center of wooden boats

Those boats, catching the wind; graphite the appropriate tool.

Lunchtime @ 5th and Stewart St.

Spent my lunch time at the small park where the South Lake Union Trolley ends.  There was an amazing amount of things that were happening in this small space.  Dan Seng sketched by the trolley looking north and I looked the other way with the monorail and sidewalk pizza guy.  The pizza guy took a quick break when we were finished to see what we were drawing.  I passed on the urban sketchers card to him to look us up on the web.

Seattle Aquarium

Seattle Aquarium

I was down by the Great Wheel too this weekend.  My son had to do a marine Biology project at the Aquarium so we went today and spent some time there.  This is a sketch from inside the Aquarium.  The first exhibit was a big fish tank with fish from the Pacific Northwest.  The diver was also part of the exhibit... not just in there to just feed the fish, but answering questions and high fiving the little kids...hands to the glass. 

The Great Wheel

With a surprising lack of fanfare (as I was sketching, two locals asked me if I knew what it was), The Great Wheel, reportedly one of the biggest Ferris wheels in the U.S. at 175 feet, is supposed to be finished in June. It certainly adds whimsy to the Seattle skyline.

Bow Edison, WA

Best bakery, friendly folk, great art gallery.

Saturday morning pencil sketch, bread and hot coffee.

Southern California

Was in southern California a little over a week ago and grabbed a sketch when I could. 

Waiting for the return flight, the faces of LAX: 

Griffith Observatory -- art deco and science perched above Los Angeles

SAM: Sculpture Park

Sequence views at the Park.

The SAM building is a jewel.

The whole park works beautifully;

dogs and all.

Old Barn

I drove by this barn on my way to Shenandoah, Iowa. Big greenish flies, like the ones you see gathered around the eyes of livestock, attacked my bare legs until I had to move inside the car and draw looking through the windshield.

One I liked and one I didn't like

Sometimes the weather does impact your sketching ability.  When your view is in a place not protected by overhangs it is hard to get in a good sketch.   I liked the view point of my first sketch and started sketching, however the rain started coming down and  I had to get back in the car to let the page dry out. I proceeded to add water color and then used my Hero pen to reinforce missing lines over my sketch.  That was a mistake the sketch got overworked and I wasn't happy with the line quality.  Learn to keep your self from doing too much. 

View from the Mountaineers club

I then went to the Historic officer's quarters to sketch the officer's housing.  Found a nice place under a fir tree that gave me fairly ample protection  until is started to blow rain....so I moved into the car once again to add watercolor.  This time I left the original  line work.  I liked the final outcome of this.

Officer's Housing at Sand Point Naval  Station, Magnuson Park

Crow's Nest at Magnuson Park

Like some others, I worked in my car to avoid the off and on showers. Had prepared a sheet in my sketchbook with gold gesso, so drew the sketch with watercolor crayons on that and then used 'normal' watercolors.

The Fin Project - Magnuson Park

I came across this art installation at the eastern point of Magnuson Park. Called the 'Fin Project' it is a collection of stabilizer fins from de-commissioned nuclear submarines displayed to represent a pod of orca whales. Sat on my camp chair under a golf umbrella and though it was rainy and grey, it wasn't too cold...that works for me.

Old Sand Point Naval Base

I grew up just down the road and so I still think of Warren G.Magnuson Park as the Sand Point navel station.  I remember when you had to have a military member in your car to enter the site and so much of my childhood recollections were looking through the fences as we drove past the base on Sand Point Way.

We have not had a decent day to sketch outside for our monthly sketch crawls in awhile and so yesterday turned drizzly just in time to draw.  I had my van today so was able to back up to the edge of the bluff and pop the back for this view of on of the old hanger buildings.

My second sketch I went down within the old administration buildings and captured the Supply Building.  I entry had a concrete cast frame around the doors and re-lites that is simple, but quite nice.

Finally it was great to see another large crowd with many wonderful sketches to enjoy.

The Mountaineers Club

Great turnout despite the weather. Because of the drizzle, I found myself under the eaves of the Mountaineers Clubhouse at Warren Magnuson Park, drawing this view of the entry courtyard.

Magnuson Park in the Rain

View from the parking lot of industrial clutter just out of site of the neighbors

Magnuson Park etc.

I too was late and only got in one sketch, sitting cozily in my car. 

Great turnout! We are a stalwart group!

Also two views of Gabi from the Library lecture last month.
I'm trying to become brave about drawing people I know. 

NOAA Ship

Great turnout today, especially in the rain. Sketched this one from my car.

Magnuson Garbage Shack

Rainy day sketchcrawl at Magnuson Park. I couldn't find any of the other sketchers after arriving a little late so drove around until I found this cute little garbage shack. Quiet morning sketching in the car in the rain. Everyone eventually emerged from their hideouts with wonderful sketches! 

those rockets in Fremont, Seattle, Wa.

Sketching today in Fremont, looking at the rocket and thinking the telephone poles in the foreground were 'want a be' rockets; similar disposition. Light was changing; the sun in and out.

five, four, three, two, one...blast-off!

