Cars and Community in Greenwood

 

6/28/25 Herkimer Coffee, Greenwood neighborhood

A couple more pups outside Herkimer

As I do every year, I arrived at the Greenwood Car Show by 7:30 a.m. and started the day by walking the entire 20-block length of the show. On that first walk-through, I don’t sketch; I just look and enjoy. Although noisy and heavy with the smell of exhaust, the parade of cars on Greenwood Avenue getting into their spaces is exciting and full of anticipation.

Then I walk halfway back up again to get breakfast at Herkimer Coffee, grab a table outside, and watch the street action unfold (top of post). Over coffee and a scone, I often sketch more dogs than cars, as lots of pups get tethered to the bike racks while their humans go in for sustenance.

By the time USk Seattle meets at 10 a.m., I’m already warmed up and ready for action myself!

Greenwood Car Show

Although I’ve felt for many years that the Greenwood Car Show is my favorite summertime event, I don’t always stop to consider how different it is from other big annual events that roll around this time of year.

What is it about this show that makes it my favorite? Although I do enjoy seeing and sketching classic cars, it’s not just the subject matter. Despite attracting crowds from all over the city, the Greenwood show somehow manages to maintain its neighborhoody feeling. I kept seeing families running into friends there. Cheerful conversations were all around.

The sketch at top right on this page is my favorite this year. Spontaneously, I got the idea to draw the white lines over the black, and I love this look.

Then there’s the whole car enthusiast community: Owners chatting about all the work they’ve done, how long they’ve owned it, and all the cars that came before and after it. As I sketched, I overheard people reminisce about cars they or previous generations once drove, and I did my share of feeling nostalgic, too (I always look for Datsun Z cars of my high school fantasies).

Cars have always been a strong part of American culture, and the Greenwood Car Show drives (ahem) that point home. I’m happy to be part of it every year, catching the stories in my sketchbook.

On Saturday night, I got some takeout sushi for dinner. Sketchwaiting outside Akebono, I was still in car show mode and gave my own Miata a little sketchbook love. 

Pine Street’s Many Stories

 

6/22/25 Pine Street where it crosses over Interstate 5, downtown Seattle

When USk Seattle met at the top of Capitol Hill last month around the Starbucks Roastery, I took a walk down Pine Street across Interstate 5. That’s when I decided we needed to meet in that area someday, too. With the new Convention Center Summit and the old Paramount Theatre on the same block, The Pine/I-5 intersection has something to sketch in every direction, including down at the freeway. It’s as urban as urban sketching gets!

Sunday was the day, and it was my favorite type of USk location: A wide area to wander and capture small stories, like both the old and new Convention Centers; two patrol cars discussing a problem with two cars on I-5; and the historic Paramount Theatre (with both David and Jeff sketching it). Right on that busy Pine Street sidewalk, I unexpectedly spotted a long table surrounded by people swapping potted plants.

Running out of steam by mid-afternoon, I picked up a sugary treat at Voodoo Doughnut, coffee from Monorail Espresso and a chair at Monorail’s outdoor seating area facing Pine. For the center of urban Seattle, it was surprisingly calm and pleasant on a Sunday afternoon.

Although I didn’t sketch inside, I got a peek of the new Convention Center when I went in to use the restroom. A lobby mural reproduces Hopper’s Nighthawks. An art installation of native-inspired masks welcomes visitors at the Pine Street entrance. 

I love urban sketching – and I love urban urban sketching!

As urban as urban sketching gets!

Art installation at the Convention Center Summit entrance

Although it looks well-illuminated, I was surprised by how dark the Convention Center lobby seemed.

A mural-size reproduction of Hopper's Nighthawks fit in nicely in the dark lobby.

Together at the new church

This morning Urban Sketchers Tacoma and Urban Sketchers Seattle chapters met together at the Vietnamese Martyr's Church in Tukwila. I've been wanting to show others this location for some months now. I have done many sketches of this location throughout its construction, from September 2023 right up to the consecration in November 2024.

