San Diego Maritime Museum

Russian sub and vintage wooden ships at the San Diego Maritime Museum.

Bellingham

We make an annual trip to Bellingham, WA for Linux Fest NW. It's a conference about the free and open computer operating system.  Himself spends all day Saturday and Sunday there. I usually sketch and visit some interesting shops. I pick and choose what I attend at the conference.

During the drive north on Friday, we took a short detour to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. This was the last weekend and most of the tulip fields had been harvested. I found one smallish field at Tulip Town.



After dropping Himself at Linux Fest on Saturday morning, I joined the Urban Sketchers Bellingham for their outing at the Farmers Market. I was early so walked around a bit but the wind was chilly. I stopped at Woods Coffee to warm up and sketch.

The B'ham Farmers Market has a lot of good artists and crafters. It was hard not to spend my sketching time looking at their work. I did do so after. My first sketch was of Jesse, a teen aged violinist with a busking permit for the Market.



The sketchers planned to "meet at the goat". This small statue of a working goat seems to be the easy spot to meet. It was a challenge to sketch because so many people were meeting. And sitting. And climbing. That chilly wind was ever present... note the blowing hair.




We met to share sketches at the side of the Market building, out of the wind.




The afternoon was spent in the charming Fairhaven neighborhood. I sketched the Dirty Dan statue again. There was a brief sprinkle but I was able to shelter under a covered lanai to finish the sketch.



On Sunday I spent most of the morning at Linux Fest.  But the afternoon was for sketching. I went to the new Waypoint Park. This area was under construction when we were here last year. The "Acid Ball", circa 1938 is part of the park build out. The concept creator was Mutuus Studio of Burien. "The Acid Accumulator from the defunct Georgia Pacific mill on Bellingham's waterfront has been transformed into a new art installation".  The title is "Waypoint".  It is covered in sprayed on, reflective, tiny glass beads. I added more industrial structures but I don't know what these are.



And then it was time to pick up Himself and head home.

Jasmine Air

One reason I enjoy traveling is because of urban sketching opportunities.  Unfamiliar places inspire creative action in my sketchbook!  Although I was happily busy with family, my recent trip to Southern California had room for sketching in moderation.

Upon arrival to Orange County, I had a short window of time to sketch the geometric clean lines and  palms at the John Wayne airport terminal.  The sunshine felt good and the air smelled of lavender. 

John Wayne Airport, California

One rule in Orange County is beach time. I drove to North Beach, found a parking spot and carried my beach chair down to the edge of the ocean.  Just like me, there was another solitary figure on the beach gazing at the surf. She looked content. She soon flipped over and took out an iPad. 

North Beach, San Clemente, CA

The sound of surf and seagulls crying is a tonic.  I could have stayed for hours. To the North, a house precariously situated on a spit of land looked safe propped up by boulders.  I imagine ocean surround sound day and night is worth the risk. 

Pacifit Ocean view, North Beach, San Clemente, CA

My next beach excursion was to Dana Point Harbor Baby Beach.  Filled with families, an extended group with lots of babies lined up in front of me.

Dana Point Harbor Baby Beach

During a visit to a resort next to Dana Point City Park, a little boy playing mini golf in a white terry cloth hotel robe experienced a day of luxury.  Covered with yellow wild flower blooms, the  normally dry brown hills in the background looked like undulating yellow-green velvet. 

Marriot,Dana Point, CA.

  With enough sand in my shoes, I headed north to Los Angeles on MetroLink.  Slowly but surely, the population density and concrete increased.  I arrived at Union Station and would have enjoyed sketching the historic venue but had to hurry along to my destination.  

My host’s backyard is a secret garden full of fragrant Jasmine. The mature plant climbing up the wall was pretty to look at and a joy to sketch.  Surrounded by lavender, birds of paradise and colorful sweet-smelling flowers, it’s a secret garden in an endless metropolis. 

Jasmine air

Out the kitchen window, a Bougainvillea stretches its graceful arch of magenta flowers in a spidery web of vines.

Bougainvillea masterpiece

At a nearby park,  nannies line up with their charges for a bit of exercise and socialization.

Robert Burns Park, Los Angeles

No trip is complete without a final airport sketch.

People and carry-on luggage

Palace of the Pacific

The Showbox turns 80 this year. It opened on July 24, 1939 as the Showbox Ballroom and it is legendary for it's history of performers who have graced it's halls and helped put Seattle on the music map. This past Saturday, I joined several Seattle Urban sketchers, including some I haven't seen in a while.

It started as a bright sunny day and I chose a shaded spot almost directly under the sign so it wouldn't be blocked by the spring foliage, lovely, but not my focus. After getting the basic lines on the page, I was shivering. So I retreated to a coffee shop to warm up.

After the throwdown and lunch I emerged into a much warmer afternoon. Thinking about my upcoming workshop, People in Places, I plopped down my stool on the entrance to Pike Place and thought I'd do a quick sketch, this time in the sunshine. Quick on an A-4 sized sketchbook soon becomes a longer sketch. I have to learn to break up the page. 

