This past weekend (8-11 Nov) I went to Portland on my own. The primary reason was to meet up with Anne, a friend from Florida, at Orycon. Anne has family in Portland so makes it an annual visit timed to also be able to attend this Science Fiction convention. The friend who lives in Portland joined us. And then I learned that Carol, who moved from Seattle to coastal Oregon, would also be at the con. So I was able to hang out with a good group of friends.
On the way down I stopped at a new McMenamins: Kalama Harbor. Got my McMenamins Passport stamped, had lunch and did a sketch. Oh, I only just now realized I forgot to get the McMenamins stamp on the sketch! Drat.
I arrived at the hotel in time to get settled and go out for a quick sketch near sunset. The sky was clear and there was a good view of Mt. Hood, complete with “Alpenglow”.
One of the main reasons I attend cons is for the costuming. There weren’t very many interesting ones this time. The exception was the Science Guest of Honor, Dr. Ethan Siegel (scroll down http://40.orycon.org/guests-of-honor/ ) He was dressed as the James Webb telescope. When I recognized him, he said I was one of the few who did. I attribute that to friend Maggie who works at Goddard and took lots photos while it was being built!
On Saturday afternoon I left the con to attend Urban Sketchers Portland’s final 10×10 of the year. Urban Sketcher Pete Scully was up from Davis, CA to teach this workshop.
It was held at “Cargo” which was an almost overwhelming place with so many things crammed into two floors.
The title was “All Together Now and with Perspective: Fitting all Bits and Pieces into a Grid”. He briefly covered One and Two Point Perspective as well as Curvalinear. Then adding objects and people into the perspective grid. We first did thumbnails and then a 10 minute sketch. He encouraged us to sketch the same scene for a longer sketch time. I added more of the space into my last sketch.
Note: all these sketches were completed with a fountain pen filled with DeAtramentis Document Urban Grey. It performed well and didn’t smear with the application of watercolor.
I had one last hang out with my friends on Sunday.
I also was thinking of the 100th Anniversary of the WWI Armistice. I was thankful a young woman organized a brief commemoration at 11am (“11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). She had been handing out poppies all weekend. Americans don’t wear the poppy on Nov 11 as we celebrate it as Veterans Day… for the living service members and veterans. The British Commonwealth, though, wear the poppy today in remembrance of all who died in WWI and other wars and to commemorate the Armistice. Because of that significant anniversary, I wore the poppy.
And then it was the drive home.
