Hummingbird

On Saturday I had the treat of painting plein air in a beautiful garden as part of the Hardy Plant Society's garden tour.  The Bates garden has developed over 70 years.  My favorite feature was a whimsical sculpture of a hummingbird towering over an "island" of plants including lilies and poppies, surrounded by a smooth lawn where I painted in the shade of an oak tree.  Both oil paintings are 8" x 10" on canvas panel.

Plein air with oil!

On a sunny day last week, at a pond found off an unpaved road on Sauvie Island, I attempted plein air painting with oil paints and found some differences from my past experience with acrylics. Instead of fighting the paint drying too fast and becoming sticky, oil keeps on flowing.  That makes for nice blending and subtle colors, but it's still wet when it's time to leave and must be handled carefully without smearing.  Also I tried painting the tree foliage on top of the still wet blue sky, and it all blended together.  I finished the two trees later in the studio, with some of the texture of earlier painting showing through.  Oil paint goes on thick, with textured strokes.  I managed to just get in the basics of the composition when the heat got to me, despite my hat and parasol, so I moved to a shady spot.  But that's part of the adventure of plein air: heat or cold, rain, wind, bugs, and the unexpected!  Sunny Spring Day on Sauvie Island is 11" x 14" on canvas board.

SELLWOOD SHOWS

I'm participating in several events in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland this month.

On Saturday, September 18, I will be painting plein air along with Marcia VanderSchaaf at the Love Art! Gallery in Sellwood near antique shops and Oaks Park between 11:00 and 1:00 pm. If you're an artist, come and join us! If you love art, come and join us! There will be music, too, and the gallery is filled with wonderful things, inside and out. Love Art! is located at 8036 SE 13th Ave., Portland, OR 97202, see www.facebook.com/LoveArtGallery.

Also this month, I'm painting at several locations along the Johnson Creek watershed to raise awareness of this natural resource flowing through Portland. The Johnson Creek Watershed Council is hosting a one day exhibit of plein air paintings at Umpqua Bank in Sellwood on Friday, October 1st 6-9 pm. Umpqua Bank is located at 7831 SE 13th Ave., Portland 97202. I have recently visited Tideman Johnson Park, painting included, and hope to get to other locations in Gresham, Leach Botanical Garden, Reed Canyon and Crystal Springs. It's great to discover natural beauty to close to home and to express its inspiration.