Anthropological Study at Growler Guys

 

10/8/25 Mariners watch party at Growler Guys, Maple Leaf neighborhood

“Whose logo is that – with the trident?” A man on the light rail pointed to the cap of another rider.

“Mariners . . . I think it’s newish,” the man wearing the cap replied.

10/5/25 light rail

The one who had asked was one of three guys sporting Buccaneers caps. Visiting Seattle for the Seahawks game, the men chatted with the Mariners fan about football, baseball, and where they could get good grub near Lumen Field, where they were headed. Since they were not directly competing, their conversation was cordial.

Recently when I spent the day with my niece’s family, we had lunch at a small café’s counter. Within minutes, my nephew-in-law had engaged in a lively conversation with the guy who happened to sit next to him – about Huskies football.

Although I have occasionally exchanged friendly banter with Cougs or Ducks (the University of Washington Huskies’ historic rivals are the Washington State University Cougars and the University of Oregon Ducks), I’m not a fan of any sport or particular team. Yet I have always been fascinated by the instant bonding that occurs around sports. Strangers on a light rail train who would otherwise never strike up spontaneous conversation have enough to talk about to last four train stops. What other subject or interest could possibly bring people together the way sports can?

Like an anthropologist, I decided to do an observational study of this human behavior. The Growler Guys in Maple Leaf held a watch party this afternoon for Game 4 of the MLB playoffs. The Mariners had bested the Detroit Tigers the day before, and now the same two teams were playing again.

When I walked in toward the tail end of the game, I knew the Ms were in trouble: The mood was quiet and subdued. Some patrons were already clearing their plates and glasses, getting ready to leave, though the game wasn’t quite over. Others commiserated quietly. The final score was 3 to 9 in the Tigers’ favor.

Sketching probably would have been more fun at the previous day’s watch party when the Mariners had won. Still, the temperature was 62 and sunny on the Growler’s pleasant patio, where I had a good view of patrons watching the big TV. As a neutral observer rather than a fan, I had a great time on what was likely our last summer-y day before the cold and rain arrived.

Chilly Belltown

 

10/5/25 Belltown

It felt like eons since USk Seattle had met in Belltown near Fire Station No. 2, and in urban sketching time, it was – 2018!

I enjoyed such a great summer that I forgot how many layers I need to wear in October – three is apparently not enough! Sunday’s chill and stiff breeze all morning kept me on the sunny side of the street, so I decided to skip the fire station (lots of hardy sketchers sat on the shady side to catch it). My favorite view was the Space Needle reflected in one of Belltown’s glassy buildings (instead of the Storm flag in my 2018 sketch, the Needle was flying the Mariners flag, of course).

Next, I walked a few blocks south to Fourth and Blanchard, where Catherine Mayer’s sculpture, The Red Popsicle (which I also last sketched in 2018) is a whimsical landmark.

By that time, I needed a warmup at Uptown Espresso, where I sketched a couple of cars across the street. In the time remaining before the throwdown, I headed back to the historic bell in front of the fire station to make a quick sketch of it next to the red station doors.

The sun came out in time to warm us all up during the throwdown!

Sunny throwdown!

Gabi’s in the News!

 

Front cover of the Sept. 28 Pacific NW magazine

USk Seattle had an exciting 15 minutes of fame last weekend when the Seattle Times published a wonderful article about Gabi Campanario, founder of the global Urban Sketchers organization and inspiration to so many of us. (Photos for the article were taken by Akash Pamarthy during our outing on Beacon Hill a few weeks ago.) In addition to honoring Gabi’s journalism career, his long-running Seattle Sketcher column, and his founding of USk, writer Erik Lacitis featured several prominent urban sketchers and reportage artists worldwide.

My favorite quotation is this one from well-known reportage artist Richard Johnson:

“The parallel between urban sketching and field or combat art is the shared necessity of experiencing firsthand what you are drawing. Drawing in-person, in situ, from direct reference, captures life through a uniquely human lens. And it captures life in such a very human way that it can transport you to that moment again instantly. It doesn’t even have to be a good drawing; in fact, it probably won’t be, because drawing live, things don’t hold still, but even a bad drawing captures more of the real moment than any sketch from a photograph. For the average urban sketcher, that entails putting yourself out there in a street and drawing what you see, all while immersed in the sounds, smells and interruptions of it.”

