Light and Dark at the Chapel of St. Ignatius

 

12/10/25 Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle University

With another atmospheric river promising record-breaking flooding in the region, it was hard to push myself out into the torrents this morning. As if that weren’t bad enough, to arrive at the 9 a.m. sketch outing, I had to leave the house at 8 – the sun was barely up! When I retired, I swore I’d never leave the house in morning darkness again!

Beautiful interior lighting with subtle tints

Despite my grumbling, drippy coat and all, as soon as I stepped inside Seattle University’s Chapel of St. Ignatius, I was happy that I had come. The chapel has the most architecturally intriguing interior that I’ve sketched in a long time. I wish I’d thought to take more photos to show the fascinating lighting, but I was too engrossed in trying to capture it in my sketchbook.

Although I hadn’t been inside before, I find most churches to be dark inside, so on that hunch I brought along the black Uglybook that I’ve been making nocturnes in. It was a super-fun challenge to try to convey all the different values emanating from hidden windows. Sketchers who used color also tried to capture the varying colored window glass that tinted the walls subtly.

For my second sketch, I chose the wood crucifix. Very dimly lit from one side, it was a fascinating tonal study, too.

Finally, in the time remaining before the throwdown, I walked out to the vestibule to sketch through a large, wet window with a view of the chapel’s reflecting pool and trees wearing holiday lights.

Reflecting pool outside the chapel. The USk Seattle stamp wouldn't show up on black paper, so I used a tiny sticker instead.

After the outing, Mary Jean and I walked to nearby Piedmont Café for coffee (below). During the Big Dark, I have fun sketching nocturnes even in the daytime!

12/10/25 Piedmont Cafe, Capitol Hill neighborhood

St. Ignatius Chapel at Seattle University

Today we had to swim upstream in this tropical atmospheric river to get here on Capitol Hill! Once inside though, it was a peaceful spot for sketching. St. Ignatius Chapel on the north end of Seattle U's campus has beautiful geometric lines, soft light, and is super hushed. 

10/10 highly recommend this for when the holiday season stresses you out!

Not-So-Festive in Wallingford

 

12/7/25 Fuel Coffee, Wallingford neighborhood

Wallingford Center used to be a thriving retail center housed in the historic Interlake Elementary School building. It’s been going downhill for a while now with fewer and fewer shops and cafes, but USk Seattle has met there nearly every winter because the interior is spacious, cozy and, around the holidays, festive.

Sadly, we were disappointed to find that it wasn’t even decorated this year. Since I’ve sketched there numerous times, I took a walk through the Wallingford neighborhood to find an alternative. Fuel Coffee has window seating looking out on a strip of quintessential Wallingford buildings, so I settled in there with a Cortado. Patrons around me were having interesting conversations that I couldn’t help overhearing. A new pastime: urban eavesdropping. 😉

Meanwhile, most other sketchers found plenty to sketch inside and outside Wallingford Center, festive or not!

Seattle Marathon

11/30/25 Olympic Sculpture Park and Seattle Marathon route near Pier 66

Seeing the map of the new Seattle Marathon route in the Seattle Times last week made me realize that I had never sketched at a marathon before. I knew that Gabi Campanario, illustrator of the map, was also running in the marathon. It all seemed like an excellent opportunity to organize a sketch outing there!

Had I known the temperature would be 31F that morning, I might have hesitated, but the expected 15,000 runners probably didn’t mind the cold. Putting on my brand new, extra-long down coat and boots, I was ready, too.

Meeting up at the Olympic Sculpture Park, which was near the end of the route, USk Seattle had a good view of participants on their last mile. I made one sketch near Calder’s Eagle sculpture in silhouette against the brilliant sun while runners streamed by.

Around the time Gabi expected to finish, I walked down to Western Avenue to get closer to the excitement. Despite the crowd of cheering onlookers, it was surprisingly easy to find a spot with a good view. I had an app that indicated when Gabi would be close to the finish line, and I was watching for him carefully, yet somehow I missed him! When I next looked at the app, he had already finished!

Disappointed that I couldn’t cheer him on, I still had fun cheering random runners. A large team of marathon supporters called out encouragement to runners at various points: “You got this! Almost there! The last mile!” Some carried signs with the names of specific runners they were cheering for. Although I’ve never been a runner myself, I felt the exhilaration they must have felt after all the months of training and commitment to their sport. Congratulations to Gabi and all Seattle Marathon participants!

Fay couldn't make it to the throwdown, so we took an intermediary throwdown photo near the finish line.

Terra

Yesterday (Tues., Nov 18) Urban Sketchers Seattle met at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral to see the temporary "Terra" exhibit. It's a 24 foot inflated high resolution globe. This was one of the most unusual sketch outings I've been on. I discovered it via St. Mark's YouTube channel.

