Afternoon and Morning

8/22/20 across the street (Maple Leaf neighborhood)

Sketch the same view at different times of the day: That was the USk Talks Challenge that Shari Blaukopf had offered sketchers when she gave a USk Talk way back in May. I liked the idea and kept it in the back of my mind all summer, but I kept forgetting to do the same scene at a different time. Then yesterday, I looked across the street at the shadows cast by our neighbors’ planters on the lawn, and I suddenly remembered that I had sketched the same view in the afternoon a few weeks ago. It was an ideal opportunity to finally respond to the challenge.

Above is the scene in the afternoon, and below is the one I did yesterday morning. The afternoon sketch was leisurely on a lovely sunny day, but the morning one was quick: The air was still hazy with smoke from wildfires in distant parts of Washington State. I used violet and yellow to capture light and shadow as well as to evoke the strange color of the sky.

9/9/20

inside views

Some little vignettes from inside my little apartment. It's a 257 sq ft loft studio in a new building that feels really lovingly designed, unlike many microstudios I looked at in Seattle. I really adore the layout; it's perfect for one single person who (normally) works in a coworking area (keeping many belongings there as well). I moved here after breaking up with my longtime partner last fall, so honestly it has been a struggle to feel comfortable here sometimes. The lockdown has forced me to confront a lot of those feelings and also invest more of myself in the space.

The ceilings are about 20' tall with an enormous window, which really cuts down on the claustrophobia the space might otherwise induce. my bed is upstairs, so there's a clear separation between my living/working area and sleeping area. And no temptation to roll into bed once I'm up. In fact, the lower floor feels like a little office with its desk, microwave, mini fridge, bathroom, and sink. There are three full kitchens in the building but lately I've been using my hot pot & rice cooker to make almost all my meals, so I don't have to worry so much about sanitizing shared areas. I built a folding desk and shelves for this little nook. This is where I sit and spend most of my days (folding desk is down in this sketch):

One night I stood up on my loft and drew the view below: my two seater sofa, the shade pulled down over the window, plants and shelves attached to the wall. The drawing might not make any sense to you with its weird perspective, I just kind of went for it:

I kind of really miss drawing inside other spaces! Even though the weather is insanely nice now and perfect for outdoors socially distant sketching, I miss being indoors with other people and drawing corners of rooms and strangers' faces.

Down Low

In the mid-century house where I grew up, some door knobs were made of faceted glass. I was intrigued when I stared into these “diamond” door knobs, and sometimes I would invite playmates to come see our “diamond room.” I would blindfold them until they reached a glass knob, position their eyes near the knob, then reveal the diamonds. I’m not sure why they were never as impressed as I thought they should be.

Recently Rob Sketcherman and Liz Steel put out a sketching challenge to “get down low” inside one’s home for a new perspective. I’d planned to sketch the light fixture in the center of our livingroom ceiling, but I wanted something else to put in the composition. I walked all around, trying to find a way to fit something else in. In the early-century house where I live now, we have a few original glass knobs, but they’re not quite as ornate and diamond-y as the ones in my childhood home. The mullioned French doors between the livingroom and Greg’s study have such knobs, and if I sat on the floor up against the doors, I could see the light fixture through it.

It was not the most comfortable sketch I’ve ever made, but I’m thankful for the challenge, because otherwise it never would have occurred to me to look for a composition from that perspective.

Stay home, stay safe, and keep sketching, everyone!

All Alone, Together

Urban Sketchers Milan promoted an event for yesterday.   I think it would be a good idea to continue to sketch our view from home and use the hashtag.



Both USk Seattle and USk Tacoma have cancelled all sketch outing through the end of April.  Due to my and husband's risk factors, I've decided I won't be attending any of the demos at Daniel Smith.  All of this makes me sad and I miss my friends.

The bright spot is that I can still make as much art as I want.  I can go out on my own, maintaining social distance or just sketch from inside my car.  I can stay somewhat connected with other artists via all of the USk social media platforms.

What I see out my windows is not all that interesting to me.  I live in a modern suburb of homes that look very much alike.  A couple Urban Sketchers have shared sketches of similar views and made them look interesting and artful.  That's the challenge I may take up soon.  For now, though, I sketched the view out my patio.