NORTHWEST COAST Pt.1

I just got back LATE last night from my 8 day adventure out in BIGFOOT COUNTRY!  As I've done on other Art Trips, I'm going to start the show with my sketches.  I did not draw near as much as I had planned...there was just too much to see in too little time!  But I took 1300 photos !!  I'll post my favorites in the days to come.  I was also in "Twilight" and "The Goonies" movie territory...awesome to see the beauty out there!

And the sketch above...I drew him from a photo while on my flights home.  I really think I saw the Big Guy!  I'll show you the pic later in this post...YOU be the judge.

The map of my excursion is shown here.  I must say that I bit off a bit more driving time than I should have...couldn't draw as much since I had places to get to.  But seeing the sights were worth it!  I flew to SEATTLE, WA to stay with my dear friends Mike and Linda Stubblefield for a couple of nights.  What a gorgeous city...will have to go back for sure.  Then I headed to Cape Flattery, the most northwestern tip of the USA.  I made my way south to FORKS, WA, where I explored nearby Rialto Beach, Second Beach, and Ruby Beach (a bit further south near KALALOCH, WA).  Next I went to CANNON BEACH, OR...back up to ASTORIA, OR for a day with my friends, Josh and Monica Holtsclaw, then a day trip down to TILLAMOOK, OR.  I drove to Portland, then flew home last night!

First up are a couple of my usual airport sketches.  The second one shows what happens when a brush pen filled with ink/water mix is opened in a pressurized jet! 

 

The next few are images from the Seattle area, down by Lake Union.  As I sat drawing the big crane at the marina, a diving class was going on to my left.  The instructor is shown in the red hat below.

 

Okay...I almost didn't include this next one, but it makes me smile.  I was just starting to draw this little band that was setting up on the hill at Gasworks Park.  All I had drawn was a cymbal for the drum kit, and some grass. Then Mike texted me that he was done with work for the day, and I could drive over to get him.  He later commented that it could be a UFO that just abducted the band I was going to draw.

I drew the next two while waiting for and riding the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry.

When I finally made it to Forks, WA, I was so excited to go draw some on Rialto Beach.  To my dismay, FOG was everywhere!  I think it is just common with the beaches, even if it burns off later in the day.  It was very wet and cold, but I managed to sit for a couple of hours to sketch these trees. (It was so cold, I had to stuff kleenex down into the toes of my sandals...they were freezing!)

 

Okay...the pic below is what I promised!  I got a good, clean snap-shot of SASQUATCH!
(At least, I'm pretty sure...)

This is what my early-stage drawing looked like before I tried painting it with water colors and guache, then inked it.  I think I prefer this version.

The next sketch is at Second Beach.  When I first got there...more fog covered everything.  But as I drew, the fog burned away right in front of me!  I would sketch some, then run around snapping photos with this huge grin on my face. (I'll post those later, as I said.)  The whole scene was unveiled as I sat there...huge rock formations appearing off-shore that I didn't even know were there.  Exhilarating!

The last sketches from this trip are done at the AIR MUSEUM at Tillamook, OR.  That place is massive, and an architectural wonder to behold!  It is the largest wooden structure in the world.  It was a hangar for the Navy's Blimp Squadrons in WWII.   I drove down, only because it was raining in Cannon Beach, and I needed an indoor location to draw.  So glad it rained!!

 

 

 

 

 

Well...that's it for this post.  I will be sorting through all the photos, and showing the best ones.  The sunset on Second Beach is where I drew the big rock sketch, after the fog cleared.  Stay tuned!!