To start the story in the middle of the  morning’s drawing session: our work was interrupted by wailing sirens coming down Oak Street and stopping right in front of our cafe.  Evidently the coffee was too strong for an elderly  woman who fainted.  Her companions called the ambulance but thankfully, she seemed to be in fairly good condition, since the emts were quite calm after measuring her blood pressure.  They nevertheless took her away in the ambulance.

Our attention was not much distracted it seems.

The morning began with Erik Johnson and Barbara Shirk and Barbara Summers occupying a new spot on the veranda for a different view of The cafe and the neighborhood.  This shot was taken by Penelope who arrived a little later–but before the ambulance!Barbara Shirk was working on a beautiful drawing she started the week before of a woman and her dog.  She added some people in the windows behind them.

Barbara Summers was busy at an interesting drawing which was unfortunately way too light to show up in the photos we took…..

Erik worked on a drawing that showed up a little better in a photo, but not much.

Penelope bought a chocolate cream cheese cupcake, which she cut in half, planning to draw half and eat half.  Unfortunately, she started drawing both with only a small bite out of one of the pieces, and ended up taking most of the whole thing home.  It was one of the most amorphous subjects ever attempted by our little group….

When Sandy arrived she didn’t have time to do any drawing, But had a very pleasant (and exciting!) visit.

And to show what the Top Drawers in Italy are up to, here is a page from Jane’s sketchbook:
And here is Ken sketching at Carsulae:

Top Drawers met at Vero cafe Tuesday, for the first time in quite a while.  Jane arrived early and left a couple items after a pleasant conversation, on her way to a necessary massage in preparation for her long long journey to Europe.  So, after we had all been working and talking for a while, the newly appointed photographer remembered he was supposed to get some pictures, so here are Barbara Summers, Barbara Shirk, Jan Brown, Penelope Youngfeather, and Sandy Larkin proudly displaying their pictures, of which Erik totally spaced getting photos.

Jane did return from a short absence to say goodbye to everyone, and Erik did manage to snap a parting shot.

After which, Jane took the camera and added another picture of the happy group, and the delinquent photographer, who promises to do a better job next week at Vero again.

Inn at the 5th, Eugene, OR

      Barb Sommer sketches at the table with Sandy while Barb Shirk shows photos of her daughter’s painting, then Barb Stevens-Newcomb tells the story of her sketch which came from a dream.

    “They’re all BARBS!” Sandy chortled; except her and Jane, of course.

      Barb So shared her sketch from last week (which included Jane’s sandal), then started an Inn sketch across from the sketch of her dog.

      Barb Sh had a faint dragonfly outline already, then added a pot of flowers, and finally some juicy blackberries. Next week: dragonfly!

   Barb SN is trying the effects of water brush on her watercolor pencils, then broke down to go for it with watercolor wet on wet.

5th St. Market, Eugene, OR

We weren’t seeing red because of the wildfires all about us this summer (although that continues to be a concern), but rather were colored by the plethora of red umbrellas protecting us from the sun!

     Sandy, Erik, Jan (& Jane behind the camera) were the first to arrive. Later Barb Stevens-Newcomb and Penelope Youngfeather joined us.

      Barb showed us the progress she’s making on her colored pencil rendition of a turtle…now with a rider! What’s the story???

      Penelope couldn’t stay – she was off to teach her class on “Art and the Travel Journal,” inspired by Ken O’Connell (pictured on her teaching notebook), while Jane sketched the couple across the way.

   Barb Sommers brought a sketch of Erik in his signature hat, as well as the skyline surrounding her son’s place in Seattle – very clever!

       Erik (in the aforementioned hat) sketched his favorite patio tree, this time with the pole behind it, & pot of flowers in front.

      Jan was mesmerized by the graphic patterning in the patio chairs and table; adding the pot of flowers behind made them pop!

      Sandy started out with Jan’s chair challenge, sketched Erik’s 2nd cinnamon roll, Jane’s sandal, the showed us her sketches from the bridge bike ride in Portland she & her husband Hugh did – exciting!

 Then Tricia sneaked into the conversation with Sandy (nothing disturbs Erik from his focus!).

   Here are Tricia’s latest sketches from her travels about Oregon.

Cortesia Sanctuary, in the woods outside Eugene, Oregon

Welcome to Tricia Clark-McDowell’s world – Cortesia. We were all so pleased to be here in the cool green forest.

       Barbara Stevens-Newcomb started the sharing with a colored pencil sketch she’d done in a class, and Penelope showed us leaf rubbings she’d done on tissue paper then glued to her sketchbook.

   She also shared a scene from her garden with Sharon Heinz, Barb Aten, and Tricia; then she looked more closely at Tricia’s sketchbook.

    Tricia and Sharon got busy sketching – here’s Tricia’s final sketch.

      Sharon was fascinated with the colorful coleus – she liked her outline sketch but what to do to capture the vivid colors? She got lots of suggestions from the group about how to add intensity & values.

      Barb Aten listens intently to Satoko’s comments, then gets her watercolors out to try her hand at the coleus leaf, too.

     Satoko scolded Jane – “You moved!” But despite the models refusing to hold still, she finished her sketch of three artists at the table.

      And Jane really was sketching, too – here’s her page about Cortesia.

      Penelope started with Tricia (across the table from her) and quickly added more people from around the table to her sketchbook.

      Sandy had the perfect challenge – a blank sketchbook page! So she started by doing the replication challenge, and then to taking a photo of Tricia’s monk statue which may be replicated in clay soon!