Richard Serra's Wake Sculpture

Richard Serra's Wake Sculpture

Sunday I sketched with California Urban sketcher Suhita Shirodkar.  I have greatly admired her work and contacted her because I will be in California. She was coming up here as a stop before Alaska.  We went to Olympic Sculpture Park which is a wonderful place to sketch.  Here was the sketch I did of Richard Serra's Wake.  I love the negative spaces this sculpture creates giving you peekaboo views of surroundings framed by the edges of the sculpture.

Union Station Tacoma Washingtion

Union Station, Tacoma, WA

This is the view from Washington State History Museum looking directly at the Union Station Building. Why are there so many railroad stations named Union Station?

Sketching in Tacoma

Saturday the Seattle Urban Sketchers met up with two other groups the Portland sketchers and Whidbey Island sketchers for a regional sketchcrawl.  It was a great day for sketching and nice to meet sketchers from the Pacific Northwest.  We look forward to more regional meet ups.

Here is the first sketch I did on the Bridge of Glass that links the Tacoma Museum of Glass to the Museum District on Pacific.

Getting a simple line

Yesterday my sketching class met at Olympic Sculpture Park.  I thought it would be a great opportunity to have them throw out their concerns about perspective and just have fun doing drawing with a continuous line.  I tried to have them do blind contour drawings of sculptures and space.  It is so hard to let go and not try to get that perfect perspective.  But I wanted them to concentrate on the quality of their lines.

Olympic Sculpture Park cushions

Here is a sketch I did while waiting for them to return.  I wanted to test out what I had asked them to do. 

After adding the greenery.

Jefferson Park View

This is what the fuss was all about!  The opening of the Park.  Here is a view of the park from the vantage of the Beacon Mountain Lookout. I was looking towards the fields, skate park, kids park and driving range...behind me which is not in the sketch was the zip line and the water park.

Beacon Mountain Outlook

Map of the Park

Taiko Drummers

Taiko Drummers

Jefferson Park Jubilee Taiko Drummers performing for the Grand Opening Celebrations.

36th WW Sketchcrawl and a Jubilee

Yesterday was the 36th WW sketchcrawl.  Seattle sketchers organized a last minute sketchcrawl at the Jefferson Park Jubilee Celebrating the opening the this new park.  The park is located on top of two lidded reservoirs.  Great views and a beautiful park.  Here is a sketch from the opening ceremonies.  A parade of Japanese Bon Odori performers,  Taiko Drummers and Samoan Cricket players added color to the festivities. 

St. Ignatius Chapel

Today my architecture sketching class met at St. Ignatius Chapel.  So far we have had great weather each year we go there.  Today my friend Cindy Esselman taught and demonstrated Watercolor to the students she was guest lecturer,  which gave me time to touch base with each of them and talk to them about their progress so far.  Cindy and I arrived early and were able to get in a sketch before the class met.  Here is my sketch. I was trying not to subdue the colors and brighten then up. Also practiced water in the reflecting pool.

St. Ignatius Chapel, Seattle University

Useless Bay Cafe

Useless Bay Cafe

After sketching at the Whidbey Island Fine Arts Studio Demonstration booths,  I went to Useless Bay Cafe for lunch.   This is the garden patio out side with a stage for music in the deep background. 

Choochokam Arts Festival

Saturday we took a day trip to Langley on Whidbey Island.  We were invited by the Whidbey Island sketchers to sketch at the Choochokam Arts Festival.  It was a great day with a lot going on.  The whole town of Langley becomes one big arts festival. 
The Whidbey Island Fine Arts Studio has put on arts demonstrations for the last three years.  Live models sat for artist to paint, sketch and sculpted.  They also raffled off art pieces done by locale artist.  I used my last $5.00 to purchase a raffle ticket.  Sunday I found out I was one of the winners!  What a windfall!

Choochokam Arts Festival Whidbey Island Fine Arts Studio demonstration Booths.

Up at the Top

View at the top of Whistler Mountain looking down at Whistler Village and Green Lake and Lost Lake below.

