Japanese Garden and Luscher Farm

Today in The Oregonian two items caught my eye. The Japanese Garden will be free this coming Tuesday. We went last week to sketch and see the "Beyond the Shoji" art exhibit. The garden is beautiful and it's worth a visit.

the view of Portland with the rolling clouds incredible.

Another article highlights Luscher Farm in Lake Oswego where we sketched this week.
We could spend hours in the community gardens.
My sketches

Durfort France- Peter Welsford's Drawing Class

One of the joys of traveling is meeting people from around the world. Peter Welsford's studio is across the street from La Cascade. He invited us to take one of his Tuesday morning drawing classes.
I enjoyed working with the pastels- a new medium for me. I like their rich color and freeform nature when used in drawing an object.
The sunflower fields started to bloom mid-July and offered a great subject to draw.

Nature Gathered

I'm in a new 8x8 art exchange called Nature Gathered to explore a different theme each month for a year. Members post their artwork on the blog monthly. In July, our theme was birds.

It's amazing to see the variety of unique interpretations and wonderful art techniques that each artist uses. My "Birds" combines acylic painting, collage and drawn lines. I wanted the feel of summer, togetherness and the peacefull experience of being outdoors. Please visit our blog and see what we're doing.

Durfort, France "the idea collector book"

The last part of my trip to France included a train ride to Toulouse, meeting my second art group with Dayle Doroshow and a drive to Durfort-our home for the next week at La Cascade. This group focused on art journals and dolls made with items found in local markets and a theme of ancient France. My favorite book was our idea collector.
the front cover made with French fabric and a polymer clay transfer
the inside cover with toile and a sewn signature with a variety of papers in different sizes
fabric samples
An ink and pen drawing of La Cascade by Peter Welsford, a Brit whose studio is across the street from La Cascade.

1930's stamps found in a Vide Greniers or an "empty the attic" flea market
An envelope, accordian book to hold workshop notes and treasures
The back of the idea book with a V-W pop-up and fabric frame

A Visit to Jumencourt

I took the train from Gare du Nord to Anizy-Pinon to visit Pascale, a fellow artist in our PhotoArtJournal group. It turned out to be a highlight of my trip. We drove to her home in the village of Jumencourt. She prepared lunch for her mother and I, gave me a tour of her studio, shared her art projects and took me to see the medieval castle- Coucy-le-Château. We spent a wonderful day together. Merci Pascale!
The gargoyles and ancient patterns on the castle walls offer inspiration for future art projects.


The castle garden reflects how it looked in the 13th Century.