This weekend is the Sketchy Travel group drawing time. If you need a reminder to get in some drawing practice this is it😊 With spring having sprung, now is a great time to get out to your local public garden to capture the flowers. Or if it is a rainy start to May for you, like in Portland this weekend, perhaps there is a great public building to draw in or a coffee shop with a great view.
Make sure to share your adventures in the group chat:
Classic Pacific Northwest Day in Portland
I was planning on visiting the rhododendron garden at Reed College this weekend as I have never been there, but with constant rain predicted for this weekend that did not seem like a good idea. As I thought about indoor places to go, I realized I had not been to the Lan Su Chinese Garden in a long time. This garden has a lot of covered paths and pavilions, so it seemed perfect for drawing in a garden while it was raining.
When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that admission was free today. Since I did not need to pay an entrance fee for the garden, I decided to get a pot of tea at their tea house and go to its second floor to draw. I had to wait a bit to get a table with a good view, but eventually I was able to snag a spot with this amazing view over the garden pond.
Before going to the Lan Su Garden, I had stopped in the south end of downtown to go to one of my favorite coffee shops (Superjoy). Along with their fun name, they also sever great coffee that they import from China and roast themselves. I also stopped at a Café Umbria nearby as they had these large windows with a great view of a former federal courthouse across the street.
Inspiration for the Week
One reason the Lan Su Garden was free today was because they were hosting cultural exhibits from various Asian association groups in Portland. There were hourly performances by groups from the Asian Pacific region as well as booths from cultural groups. It was inspiring to see the wide range of cultural practices from this region that Portland sits on the edge off ranging from Chinese drumming to Hawaiian dance. While this was kind of a wet weekend for a cultural festival these kinds of events are great opportunities to draw and experience something new.
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We were driving a lot this weekend. Leaving our small remote island home near the north end of Vancouver Island to Nanaimo and back. I try to sketch the landscapes as we fly by at 100 KM/hr. My page fills up with small little sketches of trees, hillsides, mountains, skies….