The last sketch from Whistler. This is the view from Whistler at the top of the mountain.  The stacked rock man was the 2010 Olympics symbol.  Lines of people gather around to take pictures with the view behind them.  Pretty astounding vantage from up here.

Peak 2 Peak

We took the Peak 2 Peak Gondola at Whistler  which gave us an incredible view at the top of the mountain.  The span from one peak to the other was amazing and frightening as well.  The woman in the sketch couldn't look out.  You just hope that the engineering and the clamps on the Gondolas were designed well!  According to Wikipedia "Peak 2 Peak holds records for the highest and longest unsupported cable car span in the world."  The ride took exactly 11 minutes and 27 seconds.

Exterior view of Squamish, Li'l Wat Cultural Centre and Istken Pit House

Squamish Li'l Wat Cultural Centre

Istken Pit House

Squamish Li'l Wat Cultural Centre

 Squamish & Li'l Wat  Cultural Centre, Whistler BC

This is a wonderful Museum in Whistler BC  exhibiting the cultural artifacts of two Canadian Tribes.
The Li'l Wat tribe was the tribe living in the mountainous area of Canada and the Squamish tribes living by the water.  Designed by TRB Architects  it is a LEED Certified Development.

Village Stroll At Whistler Village

Village stroll....or the Main Street in Whistler Village.

I really wanted to focus on the bridge in front of this building.  However, I didn't pre-plan the sketch well....It is a lesson to learn... that you want to lightly set the extents of the image on the page so you can include all you intend to in your sketch or make the appropriate adjustments. I started with the blue building and didn't leave enough room at the top or the bottom.  This was unfortunately cropped. 

Olympic Plaza @ Whistler Village

Whistler 2010 Olympic Plaza

The signs of the Winter Olympics are still around Whistler Village.  This was the main outdoor plaza that was built for the 2010 Winter Olympics.  It is an open grassy area with a covered outdoor stage surrounded by the Village.  While I was sketching a 7 year old girl from Chilliwack BC came by to watch me sketch....she saw me sketching her parents in the middle of the field and ran back to sit with them so I could put her in the sketch.  Her dad was there for the Tough Mudder event (Obstacle Course race) in Whistler. 

My favorite Bridge @ Whistler

Bridge along the Fitzsimmons Trail

From our condo to Whistler Village was a short walk  across this bridge that crossed over the Fitzsimmons Creek.  Through the bridge you can see the Rebagilati Park and the Peace Park and hear the sound of rushing water amplified in the bridge. 

Whistler Village Town Plaza

Sketching on the Village Stroll in Whistler Village everything is so picturesque.  While sitting and sketching this view of the Village Town Plaza a group of middle school kids stopped by to watch and an older couple also stopped by.  The older man was also a painter and was interested in the water brush I was using to paint with.  This view was not one I  intended to sketch.  Notice the top of the building is chopped off and there was another group of buildings to the right that I wanted to include but poor pre-planning did not leave me enough room.

Whistler Village Town Plaza along the  Village Stroll.

Sketches from Whistler BC

Base of Blackcomb Mountain

Last week we had an opportunity to spend time in Whistler, BC.  Our son was taking a photography workshop up at Whistler, which gave us an excuse to go up for a vacation.  I spent my time sketching and painting different places.  It was an interesting experience.  It is so rare for people to see someone sketching that you always have someone come up and talk to you. 

This was the first sketch I did sitting at the base of Blackcomb Mountain. During the summer this area turns into a family fun center.  During the winter ski season this is the base where the chair lifts take you up to the mountain for skiing.  I was sitting sketching and met a mom and daugther who were waiting for their son/brother to finish skiing on the glacier. She was interested in my sketching because her 14 year old son has a passion for sketching.  I told her to have him keep it up!   

Seattle Aquarium

More sketches from the Seattle Aquarium as we visited on Garfield's Parent night. Here is a sketch that I started at the Aquarium and didn't have time to watercolor.  So I did it from memory later.  I did several passes trying keep myself from over painting. So I am showing the different stages of development from ink to watercolor.

Third pass adding value to the concrete structure and shadows.

Second Pass Adding people in the foreground.

