Pier 58 Waterfront Park Finally Opens!

 

8/10/25 Pier 58 Waterfront Park

After many years of planning, designing and rebuilding, the much-anticipated Pier 58 Waterfront Park is finally open! The first part to be completed was the Overlook Walk, but that didn’t open until fall last year. The new Pier 58 renovation opened while we still have plenty of summer to enjoy it.

Statue of Ivar Haglund and a live human 
borrowing Ivar's chair

The USk Seattle meetup location was the eye-catching jellyfish climbing apparatus, which is the focal point of the new playground. It became a popular subject for many sketchers. Other highlights I had fun capturing were a bride being photographed on the Overlook, the giant swings (with the most comfortable seats of any swing I’ve used as an adult), a caricaturist (though her client got away before I could sketch him), and a man wearing a huge sombrero while singing in Spanish.

While I typically wouldn’t sketch a public restroom, this one seemed important enough to capture: My whole life, I’d heard (and have myself uttered) complaints about the lack of facilities anywhere near the long stretch of the waterfront between the Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. At last, a clean, safe public restroom!

When I ran out of space in my orange Uglybook spread, I opened my smaller blue one to catch a couple more scenes: A weary human resting in the seat attached to the statue of Ivar Haglund feeding his gulls, and a magician dazzling his audience.

With temps rising toward the upper 80s on the mostly shadeless waterfront, I thought I would run out of steam quickly, but it’s funny how sketching can keep me going. I just walked from one bit of shade to another, covering several blocks and back again. As a native and lifelong resident, I’m happy to say that Seattle finally has a waterfront worthy of my tax dollars!

This organically designed throwdown occurred under the only tiny bit of shade we could find!

A Tree-mendous Sketch Outing in Fall City

 

8/8/25 Pete's Treefort at Aroma Coffee, Fall City

Having a treehouse in their backyard is a fantasy for many kids. Pete Nelson of Nelson Treehouse has been making that fantasy a reality for people lucky enough to stay in one, at least for a night or two: His magical houses built in trees can be rented. And now there’s a new one next to Aroma Coffee in Fall City that’s open to the public whenever the café is open! Kate, who discovered it when KING 5 TV featured the café and treehouse a few months ago, knew it would be a fun USk outing location.

Last Friday morning, a good turnout of sketchers tackled the substantial challenge of the treefort’s architectural details. Inspired by Nordic stave churches, the three-story treefort can be climbed all the way up (I forgot to take photos as I climbed, but it’s fun to look out the windows and doors on each floor). There’s even a table and stools on the balcony and a swing accessible from the ground.

My breakfast and a warm-up of the fort

I warmed up with a small thumbnail from the front as I devoured a cinnamon roll (which was one of the best I’ve had in a long time). Then I tackled the color version, focusing on trying to get at least the proportions right. Whew! That took more than an hour, which is longer than I usually spend on any sketch!

That done, I went around to the back to capture the spacious outdoor seating area, where families were enjoying coffee, treats and shade after climbing the fort. Next door to the café is Nelson Treehouse’s office and warehouse. A funny wooden mascot sits atop that building.

Aroma Coffee's spacious seating in the backyard

About 45 minutes east of Seattle, Fall City is a little far for me to make regular coffee/sketching stops, but it’s tempting. Even without the treefort, Aroma Coffee offers unique beverages and treats in a spacious, comfortable place, inside and out. (The coffee shop building, itself, has its own story: It’s the Prescott-Harshman House, on the historic register, built in 1904.) But the treehouse certainly makes it special.

Next door to Aroma Coffee is the Nelson Treehouse warehouse and office.

For ideal sketching, I recommend going early in the morning. By 10 a.m., this bit of light was already disappearing, and then the treehouse is in shade the rest of the day.

Two Fountains

It's been so very dry that it didn't occur to me we'd have rain. But it was absolutely pouring down when I left for this morning's sketch outing at Zenith Holland Nursery in Des Moines. Despite alerting sketchers yesterday that there is plenty of covered space, only 4 other intrepid sketchers came. And one was so intrepid she came from Bremerton!

It was still raining when I sat down for my first sketch. So I chose a dry fountain display in a back corner of the shop.

My long planned subject was the fountain in the outdoor courtyard. It was sprinkling but I managed to draw it without the ink running. However, when I added watercolor it quickly became spotted with drops. So I moved just inside the door to continue painting from observation, just a little to the other side.

