Second Annual West Coast Sketchcrawl

Yesterday I had an all day adventure going to the 2nd Annual West Coast Sketchcrawl hosted by the Portland USk Sketchers.  Sketcher Mark Ryan and I caught the 6:45 am Bolt Bus down to Portland for a 3 hour ride down which got us in at 9:45 am.  We just missed 15 min opening of the event but found the group of over 100 sketchers gathered in front of the Portland Art Museum.
Sketchers of all along the West Coast of the US and Canada met for a day of sketching.  Some had gone down Thursday and Friday.  About 82 met up Friday Night for a Drink and Draw.

I met people from San Diego to  Vancouver, BC and even found out there were two sketchers from Montreal who came out to join us.  It had a small symposium feeling and so fun to meet sketchers from other parts of the country.  Next year it is in San Diego, CA so look out for the advertisement of this event.

Final Sketch of the Day under the huge Elm tree  next to Portland Art Museum Sculpture Courtyard.  PAM was founded in 1892 which makes is the oldest Art Museum on the West Coast.

Director Park was a hopping place Celebrating Bastille Day and having a waiters and waitress competition.  It reminded me of Barcelona and how the streets and plazas can be the life of the city. Opened in 2009 this urban park covers a 700-space underground garage and was designed by  Laurie Olin of the design firm OLIN, and the Portland-based architectural firm ZGF Architects

At the corner of  SW Park Ave and SW Jefferson, was St. James Lutheran Church the only building I found in good morning light.  The cornerstone for the present building was laid in May 1907 and this late gothic revival building  is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.

The 6:45 am Bolt Bus to Portland got us there at 9:30 am.  An inexpensive way to get down to Portland and back.