Lots of History Behind U-District Street Fair

 

5/18/25 U-District Street Fair

In its 54^th year, the U-District Street Fair is the longest-running festival of its kind in the country. Although I’ve sketched at it only a few times, I’ve been attending regularly since the late ‘70s when I was a University of Washington student. The fair has a long history, and I learned a bit more of it on Sunday with USk Seattle.

Shiga's Garden at 55th and University Way NE

As I walked slowly up and down the 10 blocks of the fair, I stopped occasionally to capture snippets in my sketchbook. Most fun was the Bellingham juggler who said he has been performing at this street fair for 15 consecutive years. With a continual comedic patter, he juggled a variety of props for his captive audience circled around him. Related trivia: Jane’s son went to school with the juggler!

During the throwdown, I learned from Noel (a Seattle native and current member of USk DC) that a nearby P-Patch was named for Andy Shiga (1919 – 1993). The longtime U-District merchant and owner of Shiga’s Imports was also the founder of the U-District Street Fair in 1970. On my walk back to my car after the outing, I happened to pass the P-Patch, which was an appropriate final sketch for the day. (The shop’s website includes interesting history on the Shiga family in Seattle.)

While the rest of USk Seattle was having fun sketching at the fair, Ellie Doughty was working hard at her booth!

Last Resort Fire Museum

 

5/15/25 Seattle Fire Department Headquarters and Last Resort Fire Museum, Pioneer Square

Pioneer Square, where some of Seattle’s oldest buildings stand, is an apt home for the Last Resort Fire Museum. Housed within Seattle Fire Department’s Headquarters and Fire Station 10, the free museum holds a fascinating collection of historic fire rigs, other fire-fighting apparatus, old photos and vintage artifacts. Used in 1907, the oldest truck was originally a horse-drawn steam pumper that was eventually motorized. Although no longer in service, the vintage rigs are maintained so that they could, in fact, be used if needed in a pinch; hence, the museum’s name.

In the drizzle during the throwdown outside, I discovered that this Pilot brush pen's ink isn't as waterproof as I thought it was!

Staying dry and comfy on a cool, drizzly day, USk Seattle had a challenging time figuring out ways to squeeze the enormous rigs into our sketch pages. I kept trying to back up in the crowded museum so that I could get enough distance to see entire rigs, but that was usually impossible, so I focused on capturing small pieces of what I saw.

Thanks to Kate for discovering this gem of Seattle fire service history for USk Seattle. Supported by volunteers, the non-profit, free museum appreciates donations. 

The Last Resort

We met today at the Last Resort Fire Department to sketch their vintage engines and equipment. It's a relatively small place but there were lots of fire trucks. It's next to a modern Fire Station so we had to be prepared to move out of the way if the Chiefs' needed to roll out in their cars, which were also stored in the museum garage. 

I started with the 1924 Seagrave 800 GPM Pumper. I only sketched the front half as I wanted to leave room on the page for other objects in a montage. The boots and helmet were on the floor behind a battalion chief's vehicle. I presumed they were there so as to be quickly put on. This was a very fancy chief's badge on one of the helmets on the floor.

Old and New Around the Roastery

 

5/7/25 Melrose & Pike area, Capitol Hill

Although USk Seattle had an outing at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery last year, I missed that one, so our outing this morning was the first time I’d sketched in the area in years – probably since before the pandemic. At the border between downtown and Capitol Hill, that vibrant part of town is one of my favorites to sketch. It’s an interesting mix of traditional and modern architecture.

Probably the most traditional and certainly most majestic building in the area is the dome-topped First Covenant Church. I did a wonky job this time, but I made a better rendition of it several years ago.

As a counter to that one, I also sketched the high-rise Nexus condo building, which opened just in time for the pandemic. It looks like messily stacked boxes that have been taped together just as messily. Because each “box” is slightly askew, I thought the design would hide any angle errors or sloppiness on my part, but it was still very challenging to draw. Compared to all the other identical glassy boxes downtown, I like this one’s distinctively funky look.

Around the corner from the Roastery is the Voodoo Doughnut shop that opened last year. Since I had already indulged at Portland’s original Voodoo (and decided it was overrated), I passed this time and instead sketched its corner (one of the area’s older buildings, which happens to be bright pink).

Eventually I went inside the Roastery to share a table with Michele and Kim. Of course, I couldn’t resist getting an overpriced but beautifully presented beverage – a seasonal ube coconut latte.

I’d like to get back to the area again this summer, either with USk or by myself – I snapped several photos to remind myself of things I still want to sketch.

USk Week 2025 at the first Starbucks Reserve Roastery

Thanks to all who came to sketch the Starbucks Reserve Roastery - 9 years old now - on Capitol Hill today. So many cool views of the neighborhood, including the new Voodoo Doughnuts, First Covenant Church, and more. It was fun to meet up with some Usk veterans and also some newer folks. (Tina got an Ube Latte, hot, purple with latte art on the foam... Yum.)

#watercolor #directwatercolor #acuarela #aguarela #水彩画 #penandink #sailorfude #watercolorpencils #usk #urbansketchers #uskseattle #USkWeek2025 #urbansketchersdelhi #artdailycollective #artdaily0504 #embracethewonkiness

Out and About for the Last Day

Today is the last day of International Urban Sketchers Week so I went out to two locations in my suburb to the south of Seattle. I traveled light and only took my Art Tool Kit.

