Portland, Part 3: Hollywood Theatre and Sellwood-Moreland

 

9/20/25 Hollywood Theatre, Portland

When I wasn’t touring Portland with family or sketching with USk, I went out on my own to explore areas of Portland that I had not sketched before. One was the magnificent Hollywood Theatre, which I had seen once years ago when Greg and I were driving through the city on our way to somewhere else. I couldn’t remember its name or neighborhood, but I had always hoped to get back to it someday.

Serendipitously, I was driving through the Hollywood neighborhood on my way to somewhere else again, but this time I made note of the location. When I went back later to sketch it (top of post), the afternoon light was getting low, and the ornate façade looked even better than it had in the morning.

9/21/25 Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood, Portland

Moreland Theatre

A friend had mentioned the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood as being both walkable and sketchable. It’s a charming neighborhood that still has many traditional homes, and other former residences have been transformed into coffee shops and other small businesses. I did see signs of old houses being taken down and replaced by multi-story developments, but those were the exception instead of the rule.

While the morning was drizzly, I sketched some bright yellow trees from my car (above). When the rain stopped, I took a long walk up and down the main drag and eventually sketched the Moreland Theatre (at right), which was celebrating its centennial anniversary.

Although I didn’t see any turning maples, this neighborhood had lots of trees that were glowing bright yellow when the sun eventually came out (below). Walking and sketching – my favorite way to explore a neighborhood when I travel (or anytime)!

Sellwood-Moreland