Party at the Art Museum (02-26-11)

My participation in a study of native French speakers at the Portland French Alliance won me two tickets to the Portland International Film Festival Wrap-up Party at the Art Museum last night. It took me a while to convince Moso to brave the frigid cold and go with me, but the minute I got there, I was bored out of my mind. The place was full of old people dressed in black sipping wine and looking smart. The music was okay, if one likes reggae or calypso (I prefer Techno), and Moso got to talk with the marimba player.

So I resorted to watching people for a while, then decided to do this sketch. It was a challenge because people were dancing or moving from table to table the entire time, and there was a need to keep everything is perspective (larger in close-up; smaller in background). I didn't have the time to work much on the band.

Moso and I drove by KBOO on E. Burnside afterward. It was well past midnight and excruciatingly cold outside. There was a lot of activity in the vicinity of the Jupiter Hotel and, totally baffling, we saw some young women, scantily dressed and probably drunk, walking barefoot on the iced-up sidewalks...

Party for I [Heart] Art: Portland (02-25-11)

A fun party at PNCA to celebrate I [Heart] Art: Portland, an organization that provides professional development workshops for craftspeople, in conjunction with Etsy.

 The huge amazing cake was made by Bakery Bar; for the principle, I had to get a second serving... But the best treat was the Red Velvet Cake made by Isaac Watson, so delicious that I had to get a second slice of that one as well...

View of the Columbia River Gorge (02-20-11)

I went to the Columbia River Gorge with some friends who were visiting from California. 

This is such a beautiful place, especially in the autumn, with all the leaves falling. On the sketch, one can see the Vista House to the right in the distance...

Viewpoint in Corbett

On the sketch, one can see the Vista House to the right in the distance...

Photo taken from the parking area outside the Vista House.

New Year's Eve at Pix Patisserie (01-01-11)

Last night, I went by myself (Gary was scheduled to work early) to Pix Patisserie SE, to usher in the New Year in in a spectacular manner. Once again, they offered their free Chocolate Buffet to people who ordered a drink after 11 p.m. So, while I waited for midnight to come, I drew people in the crowd.

Waiting for midnight...

Pretty girl.

Faces in the crowd.

The most rewarding treats EVER!

Urban Sketcher Symposium (07-31-10)

Here is a  photo of me with the Japanese fold sketchbook I used for the last three days.

The Glitch Mob at the Roseland Theater (06-04-10)

Anyway, the big name at the show at the Roseland Theater yesterday was the Glitch Mob, and the best way to describe this is badass Electronica. They were quite good. The walls and the floors were vibrating.
The most intriguing aspect of this concert was that the music was essentially sound-based and directed from computer touch pads. the guys were nice; they hugged fans, posed for photos, and in my case, signed my sketchbook.

Flutter Fourth Anniversary Party (06-03-10)

Flutter is my favorite shop in town to browse and marvel... So I couldn't miss their fourth anniversary party for anything. And for a rare glimpse into reality vs. sketches, here is also a photo of the scene I drew, but from a slightly different angle.

We found a house...I think (01-19-10)

This is the house we may be buying. We just had a home inspection yesterday. The thing that really freaks me out, though (aside from the many repairs necessary), is that there are hobo spiders...

From a Book of B&W Photography (10-23-09)

This sketch was done from a photograph of (I think) an industrial or banker from the 1940s, found in an older coffee table book with many photos of famous people from the last century. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know who it is...

Mystery Celebrity from the Past

...And here is the original (10-29-08)

I took this photo in 1979 or 1980 in Belgium.I saw the house every time we drove into Namur and every time we passed it, I pestered my mother's common-law-husband (I don't want to get into that story here) to slow down, so I could look at it. Finally, one day, he agreed to stop, and I took the photo.
This house is the inspiration for the drawing in my sketchbook. I love the sinister, abandoned look, the wild, unkempt yard, the thorny bushes, the overgrown trees. My kinda place.
I didn't see the house again until last year when I went back to Belgium, for a visit. My brother kindly drove around the neighborhood until we located it and then patiently waited as I spent 15 minutes gazing at it through the cast iron fence.
I'd love to say it's still exactly the same, that nothing's changed, but it has been turned into a school. And although it still retains some of its Victorian elegance, it has been fixed up, the property has been cleared and gravel pathways replace the overgrown jungle. It now looks like a school building (ahem, Belgium-style). Stern, but not gloomy anymore.
Things could be worse: old houses get torn down all the time.

A Day at the Beach (ca. 07-01)

A page from my sketchbook, a reminder of an unusually sunny day at the beach in Waldport, Oregon. The weather was invariably overcast every time we went to the beach house leased by my husband's employer, so this visit was a pleasant surprise. I had a small pocket-sized box of watercolor with me and painted the beach. In retrospect, I am glad I took the time to do this, since, due to a change of circumstances, we stopped going to the beach house, and the memory now seems all the more precious.

Photos of Kitchen (ca. 09-08)

Photos of my kitchen, designed by Yours Truly.

Since the house is for sale, I figured I might as well post a couple of photos of my favorite space: the kitchen I designed. I think the project turned out fabulous, especially with the color tiles on the wall.

I really enjoy watching house redo shows; it makes me laugh when I see "experts" walk in a house, criticize everything and turn it into a "staged" space that makes it look bland and banal. Unlike some of the houses I see on these programs, I like houses with personality.