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Market Fun, Flowers, and Oktoberfest!

I had a great time at the markets, once again. I took Foxy to the Sunday market in Hillsboro. She was a hit and met children who also had little foxes. I sold one of my favorite watercolors – it’s a scene of Decision Point Lighthouse in Alaska. My flower paintings also continue to go to nice homes. I must paint more of them!

Oktoberfest – It’s that time of year again. I’m not in Germany this year so I’m going to the one in Mt. Angel Oregon (www.oktoberfest.org). I’ll send a photo!

foxy at orenco

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Fine Art at the local Farmers Market – and Foxy Iced Tea

It was another warm day at the Farmers Market in my little town of Scappoose, OR. The good part about this market is that it is small in a small town. I meet my neighbors. It’s a fun hard day of work. I seem to be the last person to leave every day – I have lots of bits and pieces to pack up. Thankfully, Foxy had a cold glass of iced tea ready when I got home. With lemon even!

lemons-for-tea-1-200
lemons-for-tea-2-200

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Celebrating Portland, Oregon

I’m still working on my series of watercolors of Portland landmarks. This one is the Portland sign at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Broadway.

Portland Sign (Michael Liebhaber, Watercolor & Ink, 11 x 14 inches, 2016)
Portland Sign (Michael Liebhaber, Watercolor & Ink, 11 x 14 inches, 2016)

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My harshest critic

I am taking a break – I was working on my Portland-area Landmarks watercolors most of the day today. The list of paintings in this series in below. They will all be 11×14 inches.

Foxy looking at burnside bridge 450

We’re checking my progress on the Burnside Bridge.

It’s one of the many bridges over the Willamette River that connect east and west Portland. East Portland is pictured. Downtown (west) Portland was behind me as I sketched.


Watercolors in the Portland Landmarks series:

Burnside Bridge
Portland Outdoor Store
Portland Theater Sign
Powells Books
St Johns Bridge
Voodoo Doughnuts
Downtown Portland from Burnside Bridge

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Poppies going – Daisies are here

Correction?  I originally called these flowers “daisies”, then chamomile, now back to daisy. —

My Scappoose poppy paintings are leaving the nest, going to good homes. I have added white chamomile, including the one below. Other flowers are in the works. Do you have a favorite volunteer flower growing near you? Let me know.

Michael Liebhaber, Scappoose Daisies 3, Oil on panel, 5x7 inches, 2016
Michael Liebhaber, Scappoose Daisies 3, Oil on panel, 5×7 inches, 2016
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Another day at the market

It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun to be out meeting people. Most everyone likes the travel watercolors and the oil paintings. I only have poppies for now, but more local flowers are on the way. I have to get to work, painting. Maybe I’ll put assistant, Foxy, to work.
I drew another booth painting while I was at the market (4×6, watercolor). Here it is…

SFM-July23sm

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Behind the scenes – Preview

Here is a sneak preview of a big watercolor I started today. This piece is kind of an “experiment.” I’ve never painted a watercolor this big (30x22in; 76x56cm). I’m also applying the paint in a way that combines watercolor and oil painting. Unlike watercolor,

  • I am not painting big areas of solid color.

  • I am mixing some colors on the paper (not before I use them).

  • My painting is standing upright instead of lying down.

The last point is interesting and has caused me to make some adjustments; mainly not using as much water as I normally would over a large area. All of this combines to give it a different “look.” We shall see what happens.

Fez start
Michael Liebhaber, untitled as of now.
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Behind the scenes – What I look at in a museum

What do I look at? When in Phoenix … I visit the Phoenix Art Museum (PAM). I saw some old favorites and new things, too. The Heard Museum is great, too, just up the road, but it was a PAM sort of day today. Here is a bit of what I spent my time looking at.

PAM sign 400

The highlight was the traveling exhibition of Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads: Gold by Ai Weiwei. It was very worth the trip. It’s a conceptual exhibit, so one has to read about it as well. Ok, one does not have to, but it helps. Another place for info is Ai Weiwei’s site (http://www.zodiacheads.com).

I spent a lot of time studying the painting by Edouard Vuillard. I looked his brushwork, the layers of his colors, how he placed colors to create the illusion of shapes, and more. I also visited a bronze by my favorite sculptor Barbara Hepworth. It was class Hepworth, a powerful piece. I did not like where it was placed, on a shelf across a staircase, too far away to get its full impact. I also noticed a dreamy image by Agnes Pelton. It was almost a bit too surreal for me, but it was well done and its imagery pulled me in. My photo doesn’t do justice to her painting. If you cannot make it to the museum, take a look online at http://www.phxart.org. Oh yes, then there was Rodin.



Ai WeiWei and me200horse-snake-200


Vuillard200


Hepworth200Rodin 200


Day-200



 

List of images

· Ai Weiwei Exhibit (http://www.phxart.org/exhibition/zodiacheads)
· Madame Lucy Hessel Working at a Dressmaker’s Table by Edouard Vuillard, oil, 1908
· Aloe by Barbara Hepworth, bronze, 1969
· Kiss by Rodin, bronze, 1880
· Day by Agnes Pelton, oil, 1935