Wild Rivers Film Festival: Ambiance by the Sea

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On my last day in Brookings, Oregon, Kimberly invited me to sketch a driftwood workshop she was assisting with at Ambiance by the Sea (.530 Hemlock St., Brookings, Oregon). The shop has an eclectic mix of locally hand crafted Nautical home decor, gifts & souvenirs.

Card tables were set up in a parking area next to the shop to assemble the sculptural mobiles. There was driftwood, beads, wire and string to create the assemblages. On had a piece of driftwood with a large hole in the center of it and a single gem hung in that opening. Silver wire encircles the opening following the grooves in the wood.

The instructor was missing some drill bits and a friend offered to go to the hardware store to pick some up. He came back empty handed because the bits at the store only had hexagonal bases. That is exactly what was needed, so ha had to go back a second time.

Kimberly’s creation had a horizontal beam of driftwood with multiple strands of beads hanging down. It was fascinating how completely different every creation was.

From here I had a two hour drive back to the airport. Te road wound up through the mountains, past some magnificent redwoods. Road construction slowed down the drive several times. The views were magnificent. I wish I had given myself more time to stop and do some sketches along the drive, but I needed to get back east so I could drive up for my step sister’s funeral.

Juanita had did very unexpectedly.  She had visited my sister only last month and seemed in the best of health. She had been at a friends house and went for a swim in the pool. Afterwards she went upstairs to her room to change for dinner. When she didn’t come down the hostess finally went upstairs and found Juanita on the floor. She could not be revived. She had a heart attack. Live each day to the fullest. I am now in Le Havre, France and about to head out to sketch a WWII memorial. I hear seagulls outside my window. I need to explore.

Wild Rivers Film Festival: The Day After

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On the Wild Rivers Film Festival website they originally posted the date the festival would end a day beyond when the festival actually ended. Perhaps that was the previous year’s dates. That meant I had one more day in Brookings, Oregon to explore the town. Kimberly, who I had met a virtually every festival social event, suggested we meet for coffee at the Compass Rose Cafe.

The morning sun found its way into my motel room and woke me up early. I decided to get my day started  so I drove over to the Rose Cafe to get a sketch before ordering a coffee. Once again, my primary distraction was the constant roar of 18 wheeler trucks caring huge freshly cut thick tree trunks.

The low morning sun kept all the downtown building in shadow but at it rose, the peaks of the Compass Rose Cafe roof began to catch the light. I wondered if the lookout tower had seating. There had to be gorgeous views of the ocean from up there. The fog had burned off early.

I finished my sketch about the time that I was supposed to meet Kimberly. I hadn’t noticed anyone going in the Compass Rose Cafe entrance, so I  assumed ordering a coffee would be a breeze. When I got to the door, I found a sign that apologized that the Rose Cafe was closed. There were some outdoor tables and seating in front of the cafe, so I sat down to text Kimberly. A mom and her daughter looked over the railing at the sign on the door from their perch on the sidewalk. They walked away looking disappointed.

Kimberly suggested we meet at a coffee shop down by the harbor. I would not have time to sketch that place. My latte had a nice heart shaped swirl in the foam on top. I also ordered a blueberry muffin since this was breakfast. On a railing across from the Harbor coffee house there were a long line of paintings. They were all about the same size about 18 by 24 inches. I figure all the artists must have been given the same size canvas and encouraged to paint in acrylics. Several paintings were of whales, so I assume whales must pass by the Oregon coast on their migration. Either that, of the artists figured that whales sell.

The conversation was lively. I explained my WWII European travel plans and Kimberly said she might be in Prague at the same time I will be exploring Europe with my sketchbook.It could be nice to meet a friend while on my travels. There were even discussions of working on a boat in the Mediterranean. That fell through, but it is just as well since I get seasick if I sketch on the open seas. My father would have taken a 7 day ocean voyage to get to Europe at the start of his tour of duty. I figure it would be good to replicate that voyage but I hat cruises and yeah I don’t need to be nauseous to start my journey.

