St. Helen's Marina

I went Salmon fishing few weeks ago on the Columbia River (Multnohmah channel) My friend keeps his boat at this Marina in St. Helens. This area on the Columbia is what I think of as the quintessential Oregon with lots of trees, a big river and fishing boats. Here is a sketch and 2 paintings of the same scene the first was a quick study and the other I spent a bit more time on and added some dudes fishing I imagine their boat broke down so they had to settle for fishing off the dock. The one guys is puffing on his pipe it looks a little bit like his face is deformed but water turned out pretty good.

He I am with a salmon my friend caught.

St. Johns

Here are a couple paintings from one of my favorite neighborhoods in Portland - St. Johns, a neighborhood that looks like it hasn't changed much since the 60's in fact "Tulips" the neighborhood's bakery has been in operation since the 50's and the same family owns it. This first painting I actually did a couple of months ago is of the St. John's cinema on Lombard the main street in the neighborhood. (This painting has been sold!)

This second painting is a Dive bar the "Wishing Well" just down the street from the theater, this is not the type of Dive bar that hipsters have made popular in an effort to be Ironic, no this is a genuine creepy bar that I am very curious about but too scared to enter at the same time. Joseph Zbukvic said that every good painting should tell a story or else it's just a pretty picture, this is great advice that I plan to use. I think including people in a landscape painting helps to tell a story . In this painting I imagine the women is running across the street to catch a bus and the man under the Wishing Well canopy is just trying to get out of the rain but has no intention of going inside. I know it's not the most exciting story but it helps give life to this mundane street scene.

Thanks for looking.

Portland Streetscapes

Here are a couple Portland Street Scenes close to my heart; Broadway Bridge this is the bridge I ride my bike over two times every day to and from work, and Powell's books store the largest independent bookstore west of the Mississippi just two blocks from my office this is a place I visit often. these paintings are for a series of Portland Neighborhood paintings I am working on there will be many more to come.

OSA May Show

Here are 3 paintings that I have in this month's Oregon Society of Artist gallery show. I just got back from the Artist reception and got some good feedback from the Juror who happens to be a very good pastel/ oils artist, my paintings did not receive any ribbons but she liked my paintings a lot especially the vineyard one. Here they are:

"McMinnville Vineyard"

"Farmers Market" (Portland South Park blocks)

"Dreary Day in Old Town" Lately I have been obsessed with the works of Alvaro Castagnet and Joseph Zbukvic two of my favorite watercolor artist this painting is influenced by their impressionistic styles but obviously I have a lot of learning and practice to get even close to the work they produce, but I Still like how it came out. Here I am at the gallery hanging