Bolstered by the afternoon sunshine I went back to the Showbox to finish my sketch. As I sat on the sidewalk next to the bus carrying that evening's entertainment, the Jesse James band and their entourage, a few people approached. One a photographer, Peter Arthur, who is documenting Seattle's streets and asked to take my photo.




We chatted about Seattle's streets and urban sketchers. Soon some roadies emerged from the truck and met up with their co-workers who told them Brandi Carlile and Dave Grohl had just been busking at the market. I missed the epic spontaneous performance by just a few minutes, but finished my sketch. Priorities.

I’m a Magnet for Heavy Equipment

4/26/19 former Key Arena under renovation

Ostensibly this morning's sketch outing was scheduled for the Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival at the Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion. An indoor venue, it was a safe bet for these iffy spring days. My secret intention, however, was to sketch outdoors as long as the weather was hospitable, and it was. In the sunshine, I would even go so far as to call it “warm”!

4/26/19 at the foot of the Space Needle

In all directions, the Seattle Center is full of things to sketch, but I just followed my ears to the noisy commotion at the former Key Arena, which is undergoing a major renovation. Sitting on the edge of the International Fountain, I caught a crane and a few smaller machines doing their thing. The only problem was that from that distance, I didn’t realize the crane was standing on a lower level, so I couldn’t see most of its base. It looks like a crane without an engine. (Still, I’m pleased that I was able to get both the crane and the arena in the same composition while maintaining the correct proportions on both – all on a 5½-by-8½-inch page. I credit Gabi Campanario’s Pocket Urban Sketching workshop for that.)

I seem to be a magnet for heavy equipment – no matter where I go, I find some. (I realize that’s not a challenge in this city.) At the foot of the Space Needle, I found a machine with nothing to do, but its tire treads made an interesting study of light and shadow, as did the Needle itself.

Welcome to several new members, including two visiting from San Diego!

Back Sketching from a Long Winter

It has been a long time since I posted anything on any blog.  Lately I have been too busy to do it.  

Here are my two sketches from last Saturday's Sketch Crawl  at the Show Box.

I didn't even realize that it was an historic theater or that it was slated to be torn down.  

It was nice we had a chance to memorialize this part of Seattle's history as our built environment is changing daily.  

The weather got a little chilly so a few of us decided to go some place warm to do another sketch.  The sketch below was taken from Storyville Coffee shop in the Corner Market on the second floor.  It was nice, cozy and warm there.

The Show Box

Storyville Coffee Shop

Showbox Theater and Pike Place

4/20/19 Showbox Theater, downtown Seattle

Last year, the historic Showbox Theater near the Pike Place Market was in the news when its owner announced that it was selling the property. The theater, opened in 1939, would be demolished and replaced by a (yet another, most likely boring and boxy) 44-story apartment building. (It’s the story of Seattle these days.) After that, nostalgic venue fans, historic preservationists and even high-profile musicians like Eddie Vedder stepped forward to try to save the Showbox. The debate rages and is still unresolved. Meanwhile, the venue continues to operate.

I wasn’t even aware of that last part until I arrived Saturday to sketch the theater and saw that the marquee was current. Although I’ve never seen a concert there, the marquee and Showbox sign are downtown icons, and I wanted to document them, since it’s likely that they’ll eventually come down. Others must have felt the same way, as we got a good turnout of Showbox sketchers.

4/20/19 buskers at Pike Place Market

It probably helped that the morning was dry and mostly sunny (though not warm). After the Showbox, I swam upstream through the throngs (what is this, July or something?) at the Pike Place Market to my favorite busker spot near Rachel the Pig. Performing were a ukulele player and a tuba player – a colorful duo that I’ve sketched before.

Swimming further upstream, I spotted the usual long line of people waiting their turn to buy coffee at the “original” Starbucks location on First and Pike. As I captured the storefront and P. K. Dwyer (another busker I have sketched many times) playing guitar and harmonica outside, I overheard a couple of young men (visiting from the UK, based on their accents). Taking photos of each other with upheld Starbucks cups, it was clear that this was an important stop on their tour. Reviewing the photos, one man was especially delighted to finally be photographed in front of his mecca. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the actual first Starbucks on Western no longer exists (though natives like me remember it), and this second store on First somehow became the “original.”

Times change, old buildings get torn down, history gets rewritten. Meh. I may be a grumpy, overcrowded native, but at least I’m sketching it all.

4/20/19 One-man band P.K. Dwyer busks in front of the "original" Starbucks on First and Pike.

A good turnout at the Showbox!

David Hingtgen

Jane Wingfield

Urban Sketching Victoria with Gabi

4/14/19 BC Legislative Assembly Building

Although I have been to Victoria, British Columbia, several times, all those visits had been before I began sketching. A few months ago, Gabi Campanario announced that he was offering urban sketching workshops in the charming Canadian city. Recalling the historic architecture and lovely harbor, I jumped at the opportunity to visit again – this time with sketchbook in hand.

4/12/19 Gabi and I met up on the Clipper ferry to Victoria. Here
he is finishing up his presentation.

