...and the kitchen sink

As we have for the past several non-pandemic years, we met to sketch the Georgetown Garden Walk.  There were so many options I did more looking than I did sketching.  It's a problem.  

One of the gardens I visit every year is that big Victorian house across from Oxbow park.  It's known as the "Georgetown Castle".  The gardeners are Lynda, Micah, and Debbie.  It seems every nook and cranny is stuffed with plants and things collected.  I liked this scene on a side walk...bamboo and a sink! 

We met back at Oxbow Park, which is also home to the "Hat and Boots", a former gas station road side attraction.

Back in Georgetown

 

7/10/22 Oxbow Park in Georgetown

Although it’s not too far, I rarely sketch in Georgetown except with USk Seattle. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the (normally) annual Georgetown Garden Walk was back on this year – and we lucked out with a gorgeous day.

My blog shows me that I have sketched the historic Hat ‘n’ Boots at Oxbow Park at least three times – why not a fourth? My only regret is that the few people in the park didn’t seem to want to walk close enough to the boots to put them in for scale.

After that, I spent more time walking than sketching (the public restroom was quite a trek), so I had time for only a couple of quick ones: a clock tower covered with scaffolding and a busy view of the Interstate 5 bridge with lots of the horizontal and vertical lines I love. It was good to be back in Georgetown, especially with USk Seattle!

Hat and Boots - Vestiges from the Fabulous 50's

For the first time in a few months I joined Seattle Urban Sketchers on their Sunday sketch outing. And for the third year we've hit the Georgetown Garden tour. Those earlier visits had me at the Georgetown Trailer Park. This year, however, I was determined to get over to the infamous Hat and Boots at Oxbow Park. Created in 1954 for a Georgetown gas station, the historic landmark, was billed as the largest had and boots in America.

First I did a quickish thumbnail:

And then tried pencil and watercolor. 

Fun to be back with the group.

Musical Hat in Georgetown

7/10/16 Hat in Oxbow Park

For the second year, Urban Sketchers Seattle took part in the Georgetown Garden Walk, an annual event that culminates with music and art in Oxbow Park. While I enjoy gardens as much as the next sketcher, I knew from last year that they would be crowded and difficult to sketch in, so today I went directly to the park instead. Like last year, I couldn’t resist another sketch of at least the hat part of the legendary and historic Hat ‘n’ Boots. Even better, a jazz band was performing under the hat!

In addition to us sketchers, lots of plein air painters also found Hat ‘n’ Boots to be an inspiring subject. I loved looking around the park and seeing sketchbooks and easels everywhere.

7/10/16 Painters and sketchers in the park

Hat 'n Boots at Oxbow Park

I have always wanted to sketch the Hat 'n Boots and remember driving by it when it was at its original location.  I don't think it was a working gas station at that time.  I'm glad they saved this 1953 icon.  There was only one spot in the whole park where I could get both the Hat and the Boots in the same view.  From most other points in the park they were either too far apart or you couldn't see the two boots and the hat together.  Here is the sketch I did and a photo of the park with my set up in the foreground.

Georgetown Boots - Oxbow Park

Went to Georgetown (Seattle) and stumbled across the landmark Hat and Boots. Once a gas station and part of a western themed shopping complex called Frontier Village in the 1950's, the hat (not shown) was the cashier stand and the boots were the men and ladies restrooms. They were rescued from a dilapidated state by volunteers and relocated to Oxbow Park.

When I first arrived a family of four were having a picnic on the toe of the first boot. The hat is placed quite a ways from the boots and will have to be a separate sketch another day.

6400 block between Carleton Ave. S. and Corson Ave. S.