The globe was made by Eric Morris of Orbis Globes and Earth Ball. I had a chance to talk with him about it. He also came to look at the sketches during throw down and talked with us, answering questions about the globes he's made.  He's made thousands, including for NASA, museums, and the Vancouver BC Convention Center.  I prevailed upon him to pose with us for the group photo.

From the cathedral's flyer:  "The power of the TERRA exhibit is an opportunity to experience the 'overview effect,' a profound shift in human consciousness previously only made possible by viewing the Earth from space." 

 

Eric is in the middle of the group.

 more photos here

A Wondrous Earth at St. Mark’s

 

11/18/25 Terra installation at St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle

A wondrous temporary installation at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral challenged USk Seattle in just about every way. Terra, a 24-foot replica of planet Earth suspended in the center of the cathedral nave, slowly revolves on its tilted axis. The jaw-dropping scale of the globe in the context of the cathedral is difficult enough to convey, but there’s also its three-dimensionality: How to keep the sphere from looking like a flat disc?

I’m not sure I was successful at capturing any of that, but at least I can thank Kay for being seated in a pew and lending some sense of scale!

The globe at St. Mark’s is one of hundreds that Orbis Globes has installed in various locations since 1985. During the throwdown, an Orbis installer chatted with us about the challenges of suspending an inflated, revolving 24-foot Earth. I’m sure that’s challenging – but not as challenging as drawing it!

KEXP in November

It was so great to see so many turn out for Urban Sketchers Seattle today at KEXP at the Seattle Center! Lots of folks joined for the first time, and a few intrepid souls took advantage of a break in the rain (or roof coverage 😁) and worked outside.The bright fall colors were a common theme, as was Caffe Vita. Rainy days in music coffee shops are the best.

So much good conversation around the throwdown -- I didn't want to break it up for the group photo at the end. Thanks to Carmen at KEXP for helping with those!

It was wonderful to see everyone there doing LOTS of beautiful work!

Sunny Inside the Ferry Terminal

 

11/1/25 Colman Dock ferry terminal

The newish Colman Dock ferry terminal has become a USk Seattle all-season mainstay. If the weather is fair, the views from the pedestrian overpass overlooking the waterfront are spectacular. If it’s cold or wet, the terminal interior offers many of the same views facing Elliott Bay on one side and the downtown skyline on the other.

As last night’s deluge continued into this morning, I was relieved that we’d be sheltered inside the terminal building, but by afternoon, we almost didn’t need it: The sun came out over Elliott Bay, and several sketchers enjoyed capturing the cracks of light through the clouds. The Great Wheel, the Space Needle, lots of ferry passengers and, of course, ferry boats – we all had plenty of fun subject matter to find.

Cherries Dressed for Fall

 

10/29/25 UW Quad cherry trees

The University of Washington Quad during cherry blossom season is an annual event for USk Seattle. But those same cherries that delight us with spring flowers are a yellow-orange spectacle when they get dressed for autumn. Although we talk about it every year, we rarely get to have sketch outings for the cherries’ fall foliage. Targeting prime color is hard enough, but coupled with iffy and fast-changing weather, it’s almost impossible.

Kim went to scout the color on Monday. Checking the weather, she decided today would be the best day to try for an outing. Score! USk Seattle got the benefit of both prime foliage and sunshine!

Although I have sketched the Quad cherries when they weregreen, I’m not sure I’ve ever sketched them in their fall hues. More sublime than showy red maples, the orange Sakura still shine vibrantly, especially in late-morning light.

Cozy Drink & Draw

 

10/24/25 Drink & draw at Project 9 Brewery, Maple Leaf neighborhood 

After walking through the deluge from our current atmospheric river, I was afraid I’d be all alone at the USk drink & draw. Happily, I was joined by four others who braved the torrents to get to Project 9 Brewery, where the heat lamps kept us cozy in the perfectly dry tent. (We could have gone indoors, of course, but it gets very loud in there, especially on a Friday evening.)

With one highly skilled professional artist and one who had begun drawing only a few months prior, both new to Urban Sketchers, I was reminded of one of many reasons I appreciate USk: People of all experience levels can draw and chat together while sipping beers and munching tacos. No judging, just fun!

Cold and Windy Swansons

 

10/22/25 Swansons Nursery

“Why do we always meet at Swansons in the morning when we know it would be warmer in the afternoon?” I complained to Kate when I arrived. (Note to self: Schedule the next time in the afternoon!) A fall and holiday season standby for USk Seattle, Swansons offers colorful displays outdoors and a cozy café for inclement weather. In addition, the staff are always friendly and welcoming.

It wasn’t raining today, but it was downright cold and windy. I stayed outside for as long as I could stand it, sketching some bright blue pots, even brighter leaves that had caught my eye in the tree section, and Mark sketching by the shopping carts.

After that, I had had enough of the chill. Retreating to the café for coffee and a snack, I spotted Natalie and Kim – ideal victims under a jungle of enormous leaves. Swansons is always a good meetup spot in any weather.

Swansons Cafe