Co-sponsored by Greater Victoria Placemaking Network, the workshop weekend began last Friday afternoon with a free presentation by Gabi about urban sketching. Although I’ve heard Gabi give similar talks at other workshops I’ve taken with him, I always find it helpful to be reminded of his tips, basic practices and principles to get the most out of urban sketching. For example, here’s the order of priority that Gabi places on the elements of a sketch:

1. Composition (more than 60 percent of the success of a sketch depends on a strong composition)
2. Tones and values (“squint hard to see them”)
3. Color (might not be necessary if other elements are strong)

Other words of wisdom:

• For the sake of speed, keep drawings small (he favors pocket-size sketchbooks; workshop participants received a small Stillman & Birn free) and stay on your feet (you’re less likely to spend a long time on a single sketch if you don’t get too comfy)
• “Keep your eye on your subject, not on your paper.”
• “Don’t be intimidated by all the gear. . . all you need is a pencil or a ballpoint pen.” Keep materials simple.
•  “My sketchbook is a laboratory, not a portfolio.” Gabi encouraged us to experiment and take chances with our sketches instead of trying to make them perfect and precious.
• “I have nothing against erasers.”

4/12/19 My notes while Gabi gave his presentation.

4/12/19 St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

After Gabi’s presentation, members of Greater Victoria Placemaking Network, “a group of Greater Victoria residents dedicated to improving our region’s shared places,” took participants on a short walk around the neighborhood to experience public urban spaces. They encouraged us to use all our senses to observe without judging. Since urban sketchers naturally observe their surroundings closely as part of sketching, the group’s values – “we focus on what happens in ‘the public realm’” – complement urban sketching well.

Although making a sketch was not necessarily part of the brief exercise, sketching is the easiest way for me to efficiently observe and focus on any space, so I chose to make a quick one (at left) of the St. Andrews Presbyterian Church that I could see in the distance. (Little did I know then that it would be a dry run for the next day’s workshop!)

Gabi offered three workshops over two days: Architecture, People, and Nature. I opted for Architecture, which continues to be my biggest challenge. Saturday dawned wet, cold and windy (much colder than Seattle only a hundred miles south as the crow flies). We were originally supposed to sketch the stately and formidable BC Legislative Assembly Building, but without nearby shelter, it was untenable. Gabi decided to change the workshop location to the same church I had hastily sketched the day before, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, because a building with a deep overhang was conveniently available directly across the street. The overhang kept us all dry and somewhat sheltered (though not warm! We were all frozen by the end of the workshop). All weekend as he had to change plans according to the weather, Gabi noted that being flexible is an important part of urban sketching!

Gabi demo's composition options.

I look cold, don't I?

Thumbnail of the composition I chose.

The street light fixtures had an unusual curved shape that was different from the ones I’m used to sketching back home, so I wanted to include them in my sketch. As we talked about composition, Gabi noted that it might be a better choice to move slightly down the sidewalk so that the light poles wouldn’t be planted firmly in front of the church. Although the rain had slowed by then, I admit that I was reluctant to leave the overhang’s shelter. I stayed put and made my thumbnail. When I told him I had chosen to stick with the original composition, he said that it was still possible to make a successful sketch if the poles were given prominence so that their lines didn’t get mushed together with the lines of the church.

My final sketch is below. In retrospect, I think that Gabi’s idea of moving down the street would have made a stronger composition. But I tried to use color (on the church) and heavier lines on the light poles to distinguish them from the church.

4/13/19 St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

Gabi wrapped up the architecture workshop inside a nearby coffee shop so that we could warm up and share our sketches. He demo’d watercolor techniques and showed us his favorite sketch materials there.

Architecture workshop participants

The next day, the rain had stopped, but the temperature was still not amenable. Instead of following the Nature workshop students to a nearby park as I had planned, I decided to explore the historic Fairmont Empress Hotel. Thinking I would find an interesting interior to sketch there, I was delighted to find something much better: a fantastic view of the Legislative Assembly Building that we had to forego the previous day! And a cozy, comfy couch to sketch it from, to boot (sketch at top of page)!

Normally I would fill the entire composition with a huge building like this, but as I scoped out the scene, I heeded Gabi’s suggestion during the workshop: “Leave extra room in front of the building so people can ‘walk’ into your sketch as if they were walking into the real building.” A bus, a vendor’s umbrella and pedestrians in the foreground seemed like a handy way to give the composition the space that Gabi had advised.

The park in front of the legislative building was the location for the final event of the weekend – a sketchcrawl open to the public. Since I had already sketched the domed building from the comfort of the Empress, everything else seemed like icing. I chose the statue of Queen Victoria prominently placed in the park (you can also see a tiny version of her in my sketch at the top of the page).

4/14/19 Queen Victoria's statue

Despite the rain and cold, I had a very enjoyable weekend meeting sketchers from Victoria, Vancouver and other parts of British Columbia. I learned new tips to apply to future sketches, and as always, I was inspired by Gabi’s enthusiasm for and commitment to urban sketching.

Cathy sketching a totem.

Gabi sketching the legislative building.

Sketchers at Queen Victoria's feet.

Final sketchcrawl participants