Cool Green Lake on a Hot Day

 

6/14/26 Green Lake walking path

Unusual for mid-June, temps were expected to climb to the mid-80s yesterday for USk Seattle’s outing to Green Lake. I encouraged anyone (including myself) who got overheated to retreat to the air-conditioned public library. Almost everyone opted to stay at the lake, though, where a strong, cool breeze and plenty of huge shade trees kept us comfortable. I was surprised by how pleasant it was all afternoon, despite the heat.

Green Lake

Purely conjecture, of course, but something about their 
body language made me think they were on a second date.

Filled with sunbathers, the beach looked like Malibu, while swimmers, paddleboarders and kayakers took to the water. It looked and felt like summer!

Since I’m such a frequent Green Lake visitor, the throwdown was especially fun for me. It’s like seeing the familiar through fresh eyes again.

A great turnout, even on a blistering day!

Quiet Sketch Reportage: Seattle Trees

 

7/23/23 Luma, a culturally significant cedar in Wedgwood, and an idle excavator on the adjacent property.

8/3/23 This healthy Douglas fir growing where 
a housing development will be built was cut down
11 days after I sketched it. Maple Leaf neighborhood.

While many of us may think that “sketch reportage” involves being in the trenches on a battlefield (as Richard Johnson, former Washington Post artist, became well known for) or participating in large public rallies, it can be quieter, too. This summer Gabi Campanario, editor of the online publication On the Spot, gave me an opportunity to report on a tree that had captured the hearts of Seattle. Named Luma by its supporters, the 200-year-old Western Red Cedar was slated to be cut down to make room for construction of a housing development.

I’m fortunate to live in a city where trees are a prominent part of the urban landscape, and I always enjoy including trees in my urban sketches (especially when utility poles, wires and other human-made features are involved). Working on Luma’s story, however, gave me a much greater appreciation for the sketch reportage process – that it’s much more than just the fun of urban sketching as I have always known it.

In addition, I learned much about my subject matter: Mature trees like Luma are being cut down at an alarming rate all over Seattle, especially in less affluent neighborhoods. Living a comfy, privileged life in Maple Leaf, I had understood the term “climate justice” only peripherally. Suddenly I was becoming aware of how much is at stake when trees that take a century to grow are eliminated from the landscape. The impact is socio-economical as well as environmental.

8/14/23 In the Roosevelt neighborhood, a resident had ordered this 100-year-old Deodar cedar to be cut down to accommodate a new plumbing line. Tree activists gathered on the morning of the scheduled cutting to raise awareness among neighbors.

Using information I’m learning from the organization Tree Action Seattle, I’m trying to sketch as many threatened trees as I can, especially those near my own neighborhood. The numbers are staggering – I can’t sketch fast enough, and sometimes I’m too late. But every tree I sketch has become an opportunity to express gratitude to all trees that silently provide service to all of us every day.

8/23/23 While technically protected by city code, a heritage yellowwood tree in Wallingford is in danger of being damaged during construction of a multi-level townhouse on the property. Fewer than 500 heritage trees -- of exceptional size, form or rarity -- still exist in Seattle.  

9/8/23 This redwood was planted in the 1930s by Green Lake Elementary School students. Fencing supposedly protects it from nearby construction activities, but the fencing does not comply with city code, and the tree's roots may be injured. City officials are aware of the non-compliance but are not enforcing the code.

9/9/23 Tree Action Seattle informed concerned citizens about this block of trees slated to be cut down in Shoreline. Unfortunately, I couldn't get there before the cutting. Fliers urging neighbors to voice their concern still hung from the stumps.

Back to Green Lake

 Despite yesterday's uncomfortable air quality due to wild fire smoke, Urban Sketchers Seattle met in the Green Lake neighborhood this morning.  The air quality was better and we had a large turnout.

This is a very popular area due to the large park and lake.  It's quite far from where I live so this is only the second time I've sketched there. We met at PCC market so I walked down to the park.  On the way I saw a restaurant building I remembered from the previous visit and one I'd wanted to sketch.

From where I sat while sketching the building, I could see an arch in the distance, inside the park.  So I made my way to it and there were already some sketchers there.

From plaque on the arch:  "These terra cotta archway pieces originally graced the front entrance to the Martha Washington School Administration Building...The school buildings, located in southeast Seattle, were demolished and the site is now Martha Washington Park...The pieces...serve as the focal point to the Green Lake Shade Plaza."

I found more information on line:  "This impressive classical piece of architecture was in fact once part of the Martha Washington School for Girls. Built in 1921, the school was located on the shores of Lake Washington and consisted of Georgian-style brick buildings designed by architect Floyd Naramore. The school was operated by the Seattle School District and was intended to aid neglected and unfortunate young girls. It eventually closed in 1957."

