Author | Lightnews

Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · 2d

This painting just got to the point where it's starting to look cool, but I could easily fuck it up. It's a dog portrait, but instead of picking one photo of the dog rolling joyfully in the grass, I decided I needed to show them all. Comics! A work in progress, watercolor on paper 10"x10"

A 9x9 grid of three inch squares, depicting a small white dog rolling around in the grass. Five of the squares have had the grass painted, and there is blue painters tape outlining two of the squares. A watercolor work in progress.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · 16d

This Silksong cosplay is getting out of hand!

#nokings #handmaidstale #releasetheepsteinfiles

J/k. Photo of a moment of impressive coordination at Coupeville No Kings protest.

People in Handmaid costumes holding up a "release the Epstein files" sign on an overpass.

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Reposted by Ben Bittner

Tim Dickinson @timdickinson.bsky.social · 22d

Fierce, unruly joy in Portland at the emergency naked bike ride

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · 22d

That's a big turnout for a naked bike ride, considering the weather. I miss Portland.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · 24d

My first ever oil painting. I just sort of dove in without paying a lot of attention to how and why, and I guess I learned a lot, mostly that oil painting is challenging and I have a lot to learn.

#oilpainting

Oil sketch of a red and yellow apple, against an off-white background.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · 24d

Got my annual flu and COVID vaccinations. It's that time of year again.

Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Sep 29

...a view of the ridge they have spent the last 25 miles working their way up. When I got to this point, at sunset, I knew I would finish, barring injury, because the PCT doesn't get much more difficult. That sunset is one of my favorite trail memories. I'm working on a larger version.

Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Sep 29

151 miles into the Pacific Crest Trail, hikers will begin their ascent up San Jacinto. 25 miles after that, and 3000 feet higher, the trail turns east for a quarter mile or so, and just before the trail crosses into the woods on top of San Jacinto, a hiker can look south and see...

#pct #sanjacinto

Watercolor study of mountains at sunset. Most of the image is in shadow, with sunlit peaks rendered in orange.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Sep 23

Cat portrait.

#catart

Photo of a watercolor drawing of a black and white cat. The cat is looking at the viewer. There are thumbnail sketches on the right, and a ruler below the drawing.

Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Sep 23

I just sent a letter to my US Rep, where I politely lit him up over his YEA vote on H.Res. 719. I told him some Kirk facts, said I thought ”Kirk reeked of fascism when he was alive and he doesn't smell better now that he's dead," and asked my Rep not to vote like that again.

Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Aug 18

A skunk. I've only ever seen one in the wild, and I was very glad it wasn't running towards me.

Watercolor on paper, 8"x8"

#skunk #watercolor #animalart

A black skunk with a majestic tail runs through the green spring grass. Watercolor.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Aug 14

Didn't they just push AGI off to ten years? Sounds like they are taking a page out of the fusion playbook, which has been ten to twenty years out, since before I was born.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Aug 10

I went to the Coupeville arts festival today, and bought a tiny black and white print of some cedars and owls and ferns from @tinyhousebigwoods.bsky.social Fun, though waiting in line for parking kinda sucked.

Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Jul 30

Spaceship.

Watercolor on paper, 4.5" by 6" more or less.

A spaceship that looks a bit like a world war 2 p38 without wings zooms across a blue-black starfield.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Jul 26

I like crows.

Watercolor on paper, 4.5" by 5.5" ish.

#crow #watercolor #birdonawire

A crow on a power line viewed from below. The sky is overcast.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Jul 21

I love being in the dark woods and looking out on a bright patch of sunshine, and it's this amazing blown out green.

#Watercolor on paper, 4.5" by 6"

#crowdrawing

A crow sits on a branch of a dark tree, silhouetted against a bright green background.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Jul 15

They were racing penguins on the lake this morning, and I managed to notice and get set up in time to paint the last 20 minutes or so. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this plein air thing. Feels less weird to set up and go than it did at first.

Watercolor, 4" by 5"

#pleinAir #SailboatRace

Watercolor sketch of some sailboats on a lake.

Watercolor sketch of a dinghy with a triangular red sail, rounding a bouy. The background is green.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Jul 4

Sketched on my morning walk.

Watercolor 4"ish by 5"ish.

#pleinAir #watercolor #sketch

Loose watercolor sketch of a sapling growing out of a mother stump. Colors are green, reddish brown and yellow

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Jul 3

One of those metal grill things at a local park. It would not take much to turn it into a gruesome, rusting robot head on a post. #pleinair #parkinfrastructure

A watercolor drawing of a boxy park barbecue on a post

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Jul 2

A garden plein air sketch. This pot has a gecko on it. Watercolor.

#pleinair #art

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Jul 2

Here's a little plein air sketch of some, I think, geraniums from my sketchbook. Trying to do more watercolor sketching out in the outside.

#pleinair #watercolor

A watercolor sketch of some red geraniums and other plants growing out of an orange clay pot

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Jun 28

A small goauche sketch of Phoebe, the moon of Saturn. It is heavily cratered. Space and the crater shadows are painted blue.

Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · May 30

You can just buy a bubble machine. They aren't even that expensive.

Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Mar 7

I've been thinking a lot about "If only the Fuhrer knew..." lately, when I read of people who supported Trump and then were harmed by him.

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Ben Bittner @surlyben.bsky.social · Feb 6

I just bought a copy of Wyeth at Kuerners, and oh my! It's so fucking good! I haven't looked at a lot of Wyeth before. Christina's World, yes, and I think I once had a documentary on in the background while I did other things, but I had no idea. Very good.