Peaceful Red Square for No Kings

6/14/25 Red Square, University of Washington campus

Joining many cities across the country, Seattle held numerous “No Kings” demonstrations on June 14 in protest of policies that have been put in place since January. The biggest rally began in Capitol Hill, with 70,000 marching to Seattle Center (one of the largest protests in the city’s history). Many smaller gatherings took place in local communities, including one on the University of Washington campus, which I chose to join.

In addition to witty signs, some protesters carried US flags.

As it happened to be commencement day, protesters chanted and carried signs and flags at Red Square, while graduates in cap and gown posed for photos with their parents nearby in front of Suzzallo Library. Eventually the group marched through campus and around the U-District, where traffic waiting for us to pass honked their support.

It felt good to join the collective voice against injustice and disgusting tyranny. It was also important to show that we can gather and express our views in public peacefully and without fear.

After the rally, protesters marched across campus and through the U-District.

 

Saturday with the Boys in the Boat

This past weekend was the opening day of boating season in Seattle and the Windermere Cup races at the University of Washington. Lots of people and boats, gray drizzle, but for me, the highlight was getting to sketch the interior of the actual UW Shell House made famous in both the popular book and the recent film, The Boys in the Boat.

That story–a true story–is about a ragtag group of University of Washington rowers who beat the national favorites and traveled to Germany to race in the 1936 Olympics. In front of Hitler, they WON the gold medal! A proud moment for our country and a legacy that is still celebrated here in Seattle and especially at the UW. Drawing this space was an emotional experience, I felt like I was connecting with that legacy and the young men who lived and worked in this very same spot.

This drawing was challenging! It’s an enormous, fairly complicated space that was initially used as an airplane hangar, and the backlighting from the windows made it very difficult to see. Scaffolding was in the way too, but I kept calm, measured with my pencil, and drew in each bay of structure. Then working left to right, I started to draw in the details…some I couldn’t see well enough to figure out, but I think I got close enough!

Hanami

Every year we hope to pick a week day with good weather for our sketch outing during the peak bloom of the Cherry Trees on the quad at the University of Washington.  Once again fortune was with us.  The trees were at peak bloom yesterday.  We were about 30 sketchers and so much pink on the pages!  

"Hanami" = "flower viewing"

I chose a bench a bit of a distance from the crowd.  I always like to get a bit of the characteristic Neo-Gothic architecture in my sketch.  It adds to the story of place. 

We had our throw down by Denny Hall so as to be away from the crowds.

Sunny Campus and U-District

 

10/2/22 Drumheller Fountain, University of Washington

Planning sketch outings in October is always iffy. Sometimes it can be crisp and sunny, but more often it’s wet and cold. We hedged our bets by going with the University of Washington campus, where Kane Hall has a wide, deep overhang in front. If it was wet, lots of sketchers could shelter there while still getting a great view of Red Square. Luckily, we didn’t need that shelter! It was sunny with temps in the low 70s, and except for a light haze of wildfire smoke on the horizon, we all agreed it was phenomenal weather for October.

Broken Obelisk

I warmed up with a small sketch of Drumheller Fountain (AKA Frosh Pond for the tradition of dumping underclassmen in) in my bright yellow Uglybook. The combo of colored paper and a white gel pen is the fastest, easiest way to sketch falling water! (I regretted that I didn’t have my red book with me, though, which makes the white gel pen pop even better.)  

Walking through Red Square, I spotted a sketcher with Barnett Newman’s Broken Obelisk sculpture behind her, which made another fun, quick sketch.

After that, I walked around campus for several thousand steps, looking for another subject, but nothing grabbed me. It seemed like all the buildings I was attracted to were either fully in shade or fully lighted, which are both difficult to sketch. I wandered off campus to Northeast 42^nd and 15^th Northeast, where an old brick building covered in ivy caught my eye (below). The green awning near the center is Magus Books, a used book store that has been in the U District since I was a UW student in the ‘70s. I liked all the contrasts among old, new, brick, steel and foliage. In a few weeks, the ivy will turn, and I’d probably make even better use of a secondary triad if I sketched it again.