Back then I found some history of the parish, which is part of the Catholic Seattle Archdiocese. In 2018 it was reported the Vietnamese Martyrs Parish in the Central District was to be rezoned & demolished. This particular church community was formed around 1976 with about 50 Vietnamese refugee families and in 2010 officially became Vietnamese Martyrs Parish. It grew to about 1600 families. In 2014, many of the parishioners moved to a temporary location in Tukwila by the Green River, with plans to build a new church & classrooms. I remember watching the new long, narrow, one story building being built about 5 years ago. That building is where they worshiped for 10 years. This cathedral-like church has now realized their dream.

This morning was cloudy, breezy, and with an occasional bit of drizzle. But we all persevered and made good sketches.

Given that's I've drawn the church a dozen times already, today I gave my attention to a small detail.

 

I only did the one sketch as I enjoyed talking with the sketchers I hadn't met before. There were a few new people and Lee visiting from Australia. The pastor came to look at our throw down, took some photos, and said he'd put a note about it in Sunday's bulletin.

 

Sunshine and Shave Ice in Fremont

 

6/15/25 Fremont 

Last Sunday was one of those days I think of as ideal sketching weather: Not cold, not hot, not windy and perfectly blue-sky sunny! Anticipating good sketching with USk, I arrived early in Fremont to take advantage of the Sunday Market for lunch. Then I spent most of the afternoon sketching on the shore of the Lake Washington Ship Canal and the Fremont Bridge.

When I started running out of steam, I headed back to the Market for an espresso shave ice to perk me up. Along the way, I spotted a strange view: A rig hauling a huge covered boat was trying to squeeze past a barricaded construction area. The driver got out several times to rearrange the cones. It was a hasty sketch, but it was too tempting to pass up.

For a sunny Sunday afternoon, our turnout was relatively light, but it was also Father’s Day, so I’m guessing some sketchers were busy with family. On the other hand, one first-time participant brought his whole family: He had requested the USk outing as his Father’s Day celebration! They all sketched along with him. Hearing that made my day!

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.

 

New art exhibit

 Aircraft installation for The MiG-21 project continued yesterday. I was at the Museum on Monday (6/9) to make a delivery and but then after I was home I saw via Insta that the aircraft exhibit had arrived. Thus I went over to the Aviation Pavilion yesterday (Tues., 6/10) to do a sketch of the aircraft.

The full exhibit opens June 21 and it's the world premier of "South African artist Ralph Ziman’s 5-year, multidisciplinary project transforming a decommissioned Cold War-era, Soviet-designed MiG-21 fighter jet into a stunning work of art entirely covered in tens of millions of colorful glass beads."

The explanation of this art and exhibition is on the Museum's web site. In part, "The reclaimed jet turns an icon of violence into a symbol of resilience and collaboration."

The MiG-21 is in the back of the Aviation Pavilion on the East campus. There will be more items and objects on exhibit in the Red Barn on the West campus.

Museum staff and the artist's crew worked to assemble and document the process. Here are the crew plus Museum's Senior Curator on right, PR Director on his left, and others helping to move a section to attach to the aircraft.

While I did the line drawing, I thought, "How am I going to color this?" I decided the best medium was colored pencils but… yikes! It took parts of 2 days and it's my representation of the multicolored aircraft.

Seattle Chinese Garden, 6 June 2025

What a beautiful day, and what a great turnout for the @seattlechinesegarden !

A mix of new folks and veterans explored this gem near South Seattle College. Most everyone was looking for shade before our time together was over, and STILL we had such a variety of work. We even had a visiting sketcher from @urbansketcherspune who was in town for his daughter's wedding. 

#usk #urbansketchers #uskseattle

Sunny and Shady Chinese Garden

 

6/6/25 Seattle Chinese Garden 

Seattle Chinese Garden in West Seattle is a USk Seattle mainstay, especially in late spring when the peonies are in bloom. Meeting there on May 1 last year, I remember it was cold – 56 degrees, according to the notation on my sketch. Today we were treated to full-on summer – sunny with temps in the low 70s! It was a gorgeous morning to pull out my colors for a change.

Special Guests at Drink & Draw

 

5/30/25 Project 9 Brewery, Maple Leaf neighborhood

Sunshine and warm weather have a way of bringing people out! One of our biggest turnouts ever at a USk drink & draw included a special guest who came all the way from Pune, India. An enthusiastic member of USk Pune, Rajeev was in Seattle for his daughter’s wedding and brought his whole family to Project 9 Brewery – and they all sketch!

Rajeev (at left) and his family