Delridge Farmers Market

6/8/24 Delridge Farmers Market

Although USk Seattle has met at many community farmers markets over the years, the one in south Seattle’s Delridge neighborhood was new to us. In fact, it is fairly new; it was started during the pandemic by the African Community Housing and Development organization.

As far as markets go, it’s notable that Delridge gives priority to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) vendors. Long lines formed at a couple of booths that were giving away free produce and basic supplies to low-income neighbors. The market is held every summer Saturday morning in front of the Masjid Al Furquan Mosque (formerly St. James Lutheran Church).

I had the most fun sketching Queen Sugar Baking Company’s resident pug. I think it was in his presentation about sketch reportage that Gabi Campanario said something that has stayed with me: If a dog is mentioned (or sketched) in a story, Gabi said, a good journalist will learn the name of the dog. Check: The pug’s name is Ajax.

Kim learned a lot about the Delridge market from
its originator. 

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