Market Theatre - Post Alley

Sketching in Seattle started with Dim Sum in the International District and making my way through downtown looking for something interesting to draw. I know Pike Place is a tourist destination and is often overdone but there are the out of the way nooks and crannies of the place that still have character, historical or otherwise. The small cobblestone road that descends behind the information booth underneath the market and leads to seldom known gems like IL Bistro, The Market Theater and the Alibi Room.

Rice Bowl Neon

Tamra and I took the bus into Seattle, getting off in the International District. The sketch on the left was done at 6th & Main of the now defunct Standard Cafe. A tour guide informed me that the neon rice bowl and sign were coming down soon (and that I might want to step back, there was a bus load of tourists about to walk around the corner). The sketch on the right was done after eating at Zaina, a middle eastern restaurant located at the north end of Pioneer Square. Great food and friendly staff.

Washington St. Boat Landing

Seattle built this galvanized iron shelter in 1920, supported by 16 decorated steel columns, is very similar in appearance to the earlier iron pergola [in Pioneer Square].

Over the years this building has fulfilled a number of uses: as a landing for ferries and ocean-going ships, as the headquarters of the Seattle Harbor Patrol, and as the U.S. Navy's official shore-leave landing and departure point.

A plaque at the pergola reads "Beneath your feet lies the wreckage of the pioneer sidewheel steamer Idaho, which served from 1900 until 1909 as Dr. Alexander De Soto's famous wayside mission hospital. Here Dr. De Soto ministered to the needs of seafarers and the destitute, donating his time and funds to their care."

Located just south of the Ferry Terminal.

Gesture sketches on the Sports Page

With my favorite Rotring fountain pen I decided to quick sketch (on my newpaper) people coming into Starbucks for coffee. As luck would have it, the A Crew was working and people were through the line and out the door in a flash. Hey, stand still...........

Dungeness Spit

The Heron was drawn on the same trip. He was originally sitting on a log outside our timeshare in Victoria Harbour. Since this sketch lacked a focal point I took license.

Stalking it's prey.....

A lot of the farm land near Seattle (with few exceptions) has been paved over with industrial parks and warehouses. This morning I discovered a resting bulldozer after it had carved a new entrance onto one of those remaining fields with the farm sitting in the background. I picture Robert Duvall in a military uniform overseeing the site, " I love the smell of diesel in the morning, it smells like......money."

Seattle Urban Sketchers on Local NPR Station KPLU

This link is to the sound bite KPLU did on Gabi and the Urban Sketchers during the last SketchCrawl at Volunteer Park.

Saltwater State Park - Des Moines, WA

This was done on a warm June afternoon at Saltwater State Park near Des Moines, WA. A rare occasion that I had the will power not to embellish with ink.

World Wide SketchCrawl - Volunteer Park, Seattle

Did you ever notice how easy it is to get up in the morning for an activity you really enjoy. For me our Urban Sketchers get togethers are one of those events that I effortlessly rise for. We met on this cold and cloudy day at the Conservatory in Volunteer Park. When we were let in you are instantly warmed by the climate needed to preserve the tropical and desert plant life. OK, it was cold, but not that cold (40 degrees) I'm just a cold weather wimp.......

I did a couple of outdoor sketches that lacked any inspiration as soon as my fingers went numb. We had a great turnout (more than twelve) and joined by a reporter Florangela Davila from KPLU who interviewed most of us and will be airing a story about the Urban Sketchers sometime after Thanksgiving.

In a mad scramble (my time management sucked today...) and with help from fellow sketcher Tim Taylor, I met Tamra and Kiersten at the Key Arena to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. The last sketch was done during the post-concert dinner at Fuller's (Pike Place Market) on the paper table covering of a gentleman eating dinner by himself and enjoying a good book.

A fun, long day...need to remind myself not to take it for granted.

Could Be The Dumbest Thing I've Ever Done

I'm putting down hardwood bamboo flooring in our house and was at the point of framing the fireplace hearth, this meant ripping floor pieces the long way on the table saw. Instead of a normal table saw we have a ShopSmith which gives you the option of using the lathe, joiner or the now dreaded table saw. Unlike a normal table saw, the blade under the cutting surface is exposed and after cutting the wood I reached under the table to turn off the saw and stuck hand into the running blade. As luck would have it, I just mangled the end of the ring finger of my drawing hand, it could have and should have been much worse.........