Sunny and Shady Chinese Garden

 

6/6/25 Seattle Chinese Garden 

Seattle Chinese Garden in West Seattle is a USk Seattle mainstay, especially in late spring when the peonies are in bloom. Meeting there on May 1 last year, I remember it was cold – 56 degrees, according to the notation on my sketch. Today we were treated to full-on summer – sunny with temps in the low 70s! It was a gorgeous morning to pull out my colors for a change.

USK spring meetups

Sharing a few of my sketches from some recent-ish USk Seattle events!

Centro de la Raza for Cinco de Mayo.

I often pass through this plaza, but it's almost always dead quiet -- so it was nice to experience it crowded & lively for the celebration. I always appreciate the extremely bright colors often used in Mexican crafts, like the ones the guest vendors were selling, especially on such a dark gloomy day like this one. I stood under a tent shelter, mostly out of the wet, and did a quick sketch in mixed media.

Chinese Garden @ South Seattle College

This is such a classic USk Seattle location to me. I enjoy the clean, white walls of the structure, which allow you to appreciate the landscaping in contrast to it. Using white acrylic, I got it to pop off of my gray toned paper.

 Couth Buzzard Books + Espresso in Greenwood

I stumbled onto this cute little bookstore after our share event at the library. It was too cold to draw outside, so I cozied up at a small table and captured the vibe while sipping a cappuccino. It was fun listening to people come in and ask the proprietor very specific book questions.

Seattle Chinese Garden for International USk Week

5/1/24 Seattle Chinese Garden

When I looked at my blog to see when I had last sketched at Seattle Chinese Garden, I was surprised to find that it was six years ago. I think USk Seattle has met there since, but I must have missed that outing. In any case, it felt familiar yet fresh to be back there again with other sketchers.

Since the garden’s annual Peony Festival is next weekend, we were all hoping we’d see some blooms, but our recent weeks of cold must have discouraged the flowers. I know how they feel, since I was fully dressed for winter – sweater, down parka, gloves – and I was still chilly from the brisk wind, even though the sun was out. As a result, my choice of sketch subjects on Wednesday morning were determined by whether I could stand in the sun.

I began with a curved pavilion rooftop where Tom was sketching (upper right, top of post) and a peek of the “Dragon Seeker” stone sculpture (lower right), which was made in Thailand more than a century ago. (I sketched more of the carp the first time I visited the garden in 2015).

Wandering through different parts of the garden, I came upon a bamboo grove with lovely sunlight filtering through. Of course, a scene like this begs for watercolor, to which I sighed and conceded. As usual, I felt the obligatory tug to use a medium that would be a struggle but that also compels me (below).

Bamboo at Seattle Chinese Garden

Relieved to be done with that, I continued wandering the well-tended garden and made two more additions to my main comic-y spread. It’s always satisfying to put a few finishing borders and captions on.In case you can’t read the sticker (made by Kate), May 1 – 7 is International Urban Sketchers Week (see the hashtag #USkWeek2024). Sketch groups around the world are having events this week to raise awareness of USk and, of course, to sketch together as we did.

Chinese Garden + Patrick's Cafe

I was glad to have the chance to go across town to meet up with the urban sketchers in the Chinese Garden recently. Definitely worth the bus trip across the city to a place I probably wouldn't have the occasion to visit otherwise! It was a very serene morning sketching with everyone in the courtyard of this beautiful building. I really liked the layers of rooftop on this structure, and chose a spot where the upward angle would be exaggerated. Since I arrived late I didn't do any pencil sketching, just went into it with paint...which ended up kind of confusing myself in the long run, since there are so many layers of wood and decorative flourishes.


Sue kindly gave me a ride to Patrick's Cafe & Bakery down the road, and I was so glad I went with the group to lunch this time. The conversation was fun, the food and coffee were GREAT, and I enjoyed sketching Patrick's new digs. The building is truly quintessential Seattle architecture. Normally I'd do a building portrait from much farther away from a more traditional angle, but I decided to challenge myself and draw a super wide view from up close, which turned out to be pretty darn fun.



