, Jim Bumgarner
click the picture to find the article

We were pleased with this feature article in the Atomic Town edition of the Tri-City Herald this morning. The event reported is the hanging of our show at the Cheese Louise deli, mentioned in a prior post on this blog.

We greatly appreciate the coverage; hoever some clarification is warranted: 

Our first showing was when we were the featured artists at "Phaddy Caddy Coffee Lounge" in Kennewick last June.  This is our second showing.

Enrico Casarosa, of Pixar, originated the "World Wide Sketchcrawl" movement, not the "urban sketcher" phenomenon.  Gabi Campanario, of the Seattle Times, started the "urban sketcher" movement that has participants from all over the world, as does the WWSKcrawl movement.

The "509 Urban Sketchers and Painters" represent the Tri-City area by participating in both of these online activities.

See original letter to the TriCity Herald here.

"Updates"

1. We will be going "somewhere" (destination yet to be determined) local this Saturday, October 8th, to sketch, paint, draw. Departure will be 10 am in the parking lot of the 509 Artspace and we'll finish up sometime around noon. We usually find somewhere near where we finish for lunch together and the sharing of our work. Hope you can join us!

2. October 15th - the "33rd World Wide Sketchcrawl" is scheduled, world wide. We have had good numbers for these outings and hope you can join us either for the first time, or again. The sketchcrawls were originally designed as "marathon" sketch days, going from morning through lunch and well into the afternoon. Don't know if we'll have the stamina for such a lengthy outing, but we want to keep the option open this time. If you're new to this phenomenon, go this link, click on forums and find us at "509 Urban Sketchers and Painters." From the forums you can also find us as "Tri-Cities, WA" in past sketchcrawls. Photos of our work will be added afterwards. This is a ton of fun and we certainly do hope you can all join us that day!!

3. Watch for a feature article of the "509 Urban Sketchers and Painters" in the Tri-City Herald this Friday, October 7th, tomorrow. When we hung our show at the Cheese Louise, they sent a photographer and Dori O'Neal told me she is hoping for publication then. Our show will be up for the month of October there.

4. One of own, Bob Irwin, is having a show this month at You & I Framing in downtown Kennewick. Be sure to catch him there this evening at Kennewick's First Thursday Artwalk!!! Way to go, Bob!!

keep arting, and we hope to see you soon.

"509 Urban Sketchers & Painters Hang in the Cheese Louise"

509 Urban Sketchers and Painters Exhibit at Cheese Louise

Thanks to Evan, and the staff, at Cheese Louise in the Richland Parkway for providing the wall space for us to hang our show this October.

Represented artists are: Nancy Thurston, Patrick Fleming, Greg Ashby, Jean Fu, Fred Fraser, LaPoynte, and Jim Bumgarner.

"The Coffee Shop Collection"

Click the photo for more sketches

The "509 Urban Sketchers and Painters" began working on a collection of images designed to capture the flavor, aroma, and architectural styles of the many coffee shops here in the Tri-Cities (all puns intended) this last Saturday.

Members Greg, Dave and Jim started at the Big Bean Espresso on Clearwater, across the street from Winco (sorta); then moved onto "Wired 4 Coffee," another small rectangular building on Clearwater just west of the "GH Guesthouse" motel/hotel; and then on out to the end of Clearwater at "Nikki Jean's."

We're thinking we want to build on this collection, eventually having a record of everyone of these small locally owned coffee-drive-thrus in the tri-cities.

9/11 Artifact Dedication in Kennewick

Yesterday, on the tenth anniversary of that most horrible of horrible days, a couple of us went out to the dedication of this memorial to the tragedies of 9/11. 
It is an actual artifact from one of the World Trade Centers that was awarded to the city of Kennewick, WA., following the city's application for such. 

It is suspected to have come from a fairly high location since it is thinner steel that those pieces that are found closer to ground level.

There were hundreds, or more, of folks at the dedication yesterday, with lots of interesting speeches, accolades, and music to adorn the day. 

Actual photos can be found at this link.

"Walla Walla"

Join us for a fun-packed day on September 9th when we head out to Walla Walla to do some sketching and painting.  Some call it "pleine aire," we call it fun. 

We will leave from the parking lot (map linked here) in front of the "509 Artspace" in Kennewick at 9am, and return somewhere around 2 or 3 pm.

You will need to bring your supplies, something to sit on, maybe a snack, and a drink, or two.  We hear there's a nifty little diner in Pomeroy....stay tuned on that one.  We'll probably do a bit of planning in the parking lot before we leave.   

"The Richland Farmers' Market"

In our area there are three Farmers' Markets, one in each of the Tri-Cities:  Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. 

This past Friday we met at 9 am at the Richland Farmers' Market on the Parkway.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous: all blue sky and shirtsleeve temps.

This market has grown considerably this year.  We were there at opening, sketched and visited, had lunch at Cheese Louise, right there on the parkway, and departed when the vendors were taking down their tents:  the place was packed with people throughout!

We had six people today:  Dave, Jean, Jim, Nancy, Fred, and Patrick.  Super turn-out!

Thanks to Dave for this spectacular sketch!  Click on it find the others.

