New Seasons Job Fair in Southwest Portland (07-07-11)

I went to the New Seasons Job Fair on Allen Blvd. in Beaverton and spent a few hours working on the following panorama of the people waiting to get called in for their chance at getting a job at the new Progress Ridge store that will open next month.

The book I used was a small Moleskine accordion fold book, and the scene reflects a 360 degrees view of what was going on around me. This was a fun project, but not an easy task, since I had to carefully compare the proportions of the people in relationship to each other... The last panels are sketches of people's faces, and I tied everything together with a self-portrait holding the book and drawing.

Blues Festival on the Waterfront (07-03-11)

It looks like things were pretty regimented at the Waterfront Blues Festival this year: chairs could be no taller than a specific height, blankets no be larger than a specific size (different is it's a blanket for two vs. a blanket for four...), not pests, err...no pets whatsoever.

So, armed with our (non-regulation) fold-out chairs, Gary, Valérie and I went to brave the crowds and listen to some good music this afternoon. We found a spot on one of the lawns, incurred the territorial irritation of a few people, but such is life...

It's un-be-lie-va-ble how many people were there! We were all piled up in one place for the concerts, and anyone sitting close to the stage, got their ears blasted off, those further away had to resort looking at a screen (we could have brought binoculars). As for those who were cross with us because of our chairs, the minute the concert started, the people in front stood up and blocked their view anyway...

 But Gosh, how I LOVE the Blues! It's everything "America" to me... at least, everything I've always associated with yearning for a place where anything (good) can happen.

The big event of the night was Buddy Guy, who was pretty funny and a virtuoso at the guitar, but I also liked Patrick Lamb's band. What a great time!...

Good looking young guy

There was also a little kid tirelessly dancing in the crowd that got everyone around rooting for him...

People Studies at Blues Festival (07-02-11)

http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com/On the way home, I stopped on top of the Hawthorne Bridge to draw people at the Waterfront Blues Festival, a perfect way to enjoy the good weather (and one of the only sunny days we've had so far this year).

The drawings below look like caricatures because people were moving along pretty fast, so one focuses on catching general details (I know, a contradictory statement) that give personality to the subjects (whether size, clothing, hair, etc.).

Mensa Conference in Portland (07-02-11)

So... I read in the Oregonian that Mensa was holding its annual conference in Portland, and I decided to take on the challenge and try out for the test (it's this thing I gotta prove to myself that I can still be one of the best...)

Well, I most likely FLUNKED! I finished only TWO out of 20 Math questions... Arrrgh! Even after all these years in the U.S., I can't make any sense out of the U.S. measuring system and I freeze the minute I see the words "Gallon" or "Yard"... As for the other tests, either I ran out of time, - my brain was playing elevator music to itself -, or the very 70s retro graphic images were so tinny, I couldn't figure out what they were (aside from something that looked like mashed up intestines...).

A reaffirming message to remember

Taking the test gave me a pass to attend the conference the same day and I went to an informative workshop given by French member Thierry Brunel, about Gifted Adults in the Workplace. Small consolation about the test: he advised me that one should always take the test that applies to one's native culture...

Meeting for the Pacific NW Region members

Girls at Pioneer Courtyard Square

Dr. Sketchy Life Drawing Session (06-26-11)

A fun and challenging way to do life drawings of models in costume: Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School. This takes place the last Sunday of the month at Crush Bar on Morrison St.

An unusually tall girl...

Moho Rising Party (06-24-11)

We went to check out the Morrison Hotel in SE, because I always I am game for a good time and I thought that G. might like the ambiance. It was pretty cool, because of the relaxed set-up, the cool Jim Morrison memorabilia and posters on the walls... The classic rock played by DJ Nate C was great, and they were offering Happy Hours Specials all evening.

Moso enjoying the food...

Cool open back paisly dress

Diet Workshop at New Seasons (06-23-11)

It's not that I eat poorly, - because I don't -, but I can't seem to lose any weight, EVER, and after a recent conversation with a massage therapist, I decided to make an effort at eating healthy foods and to start by attending one of the classes offered by New Seasons, to learn more about anti-inflammatory diets.

I tried to take notes but, as usual, I ended up drawing... Some pleasantly puzzling information I overheard (probably due to my not paying close attention) was that butter is good for you. Now, that was great news to me, since I've been feeling guilty all these years for slathering it with jam on sandwiches! Better not trust my ears though, and read the copious amount of information that was provided...

At the Rural Auction (06-21-11)

...Trying out my Pitt brush markers...

What I like about the auction is that one sees all kinds of people, and not just hipsters or the usual city types as in Portland. Here, we have a sampler of humanity, from the well-dressed to the bedraggled, all as they are, mostly imperfect, but memorable.

Movie: The Illusionist (06-20-11)

Even a thoroughly stupid movie like The Illusionist has its rewards: for a few seconds, one could see an old, graceful farm estate at night. Another redeeming value for this movie: it was filmed in the Czech Republic, and a few scenes were even filmed inside the castle at Český Krumlov.

