Roosevelt Station on My 10th Anniversary

5/20/22 Roosevelt Light Rail Station

On May 20, 2012, a cold and rainy Sunday, I attended my first-ever Urban Sketchers sketch outing. I usually commemorate my USk anniversary at whatever outing I attend during the month of May each year, so I wasn’t necessarily planning an event to fall on May 20. But as it turned out, today was forecast to be dry and fair, so I took a chance to see who might be able to show up on short notice on a weekday afternoon. Although it was a small group, there was no shortage of enthusiasm.

Last October right before Roosevelt Light Rail Station opened, I sketched its colorful southern entrance. This time I stood at its northern entrance so that I could still include the yellow sculpture that marks the station. Just like the first time, I found the station daunting, and I wished I hadn’t bitten off such a large piece to chew! (Ironically, back in October, I had found a much less-daunting composition and even made a thumbnail to remind myself of it. I liked it better than the larger sketch I had made first. But I didn’t remember until I looked back at the blog post just now and saw it! It’s a better composition, too. OK, next time.)

5/20/22 Roosevelt neighborhood

Feeling a bit cowed by that, I wandered around the station to look for a second sketch, but nothing grabbed me. On an adjacent street, I saw what I thought would make a good composition study, so I pulled out my Field Notes to make a quick thumbnail. Then I found myself interested enough in it that I kept filling in details, and what the heck – the thumbnail turned into a “real” sketch. I like it a lot more than the color sketch I had made first! Hmmm, I’m detecting a pattern.

In any case, I appreciated having other sketchers to share the fun with. I was feeling a bit shy and trepidatious when I went to my first outing, but joining Urban Sketchers has been one of the most rewarding and inspiring decisions I’ve ever made. It’s been a fantastic 10 years, and I hope to continue for many more to come!

Ching, Paul, Sunny and Tina

Roosevelt Light Rail Station

 

10/1/21 Roosevelt Station the day before it opened to the public

Of all of Seattle’s light rail stations, I probably have the strongest connection to Roosevelt. It’s the closest station to home – about a 15-minute walk – but more significantly, it’s the one that I had the greatest intention of documenting with sketches while it was being built. I had big plans to walk down every few months to document its lengthy progress. In the early years, I sketched whatever heavy equipment I could see, and the cranes got bigger and bigger. But I was frustrated most of the time because the action was concealed by fencing. By the time the best parts of the station were finally revealed, the pandemic kept me from feeling comfortable standing around in the Roosevelt business district.

10/1/21 I like this thumbnail better than
my color sketch!

We all know where the pathway of good intentions leads to.

In any case, I finally got around to sketching Roosevelt Station – the day before it opened to the public. I thought Northgate Station was challenging, but Roosevelt was much worse! Standing across the street so that I could include the bright yellow sculpture and other colorful design elements (not to mention the crane, which is back there working on yet more apartments), I was cowed by the station’s scale, perspective and, well, everything. But it was just a first shot – I’ll certainly have more opportunities to try again.

Walking home, I kicked myself because a more sketchable view is on 12^th Northeast north of the station. I made a quick thumbnail to remind me of it next time.