We met back at PCC for the throw down (sharing sketches).  Several people had already left by the time we took the usual group photo.

Clearing Skies at Green Lake

 

9/11/22 Green Lake

Seattle Public Theater (formerly Green Lake Bathhouse)

Much to everyone’s relief, the smoke began to dissipate this morning just in time for Urban Sketchers Seattle’s outing at Green Lake. It had been six years since the group last met there. Since I walk there regularly and sketch in the neighborhood often, it’s fun and even inspiring when familiar sights are made fresh again by seeing them through the sketches of others.

I was in the mood for “classic” Green Lake: What types of scenes quintessentially represent what Green Lake looks like and, in fact, means to me? It’s not a huge lake – I can walk around it in three-quarters of an hour – so details on the opposite shore are fairly easy to see. Trees grow all the way around, and in many areas nearby houses built on the surrounding hills are visible beyond the trees. Anyone familiar with Green Lake would probably recognize these types of scenes.

I began with a rear view of the historic Green Lake Bathhouse (now called Seattle Public Theater) from the opposite shore (at left). Nearly a hundred years old, the Green Lake Bathhouse was originally used by swimmers to change into their suits and eventually became a community theater.

I have never sketched the Bathhouse building from the front – only from across the lake. In fact, the only other time I sketched it was last summer from a nearby spot. I really fought with myself as I sketched it this time: Compositionally, I knew that anything on the distant shore should be indistinct and less intensely colored than the foreground or middle ground. But my eye was also more interested in the warm-hued building surrounded by cooler trees, some of which were just beginning to show warmer fall colors. Which of my battling selves won?

Bicyclists at Green Lake Village

Another favorite part of the lake is one of the narrow “bays” where the opposite shore is actually very close (top of post). A guy sitting on the near shore gave me an ideal foreground element – until he got up to leave less than a minute in (he was staring at his phone; surely he should have stayed longer!). Luckily for me, I scribbled enough to scale him properly. The only other challenge was the constantly shifting light as the sun dodged in and out of clouds all morning. Residual smoke still hanging near the horizon gave the whole park a warmer-than-usual light.

Back at Green Lake Village for the throwdown, I killed the remaining minutes with a quick sketch of a young bicyclist and her mom. We had an awesome turnout of sketchers at “my” lake!

Green Lake Arch

1/14/20 Green Lake Park

We got a little more snow overnight, but not enough to write home about. The more significant difference for me was the drop in temperature. Although my weather app said it was 28 degrees, I was hoping that my walk down to Green Lake would have warmed me enough that I could stand to sketch outdoors as I had the day before. But my hands were freezing even with the mitten tops pulled over my fingerless gloves. I retreated to Starbucks.

Thawing my hands around a tall flat white, I picked a window seat facing a row of knotty old trees. It’s one of my favorite views of Green Lake Park, but it had been several years since I last sketched it. The darker areas are the grass already showing through the scant snow.

I’ll point out a bit of history: That classical façade in the distant background at right is a piece of architecture taken from the Martha Washington School of Girls for “neglected and unfortunate young girls.” Built in 1921 near Lake Washington, the school closed in 1957, and the city bought the property in 1972. (Local trivia: Apparently ghosts have been sighted there.) The Green Lake Arch, as it is now called, was taken out of storage in 2009 and placed at the park. I always thought I hadn’t noticed the arch until recent years because so many things escaped my attention before I started sketching. But now that I’ve read this bit of local history, I realize it was erected only a couple of years before I started.

Catching up.

To fit everything I liked about this view at Bothell Country Market into one drawing I had to do some squishing. Might be time to get a landscape sketchbook with longer pages, but then habits die hard.

I gave a private lesson at Suzzallo Library at UW. My student and I sat side-by-side and drew this view at a comfy table. 

This view of Suzzallo was drawn with my class from Gage Academy as a demo.

The atrium across the street from the market on Winslow Ave in Bainbridge, drawn a few weeks ago with Urban Sketchers Seattle.

Sitting on a blanket with my partner, as we drew The Shelter on the east side of Green Lake.

A sketch from behind an antique shop in Wenatchee, where I'll be giving an Urban Sketchers-themed "sermon" at the Unitarian Church this Sunday, followed by a workshop at Radio Station Gallery and Pub.

Green Lake Sketches - Worth the Wait

Even if last week's storm was a bit of a dud, I think it was worth postponing our monthly meet for a week. There will be plenty of time to sketch indoors during the drizzle this winter, so yesterday's sunshine was was a lovely gift!
As often happens for me in a new neighborhood, I had a hard time settling on one scene. I wandered about and ended up with three smaller sketches, each maybe 20-30 minutes? It was really a problem of too many choices as Green Lake has so many of the things I like to sketch - gnarly old trees in the park, narrow alleyways between buildings and an abundance of coffee shops!

