Oregon to Alaska

Work trip to Fairbanks, Alaska! Had a lovely time sketching out the window of the airplane as we connected the travel dots today.

Lift-off from Portland Airport; volcanic trio; then watching the Columbia River drain into the Pacific Ocean.

Minimalist coastlines of British Columbia shift to dramatic mountain ranges. 

Envying odd peaks out the far side of the plane, then the landscape gets rugged under my side of the plane too.

Descent into Anchorage

Even lower over Anchorage. Sunlight reflects off ponds; snow-capped peaks; low angle of sun behind trees casts dramatic shadows on the water.

The fabulous mountain view from Anchorage airport.

Lifting off from Anchorage, en route to Fairbanks: already the sky turning golden with sunset at 2:30 in the afternoon!

Cape Lookout

Yesterday I grabbed 110 colored pencils; ten pounds worth of field guides to plants and birds and mushrooms; a sunhat and a sweatshirt; and I went out to the Oregon coast. Having soaked up some of those impressionist paintings at the art museum the day before, I was all set to sketch the landscape at Cape Lookout. * Ayer agarré 110 lapices de color; diez libras de libros de identificación para plantas, hongos, y aves; un sombrero para el sol; y un suéter para el frio, también; y viajé a la costa de Oregon. Haber admirado las pinturas impresionistas en el museo de arte el día antes me ayudó mucho en hacer bosquejos del paisaje en Cape Lookout.

The contrast between those stiff trees and the vague and delicate light of the ocean and the fog was very dramatic. * El contraste entre los arboles rígidos y la luz tenue y vago del océano y la neblina era muy dramático.

As night crept in, the sunset took me off guard: a big pink ball was floating in the middle of the gray fog, like a giant balloon that some child had let go. Incredible. * Al atardecer, la puesta del sol me sorprendió mucho—era una bola rosa en media de la neblina gris, como si un nino había perdido su globo rojo. Increíble.  

Piedras Blancas

I thought that I'd posted all the drawings from my visit to San Luis Obispo this summer, but it turns out there are two more to share. At the end of June, my family and I drove to a beach near Hearst Castle to see the elephant seals. These enormous beasts spend a lot of time studiously napping, but then they can leap into pretty ferocious wrestling matches to impress the ladies. They're quite impressive. 

Pensé que había terminado con los dibujos de mi visita a San Luis Obispo, pero ya descubro que todavía faltan dos bosquejos más. A fines de junio, mi familia y yo conducimos a una playa cerca de Hearst Castle, para ver los elefantes marinos--animales gigantescos que vacilan entre una siesta enfocada y batallas feroces para establecer dominancia. Son increíbles.

It was a very windy afternoon, so I went back to the car with my grandma and from there I painted the "Piedras Blancas" rocks which rise out of the water just past the elephant seal beach. The fun thing is that I discovered a painting of the exact same rocks hanging on the wall of my grandmother's house that afternoon--my grandpa had painted it years before. His version was a stormier day, more muted colors, painted in oils...but it was a fun to find that link nonetheless! 

Como había mucho viento en el momento de visitar, regresé al auto con mi abuela, y yo pinté la vista de la Piedras Blancas que salen del océano en este lugar. Lo divertido es que, al regresar a la casa de mi abuela, descubrí una pintura de las mismas piedras que mi abuelo había hecho, desde hace varios años. El lo había pintado en óleo, en un día del invierno con el cielo más gris con las nubes, pero todavía era divertido encontrar esta conexión.