Cruise to Alaska (06-30-12)

Various sketches done on the cruise ship.

 Cute sister-in-law.

 

My husband's family.

Casino scene late at night.

Cruise to Alaska (06-29-12)

Sketchbook notes taken in the cruise restaurant.

Finishing my sketchbook (06-27-12)

When I complete a sketchbook, I sometimes add some finishing touches, such as color, collages, whatever strikes me as interesting. Since we are leaving on a cruise very shortly (this, despite my absolute fears of ending at the bottom of the ocean), I decided to do something that would indicate a them of voyage, without tipping over into scrapbooking.

This is the title page of the sketchbook.

A house, in the style of Flemish architecture (06-26-12)

During the first session of the Cartooning class I teach at the Milwaukie Center, I gave the kids the assignment to draw something without letting the pen leave the page. While they were busy, I decided to work along on the whiteboard.
It's funny, but as I started drawing a house, the style that immediately came to mind was that of Flemish architecture, tall houses with crenellated gables and small windows, as one commonly sees in Belgium in such cities as Brussels, Bruges, or Ghent...

Left: As drawn from memory           Right: A random example of the real thing

Fête de la Musique (06-21-12)

The Alliance française de Portland (French Alliance in Portland) organized their annual "Fête de la Musique" at the Versailles Gardens nursery. It was a warm, beautiful evening...

A handsome display of large ceramic planters.

A Lovely Portrait (06-17-12?)

I really like this portrait of a young woman. There was something very graceful about her.

World Naked Bike Ride (06-16-12)

A quick sketch of the World Naked Bike Ride :)

OSU Commencement (06-16-12)

What a long and exciting day!

Valérie just graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with options in Choral Music Education and Piano Performance. And so, she participated in that necessary rite of passage, the Commencement ceremony...along with 3,500 to 4,000 other graduates from Oregon State University. 

What made the day a unique and especially challenging one was that Michelle Obama gave a speech at Commencement. Consequently, in addition to long wait times, access to OSU's Reser Stadium was subject to all the expected extra security measures, such as airport metal detector gates, unsmiling people rummaging through bags and purses, even sharpshooters on the stadium roof! 

The speeches were good, the graduates were happy, and the 30,000-strong audience consisting proud parents, relatives and friends was supportive. All in all, it was a nice day.

We sat on a sunny side of the side of the stadium closest to the College of Liberal Arts (and could see Valérie from afar), but as the afternoon wore on, shade came on our side while the other side of the stadium was still sunny, and there was a nasty little breeze that made everyone wish they'd brought a warm jacket...

Watching the ceremony

 To distract myself from the chilly weather, I pulled out my color pencils and worked on painstakingly trying to match the colors I saw; but I didn't quite finish my drawing...

End of the School Year at Da Vinci (06-11-12)

I stopped by Da Vinci Arts Middle School to say hello to Connie C., and things looked pretty busy a couple of days before the end of the school year... So, I decided to draw office space around her ( it looked like a bazillion projects still need attention...)

Recital and Graduation (06-09-12)

Valérie's recital and graduation ceremony from Music studies at Oregon State University.

 Valérie's recital.

 Valérie's graduation from the Department of Music.

Various choir and faculty members.

A self-portrait (06-09-12)

What I like about self-portrait is that not one looks like the other! There are commonalities, of course, but the mood of the moment affects how we perceive ourselves, and this is reflected in the finished product.

Arts Festival in the Park (06-02-12)

Despite the bone-chilling morning weather, I managed to draw this portrait of a prospective parent getting information at the booth The International Leadership Academy, a small French school in Lake Oswego, was sponsoring at the Wilsonville Festival of Arts.

I also tried to draw the early crowd wandering about, despite the cold.

It's on days like this that I remember how much I absolutely hate feeling cold...