U-District

Cherries on the Quad

The UW web page for Quad Cherry blossoms reported "The cherry blossoms in the Quad reached peak bloom today". It seems Urban Sketchers Seattle hit the mark for planning a sketch outing for today. We've come to sketch the peak cherry blossoms for some years now.

Our group photo was taken by the Ellen M. Banner, photographer for The Seattle Times. didn't get her name at the time as she was talking to us about the group and our sketches. She put one of the sketchers in her photo essay, here  (it's the third image).   By the end of our session there were quite a few sketchers.



by Ellen M. Banner, photographer for The Seattle Times

My first sketch of man with camera is representative of the dozens of photographers present today. The UW blossoms are predominantly white with a bit of pink in the center. But I wanted to heighten the effect with splattered pink. During this sketch I sat with two charming families, mothers with small daughters. I gave one daughter a piece of paper as she wanted to draw, too.  They were picking up tiny fallen blossoms and I took one to draw in the corner of my sketch. 



My second sketch was done for the USk Flickr group weekly theme: "fire hydrants". This one is in the colors of the University of Washington. It seemed the perfect choice.



I had just a few minutes left and I wanted to include this ornate lamps in my sketch of more trees. 

Not shopping on Black Friday

It would seem that sketchers don't care much for Black Friday shopping. Our Friday group is often just 8-12 sketchers. Today we had almost 30. It might also be that many working folk had the day off.

I arrived at the Burke Museum about an hour early due to surprisingly light traffic. I've always wanted to sketch the UW Observatory. Given that it wasn't raining and was also not too cold, this seemed the perfect chance to do so.  "The Theodor Jacobsen Observatory is the second-oldest structure on the campus. Built in 1895, the Observatory with its 120-year old, 6-inch refracting telescope is still offering celestial views of the wonders of the Universe."



My main goal for this sketch outing at the Burke was their new exhibit...exhibiting the staff at work! Last year the museum acquired a T Rex skull. I've been waiting for it to be on exhibit and now it is, in a way. In a room walled in glass a staff person works on preparing it for exhibit. When the Museum opened, there was no one there. I thought perhaps it was a day off. So I sketched the skull in the framework from a view I thought most likely to also show the worker, if they came in. And so, about noon, a woman arrived and began work. I hastily added her in to the sketch.






Meanwhile, I went outside again to sketch a view I'd noticed when I first arrived. In the foreground is the Northwest Coast Clan Pole. It isn't historic as it was carved in 2006. Just behind it is the new Burke Museum, still under construction. Further back and to the left is one of the neo-Gothic University of Washington buildings. I liked the juxtaposition of an ancient style of art (the totem pole), the brand new building and the older building.



Two large tables were needed for the throw down of sketch books.




As I wrote, we were a much larger than usual group today.

Quite time in Suzzallo Reading Room

It was great to join the other Seattle Sketchers who braved the gray, rain AND the time change yesterday. 

Of course, I was drawn to sketch the view in the reading room, looking UP (getting into the mindset to teach "Soaring Spaces" in Manchester this summer.) What a beautiful space and probably the closest thing we have to England in Seattle.  

This sketch took about 1 hour 15 minutes, was done with a .5 mechanical pencil on an 8" x 16" Fluid watercolor block with Winsor & Newton watercolors.  I'll post the entire process on my blog later today. If you click on this image, you should be able to see the detail.

And I have to add that I'm the proud mom of two current UW students!  Go Dawgs!!

Suzzallo Library, Cherry Blossoms, and Rain

A water tower on the horizon, threatening storm clouds, rain, cherry blossoms and classical architecture as seen from the third floor windows of the Allen Library.

Seattle Urban Sketchers met at the Suzzallo Library on the campus of the University of Washington this morning.  Taking advantage of early opening for students studying for finals, many decided to shelter from the rain and chose subjects inside the building. My vantage point was from the third floor of the Allen Library, looking back at a wing of Suzzallo and adjacent buildings.

After sharing our sketches, the sun broke through and a few of us walked over to view the cherry blossoms in the quad. My commute northward towards home on I-5 was wild and wet, scattered with fallen tree boughs as I navigated through several squalls.

At this moment, we are experiencing extrememely high winds. So high that our star magnolia split and half of it is layng across the pond.

University of Washington Shell House

Finally posting my sketches from a week ago...sorry for being so late.

