Brushwork in Bingen - Tuesday June 10

Good day, blog followers!  Have you been getting out on your own to paint in this beautiful area we call home?  The weather has been so glorious lately, hasn't it?  I hope you're excited to come join us again on Tuesday the 10th, as we take in the vistas from the marina park in Bingen.  One of our fellow painters suggested we might enjoy this spot, because it offers great views of the cliffs in Oregon, the river, and the hillsides right above us in Bingen.  There is plenty of parking, and there is a bathroom.  Two possible sites exist:  the boat launch area, or the windsurfing launch site.  For the sake of convenience, let's meet at the boat launch area and discuss the plan.

Driving directions:  Cross the Hood River Bridge, turn right and head to Bingen.  Turn right on Maple Street, heading toward the businesses and parks at the Port of Klickitat.  When you see the blue sign saying "Welcome to Bingen Point, Port of Klickitat" you just need to turn left and head toward the end of the road where the boat ramp, marina park, and sailboard park are located.  

Last Tuesday, we had the pleasure of meeting and painting with Jeanne Chamberlain, who drove all the way from Portland to see what the lights and colors are like over here.  She told me that the sky here is a totally different experience than what she finds in Portland.  Sharon Benveniste, from Lyle, was also a newcomer to the group.  It's great to have new people sharing their paintings, experiences, and ideas with us!  Please come join us at 9:00 a.m. this coming Tuesday.  The more the merrier!  

Great Views from Courtney Road

Dear Friends,

On Tuesday, June 3, we are planning to set up our easels along Courtney Road, just off Highway 14, in Washington.  The view options from that vantage point are stunning.  In fact, it is a place we will probably return to again and again throughout the summer season. I drove over there to check out the best places to park our cars and paint, and the one I'm liking right now is a dirt road off of Courtney, about a mile up.  Let's meet there next Tuesday to give it a try!  Or, if we decide to move slightly higher up the road, that's okay, too.

Driving directions:   From the Washington side of the Hood River Bridge, drive east on Highway 14 for approximately 4.5 miles.  Courtney Road will be on the left.  Drive up the curving road for one mile.  At that point, there is a reddish dirt road on the left, and it trails off through the tall green grass.  We could try parking along that road, and setting up our easels right there.  Although there are no bathroom facilities at this location, there is a bathroom down at the beginning of Courtney Road, at the Coyote Wall trailhead.

Remember to bring sunscreen (and perhaps insect repellent).

This is going to be fun!  I'll try to take some pictures of our group, so that I can post them in next week's blog.

**Terri**

Focus on the Possibilities

Hello, everyone!  I hope you're enjoying Memorial Day.  I'm taking advantage of the bursts of sunshine in Manzanita today, by just getting out and walking.  As I've zigzagged through the neighborhood,  I've made a point of focusing on the things I miss when I'm driving by in the car.  There so many rhododendrons and potato vines whose blooms I have examined, up close, and I've been amazed by their beautiful forms and colors.

In that spirit, I'm suggesting that we meet tomorrow at Good News Gardening again; but this time, perhaps it would be fun to focus on what appeals to us as we stand up right next to a blossom, looking for the essence of what it is that that particular flower is conveying to us.

I hope many of you can be there!  9 a.m. to noon.  Use the overflow parking lot around back, off of Tucker Road.

**Terri**

I felt the sun!

I felt the sun! It was beautiful at Good News Gardening. Very nice for painting, no wind, sunny... it doesn't get any better than this! 

Jan Muir, Andrew Grossman, Sally from Troutlake, Cathy Orfall and Cathleen Rehfeld.

Azaleas in bloom at Good News Gardening

Jan Muir's watercolor

Jan Muir and Sally from Troutlake

Andy Grossman

Cathleen Rehfeld oil painting and easel

Godess statue and peonies

Will The Third Time Be The Charm?

C'mon people!  Let's paint outside together!  I think we'll just keep trying Good News Gardening until we get a good response from our fellow painters. So let's see what happens this coming Tuesday, May 20. Please refer to the previous posts for all the pertinent information.

Be there or be...a 6 x 6.  (Also known as 'square').   :-)

Good News about Good News Gardening!

Since not many of us were able to make it to last week's outdoor painting session at Good News Gardening, we've been given another opportunity, and that's good news!  Check out some of these photos to get inspired to paint this coming Tuesday, May 13, from 9 a.m. until noon at Good News Gardening in Hood River. Be sure to bring extra layers of clothing, because it can be a bit 'brisk' out there at times.  Also, remember that we need to park in the auxiliary parking lot, located around the bend on Tucker Road.  Hope to see a bunch of you there!  

If you have questions or suggestions, please be sure to submit them to this blog site.  Thanks!  

First Plein Air Painting Session of the Season!

It's time to give yourself a break from still life painting and join us for our first outdoor painting session of the season!  Yay!  We plan to meet at Good News Gardening  in Hood River (1086 Tucker Road) from 9 a.m. until noon next Tuesday, May 6!    We have been asked to park in the overflow parking lot, which is around the bend on Tucker Road, on the right.  This plant nursery venue is especially wonderful because they have restrooms, beautiful flowers, AND lunch to revive you after all of that rigorous color mixing and brushwork.  :-)  

Show your support for Friends With Easels and come paint with us!  And if any of you has a suggestion for our next painting location, PLEASE submit your suggestion to the blog queen, so we can go to places that all of us are interested in.  Thanks!  See you next Tuesday!  

**Terri Neiman**