Fort Walla Walla, Nez Perce National Historical Park and Update on Colored Pencil Artwork

Last week we traveled to central Idaho and got to see some great stops along the way. 

Our first stop was at the Fort Walla Walla Museum in Walla Walla, Washington. If you have kids or if you are a history buff, this is a must-stop. The old 19th-century military fort is located in a large park where there is a museum, gift store, and a tribute to WWI and WWII vets. Every year they have the Lewis and Clark Living History Weekend with demonstrations, storytelling, and reenactments.

 Fort Walla Walla Museum

       

Pink Yarrow and Torch Lily along the out buildings

Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center

Image by National Park Service

The Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center is located 3 miles north of Lapwai, ID, on U.S. Highway 95. It is open from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. The center has Native American Exhibits of the Nez Perce featuring beadwork, saddles, attire, baskets, weaving, canoes, and the history and traditions of the Nez Perce. There is also a Nez Perce Photo Exhibit featuring 64 photos of chiefs, tribesmen, tribeswomen, and encampments. On the grounds is a garden area of the plants and vegetations used by the Nez Perce for medicinal and other purposes.

Blanket Flower and Sticky Geranium

Wyeth Buckwheat and Western Yarrow

Columbia River and Mt. Adams

Some shots on the way home of the Columbia River north of Yakima, Washington and just south outside of the Yakima Indian Reservation looking towards Mt. Adams near Goldendale, Washington.

Newest Colored Pencil Work In Progress

Moving along on this colored pencil piece of mountain goat. Using Prisma Colored Pencils, Irojiten Colored Pencils and Copic Colorless Blender Marker.  I have to have this commission piece done by the end of July. So I will be working a great deal on it this coming week.

Keep on Creating!

Have a blessed week!

www.mooresartgallery.com

Fort Yamhill State Heritage Area and Colored Pencil Artwork Update

 

Fort Yamhill State Heritage Area

Fort Yamhill State Heritage Area

Today we visited Fort Yamhill State Heritage Park located near Willamina, Oregon. In all my years living in the Yamhill County, Oregon area, I have never had a chance to visit this state park. The park has the historic remains of a store, blacksmith shop, carpenter shop, horse stables, granary, bakehouse, laundress house, hospital, mess room, company quarters, kitchen, blockhouse, storehouse, commissary, guardhouse, adjutant's office, officers' quarters, sentry box, parade grounds, and flagpole. In 1866 the fort was abandoned, and the buildings were auctioned off. 

An easy ADA-friendly trail loops around the historical remains and is approximately 0.7 miles in length. There are information panels located along the trail that share the history and life of army officers, soldiers, and Native Americans. There are location markers indicating where the structures once were standing. This is a great little hike to take your kids and teach them some history of the area.

The only structures remaining are the store and relocated officer's quarters. The store is where the camp hosts are located. 

The blockhouse was sold for $2.50 at a public auction. Later it was moved to the town of Dayton, Oregon.

Sentry box and flag pole.

Wildflowers begin to bloom in late May and early June. I was able to catch a few on the trail.

Wildflowers on the trail

Work in Progress

Advancing a little further now on this wildlife colored pencil work in progress. Working on adding color to the sky first. Then I will apply a colorless blender.  After I finish adding color to the sky,  I will add color to the rocks and vegetation.

Keep on Creating!

Have a blessed week!

www.mooresartgallery.com

John Day Fossil Beds National Monmument and Update on New Wildlife Colored Pencil Artwork

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

This past week, we had the privilege of visiting the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Eastern Oregon.  

My Family 

The park has three units: the Painted Hills Unit, The Blue Basin Unit, and the Clarno Unit. There is also the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center that has an amazing fossil gallery exhibit and a gift store. In addition, there is the Cant Ranch House which is presently closed due to Covid. It use to be the main visitor center until the Paleontology Center was built in 2003. 

The National Park was discovered by Captain John M. Drake, who had collected items and sent them to Congregationalist minister and self-trained scientist Thomas Condon. He had an avid interest in geology and paleontology, and he was the first to proclaim the importance of the fossil beds and conducted many expeditions in the area. The National Park Service states that "Thomas Condon believed that religion and modern science went hand in hand - that science was a means to understand the spectacular nature of God’s creation and that science and religion were not in conflict with one another."

And this area, I must say, is one of God's fantastic creations. The rolling painted hills, the variety of wildlife, and the fossil beds telling a tale of a time long ago. 

Painted Hills Unit	Painted Hills Unit
Painted Hills Unit	Painted Hills Unit
Painted Hills Unit	Blue Basin Unit
Old Logging Road	Blue Basin Unit
Painted Hills Unit	Old Logging Road
Painted Hills Unit	Fleabane
Oregon Sunshine	Purple Prairie Clover

Work-In-Progress Update

I am continuing on layering the Terracotta Prismacolor Verithin on the new work-in-progress piece. I didn't get much time to work on it this past week as we were on a mini-vacation. I hope to get more time this week to work on it and to begin the next step of adding other layers of colors. 

Keep on Creating!

Have a blessed week!

www.mooresartgallery.com