Uptown Sidney, Iowa

As the smaller, family farms get gobbled up by the giants, this little town is shrinking. Tornadoes and the recent flooding of the Missouri River hit hard. Large houses sit empty for years. Most of the hangers-on are retired and have their homes paid off. They still live in a world of 'high tea socials', Sunday mass, and the local rodeo. 

I sat in the lawn at the courthouse and drew the Arbor Bank, the building where my family kept their money over fifty years ago. In the upstairs of the building at the far left, I take yoga twice a week to maintain what little flexibility I still have. The cost per one hour session is "Whatever you feel like dropping in the box."

Olympic Sculpture Park: Serra's Wave

While Dan went up to the Eagle where all the people were, I sat and captured an image of the Richard Serra's Wave.  It was very quiet down here with only a few solo strollers coming through for a quick glance and maybe a photo.  Anita's wonderful pencil sketches from last week was an inpiration for me to try my hand at these beautiful monoliths. 

Olympic Sculpture Park

The weather around here has been absolutely spectacular for sketching. David C and I got out to the Sculpture Park during lunch today. The Eagle was a popular destination. People gathered at its base to picnic, nap, chat and sketch (of course.)

A Test....

Struggling to keep my eyes open at a Youth Symphony Concert (no Kiersten wasn't playing) so Tamra let me leave at intermission to sketch at the coffee shop next door. It didn't dawn on me until later that she might have been testing me by giving me the option to skip the second half of the performance....She didn't have to offer twice. Tacoma has a lot of the Theater District torn up for road improvement providing lots of big equipment to sketch.

Pen and ink with a watercolor wash in the Molskine.

Another house in Sidney, Iowa.

Two doors down from the Draper house is Donna Ruth's place.

May Sketchcrawl this Sunday

Sunday May 20 @ Magnuson Park:

Join us at Magnuson Park for a sketchcrawl Sunday May 20 @10:00 a.m.
We will meet ......at the Mountaineers Club entry.

Weekend in Port Townsend

 

 

Nuclear Reactor Building University of Washington

Urban sketchers are sketching buildings that are on the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation's current and past watch lists of  endangered buildings.  These sketches will be auctioned at a annual WHTP fundraiser coming up in May.  Urban sketchers non profit will also receive a portion of the proceeds from this auction.

I chose to sketch the Nuclear Reactor Building on the UW Campus.  It was built in 1961 by TAAG (The Architects Artist Group)  including Architects Wendell Lovett, Daniel Streissguth, George Zema, Structural Engineer Gerard Torrence, and artist Spencer Moseley.  It was built as a research reactor for the  Nuclear Engineering program at UW.  Instead of hiding the research activity this expressive concrete structure was designed with glass walls wrapping the building allowing observers to watch the experiments taking place within.  It is currently slated to be demolished as a result of the University Master Plan which was adopted in 2004.
Just an aside Wendell Lovett was my first studio professor at the University of Washington.   

sculpture park, Seattle Art Museum

The Old Draper House in Sidney, Iowa

Watercolor

Ink wash

Line art

Sketching in the sun

Portland revisited

Taking a walk down memory lane, revisiting the places we sketched at the first Urban Sketchers Symposium here in Portland. In 2010 the iconic Hung Far Low sign was still being rehabbed, so when we sketched with Lapin it wasn't here.

The Symposium was so filled with activities that there wasn't time to just sit by the river and sketch.  Still working on my sketch of the Steel Bridge, upriver from this view of the Industrial District. Of all the cool bridges here, that one feels like a sadistic final exam for some Line Drawing 101 class :)

John Deere Commission

Loader

After seeing my drawing of a tractor in Mexico, my uncle, the branch manager of a John Deere dealership in Kansas, asked me to draw these tractors for his new office. 

Grader 

Opening Day @ the Montlake Cut

Yesterday was the opening day for the boating season.  Traditionally UW hosts the Windermere Cup Rowing Races.  After the races, there is a parade of boats  down the Montlake Cut with Yacht Clubs from the Portland up to Vancouver bringing their vintage boats to show off.  Everyone is dressed in naval regalia.  We were entertained by the UW Marching band on a big boat.  The Coast Guard and a Seattle Fire boat led the way.  Both sides of the cut were lined with pleasure boats that people had anchored starting Thursday night.
If you don't own a boat, luckily you can also see the parade from shore.  I was walking with my friend and just happened to arrive at a great spot to see the parade from the Washington Park Arboretum. Here are a couple of sketches from the festive event!

Montlake Cut Opening Day

US Coast Guard and Seattle Fire Boat

Idris Mosque, Seattle

I finished drawing the Mosque during a sun rise morning summer 2009.  I was fascinated by the architecture and the back ground of the ever green trees.  Literally the combination of Architecture and nature.  The tower using the Middle Eastern style of architecture is somehow emulating the trees, it looks like one of the trees.  It is the Middle East meeting the Pacific Northwest.  

Idris Mosque Main Entrance, Seattle

I began to sketch the Mosque when the sun was setting during the summer of 2009.  It was beautiful to see this spiritual place located in the north part of Seattle.  The brick work and the details are modern but very traditional at the same time.  It's a very small Mosque but very efficient in the use of space.