  I was able to get inside and paint the grand space with all the different multi-colored boats, shells, kayaks and canoes.  

 Even the rowing oars from older UW teams lined against the wall.

Husky Crew House and Surroundings

Summer returned Sunday morning with the intensity we have come to recognize. I sat on the dock outside the new Conibear crew house. Rather than take on the panorama of the new structure, I went for the simplicity of a neighboring boathouse. Lake Washington was glistening increasing the sun's effects- fast drying paint and plenty of sweat. Afterwards my sister with and I found our way to Rachel's Ginger Beer in 12th Ave on Capital Hill. With just a little help I went through a small growler of white peach ginger.  So refreshing!



As. A quick second, I found this dock with a line of sailboats sitting under the tree-lined dock, looking so relaxing in the shade.

A few pictures of the group: 

The Buoys near the Boats

Seattle Urban Sketchers brought the sun out again at the Waterfront Activities Center at the University of Washington. In contrast to thunderstorms on Friday and cooler temperatures on Saturday, we found ourselves shedding our layers and searching for shade during our monthly meetup this morning.

I wanted to compare the old shell house with the new one, each located on the shore at opposite ends of the boat launching area. I started with the Conibear Shell House on the north side of the shore. Rather than sketch the buildings, I turned my back to the shell house and chose a view across the lake towards Bellevue. Like a giant bee, a yellow helicopter buzzed through the scene. The floating bridge was closed today and I could see at least three cranes along the stretch visible in the middle distance. As I worked, a man launched a paddle board and set out on his knees for the arboretum, navigating his way between the two orange buoys. Now and then a canoe would emerge from the right, through the lily pads and marsh grass.

Looking east toward Bellevue and the floating bridge under construction.

After finishing my first sketch, I was ready to walk along the shady waterfront path, back towards the Canoe House. It was interesting to see fellow sketchers stationed all along the way, focused on their own particular subjects. Zoom to see larger.

Now on the south end of the water sports area, I walked around the back of the old shell house. Many of the sketchers are in the process of reading "The Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown, and they wanted to be at the old shell house where the US. Olympic Champions did their training. I finally chose to draw the huge white buoys, specked with rust and tied to a tree.

A very nice couple stopped to ask if they could see what I was drawing. In an amazing coincidence, she turned out to be Helen, one of my former watercolor students out for the day with her photographer husband, David Barnes. They settled nearby to eat their lunch and I continued to draw.

I only had time to get the line work and a few tones in before I noticed it was time to share our sketches. As it turns out, David Barnes kindly agreed to take our group photo.

Color added to the "Buoys near the Boats." Watercolor Field Book by ProArt, Micron pen, watercolor and map collage.

I collaged a map section, showing the two docks; Conibear Shell House (in the red circle at the top of the map) and the Canoe House (in the lower right corner of the map, indicated by my arrow).

Mad Campus Art

I had intended to sketch more of the art at UW's Mad Campus Art Exhibit but just couldn't find the time to do it. But here is the one sketch I did of the Lone Stranger by Piper O'Neill.  It was such a colorful and fanciful addition to the campus!

10302014-
I was able to find time to do another sketch on the one dry day this week.  Luckily the Sine Wave was still there.    The Sine Wave is a wood sculpture by artist W. Scott Trimble and appropriately located by the Physics and Astronomy building.  You see Astronomy building behind the Sculpture.

A two month sketching summary

I have not had the opportunity to post my sketches in a while. I have been undergoing an exploration of my life and career and I have not had a lot of time for posting my sketches as I have generated them. So here are the high lights from two months of sketching.

 I recently started taking a class on technical writing at the University of Washington. This has given me plenty of great sketching opportunities around campus.

I also enjoyed walking the historic Queen Anne boulevard, which winds around the top of Queen Anne and offers spectacular views over the city. The view from Bhy Kracke Park was particularly spectacular.

I visited the recently remodeled Bellevue Botanical Gardens. The gardens now sport a recently completed garden gate, gift shop, visitor center and office space. I was attracted to the Japanese Garden that doubles as a stormwater detention facility.

Finally, there was this month's sketch outing to Capitol Hill where I captured some great sketches along Broadway.

I plan to begin posting on a more regular schedule and look forward to seeing everyone at future sketch outings.