Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The Woodstock of Sketching

Class of 2010 (photo © Urban Sketchers)
Me with Pete Scully at Pioneer Square (photo:© Kumi Matsukawa)
82 sketchers from around the world gathered at the 1st International Urban Sketchers Symposium in Portland last week. Lisbeth, Faye and I were among them. We sketched our little hearts out, met the amazing Seattle Sketcher, Gabi Campanario, and many of our other sketching heroes from Urban Sketchers and had a total blast. Some called it the Woodstock of Sketching, some called it a religious experience, some called it a privilege and an honor. For me, it was definitely an inspiration and a thrill to hang out and sketch with so many who share my passion and obsession for sketching. I'm saving my pennies for next year's symposium in Lisbon. These are just a few of my sketches from the trip.

Faye & her friend, Barbara, sketching at a cafe in Tia Boon's Urban Color session. I did this sketch using Tia's "color splash" method. I splashed paint randomly on the paper and sketched over it when dry. It's one of my favorite drawings of the trip.

Cellist at the Saturday Market.

My first field sketching session of the symposium - Urban Line with instructor Lapin (in the straw hat) and Kurt Holloman (in baseball cap.) We stopped to draw a building Lapin liked, but I liked the street lamps.
This was Urban Nature with instructor Jason Das at Union Station. Our assignment here was to combine some sky, some building and some plant material in the same sketch.



I drew a hanging basket of purple petunias near Union Station for my next Urban Nature assignment.
The Irving Street Kitchen was right across the street from Pacific Northwest College of Art, where the symposium was held.
Pacific Northwest College of Art
I drew Jace in Amtrak's  Bistro car  on the way home from Portland. When I finished the sketch, I asked "Would you mind if I draw your picture?" When he said okay, I said, "Good, cause I already did!" and asked him to sign it. I told him I would post it on the blog. He seemed very pleased.
More people in the Bistro car on the trip home.

6 comments:

  1. These sketches are really we done and I love your story of the experience.

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  2. Wowza paloooza! These are great! Count me in on next years trip to Lisbon!

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  3. Sue, your sketches look great! I love knowing the stories behind the pictures.

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  4. This must have been just the most stimulating and inspiring trip, your sketches show that - I'm tentatively hoping to get to Lisbon next year after reading all the reportbacks.

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  5. Thanks, everyone. Yes, it was stimulating, inspiring and exhausting(as you well know, Peggy!)I think for a bunch of obsessive, compulsive sketchers, it was almost a drug. We were all kind flying high on endorphins for a few days.

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  6. P.S. Thanks for visiting the blog, Cathy. You are one of my sketching heroes! It would be great to meet you in Lisbon next year.

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