It’s a Hot Rat Summer at Cal Anderson Park

 

8/17/25 Cal Anderson Park, Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park was busier than usual last Sunday. In addition to the weekly farmers market, the park was also host to a flea market that I wasn’t even aware of until then. Both events gave USk Seattle plenty to sketch that morning.

I began with an homage to Hot Rat Summer, a piece of renegade art that appeared at the park last year (above). Not just graffiti or even a painting, it’s a mosaic installed on an historic structure. According to Wikipedia: “Widely interpreted as a symbol of queer and trans resilience, the mosaic gained cult status and sparked broader discussions around public art, graffiti policy, and civic engagement.” The city has been painting over the mosaic regularly, and local residents have been removing the paint just as regularly. I was unaware of it until I read a Seattle Times article about the controversy just a few days ago. People stopped by to pay respects to St. Rat as I sketched, and small offerings had been left on the ledge below the mosaic.

For the rest of the outing, I rambled through the farmers market and flea market, capturing some people and dogs. Not too hot, not overly sunny, the morning had a relaxed summer Sunday vibe, despite the crowds.

Flea market at Cal Anderson Park

Capitol Hill farmers market

After the outing, I had lunch with a few other sketchers at nearby Lost Lake Café, where I’d intended to sketch my French toast, but there wasn’t much left of it by the time I got around to it.

Waiting for the meetup to begin and lunch at Lost Lake Cafe

Ninth & Hennepin Donuts

6/4/19 Regrade Farmers Market

The Seattle Sketcher’s recent column about pop-up farmers markets downtown reminded me that I had wanted to check them out last summer but never got around to it. On Tuesday, I hopped on the bus to the Regrade area, where a market had popped up right next to the Amazon Spheres. Before exploring the market, I sketched a few tents in the shadow of the Spheres from across the street.

Yukon Potato Cake Donut with chocolate ganache glaze!

As Amazonites on their lunch break poured out of nearby buildings, I started strolling around the vendors to check out their wares. Suddenly, my nose led me to the tent of 9^th & Hennepin Donuts, where two guys were making donuts to order! On the menu that day were Yukon Potato Cake Donut with chocolate ganache glaze, Applesauce-Hazelnut Cake Donut with cinnamon sugar, Filled Brioche Thumbprint with strawberry custard and vanilla bean glaze, and d’Anjou Pear Fritter with a local honey glaze. It took me a while to decide, but that chocolate ganache called to me. I considered sketching it . . . but the thought was fleeting, and I scarfed it down while it was hot.

After sketching the donut shop with the warm sun at my back (it was 65 degrees with a soft breeze), I brought home the first local strawberries of the season. I wait nine months in the year for a day like that, and it’s worth it.

Incidentally, I asked the owner if Hennepin was the one in Minneapolis (Twin Cities native Greg has taken me there), and indeed, it was. He said the shop is named for the Tom Waits song in which donuts are referenced. (Urban sketching teaches me so many things!)

And not so incidentally: Happy National Donut Day!

Radish season!

Piles and piles of radishes stack the stands at the Olympia Farmer's Market. I sketched these, organic Easter egg radishes, at the Calliope Farms stand. The proprietor, Jacob Wilson, told me about his farm near Evergreen where he and Megan Marina tend "about six acres of cultivated ground, pasture, greenhouses, orchard and nettle patch."  Check them out to add a little colorful spice to your palate. 

Olympia Market

It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Olympia. I sat down in the sunshine at a picnic table to drink my cup of coffee and and thought I'd do some figure studies. One grew to two, then I had to add some context...and, of course...some color.

I love Olympia's farmers market. 

Meet the Correspondents: Tina Koyama

8/31/12 Phinney Farmer's Market (fountain pen, marker)

Although I’ve been an abstract mixed media artist for years, for most of my life I had both the fear of drawing as well as the desire to learn to draw. In September 2011, partly because of that desire, and partly because I was so inspired by Gabi’s Seattle Sketcher column, I finally decided to overcome the fear. His drawings of Seattle – my birthplace and lifelong home – were sights that I had seen many times, yet had never truly seen. I wanted to learn to see, and therefore experience, those locations (and any new ones that I travel to) more thoroughly. Part 8 of the Urban Sketchers Manifesto, to “show the world, one drawing at a time,” has a flip side: Sketching enables me to see my world, one drawing at a time. 