First pass focusing on the view from the windows.

Linework

Another view of the Fishtank at the Seattle Aquarium

Last night was Garfield's Parent night at the Seattle Aquarium.  All the students take Marine Biology this semester were to take their parents around and show off their knowledge about Marine biology. So our son was our tour guide.  Here is a sketch from yesterday.

Memorial Day Sketches

I spent some time at the Seattle Aquarium on Memorial Day with my son.  He needed a ride there so he could do a Marine Biology project.  He knows I am always game to go to some interesting place to sketch....I also had the car.  Click to see second sketch.

Japanese Tea Garden

Great Weekend! We are truly coming into the time of year where it is nice to take walks in the park, especially the Japanese Tea Garden.  Here is a sketch I did on Saturday.

Japanese Tea Garden, Washington Park Arboretum

Sketchcrawl At the Old Historic Sandpoint Naval Station

Sunday we had our monthly sketchcrawl at Magnuson Park (the old Naval Station at Sandpoint).  Now he buildings and grounds are owned by University of Washington and the Parks Department.  NOAA used to be located there.  Old hangars are converted to storage spaces and being leased by companies like Arena Sports or the Mountaineers Club. Most of the old Officer's housing units are abandoned or slated to be renovated to afforable housing in the future. 
Here is a sketch from this sketchcrawl. 

Officers's Housing at Sandpoint Naval Station

First United Methodist Church Interiors

Susan Miller and I had a chance to see the interiors of the First United Methodist Church in Seattle...currently known as the Daniel's Recital Hall.  It was one of our historic buildings in Seattle threatened to be demo'd.  Luckily it was saved.  There will be a highrise building  looming over it from the south.  We were taken up to the roof top via a series of tight winding  steps that would never meet code today..it felt as if you were walking up to a bell tower.  It was interesting to see the space between the exterior shell and interior dome.  Buildings a grounds people have to maneuver in those interstitial spaces to replace light bulbs and access speakers.

A Day in BC

Last Sunday I spent a day in BC with a global group of sketchers,  Don McNulty (Canada), Asnee Tasna (Bangkok) and Gabi Campanario (Spain).  Asnee is visiting Vancouver with his son for a couple of weeks.  So it was a great opportunity to meet him. Since Vancouver is just an 45 minutes from Bellingham, my husband and I went to have mother's day breakfast with our son at WWU then headed up to Vancouver.   It was a perfect spring (felt like summer) day.
Here are the sketches I did while I was there.

Burrard St. Bridge seen from Granville Island, Vancouver BC

Pacific Central Station, Vancouver BC

Opening Day at the Montlake Cut Panorama

I gave up on moving boats and started this sketch with stationary boats.  Added the moving boat while it was far enough away that I had a chance to capture it.

Opening Day Coast Guard boat and Fire boat

Much to our surprise we arrive at the Montlake Cut in time for the Opening Day Parade.  This was the first time I had been to it even though I live in Montlake.  It was great seeing all the vintage boats.  You have to be quick to capture moving boats.  I started drawing the coast guard boat and the view kept changing because it was moving.  Looks more like a small tug boat than the actual boat.

Sketches along My Saturday Walk

I get together with a friend to walk on Saturdays.  This time I decided to take my sketchbook since we were going to go down to the Montlake Cut to walk the crew races.  While waiting for my friend I killed time by sketching the Tot lot and a man talking on his cell phone and while walking his dog.
I was using my small watercolor moleskine book, lamy pen with noodlers ink and neocolor pencils and a watercolor brush.  Traveling light!

The Art Of Urban Sketching Book Talk

It was a packed house.  Standing Room Only!  And such a tribute to the "draw" of the Seattle Sketcher and how encouraging to see that people are still interested in seeing hand drawing!  Gabi really is a "Pied Piper"  of sketching and such a generous person encouraging and supporting everyone to go out and draw no matter what level of experience you are at.   It is a life long process of learning to sketch and a way to get in touch with your city and community.  The book is well worth the purchase price!

Gabi at the Seattle Central Library reading and talking about "The Art of Urban Sketching"