Crush @ JM Cellars

Fork lifting the grapes into the crusher.

Wine tasting room JM Cellars

We had a great sketchcrawl Sunday morning at JM Cellars.  It was interesting to see their operations and the process of making wine.  We were treated to coffee and pastries and later cheese and bread.  Of course some did wine tasting and bought the JM cellars wonderful wine.  Thanks to John of JM Cellars for letting us sketch his winery and thanks to Mary Warren for setting this up for us and giving us such a warm welcome.

Fall Crush at J&M Cellars

Worth the circuitous route I took to get there and back. Easier on bicycle. And such hospitality!

October in Jingdezhen

This alley has many karaoke clubs, with names such as Happy 2008, and 888,
leftover from the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing.
 (8 is considered a lucky number representing prosperity.
That's why the Olympics opened at 8:08:08 on 8/8/08.)

Chinese style bathroom. No shower curtain- the water goes everywhere
and drains out through the hole next to the sink.
You must watch your footing while you shower so you don't step in the squat toilet.
Water is shut off each night around 11, and resumes at 6am.
At least I have water- students all walk to the wood-fire-heated Bathing House. 

An abandoned wood kiln at the West Virginian Exchange Students' studio.

For every hour I sit drawing, I spend three wandering around 
looking at the overwhelming amount of clutter there is to draw here.

JM Cellars Woodinville, WA

Sketch A Wine Crush @ JM Cellars

The Crush is on!  This Sunday morning @ 10:00 am -12:30 p.m. we are invited to sketch a Wine Crush at JM Cellars. They are located at 14404 137th Place N.E. in Woodinville.  See Map  We will be sketching in our sketch books also bring watercolor paper or sketch paper for a larger 9x12 sketch that can be displayed for a month at the Winery's Gallery.  Questions contact gail@glwarc.com The wine tasting room is open from 12:00-5:00 p.m.  $10.00 per person.

Sketchcrawl October 30 Everett Anchor Pub

Sunday October 30th from 3:00-5:30 the Magnolia Big Band will be playing at the Historic Anchor Pub in Everett.  We are invited to come and sketch!  Come for a fun sketchcrawl and wonderful music.  Address is 1001 Hewitt Ave. Everett, WA  $3.00 cover charge.  Hope to see you there. Directions

Portland + Seattle Sketchers

Just a few shots from inside the cafe during the Portlanders' visit to Seattle, sketch book circle share:

First Impressions of China.

Finally broke through the Great fireWall of China and figured out how to post from here in Jingdezhen.  

A wall made of broken or discarded ceramics.

A small shrine/temple thingy set back in the mosquito-filled woods.

San Bao.

Massage and Dining.

My friend/translator/student/guide, Gao Ling in the studio.

Alaskan Way Viaduct

I thought I would do a sketch of this section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct before it comes down. It will be interesting to watch how the landscape changes during the nine-day "Viadoom" closure of the highway.

Busy days in Barcelona

This was a fun spanish cafe called Bo de B in old town

The two men were perfect models, they solved the problems of the world on that park bench.

I started sketching and they all congregated around me to watch. Naw, really it was the guitar player at MNAC on Montjuic singing "Hotel California" and "Piano Man" that drew this crowd. I just drew them.

Solo crawl in Paris

I am sorry to have missed the NW sketchcrawl with the Portland crew. King St Station has been on my list for a long time. I was out on Saturday afternoon to do this one. This sketch at Notre Dame gave me the opportunity to mix two fetishes, bikes and buildings. I wasn't so sure about painting inside, but the light through the rose windows was incredible and is worth sharing. I'll be back for the November crawl. See you then!

Solo sketchcrawl in Walla Walla

Walla Walla called this weekend with a family commitment, but it didn't keep me from participating in the International Sketchcrawl. I spent most of Saturday afternoon on Main Street sketching several scenes. These are the ones I had time to complete. I'm sad to have missed the Portland crew and the International District, one of my favorite locations.

 I copied the plaque on the Day Reynolds Building. Apparently it was the site of the first constitutional convention of Washington Territory in 1878, ten years before we became a state. It now houses Falkenberg's Jewelers store. 

Olives Restaurant, formerly the Mercantile.

October 15th, 2011 Sketchcrawl

It was fun for sketchers from so many different places to come together at one time to sketch.
I wish that I had been able to view everybody's sketches, but I had to leave a little after 3pm because I was afraid that my $6 parking spot was going to become a $30 fine.  I hope that everybody posts their sketches.  The ones that I saw were fantastic!

Japanese pagoda at the corner of S King and Maynard Ave in the International District

33rd WW Sketchcrawl

What fun to have the Portland Urban Sketchers here to swell our ranks.  Great sketches to view afterwards at Zeitgeist. I enjoyed sitting on (and taking rubbings from) Bill Will's public art facing King Street Station, and then doing a bit of collage to a sketch of the tower.

October 15, 2011 Sketchcrawl

Northwest sketchcrawl

Great Meet up with Portland Sketchers

King St. Station

Yesterday we had a great sketchcrawl with Portland sketchers who traveled by train and car up to Seattle.  Lori will post the photos of the group. We spread out between Pioneer Square and International District.  Between the Portlanders and the Seattleites We had a total of 27 people show up!  Pretty exciting!  I came back to King St. Station because I have wanted to sketch this Landmark.

33rd WW Sketchcrawl Saturday October 15th

Tomorrow... Saturday October 15th, will be the 33rd WW sketchcrawl.  We will be meeting the Portland Urban sketchers and hopefully some Whidbey Island and Anacortes sketchers.  We will meet at King St. Station Terminal at noon to welcome in the arriving Portland Sketchers.  Hope to see you there.
For directions see October 15th Sketchcrawl-locations

A Day on Whidbey Island

  

My husband  really wants to get an electric pickup truck and has been emailing back and forth with this guy, (Harry in Oak Harbor) about his electric pickup and all the other vehicles he is converting to electric.  On a whim we decided to go out to Whidbey Island and drive up to Oak Harbor to see the pickup.  This picture however was NOT the pickup truck.  Harry also makes art out of found junk....although this was the body of a truck waiting to be converted not one of his art pieces.  I thought it looked like his art...sitting is a bed of wild flowers! 

 On the way back we went to Langley and to get late lunch and  coffee at Useless Bay Coffee.
A great spot for refreshment.  I think this is a wonderful place for an Urban Sketchers future outing!

Capitol Hill and East

  Finally getting to the posting...

 Victrola Coffee on 15th

The A Line - NYC

The Cloisters, NYC

  

If you've never been and have plans to go to New York, don't miss it. 

It's on the northern tip of Manhattan overlooks the Hudson River and Harlem. 

A quiet respite ... surprising and restful.

sunny roslyn

East Denny & Marchland Urban Oasis

A few sketches from last month's sketch crawl. The first 2 are townhouses on 15th Ave E, and the last one is from this morning at Urban Oasis in Belltown. Happy October!

AKER BRYGGE, OSLO

In Oslo last week, looking out at the fjord from the fortress inspired this panorama.