We're heading for Walla Walla next Friday.  Hope you can join us!!

Lisbon, Portugal: "II International Urban Sketchers Symposium"

Urban Sketchers in Lisbon (day 1) from Patrícia Pedrosa on Vimeo.

Check out this video, produced by Patricia Pedrosa of Lisbon, of the 2nd International Urban Sketchers Symposium held in Lisbon on July 21st - 23rd of this year, 2011. She says she is still editing and will have an english subtitled version soon. This is fabulous. (Be sure to enlarge to fill your screen.)

Friday Sketchcrawl at the Richland Farmer's Market

Join us this coming Friday morning at 9am in front of the Richland Theatre for a sketchcrawl of the Richland Farmer's Market.

At the Farmer's Market you will find everything from people, to tents, to onions, watermelons, raspberries, corn and maybe even a busker or two, to sketch and add to your growing collection of urban sketches. And who knows, maybe you'll capture a new idea for something larger from your studio?

See you there.

"Sketching at the County Fair"

There may have been only two of us sketching today, but we still had a good time drawing, painting, and talking art.

Most of the conversation centered around the art scene in the tri-cities and how difficult it seems to motivate others to come out and sketch with us, in public.
Of course, it is summer. People are busy with family and vacations; and the heat these past few weeks has been in the upper nineties. One's home air-conditioner is similar to a nice cold popsickle to a kid in summer. That cool air is just way too nice to go outside, even for something fun!

Posted here is a little watercolor Nancy did with her new Koi Watercolor kit. Spectacular, don't you think?

Click on the pic to see the other images we created at this fun spot!

Featured Artist: Gary Yeung of Hong Kong

Waiting and Chatting Away 一路等一路傾

We found Gary Yeung, an Urban Sketcher, on flickr. Gary has a terrific eye for his city, Hong Kong, and he possesses all the requisite skills required to present that city in a fashion that would make any Hongkonger proud.

Check out his bio below, and if you haven't already, click on the image, then click on "slideshow."

"As a local born Hongkonger, Gary Yeung always held an intense passion towards drawing. After being awarded the diploma in Fine Arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (SCPS), he continues to hone his skills by taking oil painting lessons from Russian painter Anastassia Katafygiotis, who opened her studio in the picturesque Sai Kung Old Town, away from the bustle of urban Hong Kong.

Ever evolving as an artist, Gary was strongly influenced by his training background which tends to make the oil and acrylic paintings impressionistic in style. He was also active in doing live and studio sketches, capturing the Hong Kong local scenes. As for content, his paintings exemplify the mystic charm of Hong Kong’s past, present and future. Drawn with vivid and intricate details, they feature objects and people that Gary found relevant, if not profound. These works often represent the demure yet visceral feelings he possess as a proud local born."

Stay tuned for more "Featured Artists," and please feel free to leave us a comment.

"509 Urban Sketchers and Painters"

"Downtown Kennewick"

The "509 Urban Sketchers and Painters" travelled to downtown Kennewick, WA., today to enjoy of few hours of arting-about-town. As usual, we had a lot of fun and when our drawing time was up, we convened at Willingham's Diner on Columbia Drive (Avenue C, for the old-timers), for lunch and comraderie.

The only "downer" was when we learned the diner, Willingham's, only open for a few months, will close its doors tomorrow, Sunday!

My crab sandwich was massively delicious!! Shucks.

Click on the pic to be whisked away to our flickr account where you will enjoy the other images that were created by this inglorious bunch of artistes.

sketch: Bob Irwin

REPORT: "The II Urban Sketching Symposium Lisbon 2011"

The Urban Sketching movement started with Gabi Campanario, Seattle PI sketcher/journalist.

Gabi began with a flickr account, "urban sketchers," where he monitored the sketches posted by the ever growing numbers of members; then not long afterwards a blog appeared entitled, "Urban Sketchers."

In July of 2010 the Urban Sketchers held their first symposium in Portland, Oregon. We missed it!

This summer, 2011, the second symposium, "II International Urban Sketchers Symposium," was held in Lisbon, Portugal, July 21 - 23 (we missed this one too...). Click on the link, then click on "Photo Updates" to see their sketches.

sketch by Pete Scully

"32nd World Wide Sketchcrawl"

This morning at 9am we met in the parking lot at the "509 Artspace" without much of a plan as to where we go sketch. After some discussion, we decided we liked Jan's idea of heading out north of town to her friend Dennis Wise's farm.

Once there we found, in addition to some cows, horses, turkeys and goats, this marvelous old 1928 Chevy truck, flat tires and all, sitting in the middle of his driveway. Soon all four of the guys were sketching it.

It was rather hot today as the summer sun was blazing high in the sky (check the shadows in the pic), and firing off some rather severe rays.

Jan found a nice shady spot near the fence and worked on her pastoral scene. Greg also found some shade near the barn and ended up producing a sketch of the truck from an interesting perspective.

Dave, Bob, and Jim braved the summer sun in the dusty driveway.

Afterwards we drove back into town to the Ice Harbor Brewery where we had lunch, a few libations and some great conversation. (L to R: Jim, Dave, Greg, Jan, and Bob.)

Hope you can join us next time.