Over 100 sketchers meet in Portland
Friday night was a meet-and-greet at a pub in downtown Portland. We couldn't put away our sketch books for long though - the evening highlighted a Portrait party - speed sketching little portraits of each other - 5 minute time limit. It was a hoot! But, quite the challenge for our servers who were trying to deliver food and drinks to patrons playing musical chairs.
I haven't sketched in quite awhile - so my sketches were really rough!
Saturday we met at the Portland Art Museum
The museum provided tables for us to share our sketchbooks and, in a really generous gesture, gave us all a free pass to the museum for the day!
I've sketched downtown many times, but always find new things to draw. This weekend, the park blocks were really hopping: Portland State was hosting a weekly Farmers Market, Directors Park was holding a Bastille Day Celebration, and a 'Zine organization was also holding an outdoor affair. The park blocks were packed!
My first sketch was an overview of the Market. I found a shady spot on the steps to the library, and made my sketch while listening to a classical violinist. Since Portland is under a heat advisory, the shade and a nice breeze made my spot a perfect place.
Sideshow Bob's younger brother . . . .
While wandering around the Farmers Market, I spotted a young man lounging in the shade of one of the big park trees. I was intrigued by his hair - looked just like the big mop sported by Sideshow Bob on the Simpsons!
Free Henna Tattoos at the 'Zine celebration . . .
And finally, an iconic Portland moment!
Imagine Darth Vader . . . in a kilt . . . on a unicycle . . . playing bagpipes . . . that periodically spout flames!
Yes, this is Oregon (not Washington, where pot-smoking is now legal) and such folk are as much a part of the landscape as our salmon, our forests and our volcanoes.
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| Doing their bit to Keep Portland Weird (and to document the process in selfies) |