My plan isn’t to take ton of photos, but to only document the route of the 75th infantry C-Company with my sketches. My thought was to travel for as long at C-Company was in Europe which is 6 months. After defeating the Reich, C-Company were stationed with occupation duty in, Iserlohn Germany, for many months. I imagine I will do quite a few sketches in Iserlohn, which once had a POW camp and a Work Concentration Camp which C-Company helped liberate.  Iserlohn and the nearby Dortmund helped fuel the German war machine. There is probably little that is remaining  of those camps, So I will probably branch out to sketch other concentration camps. There were literally thousands. I also want to go to Arolson, Germany which is where my Thorspecken ancestor, Dr. Augustus Elias Julius Thorspecken came from. My father was so close to this town but didn’t know to look for it. I know of many other Thorspecken ancestral towns as well, so I might explore those as well once I feet the 75th Infantry series of sketches is complete.

Wild Rivers Film Festival: Natural Bridges

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I drove north out of Brookings, Oregon the home of the Wild Rivers Film Festival. I wanted to see some of the untamed coastline. The Natural Bridges are located in Curry County along the coastline in the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor.

There weer some cars parked on the side of 101, the scenic highway that runs along the Oregon coast. I puled in and hiked with my art bag to a scenic overlook at the bridges. That spot however had a wooden platform with a high wooden fence. I decided it wasn’t the spot to sketch.

Instead I hiked a five mile trail along the upper rim of the cliffs overlooking the rock formations below. At the end of that trail I found this serene scene and I set up to sketch. I liked the abstract eddies created by the sea foam. The sun was setting in the west and I used its angle to decide if I had enough time to hike back to the car before it got dark.

The hike back seemed longer than the hike in. I paused one more time at the wooden platform along with a crowd looking at the rock formations and taking pictures. The place gets more crowded around sunset time since that probably makes for some fine tourist photos.

Heading back to the car I saw two men coming out from another trail that hooked off in the opposite side from the parking spots. They said that trail looked far more precarious and they just wanted a photo at the overlook.

I later learned that this second trail leads down to the bast of the natural bridge formation and it is possible to hike up onto the bridge itself. This is a very difficult hike however and people have died trying to get the perfect selfie. I was satisfied with my one sketch, and headed back to Brookings to get myself a pizza at Wild Rivers Hand Crafted Food and Ale. the reason I went is I liked the look of their logo in the Film Festival programing. It is definitely a family themed restaurant with an arcade area for the kids. All the kids must have been hyped up on caffeine because they were running around like Banshees. This was a major change of pace from the scenic overlook I had just left. I ordered a small pizza but it was still too much to eat, so I got up to ask for a take out box. When I got back, my table was already being cleaned. I got back just in time before the slices were tossed in the trash. Those slices made a good breakfast the next morning.

Wild Rivers Film Festival: Driftwood

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I went to the Brookings, Oregon beach to see driftwood. Kimberly, who I met at the Wild Rivers Film Festival talked about using driftwood in some of her art pieces, so I wanted to see the driftwood covered beach for myself.

I was surprised to see that some locals had arranged some of the driftwood into teepees and a make shift wall.I should think that when the tide comes in, that all these makeshift structures must wash away, needing to be rebuilt. In some ways the scene reminded me of Omaha Beach on D-Day. All that was missing was the machine gun nest.

I set up my art stool and leaned back against a large driftwood log. The “beach” was covered with smooth grey stones.

The fog had not burned off yet so the distant horizon was barely visible. There were only two colors visible. The yellow ocher driftwood and the cool grey stones.

You had to walk down a metal ramp to get to the beach level from a cement walkway. A young couple ventured out to the water’s edge to stick their toes in, and then walked back up the beach to sit on a log and stare out over the surf. A dog snuffled around sticking his nose into every crevice.

A woman scoured the beach, I believe because she was searching for the perfect smooth stone. It was a perfect day to be on a quest for the perfect stone or the perfect sketch.

Wild Rivers Film Festival: Redwood Theater

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After the Wild Rivers Film Festival was a wrap, I explored Brookings, Oregon with sketches. I went back to the Redwood Theater which was the theater with the biggest screen. The theater was built in 1909 and just recently was purchased by new owners.

I liked the Theater’s mission statement, which was a commitment to free speech. “It is the commitment of the Redwood Theater to encourage free expression of ideas. We respect all viewpoints and do our best to be the vehicle for free speech and expression in our community, and to not judge the various views of perspective presented. We believe censorship has no place in free society.” Considering the position of the present administration to control free speech and limit journalists from asking questions to get to the truth. The theater’s stance is brave.