GreenLake in Autumn.

I was listening to a local weather blog the day before our outing and they mentioned that October has had about double its normal rainfall so far.  Given the lashing we took from rain and wind during our previous outing last weekend getting a day like this was just delightful.  Hard to beat a Sunday, with some warmth in the air and a mix of sun and autumn clouds, and a calm day to boot!  Pretty nice.

I keep trying hard to improve my skills drawing people, which is good since it is very difficult to do a sketch at Greenlake and not have tons of people in it.  Even a grungy day here finds lots of folks exercising in some fashion along the lake's Trail.   I did manage to get one view of the lake without people in it but I was stuck when I started looking for my next sketch.  People everywhere.

I was fortunate to have a young couple with their newborn and dog hang around near me for a while which was fun.  No telling how many photos they took, but they kept swapping positions so they could get shots of the baby with the lake in the background.  

A little girl in a polka dot dress came up to the dog and kept pointing to him and making little girl doggie noises.   There were some ducks in the water nearby though and the dog was having none of this little girls attention.  He was watching the ducks intently and only moved again when his owners finally left.

It was interesting to compare notes with everyone after.   I had commented that the colors seemed to be muted this year and I heard a lot of agreement.  Not sure why.  And the leaves that are left wont be around too much longer.  Still, bright color or muted color, I dearly love fall and the rains and clouds and sun and calm that we get while we wait for winter to settle in fully.  It is a great time of year.

Green Lake Through Fresh Eyes

10/23/16 Green Lake Park

I’ve lived near Green Lake for almost 30 years, walked around it at least weekly year-round, and sketched there more often than at any other park (164 results came up in my Flickr photostream search of “Green Lake”). When I see the same things day after day, they sometimes become invisible. That’s what made this morning’s Urban Sketchers outing in the Green Lake neighborhood especially rich for me: I had the opportunity to see very familiar places and things through other sketchers’ eyes, and they became fresh for me again.

10/23/16 Woodlawn Ave. NE

For my own sketches, I seemed to have been in a tree mood. Suzanne and I both set our stools down near Starbucks facing the two rows of magnificent old trees leading from the street to the community center. I’ve sketched those trees many times, but I never tire of them. This time I chose an angle with the playfield behind them.

After that I walked to the street next to the La Escuelita Bilingual School, where the cherry trees had lost most of their leaves. I was tempted to give them more color, but I am ever “truthful to the scenes I witness” (maybe to a fault).

I forgot to take a photo of our sketchbook throwdown, but at least a couple dozen sketchers must have made it today. We lucked out with mild weather and even sunshine by noon!

Queen Anne + Green Lake

The goddess of Fall smiled upon Seattle this Sunday and brought the sun along with her. Queen Anne was buzzing as sketchers met up at El Diablo Coffee Company. After getting myself a cup of white mocha, I stuck around and sketched the nice shaded outdoor patio.

El Diablo & Queen Anne Book Co. - Outdoor Patio

I arrived at the venue rather late, so I decided to stay within close proximity of the cafe. Bethany Presbyterian Church across the street has some interesting architectural details. I sketched the main entry door and finish just in time before people started pouring out from the Sunday mass. 

Queen Anne Bethany Presbyterian Church - Main Entry Door

The wooden trellis over the cafe's outdoor patio piqued my interest. With 15 minutes to spare before 'throwdown', I sketched the overall view of the patio along with the trellis from the sidewalk.

El Diablo Coffee Co. - Wooden Trellis at Patio

Later in the day, my family and I took a stroll around Green Lake to soak up the remaining sunlight of the day. My youngest daughter insisted on bringing her notebook with her. We took a break in front of The Bathhouse Theater and my daughter and I spent some quality time sketching together. It was a great way to end the weekend.

Green Lake - View East from The Bathhouse Theater

Father-Daughter quality time

Abandoned House

This house, two blocks away, caught my eye soon after we moved to our new place near Greenlake, but I waited for a sunny day to draw it. It's clearly abandoned and overgrown, yet it's on a prime corner overlooking Green Lake. Curious as to how such potential just goes fallow.

Trees with Bad Haircuts

2/8/14 Green Lake neighborhood

2/3/14 Maple Leaf neighborhood

As I did last fall, I’ve been going around my neighborhood this winter sketching “portraits” of individual trees. I decided to do a series of trees that have been mutilated to accommodate ubiquitous power lines. When they’re fully in leaf, trees with bad haircuts look ugly and indignant, cheated out of what should be green and full tops. But bare, the same trees are strangely beautiful as their limbs negotiate around the straight, unyielding wires. Unfortunately, an evergreen near Green Lake looked particularly undignified with a huge chunk bitten out of its midsection. Like liposuction gone terribly wrong.