Tag: river

Arbor Crest Plein Air

Arbor Crest Wine Cellar View 01

Arbor Crest Wine Cellars is a beautiful historic estate on top of the hill, just north of the Spokane River in the Inland Northwest. It is an absolutely perfect place to have a plein air paintout. A group of friends from the Spokane Watercolor Society met up here for an artist’s day out. This place is full of surprises that catch your eye. There are so many beautiful settings, gardens and views that it is hard to choose the best one to paint.

Arbor Crest Wine Cellar 2This view captured me, and as I settled down to paint, I wondered about that brave soul who selected this amazing location to settle and and admire the view. What a daring free spirited individual that must have been.

Can you imaging sitting here with your morning coffee? I can.

Arbor Crest Wine Cellar 3Here is one of those unfinished paintings (7) on my desk that is now part of the ash where our house used to be. Since I do have pictures to work from I may recreate this one.  Maybe even spend another day at the Arbor Crest Wine Celler grounds to get the colors right.

Plein Air River

Outdoor Painting, Indoors

We are painting Plein Air river views today. I went to a Spokane Watercolor Society, Plein Air Group at the Spokane Main Library downtown this weekend. The view from the Library windows is looking north overlooking the river.

SpokaneLibraryPleinAirView

Certainly, Plein air painting the outdoor beauty of the Inland Northwest in the warm comfort of the main library downtown is heavenly.

Plien Air Post St Bridge Spokane Library

Post Street Bridge Crossing

Today, I finished up one of the pieces started at the Spokane Library this weekend, of the Post Street Bridge crossing. The place that the Bloomsday Race used to end, with metal figures running on the sidewalk by City Hall.

What a great view the third floor library windows have!

This cityscape is chock full of many interesting images. Unfortunately, this large variety makes it is hard to select a specific view. Probably made more intense when you are also looking at gorgeous river and waterfall views at the same time. Decisions, decisions.

Finally, significant fun was had while getting to know my plein air brush from the Derwent kit I just got. I has it’s own tank of water in the pen which is really convenient. There are reasonable (under $20) kits available on DickBlick.com.

plein air paint kit Derwent plain air paint kit

Seems, like happiness is getting the water to look like it is really falling. Hence, a waterfall. Yahoo! While learning to use the Plein air paint kit well enough to try it “on location”, without taking my other brushes.

Even more Plein air painting events, along the river, are scheduled for January at the Inlander offices and February at Anthony’s Restaurant in 2019. Please feel free to contact any one of us to attend a Spokane Watercolor Society monthly meeting and/or come have fun painting with other artists at the next Plein air event.