On the farm

 

Kelsey Creek Farm in Bellevue features two historic barns on the crest of a hill, overlooking shallow valleys on each side. These barns, listed in the State Heritage Barn Register, were once home to the Twin Valley Dairy. The historic Fraser Cabin sits on the hill next to the dairy barns. There are often animals in the fields.

Urban Sketchers Seattle met there yesterday morning under a cloudy sky. At least it was cooler. The East Side contingent joined us. There was even a visitor from USk Boston.

I decided to do a montage. A duck in it's tiny "pond", some flowers, a small barn, and the cute cow mail box.

Kelsey Creek Farm in Bellevue features two historic barns on the crest of a hill, overlooking shallow valleys on each side. These barns, listed in the State Heritage Barn Register, were once home to the Twin Valley Dairy. The historic Fraser Cabin sits on the hill next to the dairy barns. There are often animals in the fields.

Urban Sketchers Seattle met there yesterday morning under a cloudy sky. At least it was cooler. The East Side contingent joined us. There was even a visitor from USk Boston.

I decided to do a montage. A duck in it's tiny "pond", some flowers, a small barn, and the cute cow mail box.

Sketcher Fest 2025

Coming down from the high of Sketcher Fest, I am filled with gratitude for the many months of hard work and volunteer time that made this stellar event possible. Thank you, Gabi Campanario, and the rest of the Sketcher Fest team! I’m already looking forward to next year!

(My apologies to the guest artists I missed in the photos below. Some were either missing from their tables when I came by or they were so surrounded by adoring fans that I couldn't see them!)

Edmonds Summer Market sketchwalk

Olympic Beach sketchwalk

Bill Russell

Christina Wald

Cyrille Briand

Daniel Winterbottom

Dominika Wroblewska

Gail Wong

Jenny Jing Zhang

James Richards

Joey Mason (and his sketch of Gas Works Park)

Lapin

Marielle Durand

Mario Linhares

Nina Khashchina

Rita Sabler

Urban Sketchers Seattle featured in Seattle Times

Last Friday’s online edition of the Seattle Times included an article about Urban Sketchers Seattle and published works by numerous USk members! It was great publicity for both USk Seattle and Sketcher Fest. Shown here is the print edition that came out in yesterday's Mix section. See the online version for many more sketches that were included. 

Cars and Community in Greenwood

 

6/28/25 Herkimer Coffee, Greenwood neighborhood

A couple more pups outside Herkimer

As I do every year, I arrived at the Greenwood Car Show by 7:30 a.m. and started the day by walking the entire 20-block length of the show. On that first walk-through, I don’t sketch; I just look and enjoy. Although noisy and heavy with the smell of exhaust, the parade of cars on Greenwood Avenue getting into their spaces is exciting and full of anticipation.

Then I walk halfway back up again to get breakfast at Herkimer Coffee, grab a table outside, and watch the street action unfold (top of post). Over coffee and a scone, I often sketch more dogs than cars, as lots of pups get tethered to the bike racks while their humans go in for sustenance.

By the time USk Seattle meets at 10 a.m., I’m already warmed up and ready for action myself!

Greenwood Car Show

Although I’ve felt for many years that the Greenwood Car Show is my favorite summertime event, I don’t always stop to consider how different it is from other big annual events that roll around this time of year.

What is it about this show that makes it my favorite? Although I do enjoy seeing and sketching classic cars, it’s not just the subject matter. Despite attracting crowds from all over the city, the Greenwood show somehow manages to maintain its neighborhoody feeling. I kept seeing families running into friends there. Cheerful conversations were all around.

The sketch at top right on this page is my favorite this year. Spontaneously, I got the idea to draw the white lines over the black, and I love this look.

Then there’s the whole car enthusiast community: Owners chatting about all the work they’ve done, how long they’ve owned it, and all the cars that came before and after it. As I sketched, I overheard people reminisce about cars they or previous generations once drove, and I did my share of feeling nostalgic, too (I always look for Datsun Z cars of my high school fantasies).

Cars have always been a strong part of American culture, and the Greenwood Car Show drives (ahem) that point home. I’m happy to be part of it every year, catching the stories in my sketchbook.

On Saturday night, I got some takeout sushi for dinner. Sketchwaiting outside Akebono, I was still in car show mode and gave my own Miata a little sketchbook love.