Bill Sharp - paintings

more painting outside – a little farther from home

Bill Sharp — Fri, 17 May 2013 02:39:18 +0000

The hunting season is over on Sauvie Island, and I headed over to paint last weekend. Unfortunately, when I was half way there, I realized I had forgotten to pack any panels to paint on. This is the second time I’ve done this. I suppose age is catching up with me. Rather than turn back, I continued on knowing that I had my watercolor paintbox and sketchbooks along.

“Multnomah Channel” 7 x 10 watercolor

I went to a part of the island where I haven’t painted for several years and found a nice spot along the Multnomah Channel ( a narrow side channel of the Wilamette River, and started the piece above as several sailboats and fishing boats came and went. While I waited for the colors to dry on this one, I started the one below, of the same subject.

“Multnomah Channel sketch
5 x 8 watercolor and ink

I moved on down the road and did one more from a spot I painted a few years ago. It’s a view of the famous volcano, Mt St Helens, across the cow patures.

Mt St Helens from Sauvie Island
gouache

I was hoping for some cows but they didn’t show up until later

Painting outside

Bill Sharp — Mon, 13 May 2013 06:00:13 +0000

“Deck Chair”
6″ x 8″ oil on panel

The weather has been especially wonderful in Oregon this spring. Although I’m tied to my home office during the work week, I’ve stolen enough time to do a few little studies outside. These two were painted from the deck of my office.

“Shrub”
6″ x 6″ oil on panel

Beacon

Bill Sharp — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:39:06 +0000

“Montgomery Park On a Wet Night”
37″ x 48″ oil on linen

This studio painting was painted from sketches I’ve done over recent years. Montgomery Park dominates the night sky with it’s neon sign. It is a landmark that can be seen from many view points around the North West neighborhoods of Portland.

South Park Blocks

Bill Sharp — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:42:35 +0000

“South Park Blocks” 18″ x 24″ oil on linen panel

This relatively new neighborhood sprung up seemingly overnight on the South West shore of the Wilamette River in Portland. The most prominent resident is the Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital. The main hospital is on a hill overlooking the river and the two campuses are connected by a tram (not pictured here).

I’ve done some sketching from the upper campus, looking down to this one. Here is one I did in 2010, when there were fewer buildings.

New vs Old

Bill Sharp — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:57:34 +0000

The old building in the foreground seems to be one of the last in the quickly gentrifying Peal District of NW Portland.

Pearl District Nocturne
30″ x 30″ oil on linen

Feeling a pull to the dark side with this one.

Twelve Days in Kaua’i

Bill Sharp — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:35:52 +0000

I spent 12 days in Kauai with my family. It was great to get away and spend time together in beautiful Kaua’i. The cones of my eyes are now so used to bright sun and saturated colors that everything looks one color now that I’m home in the grey Pacific NW.

I slipped away to do a little bit of sketching but I really wasn’t prepared for the intensity of the sun when I wasn’t in the shade.

7″ x 10″ watercolor in sketchbook

This was done in Hanalei, near the north end of the island. It’s a surfer beach, I forget the name of this particular one.

7″ x 10″ watercolor

I never figured out the name of this mountain in Anahola on the east shore. I found a nice shady spot at the dead end of the road to do this one.

7″ x 10″ water color and ink

There was a large vacant spot, between resort condos, on the beach near Kapaa on the east shore. The beach was quiet and I was pretty much on my own here. If you didn’t look back to shore, it was easy to imagine being on a deserted island. This is the view in the opposite direction.

When I turned around toward the ocean, this is was the view:

Monkey Ward on a rainy night

Bill Sharp — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:35:13 +0000

Alex, if you’re reading, I tried to answer your email but my reply was returned. You may have mistyped your email address.

Montgomery Park in the rain – 6″ x 8″ watercolor and ink

This old Montgomery Ward store was converted, years ago, into Montgomery Park and is now used as office space and convention center. When it was built, in 1920, it was the largest building in Portland.

Betsy Arntz Barge

Bill Sharp — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 19:41:17 +0000

“Betsy Arntz Barge Under Construction” 30″ x 40″ oil on linen

This is a painting of the Betsy Arntz barge while being built at the Vigor Industries Shipyard on Swan Island, Portland, OR. I believe the barge is a double hulled oil barge in service in the Seattle area.

I could hang out here and draw for years, if they’d let me. Unfortunately the only times I’ve been there were during the Industry and Art shows, which were held in one of their hangars the last two years.

OIL, WATER and INK opening reception tonight

Bill Sharp — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:40:09 +0000

REMINDER. The opening reception for

OIL, WATER and INK: Artistic Interpretations of the Built Environment

with paintings by Shawn Demarest, prints by Beth Kerschen and paintings and sketchbooks by me is tonight,

Feb 7th from 5:30 til 8:30

AIA Center for Architecture. 403 NW 11th Ave Portland. (NW 11th and Flanders).

‘Red Dumpster in NW PDX’ 10″ x 12″ oil on linen panel

Twenty Third Ave Market

Bill Sharp — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:36:06 +0000

‘Twenty Third Ave Market’ 9″ x 13″ – ink, watercolor and gouache

This neighborhood market, at the corner of NW 23rd and Thurman, is one of the last buildings, in this neighborhood, that has not been gentrified. It was kind of a seedy area, when I first moved to Portland, about 30 years ago. Most of the street is now lined with boutiques and restaurants and in my landscaping days, I worked on some of the properties here. There’s a great breakfast place across the street called Besaws, which is in a building that goes back to 1903. The market building looks to be of the same vintage.