Here’s the part of the article where Erik quoted me:

From the minute the online edition came out last Saturday, the USk Seattle Facebook group exploded with requests for membership! The explosion continued the next day when the print edition came out in the Times’ Pacific NW magazine section. (Clipped below are images that appear in the online edition.)

I’m thrilled that Gabi is receiving such well-deserved recognition for his contributions to journalism and for changing the lives of urban sketchers around the globe. And I’m excited that USk Seattle received a few minutes of fame, too!

The print edition included a few images that aren't in the online edition, including these cool ones of Gabi's colored pencils, other art supplies and sketchbooks in his studio.

South Lake Union Market Under the Spheres

 

9/27/25 South Lake Union

When we had planned the sketch outing to South Lake Union, we didn’t even know that the Saturday Market had moved from its previous Denny Park location (where USk met last year) to the center of Amazontown near the Amazon Spheres. It was a fun bonus to sketch some market people (and a dog).

Of course, it’s hard to ignore the Spheres themselves. I sketched them in my own sketchbook, but I also sketched them in the traveling sketchbook (below) that is circulating among USk chapters across the country (thanks to Kate Buike for coordinating USk Seattle’s and USk Tacoma’s participation). South Lake Union seemed like an appropriately iconic spot in Seattle to represent in the book.

My contribution to the traveling sketchbook.

Despite the day starting out with iffy weather, we still had a fantastic turnout and were rewarded with sunshine in time for our throwdown!

Sketchers did a great job of taking over most of the orange chairs on Amazon campus!

Sunflowers at the Steam Plant

 We met this morning at the Georgetown Steam Plant this morning.

The Steam Plant was built in 1907 to provide power to Seattle’s electric street car system, as well as the Seattle-Tacoma Interurban Railway. Trivia: Seattle was the 4th city in the world to have an electric street car system.

I've been there several times so I indulged my current obsession with sunflowers. It's in a sad little planting bed near a sculpture found to the rear of the steam plant. Under that small dome is a truck. It’s titled “Interspecies Communication” by Ela Lamblin and Lelavision.

We had a visitor: Leslie, from USk Las Vegas ( though she grew up in this area).

We were a large group with several first-timers.

More photos

The Park at Bothell Landing

 

9/9/25 The Park at Bothell Landing

Right on the shore of the Sammamish River, the Park at Bothell Landing is an urban oasis of nature and history. Dodging the rain that had threatened earlier forecasts, USk Seattle enjoyed a chilly but fun morning exploring this park’s gems.

First, there’s the river itself. Despite being a short distance from Highway 522, it’s a quiet spot where kayakers and ducks share serene water surrounded by green. Walking on the trails immediately made me feel like I was in a forest instead of in the middle of a suburb.

Then, there are several sketchworthy buildings, especially the log cabin school house that was built in 1884! On the City of Bothell’s historic register, Hannan House was built by Andrew and Augusta Beckstrom. The Bothell Historical Museum is also housed in a fun-to-sketch building.

Finally, a timber-truss pedestrian bridge over the river leads to the Sammamish River Trail. These are just the things I chose at this new-to-me location, but I saw several other sketchable subjects that other sketchers jumped on. Noted for next time!

Nostalgic in Leschi (and Not)

8/30/25 The house I lived in from 1958 to 1984.

The last time USk Seattle met in Leschi was before the pandemic, so it was good to be back in my childhood ‘hood with the group (read that post first for more context). Last time, I spent more time reminiscing about and sketching the Leschi Market, an old-fashioned community grocery store where my mom shopped. This time I had a different mission:

I’ve long wanted to sketch my childhood home, but whenever I’ve driven by, I’ve seen that the front is mostly obscured by trees. Realizing that the best view is from the back, I hoofed it over to the house where I grew up (above). (Although it seemed like a long, long walk when I was a kid, I realized last Saturday that the distance from home to Leschi Market is only about 10 minutes for adult me.) The large picture window looks out on Lake Washington and sometimes Mt. Rainier (see this post for my childhood context on that). Although the current owners rebuilt the back deck that my father had built (it had become hazardous from disrepair by the time the house was sold), I’m grateful that they have kept the house mostly unchanged on the outside.

Walking back to the market and marina area where the other sketchers were, I kept looking for familiar sights. It wasn’t exactly nostalgic because so much had changed since I lived there, but it was good to see that many of the tallest trees were taller still, and some of the old lakeside apartment buildings were the same (though now turned into condos).

