PeaceHealth Medical Center, RiverBend, Springfield, OR

Most of us sketched in the lobby today – so many things to choose!

        The wooden carving on the rock fireplace caught Katie’s eye, then she went on to sketch daffodils on her pre-prepared pages.

        Many of us were fascinated with the sculpture at the entrance of the lobby, called “Day of Days.” It even rocks!

         First Jane’s sketch, then Marsha’s. We all agreed it was so difficult!

       Penny saw it from a slightly different angle – oh! that’s a parrot on her arm! And a beehive on her head!

     Bev sketched it from across the room (!), then did a people sketch.

     Meanwhile at the table…   Here’s Erik’s sunset sketch from memory.

        Barb Sh showed her finished sketch started last time, then…what… Oh! It’s the lady at the grand piano beyond their table!

   Ken took his time to get started, then chose the hanging lamp structures – WOW!

       Laura and her friend were sketching upstairs in the cafeteria. Laura didn’t think much of her lamp, but she really liked her darling damsel flies! Looks like a story is brewing here…

PeaceHealth Medical Center at RiverBend, Springfield, OR

It was a rainy day, but the cafeteria at RiverBend was very hospitable! We really enjoyed the time there.

     There were 10 of us there, but two were outside. Lovely views.

      Here’s the view of the group from Laura’s perspective, and the beginning of her sketch – aghhhhh! perspective is such a challenge!

      Ken was sketching the trees beyond Barb Sh & Erik. Is it done? No, add more dark, more detail, more contrast…more…

      Bev had another “pre-prepared” page to share, then took on the winding path, too, which improved with the addition of trees.

     Here’s Lealan’s beginning sketch of the view in her signature style.

        Meanwhile, Jane was looking up…talk about perspective challenge!

     Barb Sh shared her “spicy” sketch of the cooks at LCC from last week, then began a sketch of one of the nearby “models” here.

         Marnie had a sketch of her art bag done at home, then got very involved in her portrait sketch of a person in context today.

      We always learn so much from each other – here’s Marsha’s colored pencil project, then colored pencil on black inspired by an artist’s work of the Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson house. And then she started a portrait of a nearby model, too.

Center Building, Lane Community College, Eugene, OR

       There are getting to be so many of us, it’s hard to find a venue that will hold us! But the 20 of us hit the jackpot today.

      Tomomi is one of our most recent to the art circle, and Barb Sh, Penny, & Marsha enjoyed giving her (& her family)  painting tips.

        Here’s Barb Sh capturing the scene with her pen & water brush.

       Bev interspersed new sketches with going back to complete a previous one (she says Ken gave her the inspiration to do that!).

         Marnie, Bev, Barb Sh, & Daisy hard at work – here’s Daisy’s sketch.

    Marnie took advantage of the student models in the Center.

     Hugh, his inner engineer coming out, focused on the contextual surroundings, with the people incidental.

        The models do have a tendency to move, however. Jane resorted to “making up” one guy, and taking white pen to the first guy. Better?

      Laura took on the challenge of the chairs – wow, well done!

    Katie & Lealan have an intense interchange, & here’s Katie’s work.

     Lealan did a montage of people sketches – yes, it did get crowded.

    Speaking of intent, Sandy is determined to conquer perspective, and tries to be appreciative of her husband’s help. No, really!

      Marsha is doing sketches on top of washes – and aha! using photos!

    Penny & Pat draw nearby models – oh, Penny did Sandy & Katie!

      Pat started with a little pencil sketch, then really got into drawing the carrot cake on the bag. Then took photos for still models.

Whew! What a great day! We may have to come back here.

New Day Bakery, Eugene

Here’s the gang, looking one way down the table, then the other, and then in the other room altogether! Many people, different tools, too.

      Helga is using simple graphite pencil, although she tells us she has actually ordered some paint supplies and looks forward to them!

            Sandy is using pencil, too, to work on the concepts behind perspective, with her husband Hugh giving her some pointers.

        Here you can see the results of Barb Sh using water soluble graphite, which becomes permanent when you put water on it – no smearing!

     Marnie was working on a portrait of Katie, using graphite, which delighted Katie so much she had to take a photo of it!

        Katie put masking tape down for borders, anticipating watercolor, but began her sketch with pencil first.

        Pencil first for Barb So, too, then watercolor to capture the color in her model’s sweater (Barb Sh was the unwitting model – thanks!).

         Laura does pencil first (good idea on a challenging perspective topic) then moves on to watercolor (see her little “makeup” palette).

        Danita is using watercolor “sticks” for the first time, trying different approaches and wishing at last for a sumi stick grinding stone!

      Marsha has a watercolor wash background all ready to go, and did her sketch of Jean (sitting across from her) in colored pencil. Nice!

    Jane, in a moment of rashness, went straight to ink, then watercolor.

      Hugh started out with wax crayons (ala Erik) on black, then on to ink.

      Erik’s mastery of the wax crayons is evident – look at that detail, too!

        Jean says she’s emulating Erik, but she does another technique, too, adding watercolor to her soluble wax crayons to blend & brighten.

     And then there’s Ken, noted for using whatever art tool is near at hand – pens, markers, watercolor backgrounds – WOW.

New Day Bakery, Eugene, OR

This is almost everyone who showed up today – two long tables worth! Barb Sh, Barb So, Marnie, Bev, Ken, Lee, Laura, Hugh, Bev, & Erik.  Not shown are Helga, Jane, Sandy, & Lealan.

       Barb So shared what she’d done in her sketchbook since last time, then went on to add little vignettes of what was around her here.

Bev had been to the Chinese Gardens – lovely pages! And she did lovely pages of the surroundings at New Day Bakery today, too.

     Ken sketched some of the group, while Jane caught a worker in action loading the display shelves – the gold coins? See below*

     Marsha found the scene beyond the window interesting, and then added the people inside around the window frame, too.

        Hugh was a window sketcher, too, adding people and then going on to sketch a dramatic photo on black paper – see results next week!

       Marnie did a table top still life, then the display of bakery goods across the room.

       Laura tried drawing a picnic table outside (ack! the angles!), and then focused on the table top items, too.

    Helga started out drawing a chair on the patio (now there’s a perspective challenge for you), then added from her imagination.    Not all were sketching the bakery – Barb Sh brought a series of 3 tiny sea urchins – look, the larger one shows how they’re in rectangles!

      Erik’s visual memory never lets him down – incredible scenes!

      And the gold foil covered coins* were courtesy of Lealan, in honor of Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras, and good luck coins for Chinese New Year coming up on Feb. 16.   Don’t you just love her celebration page?