It was early in the morning when I sketched the theater. I put a bunch of colored pencils in my art kit in part because of this sketch. It would have been nice to draw white letters over the dark red sign, rather than painting around each letter. If nothing ese the pencils will offer an excuse for more playful application of color and texture.

I had to cross the main street of Brookings to find this sketching spot. The cross sections have buttons that you can push which actually stop traffic. One car rushing through the town didn’t respect the flashing sign to stop. I am glad I didn’t trust that vehicle to abide by the signage.

One pickup parked near the theater and a guy got out and changed the plastic bags in the public trash can. The biggest distraction while sketching was the huge 16 wheeler’s that roared through the town regularly carrying large tree trunks that were about two feet thick and the length of the flatbed. I remember these menacing trucks from my cross-country bike trip way back in 1982. When biking in the shoulder of the road, the wind gusts from these giants would almost blow me over. Now I just lament all the trees being sacrificed. That feeling is rather hypocritical since I am sketching on paper, which was once a tree as well.

Wild Rivers Film Festival: Chetco Harbor

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Besides seeing many films, I spent some time exploring Brookings, Oregon. I had already done a sketch of the boats crowded in the Chetco Harbor and then noticed this sweet fishing skiff dry docked next door. There was also a loud beeping sound from a blue rolling lift which was moving another boat to another spot on the dry dock. Since the move was in progress, I didn’t focus on that aspect of the ship yard activity.

There was a single man working on the under belly of his boat, removing barnacles, or resurfacing the hull. There must have been some problem because he spent much of his time on the phone gesturing and complaining.

The light weight collapsible camping seat I purchased for my Europe trip worked really well for this sketch. My butt is close to the ground, but that has an advantage in that I can lay all my art supplies on the ground and easily reach them. That is another reason I decided to do this second sketch, since setting up my supplies was a breeze. With this new set up I suspect I will be doing more sketches each day.

There was a public bathroom to my left. I noticed a man stepping over an obstruction with annoyance. It wasn’t until later when I left that I noticed that the obstruction was a man sleeping on the sidewalk with a bicycle lying next to him. For a moment I wondered if he was dead, but then I noticed his breathing. There were quite a few tent encampments on the outskirts of town. It seems some people want the felling of living in the wilderness while having stores a short walking distance away.

While I was doing this sketch a car full of high school teens roared past and shouted out the window in my general direction, “You are a freak!” Well finally someone is taking note. He is right, I take it as a badge of honor.

Wild Rivers Film Festival: Chetco Theater

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After the Wild Rivers Film Festival had wound down, I decided to go back and sketch the theater where COVID Dystopia had screened. Chetco Playhouse is a small community live theater. The last production had been Thumbalina according to the theater poster street side.

I had some very pleasant conversations with the Film Festival staff who had volunteered to work at this theater. When they found out I had animated COVID Dystopia, I was told that the film had sparked quite a bit of conversation. The daughter of one of the volunteers was working the projector and she loves to draw characters. I therefor shared my sketchbook to help encourage her to draw from life more often.

I entered this theater once while a feature film was being shown. The theater was so dark that I could not see enough to make my way down the aisle. I paused at the back f the theater waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dark. When a lighter scene was being projected, I made my was careful half way towards the front and felt for the seat backs to find an empty seat.

The film being shown was Ethan Bloom. An awkward teen boy was pushed into a pool by a spunky teen girl. I wasn’t in the mood for a teen romance, but this film found its way into my heart. Ethan Bloom had lost his mom when he was 10 years old which is how old I was when I lost my mom. Ethan was Jewish but he imagined that his mother looked like the Virgin Mary. Therefor he wanted to study Catholicism since he felt it might bring him closer to his mom. This premise ripped my heart wide open. Ethan would need his fathers permission to be baptized into the Catholic faith, so he decided he had to forge his fathers signature. Such a lie would not stand and his father found out. Ethan’s coming of age story featured forgiveness and people coming together regardless of their faith. It is a story very much needed in these divisive times.

Wild Rivers Film Festival: Best Animated Short

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COVID Dystopia won an award as the Best Animated Short at the Wild Rivers Film Festival in Brookings, Oregon. I always attend film festivals that accept COVID Dystopia in their line up. The film was screened three times and I managed to attend two of the screenings. at each screening I attended I answered any questions from the audience. I forgot to stand up front at the first question and answer session, but corrected my mistake for the second.

