portraits of friendship

acrylic on canvas, 10 x 10

acrylic on canvas, 8 x 8 (tonked)



watercolor on paper, 20 x 14

My dear friend Teresa has been sitting for me every week. She is a forgiving sort and lets me manipulate and distort her features every which way. At some point I will settle down and get closer to what I actually see of her! But here are a few of the latest efforts.

plein beginnings

untitled, copyright BVF Betker 2011, w/c and ink on resin-infused paper

This began when Leigh took Seattle Plein Air folks to the new footbridge across the creek up in Lake Forest Park several weeks ago. Out there in the trees, I used gouache on black multimedia artboard to create a value study. But pretty soon the rain sent us all running for cover (of course).
Later I added pale watercolor washes for moody stage 2 (immediately above), and then just kept working and adding layers till my desired image emerged (top). I think paint is some kind of magic!

Vigil

4" x 4", watercolor on canvas, copyright 2010

Visited NYC for September 11 weekend and came away with the same ache of longing I always have for this magnificent city, beating like a heart and like a drum, singing and breathing, at all hours of every day.

Fairhaven boat launch

Had the opportunity to flit up to Bellingham for the day and hang out near Fairhaven Shipyard! A Washington State Ferry was there for its routine scheduled maintenance. Here is a sketch view from the railway right-of-way at the public boat launch. (ink/gouache, 3.5 x 11)

So -- here are a few sketches from the past few days. Lake City Farmer's Market (today, with a couple other "urban sketchers"), Rockler -- the Woodworkers' Store -- (two days ago) and Darrells Tavern (yesterday). Funny what the hot sun makes us do.

ballard locks

Saturday we met up at the Hiram M. Chittenden locks. Fun, windy and cold out on the locks themselves! Here are a couple little sketches:
First, ink and gouache in my little Moleskine watercolor book, 3.25 x 5, looking southeast: Then a 5x7 oil sketch looking west at the railroad bridge, from the west end of the large lock:

third place books

Here are my sketches from today's Seattle Plein Air meetup at Third Place Books. What a great place to watch people unobtrusively!

launch point

Here is a quiet watercolor from a while back. North Lake Union/Gas Works Park area. My favorite neighborhood, mixed marine/industrial/residential!