Welcome to PLEIN AIR PAINTING!  The month of October has ushered in a new opportunity to paint together as a group.  Just formed is the PLEIN AIR PAINTERS OF VANCOUVER.  This is a loosely organized group, newly formed  for those of you who paint in ACYRICS or OIL  to paint "en plein aire", as the French say, about once a month with like minded painters for fun and mutual support.   We are very informal, some of us beginners, some of us old hands, but all join in these outings with a love of the outdoors and a passion for painting!  To check on the schedule of paint-outs, check in here often, or call Sharon at 360-721-1621 for more information. 

11/15/2008  PAINTING SWIFT COVE & MT. ST. HELEN'S

(More pictures to come)

Janet Kiyasu hosted  Sharon and Lesley of the group at her beautiful mountain home  near Cougar, WA on Saturday, Nov. 15th to paint near the Swift Reservoir.  From her deck we  had a great view of Mt St Helens, down the canyon to the Swift Reservoir and  the islands.  Eagles soared overhead, and we spotted a waterfall on the opposite cliff of the gorge.   We didn't get much painting done, but it was a great chance to commune with nature, take a hike, scope out a few great painting spots for the future, and to sketch and relax!  The weather was gorgeous, sunny and about 55 and we were completely "off the grid" as Kiwi likes to say.  Besides being gorgeous, Kiwi's mountain log home is an engineering masterpiece complete with solar generators, a solar refrigerator, a SAT phone, and a beautiful kitchen complete with a gas cooktop, marble island held up by gnarled wood tree trunks, a river rock fireplace, and big comfy sofas and chairs!   From her beautiful kitchen, she whipped up a fabulous lunch complete with wine from her cellar!  Can't beat that!  It's about an hour from Vancouver and we had a great time and are certainly looking forward to going back!  Thanks Kiwi! 

11/1-2/2008 PAINTING WITH DEE BOYLES

Sharon and Lucy joined a group from McMinnville for a workshop with Dee Boyles.  Dee is a nationally recognized, award winning artist with a background in illustration,  working for various outdoor magazines in Alaska and California.  He has now taken up residence back in Oregon where his roots are, and is devoting himself to plein air painting full time.  Although the weather was somewhat overcast, the rain held off and we had steady light and even a few sun breaks.  Dee demonstrated his technique and we got a nice review on the importance of doing thumbnail sketches and planning compositions wisely.  The company was great and we all enjoyed Wendy Hitchcock's picturesque farm and her gracious hospitality. 

(My paintings/ sketches are on the bottom row)

10/15/2008  PAINTING IN THE VINEYARD A HUGE SUCCESS!

What a glorious day we experienced in the beautiful Elk Cove Vineyards on Saturday, Oct. 11th!  Our intrepid group of plein air painters spread out over the vineyard painting everything from big fat Pinot Noir Grapes up close and personal, to the beautiful sedum in bloom, to those who took the long view over the hilly vineyards among blasted trees and vines just beginning to turn fall colors! 

We arrived around 10:00 AM and spent the first half hour or so picking our site and taking a lot of pictures.  Then the painting began in earnest with Lucy and Kristin making water color sketches, The Sharon's and Sheryl sketching and beginning their acrylic studies. 

At around Noon we broke for a fabulous pinic lunch brought in by Sharon's daughter, Lori, who set up a beautiful picnic in the vineyard.  It was almost too beautiful to eat (although we managed!) and several winery visitors even asked to take pictures of our table! 

After lunch we painted for another hour or so and then went into the winery for our tasting, which included some award winning blush wines, two fine Pinot Noirs, a Pinot Gris, and a Reisling.  Bottles were purchased, and wine accessories, and then it was off to visit several Yamhill County Artist Studios during their annual tour.  This was an unexpected bonus to the day since we hadn't known there would be open studios in the area, but we took good advantage and saw some gorgeous art besides getting a few tips on studio set up, viewing a pastel artist at work, and some well known local artists. 

We got home around  6:00 exhausted from our gorgeous day and thoroughly replete and dreaming of the buzz of bees in the vineyard, the breeze on our necks, the sun on our shoulders, the wine in our belly, and beauty of nature and the fantastic artists' renderings we experienced!   We definitely plan to go again soon!

Next time, please join us!