Patrick was so nice to us that I really wanted to give him a sketch in return for his generous hosting, and also because I knew he'd be super psyched about a drawing of his new cafe space. Unsurprisingly he was pretty happy about receiving this one, and traded me a bag of his Lilikoi lemon shortbread cookies which are ~delicious~. Hopefully the universe will provide us more opportunities to trade art for good food and hospitality!

Chilly in the Chinese Garden

We haven't sketched at the Seattle Chinese Garden in a while so we decided it was time to return. This was my fourth time there.

Throwdown and group photo in the Knowing the Spring Courtyard.





Despite Summer having officially begun yesterday, today was cloudy and chilly. There was quite a breeze as I sat atop a small hill to sketch the view of the north side.



The Dragon Seeker is my favorite thing in the garden. I've sketched it twice before so I sought a new view today. I don't know what the characters carved into the standing stone mean, but I hope I copied them correctly.

 
According to traditional Chinese tale, a carp that could leap the high falls of the Yellow River at Dragon Gate (near Longmen, Zhejiang) would be transformed into a dragon. This Dragon Seeker was made in Thailand over 100 years ago. More recently, a Seattle couple had it in their garden in Kuala Lumpur. When they returned to Seattle, they donated him to the Chinese Garden.

A few of us went to lunch at Patrick's Cafe and Bakery just a few blocks south of the garden. Over about 3 years, we had sketch outings to the Stonehouse Bakery. Patrick was the owner and baker there but has now moved and has a full service cafe which he opened earlier this year. He was always so glad to host us when we sketched at the Stonehouse that we wanted to sketch at his new place.  He was equally gracious, giving us coffee and bringing a plate of banana bread to our table.  



Tina called this part of our outing "munch and sketch".  After a delicious sandwich, I sketched the corner of his new building from my table.


(banner is a bit of paper collage)

Chinese Garden and Patrick’s Café

6/22/18 Seattle Chinese Garden

Thursday may have been the first day of summer, but I was happy I wore my Polartec jacket to the Seattle Chinese Garden this morning. It was downright chilly in the unsheltered wind of the garden’s open grassy area, where I sketched a stone sculpture and the courtyard’s back gate. USk Seattle has sketched at the garden several times, and we all reminisced about how warm and sunny it had been on previous visits, even on our first one in April 2015. After nearly a week of sunshine (and even a day of record-breaking heat for June), this chill was a rude awakening.

When I went inside the courtyard for my second sketch, I realized that most of the other sketchers had already figured out that it was much warmer there. I tucked myself into a cozy corner to sketch a pine with long shoots and more stone sculptures around the trees.

6/22/18 Seattle Chinese Garden

The second part of today’s outing was a mile or two away at Patrick’s Café and Bakery in White Center. Last October we met at Stone House Bakery to say good-bye to Patrick Choy, who was moving his bakery out of the leased location we had enjoyed sketching for several years. To our delight, he later opened his own place at the White Center location, which we were happy to patronize for a Hawai’ian lunch and more sketching.

I was tempted to get a larger, less distorted view of the café building by sketching from across the street, but I decided I preferred the company of sketchers during our Munch ‘n Draw (yes, that’s a thing), so I stayed at the table. Luckily for them, I focused on the café and umbrella instead of faces.

6/22/18 Patrick's Cafe and Bakery

Weird Stone Pillar-Things

My first time at the garden, and there were many options for fun subjects and it took me a bit of wandering around to finally land somewhere. I'd originally thought to do several smaller, vignette-style drawings, but once I got seated old habits set in and I just kept drawing until I ran out of page. I sunburnt my legs as I got lost in the maze of stone contours and twisted trees.

May Gathering - Seattle Chinese Garden

Two sketches done at this month's Urban Sketcher's event. It feels so good to get a bit of a sunburn after all this rain. 

Pen, ink and wash in a Moleskine watercolor book.

More at the Chinese Garden

Most people don't realize Seattle has a Chinese Garden.  They are familiar with the Japanese Garden within the UW Arboretum but not with this garden adjacent to South Seattle Community College.  There is also a mid-sized arboretum.  It's a lovely place, with so many interesting shapes and areas to sketch. 

This would be my 3rd sketch outing here.  I've already sketched the dragon carp twice, so I chose another scene.  Though I do love that sculpture!  He's the size of a small car. 

