This week in The Pearl and beyond – April 25, 2025


Picasso painted his anti-war Guernica in 1937 in response to the bombing of the town of Guernica. It was a form of resistance that artists have often used. Another form of resistance in art and in life is “Illegitimi non carborundum” – don’t let the bastards get you down. Hope, joy, and beauty are a…

TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday Tip -April 22, 2025


“Sometimes painting is just a prayerful movement. And that is enough.” — Sister Corita Kent My goal when plein air painting is never about creating a masterpiece, it is about time with nature. Check out Tricia’s blog today of great Earth Day photos.

This week in The Pearl – April 16, 2025


One of the reasons we chose The Pearl district of Portland is that it does have a bit of a Parisian ambience. Here is my view as I write. A cobble stone – technically basalt stones that were originally used as ballast on ships – tree-lined streets, bicycles, people walking, and sitting outside at a…

This week in The Pearl – April 11, 2025


This was an active week. Saturday we took advantage of being just over an hour from the Oregon Coast so we drove to Canon Beach and Haystack Rock – some paintings are in the future. Often I remind myself and other travelsketchers to do quick sketches when you travel. The goal is to capture the…