I now have half a dozen sketch books, pens, and watercolors that were given to all the participants from the generous symposium sponsors. Can't wait to try out all of the new materials ! I'm also anxious to go back down to Portland to sketch with the local Urban Sketch group... but life here at Cloudrest tends to get in the way! (my vegie garden, the vineyard, the new puppy, etc)
This sketch of the college was done by Susanne Cabrera, one of the many talented people at the July symposium. It was interesting that many of the sketchers knew each other from the Internet after visiting each others blogs for years ... like pen pals who finally meet, the excitement of actually being able to sit down and sketch with that person who you admired, and who lived across the world, was palpable.
Each day we broke into small groups of 10-15 and went out with the various instructors to draw around the city. On the last afternoon, Tia, from Singapore, took our group, 'Urban Color', to the Saturday Market on the PSU campus. Needless to say, we all hated to see it end!
Earlier in the month I took a 2 day workshop at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology out on the Oregon coast. Fred and Lucca came and we rented a cabin on Cascade Head, where we were surrounded by Fir and Sitka Spruce and a view of the ocean....a recipe for relaxation! This was a two day weaving class, and I had the experience of working on a small table loom. My final product was a 6 foot long table runner, which I barely had time to finish! Of course, now I have to find time for more weaving .....
So now that Summer is speeding by.... it makes me wish for a few more days in the week. Our puppy, Lucca, definitely brought warm days and a wagging tail with him! Besides nearly tripling his weight since we brought him home in late June, ( from 11.5 lbs to 29 lbs) he is investigating nearly every crevice and twig on the property. He especially seems to like going to the concerts at Oak Knoll Winery, and playing with our grandson, Brayden. He recently was introduced to Baxter, their Brindle Boxer and the two of them got along great.
Can't beat that for a happy ending ! What will August bring?