No Permit Required

Sometimes the best views are in unexpected places

Is there a view that you long to paint but it seemingly is in a precarious place, out of reach or just plain dangerous?  We artists all have seen them and long to paint those elusive views never to be caught on canvas or paper. This past week I went out with a painting friend Anton Pavenko to paint the Sellwood District of Portland.  We love to paint urban stuff: grungy, grey with spots of color, busy and sometimes chaotic.  Yeah, that's what I have been really turning more and more towards this past year.  We set out to paint this particular neighborhood that is known for it's antique shops and pedestrian friendly traffic.  As we searched out our first post, this spot seemed part illegal and perhaps a bit dangerous, but hey, why not?  I rationalized that if we were asked to leave this dividing platform, then well, at least we tried... right?  Well funny enough, a squad car did pass us by with no citations, so we checked out just fine. Here is one of two pieces that I created...

"Pause on Sellwood"  8 x 10" Oil

If you have photos of you painting in dangerous or unexpected places, I'd love to share them here next week on this blog.  Please email your pictures to me through this blog and be sure to indicate your name and the location for credit.  Thanks!