The view from Ampersand Coffee shop

We arrived a little early, as usual, to scope out our subject. I drew the Pepperdock Burger joint a year or so ago (you can just see the sign in the distance of the new drawing), and I like how this little stretch of beach maintains it's California Surf town flavor, even on a chilly day like today.

New construction and postings for public hearings on even more development mean this will all be gone before too long and Alki Beach will lose its character to more bland condos, so see it while you can.

Relics and Rain at Salty's on Alki Beach

This has been a very busy weekend for Seattle Urban Sketchers as well as those attending the Singapore Symposium. I finally have time to scan and post a few sketches.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Seattle Urban Sketchers' Ad Hoc outing started out with an overcast sky at Salty's on the Alki shoreline. Built over the water on its own pier, the restaurant is known for exceptional views of the Seattle skyline. Bronze salmon sculptures swim among relics of the old West Seattle Bridge in the aquatic-looking landscape at the entrance to the parking lot. The idea of recycle, repurpose and reuse has come to a whole new level. Owner, Gerald Robert Kingen calls it his "urban reef" in this video tour.

I barely noticed when the rain began as I stood halfway up the covered entry steps looking down at the giant lobster, a bronze sculpture by Lee Emmons. A pipe full of recycled water occasionally creates a "bubbler", splashing on the rocks nearby. More pieces of the old bridge form a habitat for the lobster as well as for the giant bronze crabs on the other side of the steps.

Sometimes your subject just stares right back at you.

Sketchers in Singapore enjoy famous chilli crab as I sketch a bronze lobster at Alki Beach. Thanks for the badges, Kate!

We all got badges, expressing solidarity (and a little bit of envy) for fellow sketchers attending the Singapore Symposium this weekend. Just for the occasion, I cracked open a new Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook and used my DYI Altoids travel kit.

Kate and I decided to wait out the rain and warm up inside the cafe. We got a table at the window and Marvin joined us as we sketched the misty atmosphere from our elevated view.

It seemed unfair that the rusty pilot house of the Kalakala was beached at the edge of the parking lot, forced to gaze through empty portholes as a tourist excursion sailed out toward two massive cruise ships on the opposite shore.

Once the #1 tourist attraction in Seattle, the Kalakala remained an icon to many of us who grew up in the area. I remember seeing her underway in Lake Union and moored there at the north end. Gabi wrote an article and sketched from a kayak when it was moored in Commencement Bay. The Urbanist documented the last ride of the Kalakala in January of 2015.

Much like the skeletal remains of a prehistoric bird, the pilot house, piston and drive shaft of the Kalakala are strung out along the edge of Salty's Restaurant parking lot.

More Alki

Catching up with my posting, finally. Yes it was a beautiful morning for our June sketch outing. Mini-Lady Liberty welcomed all of us with sunshine, thankfully.

The beach reminds me of the one I grey up near. A long stretch of sand, bathers languishing in the sunshine even in the morning. 

Sketching on Alki

I got a start to my farmer's tan for this summer at Sunday's sketch outing. Clear skies and plenty of sun contributed to great views over the Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains and the space needle. 

 I broke in my new water color note book with this view from the eastern end of Alki Beach. A volleyball tournament and plenty of beach goers provided a lively foreground with the Olympics and apartment buildings framing the view.

 I also got off this quick study of the miniature Statue of Liberty. The quick, blind contour line work gives the feel of the statue's robes swaying in the breeze.

 In addition, I did a quick sketch of the historic Friedlander Court Building. However, I was not as satisfied with this sketch because the massive rhododendrons in front of the building masked this Alki landmark.

I had hoped to get off more sketches, but I was distracted by the various bungalow style homes tucked away behind the apartment buildings on the beach. Fortunately, I live in West Seattle so Alki is a short bus or car ride away.   

Sketching with the gang at Alki

The June sketcher's gathering took place on or around Alki Beach at West Seattle. Beautiful weather, too nice maybe, by the time I did my urban hike back to the truck I was quite burnt - the forgotten sunscreen still sitting on the bathroom counter.

Pen and ink with watercolor in a Stillman & Birn watercolor sketchbook.

Alki Beach

6/22/14 Alki Beach and Elliott Bay

A huge turnout of the Seattle Urban Sketchers celebrated summer on the day after the solstice with a sketch outing on Alki Beach, and we agreed it couldn’t have been better weather. Sure, some of us had to wear Polartec and hoodies in the morning, but personally, I don’t like to sweat. It was perfect!

6/22/14 Statue of Liberty

For my first sketch I sat on the low wall between the beach and the rest of the park to take in as much as possible of Elliott Bay and the shoreline, including the Space Needle and Queen Anne Hill’s three TV towers on the horizon.

Then I turned around to face Seattle’s own tiny replica of the Statue of Liberty, where I managed to catch Jane and Mike sketching in both directions.

Alki must have been a particularly inspiring location – I saw so many really great sketches today!