I enjoy sketching a variety of subjects, but my favorite is people in their environment. (My current sketching bugaboo: cars. I’m working on it, though.) Last summer I went to as many neighborhood farmers markets as I could. Buskers and other musicians became my favorite sketching “victims” because they stay in the same spot for a while. The sketch above is of blues singer and guitar/harmonica player P. K. Dwyer performing at the Phinney Farmers Market in August. Some of his songs were about his experiences as a busker while living in New York subway stations. As far as I could tell, all the tunes he performed were original.

10/26/12 Zoka Coffee (fountain pen)

The second sketch is an example of how I spend all the many cold, wet sketching months: in coffee shops. With tall ceilings and lots of natural light coming through large windows, Zoka Coffee and Tea near Green Lake is my favorite. This sketch is also an example of my current favorite sketching medium/technique: water-soluble fountain pen ink washed with a waterbrush.

The photo of me was taken by my husband Greg as I sketched a swimming pool from our 23^rd floor room of the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas last October. We aren’t really Vegas people, but we stopped over on our way to Zion and Bryce canyons. (You can see the finished sketch on my blog.)

Photo by Greg Mullin

When I attended my first sketchcrawl in May 2012 at Magnuson Park, I had so much fun and found everyone to be so friendly that I was encouraged to keep on attending. I’m thrilled to be a Seattle USK correspondent! Please visit my blog, Fueled by Clouds and Coffee.

36th WW Sketchcrawl

I missed the Jefferson Park Opening due to a summer cold, but felt well enough to hit our local market and downtown for a bit of sketching. Can't miss out on the international event!

And a couple of days before at Music in the Park: 

Ballard Market

A couple of sketches from the Ballard Market from last Sunday.

Ballard Bank

Ballard Bicycles

  

Urban Sketch Gathering - Sept.

When the worst of the rain was coming down and vendors were floating down the street, I was sipping a double short latte in a cozy little coffee shop where I had parked myself in a window seat to draw. You'd think there would be a little guilt....Great meeting Don and other new sketchers, missed some of our regulars, next time...

Second monthly Olympia Sketchcrawl

Meet USK Olympia!

We met at the Farmer's Market. A bit warmer this time than for our first sketchcrawl. Great to see the enthusiasm.

flowers and feathers

Here is the sketch I had the most fun with at the Lake City Farmer's Market on June 18, with Frances and then Dave! This flower seller had the most beautiful peonies, but peonies intimidate me. I was happy to stand there drawing these lush beauties, and the seller came and talked with me too. Fun!

Just to get us all in the mood, I'll throw in last month's goose from Fishermen's Terminal .

Lake City Farmers Market

Beth and I shared a recent sketching visit to the Lake City Farmers Market (Seattle), which happens on Thursdays in the summer months. It's a great place for sketchers on a sunny afternoon....and it was delightful when Dave happened by, too.

One more for the series

Here's mine! It was great meeting you Dave and seeing Beth again. When should be plan the Fisherman's Terminal sketch outing?

UPDATE: Guy Quintino, the bassist from the Past Duo just emailed me a cut from their new CD with "You're Gonna Miss Me," one of the pieces they were performing while we sketched. They also run a jam in Ballard at Conor Byrne the first Wednesdays of every month. Enjoy!

Lake City Farmers Market -part 2!

It was a good day for sketching for sure. It was also a pleasure to meet both of you ( Gabi and Beth ). Thanks to both of you for sharing your sketches and techniques. I'm looking forward to spending more time sketching with both of you and meeting the rest of you.

The sketch turned out ok. It is funny comparing the three sketches. Gabi's is a close up. Beth's is a little larger. Mine takes in even more. I like drawing roof lines and trees.