I don’t think people realize the amount of work that goes into a 5 minute short. First I produced a COVID themed painting every day for 3 years, then came the animation which took a solid year to complete. With each shot I experimented with parallax effects which added depth and extra movement to each shot.

At one of the screenings I noticed that there is a typo in the credits of the film. I need to correct that today. I had added several sentences at the end of the credits since there is so much more that needs to be said. There isn’t enough time to read what I added since the credits keep scrolling. I think I will edit it down to “We might be done with COVID, but COVID isn’t done with us.”

The result was a film that juries seemed to love to hate. Those that do like the dark vision I presented however often gave it high marks for its warped view of the American response to the pandemic. Now that most people consider the emergency to have passed, they seem more receptive to what looks like a historical look back.

The COVID Dystopia book has only 4 more spreads left to be edited. Since I am taking off for Europe, I will not start the printing run until I get back to the United States. Today I start the process of packing my life away into a storage unit. I suspect the trip will begin in September since a week isn’t enough time to pull all the elements together for the trip. The film festival and a 4 day roa trip to my sister Juanita’s funeral have upset any timely plans to leave August 31.

Wild Rivers Film Festival: Awards Ceremony

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After the Cocktail Party at Avigail’s Flower I went to the Elks Lodge where the Awards Ceremony was to take place. I arrived early because the three hour time difference kept throwing me off.  The awards ceremony was to take place in the room up and to the right n my sketch, next to the bank teller machine. The room was being decked out with a red carpet and some fancy table centerpieces. The centerpieces were tall glass cylinders filled with clear water, clear marbles and point lights.

An elk’s head could be found mounted in each room. The one I sketched was huge  They had to mount it low on the wall so it’s horns would not puncture the ceiling. There were photos of all the past Elks lodge president on the wall behind the stuffed Elk’s head. On fellow had served two consecutive terms and I wondered what his story was.

After the sketch was complete I went into the awards ceremony room to watch and possibly sketch the preparations that were underway. I was told however that I would have to go to the bar next door to wait. The preparations were top secret.

I decided not to sketch in the bar holding area, though I could have sketched another Elk’s head. Other film makers slowly arrived. Kimberly and Scott Brock sat at my table and sparked some good conversations.

The awards ceremony had plenty of deserts on the tables at the back of the room. I decided to try anything peanut butter related and there were like 5 different peanut butter flavored cakes and brownies. There were however no cups or drinks, not even water. I suppose they wanted people to order drinks at the bar next door. After filling up on sweets, I went to the bathroom and cupped my hands under the faucet to take a few swigs of water to quench my thirst.

Wild Rivers Film Festival: Avigail’s Flower

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There was a party for the filmmakers and vip patrons at Abigail’s Flower in Brookings, Oregon. The same woman was running the bar that was in charge of wines at the pizza party the day before. The shop has an amazing eclectic mix of antiques and floral arrangements. When you first enter the door there was a wall above a couch covered with tall grass with the Pom Pom seed pods and the women seated on the couch and gossiping, were dressed to the 9’s. I felt under dressed since I didn’t pack a suit. I also didn’t pack a sweatshirt, jacket or wool shirt. I was so glad I found a wool shirt that fit at a bait and tackle shop. I was starting to look like a local, or at least one of the hikers that pass through the town each day.

As I was searching for an angle to sketch from, I met a married couple in the back and shared my sketchbook with them. I got to tell them about my film, which they had not seen yet. Hopefully I talked them into checking it out.

There were finger bites, my favorite of which was tomatoes, basel and mozzarella on a stick. Rather than getting a drink so early in the day, I had lemonade which was delicious. Avigail, in a lovely white dress told me I had to check out a wedding venue right out side of town. It is a wooden structure with a very interesting series of exposed roof beams. I looked it up online and decided to sketch nature instead of a wedding chapel. She said the number of weddings she has hosted at the venue has risen exponentially.

Overall, this was a pleasant gathering. I wanted to get to a final screening of my film, so I skipped out a bit early. When I got to the theater, I realized I had the day and or time wrong. A film I had already seen was about to screen. I therefore jumped in my rental car and rushed to another theater.I probably watched 4 or 5 feature films at the festival and there were others I hoped to see.