The weather was bright sun and very warm.  Some parts of the city might have hit 80 degrees today.  I picked a spot in the shade to sketch this quiet corner with a pond. 



I next did a quick sketch of two statues of generals. They look like the Terra Cotta Warriors but, given their location and lack of protection, they must be copies.



There were a few new sketchers today.

A Personal Celebration at Seattle Chinese Garden

5/21/17 Seattle Chinese Garden entryway

As the international Urban Sketchers organization gears up to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year, I celebrated my own personal anniversary today: My fifth year since joining USk Seattle!

Almost exactly five years ago, I had to force myself out the door on a cold, rainy Sunday to join USk Seattle at my first sketch outing (at Magnuson Park). Joining any kind of group is difficult for an introvert like me, but I was motivated to participate fully in this “urban sketching” activity that I had recently become so passionate about. Once I got past that initial hesitation, met people and realized how much fun it was to share in our common passion, continuing to attend became natural. I’ve hardly missed any outings since, and I think of USk Seattle as my “tribe.”

Still a little jet-lagged from travel, I wasn’t sure I’d make it to the outing at Seattle Chinese Garden this morning, but I really wanted to as a way of commemorating my personal anniversary. Unlike five years ago, it was a warm and sunny morning, and although I was quite late, I was happy to join my tribe there. In fact, I spent so much time chatting that I hardly had time to sketch! Maybe I’ve become less introverted over the years. In any case, thank you, USk Seattle, for five fun years, and I look forward to all of our sketching years to come! 

Sketching OUT/LOUD at Seattle's Chinese Garden

We chose the Chinese Gardens for our April outing for a couple of reasons. It's been on our wish list for a couple of years, awaiting further development. Also it seemed a perfect combination of structure and landscape to participate in Sketch Out/Loud 2015 (SKOL), a month-long celebration of landscape architecture introduced by Richard Alomar, an urban sketcher and landscape architect in New York City.

I did a little research about SKOL2015 and the Chinese Gardens, so I had my hashtag and mental preparation. When I sat down to sketch, however, I forgot all about the landscape aspect and just honed in on the main gate to the courtyard.

It was a lovely day and the shadows were strong, nice for value range and strong contrasts. My first piece started as a thumbnail, but I just don't have the hang of simple thumbnails.

 

The few peonies that were still in bloom were lovely. Would love to see the whole garden in bloom. 

 

My last piece I used a bamboo pen -- pretty much the same as using a twig. I thought it fit the subject matter. 

Sketches from Sketchcrawl at Seattle Chinese Garden

Last Sunday was a fabulous morning for sketching!  You couldn't ask much more.  I had been to the Seattle Chinese Garden in 2011 and this was the first time since then that I had been back.  It was nice to see the plantings that had matured and new planted areas that were done.  I can't wait until they get the larger pond developed.  Here are sketches both from this last Sunday and the sketch I did in 2011.

Spring Courtyard of Seattle's Chinese Garden

A little late for posting this view of the Chinese Garden's Spring Courtyard from last Sunday's outing. Arrived a little early but fortunately the gate to the courtyard was open. What a tranquil setting.

Chinese Garden - Seattle

Great day for sketching, beautiful location and good turnout. The Garden is a work in progress and it will be fun to come back here to sketch and paint the new amendments and completed construction.

Pen and ink with watercolor in a Moleskine sketchbook.

Seattle Urban Sketchers are Welcome Guests at Seattle Chinese Garden

"Welcome, Guests of the Garden" - This stone with beautiful Chinese calligraphy greeted visitors today at the Seattle Chinese Garden and was translated for me by three young women visiting from China. I was in West Seattle to sketch with Seattle Urban Sketchers at the monthly outing on April 19. Our balmy spring weather was back (67^° F!), but with a bit of a nip in the breeze.

I didn't get very far down the sidewalk towards the garden, since the view of the south facing wall was dappled with springtime light and shadow. It was a dramatic introduction which stopped me in my tracks.

Friend and fellow sketcher, Kate found the perfect rock to start her first sketch.