When I got back, I had just enough time to make quick sketches of the marina and the market.

8/30/25 Leschi Marina and Market

 

Meetings and Reunions Under Overcast Skies

 

8/29/25 Gasworks Brewing on Lake Union

I don’t know if it was the weather (overcast and cooler), the location (Northlake), or that it was the Friday before Labor Day weekend, but USk Seattle had record-breaking attendance at our drink & draw!

The venue, Gasworks Brewing, is one that I had checked out several months ago for drink & draw potential. Although it is a fabulous location right on the north shore of Lake Union, it has one serious flaw: Very few of the plentiful tables have umbrellas. What were they thinking? Given some of the scorchers we’ve had this year, I had dismissed it as an option for most of summer, but the end of August cooled down enough to make me optimistic. It must have helped to keep my fingers crossed, because the day ended up mostly overcast and cooler – just fine for sketching the lake and each other without shade.

It was especially fun to meet Naoko, a sketcher from USk Tokyo, who has been traveling with her husband across the US the past couple of months and will continue on to further adventures before returning to Japan. I was thrilled when I found out Seattle was on their itinerary! It’s always special to finally meet someone I’ve followed for years on social media.

In addition, several sketchers who had not attended USk in quite a while (more than a decade for two of them) joined us at this drink & draw. It was a happy reunion for those of us who knew them back then. We also greeted several newcomers who made the drink & draw their first outing.

All in all, it was an ideal way to start the holiday weekend before saying good-bye to an excellent summer.

Naoko wears both a USk Japan T-shirt and a UW cap (her husband Nobie is a former Husky!)

We don't usually do a formal throwdown or group photo at drink & draws, but this one felt like a special occasion!

Good to see Jackie after nearly a decade!

Welcome back to Will, whom we also hadn't seen in at least a decade.

Naoko was on a mission to sketch every drink & draw participant!

Alice (foreground) is another sketcher we hadn't seen in years.

Home from Oregon

We've been away for several days. We stayed at a hotel in Salem while visiting a friend on the farm outside of Stayton.

I had only a little time to sketch. I explored Stayton and found this interesting home, dubbed the "Stayton Castle". A realtor's Insta account wrote: "This property has a rich history and was used for everything from a jail to a pirate radio station."

 

The Oregon Vietnam War Memorial is on the grounds of the State Capitol in Salem. I sketched the evocative statue "A Soldier's Return" by Libby Carruth. She wrote: "I endeavored to convey the “invisible wounds” of war with an expression of tension and angst in this young man’s face and hands. From most angles, he remains obscured: a symbol of anonymity and disregarded struggles. Approaching the sculpture face-to-face, as if looking into a mirror, invites a moment of true acknowledgement, interaction, reflection and empathy."

 

 

Bruun Idun at Lincoln Park

 

8/23/25 Thomas Dambo's troll Bruun Idun at Lincoln Park, West Seattle

Lincoln Park in West Seattle is one I rarely get to: It’s an inconvenient drive, especially with this summer’s highway construction projects, and parking there is an ongoing challenge. But I knew that one of the Thomas Dambo trolls is in residence at beachfront Lincoln Park, and I’d been wanting to sketch Bruun Idun for a long time, so I was happy when co-admin Kim initiated leading a USk outing there.

According to the legend:

"In the night, there was a storm, there at the beach where she was born
And Idun felt a feeling wrong, and so she walked there in the dawn
And in a flute, the magic horn, a tune so passionate and strong
She played for them an orca song to ask them where they all had gone"

Naturally, most of the sketchers that day were attracted to Bruun, and for more than the obvious reason: Although temps on Saturday morning were already in the mid-80s and trending upward, the dense shade around the troll made the beach nearly chilly. We all had a comfortable time even as the rest of the city sweltered.

After finishing my main color sketch, I had to waste some time moving my car from one time-restricted spot to another. That left time for only a smaller sketch of the troll with a sketcher and the serene and shady “fairy ring” of trees near the parking area where we did our throwdown.

After the outing ended, I needed to use the facilities down at the beach, so I used the opportunity for a couple more quick sketches: Cars boarding the Vashon ferry and one of many beach fishermen we saw bringing in an abundance of salmon.