Suzzallo Library - 3rd Floor South Allen Stacks - HV Crime Section

When I heard that today's sketchcrawl was at Suzzallo library I thought I would like to do something different than I did last time when I sketched the front of the building. I thought it would be fun to go back into the stacks where I first started thinking about what would later become my career as a Criminal Justice/Criminology professor. So I found the old familiar HV section ... some of the books on the shelves...The Criminal Personality, The Onion Field, Sexual Homicide Patterns and Motives, Crime and the American Dream, Punishment and Social Control, Acting Out: Maladaptive Behavior in Confinement, Letters from Attica, Life and Death in Sing Sing, Concrete Mama: Prison Profiles from Walla Walla, Using Murder: The Social Construction of Serial Homicide,  Sex Crimes, Women, Murder, and Justice, Women Serial and Mass Murderers, Evil Doers, Convicts, Profiling Violent Crimes, Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation, Postmortem....As I sat there sketching I remembered many a day long ago lost in some of these books. A peaceful afternoon sketching down memory lane thinking about how powerful books can be in shaping the course of a persons life.

Columbia City Theatre and Bourbon Bar

I used to live just off Rainier St on South Garden and I would drive down Rainier Ave every day on the way home from work. Somehow I didn't notice the Columbia City Theatre back then. Columbia City has come a long way in the 15+ years since I lived near there. It is beautiful with lots of colors, activity, buildings, and shops, old and new. It was a somewhat chilly day in comparison with some of the almost summertime weather we've been having which made for some quick sketch and watercolor maneuvers on my part, including spills, splotches, huge droplets coming from the sky and landing on my page that I wasnt sure if came from the clouds or the birds. All in all, a nice day and I'm glad this crazy long summer weather is finally giving way to Fall. I am game for a few more outdoor sketchcrawls!

Fall City Farms Pumpkins and Goats

Thanks Jane and Gail for organizing this interesting location at the Fall City Farms for the WWsketchcrawl! After being the one to say "This is Seattle, what's a little bit of rain?" I discovered mid-sketch that my book was getting completely soaked and I had to run for cover with the goats to save all the sketches in my book. The one I was working on got completely soaked and any white spaces I tried to leave were washed away. When I was waiting for my sketchbook to dry, the goat decided to try to eat it. After things dried out, I had about 10 minutes left to try one more sketch while undercover of Gail and some of the other sketchers drawing in the middle of the pumpkin farm while a musical quartet in cowboy hats played for the crowd.

Out and about ...

I was bummed to miss today's ad hoc sketch outing and this month's sketchcrawl and struggling to find time with my work schedule lately...so I have been multitasking getting sketches in when I can while out and about. Here are a couple from some recent events I attended...

Damien Echols presentation at Town Hall Seattle September 28th, 2012

Damian Echols, author of Life After Death, of the Memphis III who spent 18 years on death row spoke at the Town Hall Seattle (with KIRO Radio's Luke Burbank and Innocence Project attorney Kelly Canary). I have never thought to ask a sketch subject to sign a sketch, but since I was standing in line to ask Echols to sign my book I thought it would be fun to ask him to sign my sketch. Very interesting talk. I'm looking forward to reading his book.

Geoffrey Castle Concert in Snohomish Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater September 15th, 2012

I discovered Geoffrey Castle on my very first outing with the Seattle Urban Sketchers thanks to Gail who organized a sketch event at one of his concerts. He is an incedible electric violinist who plays a fascinatingly eclectic mix of fiddle, classical, and metal electric violin. I decided to go to his concert in Snohomish on my  birthday at a cute little venue in Snohomish. Geoffrey Castle rocks! Thanks Urban Sketchers for introducing me to him. I am now one of his biggest fans and this is my second attempt to sketch him in action which is no small feat given how fast he moves!

JM Cellars Exhibit

JM Cellars

Sketchcrawl at JM Cellars winery 10/30/11.

Another view of Kenmore Air

Fun day sketching at Kenmore Air. My first time drawing an airplane. I've never really noticed the airplanes flying over Lake Washington before but while running the BG trail today I couldnt keep my eyes off of them - very cool!

Geoffrey Castle Concert

Below is a sketch done by Jackie Helfgott who joined us at the concert.  It was her first time sketching with urban sketchers.