"The humble gate" decorates the entrance on the sunny south wall of the garden. Sketch by M. Cooper

Pat, Jane and Kate find the rocks, courtyard, and sculpture completely in harmony with nature.

My DYI Altoids mini-palette makes it easy to sketch while standing.

More than two dozen varieties of tree peonies and several herbaceous peonies donated from Luoyang, China, were planted by volunteers in 2012. It is hoped that these 400 peony rootstock will create the largest public peony garden on the West Coast. Although the early spring weather has caused many to bloom already, Dewey (a volunteer and tour guide) says that there are still some that haven't bloomed yet. They will be ready to view next weekend at the Peony and Bamboo Festival. There will be a lion dance at 11 am on Saturday, April 25.

I stood on the sidewalk on the way out and wrote the "Welcome Friends" Chinese Calligraphy.

On this page, I wanted to explore the Yin Yang aspect of the garden.

I put a few finishing touches to my two sketch spreads. To see them, please visit my Flickr Photostream.

Perfect day in the Seattle Chinese Garden

Urban Sketchers Seattle were graced with a perfect spring day to enjoy the Chinese Garden.  I was looking forward to this sketch outing as I knew the weather would be good and I had never been to this garden.

It did not disappoint.  I arrived a bit early and simply stopped at the first view. 



After finishing this first sketch, I wandered around, enjoying the garden and looking for a second scene to sketch.  The huge carp sculpture was, perhaps, my second favorite place in the garden!



A carp becomes a dragon.... this is the "Dragon Seeker" sculpture.  According to traditional Chinese tale, a carp that could leap the high falls of the Yellow River at Dragon Gate (near Longmen, Zhejiang) would be transformed into a dragon.  This Dragon Seeker was made in Thailand over 100 years ago. More recently, a Seattle couple had it in their garding in Kuala Lumpur.  When they returned to Seattle, they donated him to the Chinese Garden.

As I was lingering in the Knowing the Spring Courtyard, I started to hear music.  I gravitated in its direction and found Michael playing the traditional Erhu.  Such beautiful music was a perfect end to a perfect sketch outing in this lovely Garden!  He allowed me to make a couple photos.  I also did a very fast sketch. 




Group photo in the Knowing the Spring Courtyard






More photos here

“Opening Day” at Seattle Chinese Garden

4/19/15 Dragon Seeker stone carp and main pavilion

At today’s Urban Sketchers outing, Gabi and I were chatting about the unbelievably beautiful weather – 65 degrees with a clear, blue sky – and how today’s event should be deemed “opening day” of outdoor sketching season!

The Seattle Chinese Garden in West Seattle was, indeed, an apt location for our opening day – a gem of serene, open landscaping with a traditional Chinese courtyard and pavilion at its center. (Thanks to Logan Bingle for the intro information about the garden!) I wandered around for quite a while trying to focus on a composition I could manage. With all the lovely plantings and peonies in bloom (though past their prime now), we had a lot to choose from, and I knew I had to select carefully or I’d end up overwhelmed.

The stone carp, a Dragon Seeker, grabbed my (and many other sketchers’) attention. According to a traditional Chinese tale, said the placard, “a carp that could leap the high falls of the Yellow River. . . would be transformed into a dragon.” This carp, which was donated by a Seattle couple, was made in Thailand more than 100 years ago. The main pavilion is in the background (my composition judiciously cropped off most of it so that I wouldn’t get bogged down by the architecture and all those tiles!). Halfway through my sketch, I paused to watch the drama of a tiny bird that chased a bald eagle out of its territory! I spotted the eagle several times throughout the morning.

After enjoying the garden a bit more, I settled on a wider view of the stones, trees and bamboo plantings (as well as Pat sketching in the foreground) surrounding a smaller pavilion.

4/19/15 Sketchers in the garden.

By the way, have you heard about Sketch Out/Loud? It’s an initiative by urban sketcher and landscape architect Richard Alomar. Working with the American Society of Landscape Architects and Urban Sketchers, Richard is promoting Sketch Out/Loud in April as part of World Landscape Architecture Month to encourage urban sketching among landscape architects, architects and designers worldwide. If you sketch parks, plazas, streets, front yards and other examples of landscaping this month, post your sketches with the hashtag #skol2015.