Gas Works Park - From the Ground Up

Gas Works towers frame a peek-a-boo view of the houseboats, seaplanes and Seattle Ducks on Lake Union-sketch by Michele Cooper

Ground level, eye level and the leveling effect of art.

Several seaplane flights landed and took off over Lake Union Friday morning as USk Seattle ad hoc sketchers met on the grounds of Gas Works Park. Other individual watercraft such as kayaks and sailboats plied the waters on a lovely day at the end of summer.

At the summit of Kite Hill, there is an ornate 28 foot circlular sundial mosaic, created in 1978 by Chuck Greening and Kim Lazare. With it you can use your own shadow to tell the time.  From my vantage point atop Kite Hill, you could see the tourist boats like the Seattle Duck amphibious tours and the Seattle Ferry Service running the Sunday Ice Cream Cruise on Lake Union aboard the M/V Fremont Avenue boat.

Forecasts predicted rain, but it was warm enough to go without a jacket and I only felt two random drops. At least I hope those were raindrops. There were flocks of pigeons and Canadian Geese sharing the park with us today. 8.28.15

Kate and I, sketching at our waterfront table at Ivar's on Lake Union.

After sharing our sketches at Gas Works Park, Kate and I decided to have lunch at Ivar's Salmon House nearby. We looked for fellow sketchers who also planned to be there, couldn't find them and ended up at our own table out on the waterfront deck.

Looking under the University Bridge from Ivars-sketch by M. Cooper

If there's a better spot to be for lunch on a Friday on Lake Union, I don't know it. (I-5 crosses directly overhead on the Ship Canal Bridge, so the constant roar of traffic could be distracting until you focus on your sketch and enter the world of shapes, lines, tones and colors.)

University Bridge opening for a sailboat, the CycleSaloon paddle boat and Ice Cream Cruise

What a luxury! So many choices of scenes to capture! I finally decided to settle on a composition showing the south end of the University Bridge as it crosses Portage Bay. The drawbridge opened twice while we were there to allow sailboats with tall masts to enter Lake Union. The CycleSaloon paddleboat went by with passenger/paddlers under the awning. You can't drink and drive in Seattle, so here's the ultimate designated driver experience!