presbyterian badminton

 

On Thursday evenings, people from age 10 to 70 gather to play competitive badminton in the gathering space of New Hope Presbyterian Church in Kent, WA.

Unlike most other courts, the surface is carpeted. It makes the game feel foreign to your body. Also, unlike the outdoor badminton you may have played in your backyard, this is a very fast-paced sport.

No one seems to know why there are badminton courts inside this place, but putting the space to use in the off-hours makes sense. There are also markings for basketball, but imagining that big heavy ball getting thrown around a space where there are stained glass windows makes me feel a bit stressed.

Despite the incongruity of playing in front of a giant wooden cross, it is a pretty nice place to play, especially when it's free. But because of that the sessions are quite busy, so you end up waiting a long time for your turn to get on the court. 

We went to New Hope a few times recently, when my partner was participating in a league. It's quite far from us, especially in rush hour traffic, so we probably won't become regulars. But I think it's interesting that it's a thing that's out there.

Farewell, Middle Fork

 

12/14/24 John Grade's Middle Fork in Seattle Art Museum lobby

In 2017, a remarkable piece was installed in the Seattle Art Museum’s lobby: John Grade’s Middle Fork, a 105-foot-long sculpture hanging from the ceiling. Built with the help of many volunteers, the sculpture is made of thousands of tiny pieces of cedar glued into a horizontal likeness of the tree that inspired it.

Meeting at SAM shortly after Middle Fork was installed, members of USk Seattle had been stunned and awed by its size and scope. Nearly eight years later, it is still no less daunting to sketch, at least for me. Since Middle Fork will come down in February (and returned to the Cascade forest floor near the 140-year-old tree that inspired the work), USk Seattle met in the SAM lobby again for one last chance to sketch it.

Since I had just been given a new Seawhite of Brighton concertina sketchbook, I thought it would be the right format for the 105-foot-long subject. First I filled six panels of the book by looking up at it from the lobby (above).

Then I went up to the second floor and sketched the “trunk” end head-on (I notated the spot in my first sketch where I was standing to make the second).

From upper level

With 15 minutes to fill before the throwdown, I went back down to the lobby near the admissions desk (below). I liked the contrasting patterns of Middle Fork’s organic “limbs” and the power-line-like rope stanchions.

Lobby admissions desk area

Farewell, Middle Fork – you never stopped inspiring awe whenever I visited. And now we are all wondering what kind of spectacular artwork will take your place. It will have large limbs to fill.

Central Library is Cozy Before the Storm

 

11/22/24 Seattle Central Library

Can this possibly be comfortable?

The downtown Central Library was one of the first outings USk Seattle had after the pandemic lockdown opened up in 2021. That September day was warm enough that I stayed outdoors to take on the library’s daunting architecture. This morning, the weather wasn’t quite so hospitable. With the wind picking up for another “bomb cyclone” expected this afternoon, most sketchers opted for cozy indoor sketching, myself included.

While I waited for other sketchers outside the library entrance, I began with a small sketch of the Henry Moore sculpture “Vertebrae” across the street at the Safeco building (above, upper left). The rest of my page spread (below) includes vignettes of library patrons studying, reading, browsing and sleeping. For sketchers who like to sketch people, the library is a treasure trove of human studies.

After an enjoyable lunch with Allan (no sketch of my sandwich; I must have been hungry), Roy and I continued on to Gelatiamo for affogato. It was good to get fortified for my light rail ride and breezy walk home from the station.

11/22/24 Gelatiamo, Third & Union

Big windows at the newly remodeled downtown ferry terminal

. . . allowed great views while we were snug and warm inside. It was cold, wet, and grey outside, but I never get tired of being near the water. And we had all the time we wanted inside.

Plus, I met really kind people. Despite the weather, all the sketchers were really upbeat (as usual). The WSF staff gave us a warm reception, and even joined us at the throwdown. 

