Fall is a great time for plein air painting! I returned to Clackamette Park in Oregon City, where painting buddy Vicki Zimmerman took this photo of me happily at work. The leaves are just starting to change, and fishermen lined the banks hoping to catch coho salmon. Mallards, seagulls and pigeons added to the excitement.
"Calackamas River", in progress. The confluence of the Clackamas and Willamette Rivers is just beyond.
"Clackamas River", 11" x 14"
"Clackamas River Bridge", also 11" x 14".
On Wednesdays during the non-rainy months there is a farmers market in downtown Portland full of fresh produce, flowers, good food and lots of people. I set up my easel across from the flower sellers watching them make and sell bouquets while others passed by or relaxed, eating lunch. "Bouquet for the Lady in a Straw Hat" is 9" x 12", painted in oil en plein air. Later, I re-worked a previous painting of the same scene, "Flower Sellers", also 9" x 12", adding more color.
At Sauvie Island Farm on the last weekend of summer, I painted plein air among the sunflowers, feeling very Van Gogh-like. The clouds kept shifting so the sun was not too intense. There are cornfields beyond the sunflowers. I brought home flowers and corn to continue my summer feast. "Sunflowers and Cornfield" is 9" x 12".
