“Summer Thunder” at Kubota Garden

 

8/30/26 Taiko drumming event at Kubota Garden

Since notice was very short, I wasn’t sure how many sketchers would join me at Kubota Garden for “Summer Thunder,” a taiko drumming event that also featured dancing and storytelling. I was happy to find at least a few folks there!

As soon as I arrived, I realized I hadn’t been to the garden in quite a while; I think the last time was in 2022. It’s lovely year-round, but late summer is probably one of the best times to be at Kubota. Some Japanese maples were just beginning to hint at turning; in a couple of months, they’ll be gorgeous. I could have spent a long time trying to capture layers of foliage, but on this sunny afternoon I was more in the mood for the festive taiko event (top of post).

Eventually I took a walk through the maze of the garden. No matter how many times I’ve been there, I always get lost on its meandering paths. I don’t know where I was when I found a pine tree that was asking to be sketched (a good eavesdropping spot, too).

Seward Park Trees

 

8/26/26 Seward Park

Although I visited Seward Park fairly often as a teen, after I moved further north as an adult, I rarely went there. I wish it were closer: It has a lovely 2.4-mile walking loop with Lake Washington on one side and a dense, old growth forest on the other. It’s one of Seattle’s more serene parks; even on weekends, it never seems crowded (unlike Green Lake, my own neighborhood park, which can look like Malibu beach on sunny weekends).

USk Seattle met at Seward on Wednesday when it was cool and overcast. Since the temperature was ideal for fitness walking, I began the outing with a loop around the park. Although the dense growth of trees is serene, it’s formidable to sketch; I was looking for an individual tree I could isolate easily in a composition. About three-fourths of the way around, I came upon an old snag with an interesting shape (at right).

When I completed the loop, I looked around for another sketch and found myself at a familiar spot just as the sky was clearing. I think the first time I sketched this stand of shoreline poplars (top of post) was with graphite in Kathleen Moore’s nature drawing course years ago. Another time I made a quick stop when I happened to be in the neighborhood. Anytime in the afternoon, the slender trees cast lovely shadows that I find irresistible.

Happy 50th Birthday, Freeway Park!

 

8/22/26 Freeway Park

USk Seattle was invited to a very special birthday party: Freeway Park’s 50th! Initiated by civic leader Jim Ellis, the five-acre park became the first in the world to be built over a freeway. The Freeway Park Association put on a fun event today to celebrate with live music, art activities, free tamales and popsicles, photo opportunities and other ways to enjoy the unique space that the park offers.

Gabi Campanario and Sketcher Press shared a canopy with USk Seattle to introduce park visitors to Urban Sketchers. Quite a few new members joined us, and I expect a few more will join the Facebook group and our mailing list later. And what a massive turnout: I counted nearly 40 in our throwdown group photo!

Since I hadn’t sketched at Freeway Park since before the pandemic (which was the last time USk had an outing there), the event was a good reintroduction for me, too. I warmed up with a few gestures of buskers and visitors playing ladder toss on the lawn (below). I was amused that the electric violinist and the Chihuahua both wore red shoes!

Although I’m not a fan of Brutalist architecture, that’s what the park is all about, so I found a spot to capture some of it (top of post). What I do appreciate about Freeway Park is the beautiful integration of all those hard, brutal, geometric lines with the organic softness of so many trees and other plants. It’s a unique urban space unlike any other in Seattle (or anywhere in the world, for that matter).

Now that Freeway Park is back on our radar, we’ll be sure to plan more USk outings there again.

What a turnout!

Sketcher Press and USk Seattle's canopy

Hanwoori again

Urban Sketchers Seattle and Tacoma came together to sketch in the Hanwoori Korean Garden in Federal Way. The garden’s name means “we are one”.

The feature is a colorful pagoda, Donghaejeong, built in the sister city of Donghae and donated to the park. I still haven't sketched it.

I started with an ink drawing of the side of the gate.

Then I painted the stone feature with the "Taegeuk:, which means "supreme ultimate" in Korean philosophy, representing universal balance and dual forces (um and yang).

A few more photos here.

Rear Views of the Center of the Universe

 

8/15/26 Lake Washington Ship Canal path, Fremont neighborhood

Lenin from the rear

Fremont, AKA the Center of the Universe, is one of my favorite sketching neighborhoods, and I was happy to be back there with USk Seattle. Although I’ve sketched the (in)famous statue of Lenin many times (and I’m sure other long-time sketchers have, too), I never seem to tire of his strong angles and challenging lighting from all the trees around him. This time I tried a fresh perspective – from the rear (at right).

After that, I took a long walk around Fremont to look for my next sketch and to soak in the happy Saturday-afternoon summer vibe. I found myself on the Lake Washington Ship Canal walking/biking path, where I stopped to see how the topiary dinosaurs (which I’ve sketched several times) were doing. Some years, they have looked shaggy or somewhat bald, but they were looking good last weekend. With temps in the mid-70s by then, I walked all around them to find a view that I could sketch in shade (top of post). Coincidentally, the only shady view was again from the rear. Unrecognizable in my sketch, the mama dinosaur’s rear end is on the far left.

The more inviting view was of the shadow pattern crossing the Ship Canal path, a power tower and the Aurora Bridge in the distance.

New Drink & Draw Venue

 

8/14/26 Phinney Station, Phinney neighborhood

I feel like I say this every time, but USk Seattle showed a record-breaking turnout for last week’s drink & draw on a gorgeous afternoon! The venue, Phinney Station, was new to us, but I knew from sketching the final World Cup match there that it looked ideal – and it was! We filled up quite a few of their plentiful umbrella’d tables in a huge area. Two food trucks offered different foods, and bringing in outside food was also welcome. Of course, I’m always pleased by dog-friendly venues.

As usual, some folks new to Urban Sketchers joined us for the first time. Several others had come to previous drink & draws but had not yet joined us for regular sketch outings yet. One mentioned that while a general outing still feels intimidating, a casual sit-and-chat over brews feels more comfy and familiar. I’m happy that we have gatherings that are approachable at whatever level people feel ready to participate.

Visitors from Texas

Yesterday we hosted visiting sketchers from USk Dallas/Ft Worth at an unusual Seattle neighborhood park: Oxbow Park in Georgetown with the Hat and Boots! I laughed at myself for not making the connection of a park with cowboy hat and boots to visitors from Texas.

The p-patch held a riot of sunflowers. That's what I had to sketch but I included the birdhouses and some of the boot to hint at the location.

Down the street the huge spider sculpture had been moved from the garage roof to the small traffic circle.

Colorful Clouds of Belonging

 

8/9/26 "Clouds of Belonging" installed outside King Street Station

USk Seattle had one of its most colorful outings ever. “Clouds of Belonging,” a temporary installation in front of King Street Station, “is composed of large cloud-like forms that introduce softness, color, and light into the surrounding urban landscape,” according to the city’s Office of Arts and Culture. Artist Alex Proba invites visitors “to move through, pause within, and simply enjoy a bright, sculptural environment designed for connection.” As nearly everyone in the group focused on the sculpture, it definitely formed a connection for all of us.

After finishing the full-color version (top of post) from the railroad overpass, I was going to move on to other subjects. Then as I walked around, I found more viewpoints I liked, so I drew it twice more.

While I ate lunch in the courtyard outside International District/Chinatown Station, Mariners fans continually streamed out of the station and walked in the direction of T-Mobile Park (below, right).

At the throwdown back at the “Clouds,” USk Seattle came through with an impressive variety of compositions. The whimsical clouds were certainly inspiring as well as colorful.