Port Ludlow

Washington is known as "The Evergreen State." Walls of evergreens crowd the undeveloped landscapes here in the west, creating dark masses that intrigue and delight.

When we pulled in to Port Ludlow, we were surprised to discover a sailboat race!

Pleasant Harbor early this morning. Dark walls of evergreens seem to guard the narrow harbor entrance. We left at low tide in less than five feet of water. Whew!

Lake Washington II

Same shapes, different colors, different ideas.

Lake Washington I

Lake Union and Lake Washington connect to Puget Sound through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks near Seattle. We had five souls aboard when we went through the locks into the lakes. It took all five of us to manage the buoys, fenders, lines, and boat hook. We were tied off at the top of a very tall wall. As the water filled in the lock, the wall wasn't so tall at all. Whew. A lot of work, though, to keep the boat from bashing into the wall and into the other boats.

Lining the lakes are businesses and residences (including the amazing compound where Bill Gates lives with his family). Several of my sketches showed my interest in the organic forms of the trees and land shapes and how they met with the man made forms of the bridges.

While I definitely prefer more natural water scenes, every once in a while it's kind of fun to see how other folks live.

Pink Floyd "Money." Absolutely.

buoy contour

Some days on the water are so warm, we open the door between the salon and the deck, where we store the round buoy. The door is narrow, as is the deck, but the buoy fits its spherical self easily between the walls.

Today is cloudy and only 70 degrees and the door between the salon and the deck is closed. The buoy is still there. Waiting to be useful. Summer moments like these seem fleeting and somehow fragile.

Sting and Stevie Wonder "Fragile."

water color

testing watercolor to match the water color

life is beautiful on the water!

crabpot meditation

10 x 10, pastel on paper

Some days are quiet. I can study the water and see the sky and trees reflected in the undulating surfaces. It doesn't matter why or for how long. It's a joy to be in this moment.

Norah Jones, "Don't Know Why."

summertime abstraction near Hope Island

7 x 11, pastel on Rives BFK

Temperatures at home are nearing 100 degrees, but on the water it's just sunny with a breeze and about 85. Summer time is full of color, shimmer, and glow. Especially on the water.

Patricia Barber "Summertime." A heaping of smooth to go with the shimmer.

abstracting the Gorge

12 x 14, pastel on sanded paper

excellent experiment

pick up at Portland International Airport

Marj Lightle and Dori Dewberry

I invited two California artists, Dori Dewberry and Marj Lightle to come up to the Pacific Northwest to have a painting retreat with me. We had a wonderful week together and now they are heading home.

On our first morning, we started by loading up the car with all of our plein air gear and heading out to the Columbia River Gorge. Our first stop was Wahkeenah Falls, where we all enjoyed the challenge of painting moving water.

van Schoonhoven, Dewberry, Lightle

Here are the results from our first day painting.

Portland Art Museum

We had some studio painting time and then took a day to go into Portland. The Farmer's Market in the Park Blocks provided lots of opportunities for reference photos and preliminary sketches. Artist friend, Roxanne Clingman joined us at the Portland Art Museum for the great Ellsworth Kelly exhibit and also the California Impressionists show. 

plein air at Crown Point in Columbia River Gorge

Another trip out to the Gorge for plein air painting at the Vista House. The clouds really neutralized the colors and we all enjoyed exploring the shapes of the land and water masses. 

Friday in the studio

With such a great week of visually stimulating plein air adventures, we took Friday as a studio day and painted more from our sketches and photos. It was great to talk about our time together and how it exceeded our expectations. 

In the photos below you can see the final painting results from our days together. It's harder to quantify the joy of a week of painting, art conversation, and inspiration. Three willing and passionate artists took a chance and set aside a week to inspire one another. It was an excellent experiment. I call it a SUCCESS!

Marj Lightle

Dori Dewberry

Katherine van Schoonhoven

working more with a diagonal design

15 x 15, acrylic and Sumi on prepared paper

If at first I don't succeed (all completely subjective and according to my own ideas of success), I will work and work and work until I make it happen. It's not a matter of "I think I can." It's a matter of ...

Eva Cassidy gets it soooo right!

workshop and retreat, more

Experimentation and fun, hallmarks of a great workshop.

workshop and retreat Day Three

12 x 12, acrylic and oil pastel on plywood

workshop and retreat Day Two

16 x 12, acrylic and gold foil on paper

What a pleasure to learn new ways to add interest and layers of meaning to a painting.

Logistically, though, it's important to keep the tacky glue on the paper and NOT on your fingers, or the gold foil will stick where you don't want it. Might say it's a Midas touch! Or, you could call it "Goldfinger." At least, I might.