My first stop was the Filling Station Coffee shop in a neighborhood above Coulon Park. It's a delightful place. As the name implies, it used to be a gas station. The covered area which once had the pumps is now a really nice patio. In the background across the street is a half-timbered church.

Next I went to my local IKEA for lunch. In fact, I live 20 minutes from the only IKEA in WA. I specifically wanted to get a slice (or two, to take home) of their rainbow cake. For each slice sold, they are donating $1 to Rainbow Railroad which has "helped LGBTQI+ individuals around the world find safety through emergency relocation, crisis response and other forms of assistance"

They didn't have any in the dessert shelf of the restaurant. I asked and the very nice Charlane B went behind the kitchen to get me some! I ate my Swedish meatball lunch while I sketched the background. Then I added the cake.

 

Fishermen’s Terminal For USk Week

 

5/4/25 Fishermen's Terminal

The first week of May is the annual international Urban Sketchers Week to help promote the activities of the community and local chapters. A new initiative this year was to pair local chapters and encourage them to share their sketches with each other virtually. USk Seattle was paired with USk Delhi, a large, active group whose members have been sharing daily on social media.

For our part, USk Seattle had a huge turnout today at Fishermen’s Terminal, one of our perennial favorite locations and the site of our very first outing ever. We didn’t plan the outing to land on this date, but it happened to be the Terminal’s annual memorial service to honor people in the fishing industry who were lost at sea. I was happy to be able to capture that.

Although we were treated to lovely sunshine and a mostly clear sky, the wind was brisk and harsh at times. Still, there’s nothing like being part of the Urban Sketchers community, both worldwide and right here at home. Happy USk Week! 

Upcoming ad-hoc: Himalayan Blue Poppies

Hoping you'll come! If you've never been, it's a treat! The rare Himalayan Blue Poppies are just beginning to bloom at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way. Check the website for more info. (Yes, May 17 is the official Blue Poppy Day, but I can't make it then, so I want to go this week! - Kim)

Meet in the parking lot at 11 am this Friday 5/9. Throwdown at 1:30pm at the ticket booth.

https://rhodygarden.org/
Rhody Botanical Garden, near the old Weyerhauser campus in Federal Way.

#usk #USkSeattle #usktacoma #urbansketchers

Cold Chairs at U Village

 

4/27/25 University Village

University Village is one of USk Seattle’s tried-and-true for transitional seasons because the retail center has some sheltered areas to keep us dry. Sketchers can make themselves comfy at all the public umbrella’d tables without having to patronize venues. Except for stores and restaurants, however, U Village is all outdoors, so a cold morning is still a cold morning – made even colder because the chairs are made of metal. Yikes! Although I typically stand to sketch anyway, I sat just for a moment to keep my lettering straight, and yowza, was that chair chilly! Despite that common complaint, everyone’s enthusiasm was high.

Trying to study color temperature again, I was in the mood for a primary triad to capture the bright colors of red umbrellas and new, green leaves on the Japanese maple trees (plus a U Village icon, Leo Sewell’s “junk” penguin sculpture).

Colder than ever from standing longer than I expected (color temperature studies always take me longer than I think they will), I took a brisk walk around the Village. Finding a spot in the direct sun (if the sun were to appear from behind clouds), I looked around and found bronze sculptures of a calf and a turtle. To add to the menagerie, I caught a living, breathing pup waiting for his human to finish snacking.

Problem with our email

 

The USk Seattle Gmail email account is having an issue.  We're working on it and hope to have it resolved in a few days. We know what's wrong and but there will be a delay before it can be fixed.

Meanwhile, we might not be receiving emails, including the requests to be added to the Google mail group as listed on the right margin of this page.  Emails might be bouncing back to you. 

If you've sent such a request in the past 2 days, it hasn't been received.  So hold off another week or so and it should be fixed.  

If you've received a response to a request from me, than you've been added to the Google mail group.  I respond to every request. If you haven't received a response, than the email didn't get through. 

 

UPDATE:  4/25 @ 5PM:  I did get email from a sketcher asking to join the Google mail group.  Thus it's still working. 

Kate Buike
co-Admin

 

Trunk Appreciation Day at Sunset Hill

 

4/4/25 Sunset Hill neighborhood

For Day 2 of USk Seattle’s pink marathon, we headed west to Sunset Hill and my favorite street of cherries. Since I had already sketched them earlier in the week, I used this second opportunity to try – ta-da! – gouache again. I was disappointed when I tried it last year, but this time I limited the paint to the blossom areas only (with a bit of Caran d'Ache Neocolor II for texture), and stayed with my tried-and-true Pentel Pocket Brush Pen for the trunks and shadows. I like this approach better.

That one done, I declared it Trunk Appreciation Day and spent the rest of the outing making small vignettes of some of the most amazing trunks. Many trees on this block are nearly a century old, and I always feel the need to honor and revere their beauty, whether or not they are in blossom.

It’s a good thing we went when we did, as the leaves were starting to sprout, and I could tell that the blossoms were past their prime. Although I had started out in my down parka and gloves, by the time we left at noon, I was ready to take the top down for the drive home!

Sunny sketching!