Columbia River Gorge Plein Air

I spent the last week at Pacific Northwest Plein Air, a painting competition in the Columbia Gorge. I was one of forty artists from all over the country who converged to paint outdoors for four days and show our paintings at the end of the week. The sponsor is the Maryhill Museum of Art near The Dalles, Oregon, where our paintings will hang for a month.

My son, Guy, came with me to be my driver and also to paint along with me. He’s learning to paint watercolors and it’s fun to watch his progress. We stayed with my sister-in-law, Margo, at her house in Stevenson, Washington. I don’t know what I would have done without her hospitality.

I painted ten watercolors over four days. I felt that four of them were good enough to enter into the Museum show. I was happy that I had the energy to paint all day for four days and still be ready for more.

I think my big learning was how to jump into a painting and get it started. Eric Wiegardt says, “Make your first brush stroke be bold.” So I learned to use a big brush for the first stroke and be confident. From then on, the painting flows more easily.

The first day was windy, a common condition in the Columbia River Gorge. After checking in with the other artists, we drove to Glenwood, a rural area tucked right beneath the bulk of Mt. Adams. It was breezy, but manageable. We painted the barns of a ranch with the mountain towering above. One of my two paintings was not bad.

The next day was cloudy but, thankfully, not windy. We drove to the Cape Horn Overlook and hiked about fifteen minutes to a rustic overlook. We painted the long stretch of the Columbia River to the East, with clouds hovering over the ridges. Then we drove to another overlook right on Highway 14 and made another painting. This time I was happy with my big washes. You can find the painting at the top of this post.

To end the day we drove to the Portland Women’s Forum on the Oregon side of the river and painted Vista House, also known as Crown Point, and the river beyond. This is an iconic view that many painters and photographers try to capture, but my values got too dark, and I couldn’t lighten them up. Next time!

On Wednesday it was clear and windless. We drove to Ruthton Park near Hood River where there is a lovely view of the Gorge to the West. I painted a panoramic view but I got a little too detailed in the foreground.

Then we drove to Odell, South of Hood River, and I painted a lovely old Victorian church. I loved the shadows on the church walls, but I muddied them up in my painting. Then I moved to the Pine Grove Cemetery right nearby and painted a view of Mt. Hood hovering over the apple orchards. 

On Thursday we drove to Dalles Mountain Ranch, West of The Dalles. The old barns and buildings of this old cattle ranch have been preserved in a State Park. I’ve painted this several times before, so I felt comfortable painting in a larger format, 15 by 20 inches. This was probably my best painting.

In the afternoon we moved across the river to The Dalles where we found an Indian fishing platform on the edge of the river. I enjoyed painting the rocks and the water beneath the platform, and I added a figure on the platform from my imagination. This was probably my most fun painting of the week.

By 4:00 we were at the Maryhill Museum of Art with the other artists to turn in our paintings. There was a buzz of excitement as all the artists milled around sharing stories of the week and peeking at each other’s paintings. I felt privileged to be in the company of such talented artists. 

I took Friday off to rest, including a blissful two hour map in the afternoon. Four days of nonstop painting had tired me out. On Saturday I drove a short ways from Margo’s house to the Camas Patch. This is an isolated patch of the rare Camas flower that is protected by the Friends of the Gorge. I made a watercolor just for fun. 

In the evening we drove to Maryhill Museum, about an hour and fifteen minute drive, to attend the opening reception of the exhibition. It was packed with patrons and artists, and I had a great time mingling with people, commenting on others’ art and discussing my paintings.  A very rewarding evening, and a great conclusion to the week.