Southern Textures

A pre-Thanksgiving trip to Atlanta yielded some sketching opportunities in a wooded suburban enclave.  Populated with craftsman style homes and giant deciduous trees, everything looked pretty under a cornflower blue sky.  Many of the houses had screened in porches with overhead fans, useful during the hot and humid summers.  I can almost taste the sweet tea! 

Back porch

Lucky for me, most of the trees still had orange, yellow and rust colored leaves on their branches.  Sitting on a bench in the neighborhood green space, I thought the planners of the community were wise to set aside a piece of land for natural beauty preservation.

Village Green

A long, winding, tree covered road led us to Cheatham Hill Loop at Kennesaw Mountain. Historic markers throughout the park tell the story of a Civil War battle at Kennesaw Mountain.  It was sobering to see battlefield earthworks and cannons as reminders of the war.  I sat behind the cannons and looked over the parapet into the woods.  In my comfortable situation, it was hard to imagine what it must have been like for terrified soldiers in 1864. 

Civil War cannons

Historic Marker at Cheatham Hill

With the weather still perfect, I once again sketched under falling leaves and appreciated the freedom of peace and tranquility in a rustic backyard.

Rustic yard

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

SAM Ram

11/17/19 Seattle Art Museum lobby

The Seattle Art Museum’s resident Chinese camels, rams and human figure received plenty of sketcher attention this morning. I was one of many USk Seattle members who were attracted to the iconic marble sculptures. Since I sketched the back end of a camel the last time we met at the museum, this time I gave a ram a try, along with the Chinese figure behind it. Unlike some brave souls, I ignored most of the long lobby stairway and its imposing decorative ceiling.

After that time-consuming exercise in graphite and quite a bit of chatting, I hardly had time to catch a few gestures of sketchers (and a security guard) scattered around the lobby before it was time for the throwdown. We had an excellent turnout again with a few new faces, including a visitor from Austin.

11/17/19 Seattle Art Museum lobby

La Marzocco People

Sue and I nabbed an empty table when we first walked into La Marzocco Cafe Friday morning.  I stayed at the same table the entire time and pivoted for different viewpoints.  A busy place with a constant stream of customers, this coffee shop has lots of options for figure studies.  

Comfortable seating next to KEXP fonts

Located behind a stage at the north end of La Marzocco Cafe is KEXP radio station.  You can watch the DJs through a window and hear the broadcast inside and outside the building.  A woman with a black beret in a leather chair next to the KEXP logo created a fine composition. Large ottomans offer extra acreage for kicking up your heels.

Seating arrangements

 Next, I sketched a young man with a mass of beautiful hair.  His companion sported a top knot, a popular style for both women and men in coffee shops I frequent.   The chair shapes and flowered oil cloth table tops offer some character to the industrial building. Only hinting at the gallery of record covers in the background of my sketch, I later went for a closer look at the colorful designs. 

November at the cafe

Large glass paneled garage door walls form the east side of the cafe.  Two figures provided a perfect counter point to the fall foliage and promenade of trees in the courtyard beyond La Marzocco.   

KEXP

The KEXP radio station broadcasts from within a glass room inside the "Gathering Space" which is a huge room. In one corner is the La Marzocco Cafe. It's a good place to sketch as, in addition to lots of people, there are interesting things on the walls and around the room.

It was such a beautiful day that several sketchers chose to be outside.



We did the throw down and group photo outside, too.



At least 2 sketchers missing from this photo. 

First, I sketched inside.  We had a long table at the back and this was in view.  I liked the energy of the Owl!



It was rather too warm inside and I went outside to cool off and do another sketch. 


More photos. 

Dick’s on Queen Anne and La Marzocco Café

11/8/19 Dick's on Queen Anne Avenue North

Dick’s Drive-in has been a Seattle-area institution for 65 years. When I think of the family-owned chain of burger joints, I think first of the one on Broadway (which I sketched few years ago) with its classic drive-in shape (though in-car dining is no longer an option). The one in lower Queen Anne has a more modern building, but it’s still a neighborhood icon. On a brisk and still-partly-foggy morning, I started the Seattle USk outing with a sketch of Dick’s.

Chilled after standing for more than an hour in the shade, I went back to the meetup location – La Marzocco Café – to warm up. Housing indie radio station KEXP (DJs are visible through a window, and the station’s broadcast is the café’s soundtrack), the café is also a large public space for town hall meetings and other events. There’s also a vinyl record shop and espresso-making equipment shop inside. I didn’t have much more time than a hasty sketch of café patrons in front of me, but I’d enjoy going back to take advantage of the many seating (and therefore composition) options. The coffee and snacks aren’t bad, either!

11/8/19 La Marzocco Cafe

The Onions of Pine Island, NY

I was back in New York from August through mid-October and had some time to explore the area and learn a little about the local lore. One story that I actually heard on Planet Money podcast last February referred to the small town of Pine Island, NY which is just up the road from my daughter's house in Warwick. Pine Island is sort of unremarkable.  However it sits in the Warwick Valley which is renown for it's black dirt. And what grows best in that black dirt? Onions. Move over Walla Walla.

The Planet Money story told of a Pine Island onion farmer who figured out a way to corner the onion market, first locally, then all over the country. You can hear the 15 minute listen: Episode 657: The Tale of the Onion King

I didn't get a chance to draw the onion fields, which are definitely black. But I saw plenty of onions.


In bags:

In bins:

And corn, tomatoes, peppers etc. etc etc.

You can read more of the story on my blog, Olysketcher.com