Colman Ferry Terminal is a Winter Keeper

 

11/17/24 Colman Dock ferry terminal

Some days, it doesn’t matter which sketchbook I bring. At the ferry terminal, though, I sure was happy I had a landscape-format book along!

Completely rebuilt in 2023, the Colman Dock passenger ferry terminal has been on USk Seattle’s radar as a winter-weather outing location ever since it reopened. Today was plenty wintry enough – bitterly windy and sometimes rainy. Although most of us stayed inside the terminal building, a few hardy souls sketched from the outer passageway where the view was even wider.

Not interested in freezing, I stayed indoors, where the skyline view was fantastic enough.

Choosing the “Ban Roll-on building” (formally known as the Second & Seneca Building) as my right-most starting point, I kept drawing across the top of the landscape-format Uglybook toward the left with a single line, ending with the Great Wheel. Then I spent the rest of the outing filling in the lower part of the spread with small scenes inside and outside the terminal.

To finish up the time before the throwdown, I picked a “victim” from the assortment of passengers waiting for their ferries (man on the right). Looking at the spread I started on my light rail ride, I noticed that everyone I sketched had “interesting” hair.

Light rail riders (left) and a ferry passenger

Officially, according to signage, only ticketed passengers are allowed inside the terminal building. But given the welcome we received from terminal security officers and other staff, some of whom joined us at the throwdown, I’d say we can all safely wink at the official policy. USk Seattle has a new winter mainstay!

Eric's compact sketch kit! ;-)

Drink & Draw at Overlook Walk

 

11/3/24 Waterfront Park Overlook Walk and Old Stove Brewing Co.

The new Waterfront Park’s Overlook Walk has been getting such an enthusiastic response that we knew it would be a popular outing for USk Seattle. We decided to try something we rarely do – an all-day outing with two throwdowns!

A quick sketch before the afternoon throwdown. At 3 p.m. the sun was already low over
Elliott Bay, but it was certainly welcome after a cool, cloudy morning.

My previous visits had been on relatively mellow weekdays, but Sunday was a whole different story. Throngs of people everywhere, yet the spacious Overlook never felt crowded. I spotted a vertical composition with lots of different shapes and textures of buildings, walkways and trees (far left, top page). What really caught my attention, though, was a smartly dressed man “casually” leaning up against a building like he belonged in a men’s fashion magazine. He certainly didn’t belong at the Overlook (or anywhere else in Seattle, frankly)! Indeed, he turned out to be a fashion model (his photographer was outside my frame). So the Overlook is already commercial photography-worthy!

After the morning throwdown, I invited other sketchers to join me for a drink & draw lunch at Old Stove Brewing Company. My intention was not to linger too long so that I could sketch more of the Overlook before the afternoon throwdown. But I was enjoying the company of Kim, Justin, Leslie and Devin so much that I ended up spending most of the remaining outing time there. Devin’s question to the group, “Why did you start urban sketching?” prompted great discussions that helped me learn more about fellow sketchers and reminded me why I love this tribe so much. Long live my sketching community!

Morning throwdown... 

...and sunny afternoon throwdown!

Halloween with Holidays on its Heels

10/23/24 Swansons Nursery

Swansons Nursery is a fall favorite for USk Seattle. More than a week before Halloween, the store was certainly decked out with autumn-themed decorations and plenty of pumpkins, but it was clear that other holidays were fast on their heels. Staff were already setting up the Christmas train display. Humphrey, the dinosaur topiary (whom I’ve sketched when he was fully “clothed” with greenery), was still wearing boots, hat and scarf in Seahawks/Sounders colors, but I was told his holiday gear was going up soon (as well as greenery, which he was sorely lacking). Workers were also replacing the sports-themed colored lights on parking lot trees with holiday colors. Whew – the retail rush is on!

In any case, we had fun chasing the orange before the colors turned red and green.

As is my usual pattern at Swansons (which we only seem to visit in the cold months), I sketched outdoors as long as I could stand the cold, then went into the café for coffee and chatted with friends.