Thuy's Plants (06-17-11)

Going to Thuy's Hair Salon is an exotic experience: Vietnamese music videos blaring from a TV set near the ceiling, piles of old magazines, and Thuy herself, always in spike heels, ever so lithe and feminine, admonishing caution against some impending catastrophe... And of course, Thuy's plants, that thrive under her care, strike me as somehow exotic also.

One of Thuy's plants

Scene at a Trendy Bar (06-15-11)

Since I knew that the Portland Urban Sketchers group had planned to be there, I went to Produce Row Café with my friends Greg and Suzanne C.
Greg, who'd gone there in his younger days was dismayed that the place had gone the usual trendy route ("Coffee" stained woodwork, rich-looking patrons, expensive food, etc.). This is the way everything seems to go in Portland nowadays: posh and trendy-looking places, either for the hip, or for the well-to-do.
But we still had a pleasant time chatting and listening to great music. Greg wrote on his notebook, I finished this sketch, and Suzanne worked on her "doodle" book (for lack of a better word).

At the end, we took a peek at the other artists' work, and that was cool.

Drawing Portraits at Da Vinci (06-14-11)

I volunteered drawing portraits at Da Vinci Arts Middle School last day of school. It was a lot of fun drawing the sweet-faced young kids who lined up and patiently waited for their turn... This brought back memories of other like moments at Da Vinci, when my daughters were younger...

A quirky 6th grader...

And a pensive 8th grader...

Hairstyles (06-12-11)

I was surprised to see that some women attending the (Church) Stake Conference had relatively interesting hairstyles... (Who would have thought?)

Space-Age Bun and Bouffant Hair

Waterfront and Fun Center (06-11-11)

After the parade, I went down to the waterfront. As part of the Rose Festival, a fleet of ships comes for a week, an interesting scene, with bridges opening and closing, and lots of people everywhere.

Hawthorne Bridge

Essayons at waterfront

 I did a sketch of the U.S. Corps of Engineers' dredger Essayons (a very French name for a U.S. ship...).

Big ship details

Technical things are complicated to sketch, at least they are to me. I spent a good 20 minutes on this sketch of the side of the dredger.

Fun Center

As for the "CityFair" (Fun Center, Carnival, whatever), it was a chaotic scene, with people waiting in line for rides and greasy food. (Click on the link above for a nicely edited night video that someone posted online).

Grand Floral Parade (06-11-11)

It had been a few years since I had gone to the Rose Festival's Grand Floral Parade downtown, so I decided to go and draw a few sketches on the street.

Parade Details

On the left, policemen and one of those Rose Festival creepy old men with a white suit and cape; in the middle, a bicyclist, a cameraman, and a dancer with pompoms (I especially like that sketch); on the right, women at the Media broadcast table.

Chinese dog!

Throughout the parade, I had been working on sketching the street as a background, not sure how I could fill the foreground fast enough since the floats passed by too fast to draw them in their entirety, when, during a lull between floats, suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a goofy-looking Chinese dog appeared. A precursor to the Chinese New Year Dragon dancers, the dog was full of enthusiastic energy, so funny. I quickly drew it. (Click on the link above to briefly see the dog in a video someone posted online...)

Scenes from the parade

Here, I caught the elegant white horse from the Mexico "float" (possibly from the Portland Guadalajara Sister Association). It was just regal. (Click on the link above to see it in a video someone posted online...)

I enjoyed myself.

Craft Party for I [Heart] Art: Portland (06-10-11)

I was a volunteer at the Craft Party for I [Heart] Art: Portland held at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. Aside from the fun craft activities, there was good food, and there were so many of prizes, almost everyone got something also (although I didn't...).

Food table

The audience during the drawing for prizes

At Church (05-22-11)

...Done during Church...

Art Spark May Event (05-19-11)

Art Spark was at ADX Portland, a huge warehouse-turned-creative-space, with lots of people present. There was a cutesy contest-like presentation by SCRAP staff, make some useless craft item, with felt remnants and old crayons, etc. Since it was for an artsy Portland non-profit, this activity was led by women wearing the obligatory 50s dresses with polka dots, too tight for today's ample bosoms, thick-framed glasses, and big-soled shoes. Not to type people, but....

Anyway, I always find people watching more interesting than anything else...

New Parent Night at Da Vinci (05-18-11)

My daughter Monica-Sophie and I were invited to sit for question-answer on the Alumni Panel for an informational meeting for new parents at Da Vinci Arts Middle School. It was nice to see some familiar faces again, like Connie Cheifetz, Doug Ingamells, who had been my daughters' Math teacher, and Jane Ferguson, former Drama teacher at the school.

Doug Ingamells

At the Rural Auction (05-17-11)

Here are some familiar characters at the auction...