Fishermen’s Terminal For USk Week

5/4/25 Fishermen's Terminal

The first week of May is the annual international Urban Sketchers Week to help promote the activities of the community and local chapters. A new initiative this year was to pair local chapters and encourage them to share their sketches with each other virtually. USk Seattle was paired with USk Delhi, a large, active group whose members have been sharing daily on social media.

For our part, USk Seattle had a huge turnout at Fishermen’s Terminal, one of our perennial favorite locations and the site of our very first outing ever. We didn’t plan the outing to land on this date, but it happened to be the Terminal’s annual memorial service to honor people in the fishing industry who were lost at sea. I was happy to be able to capture that.

Although we were treated to lovely sunshine and a mostly clear sky, the wind was brisk and harsh at times. Still, there’s nothing like being part of the Urban Sketchers community, both worldwide and right here at home. Happy USk Week! 

Playing Tourist at Lake Union Park

 

4/30/25 Lake Union Park

 

After Gas Works, my favorite Seattle park is Lake Union Park. (It’s probably not a coincidence that the two parks, each visible from the other from across the water, are on opposite ends of Lake Union; I grew up on Lake Washington, so a fondness for lakes is in my blood.) Although Roy has been a long-time Seattle-area resident, he had never visited or sketched there. Since Lake Union Park is one of the places I like to bring out-of-town visitors, I decided to play tour guide for him last Wednesday, which actually enabled me to feel like a tourist, too.

Another first for him was riding the South Lake Union Trolley (affectionately called the SLUT by locals), which I hadn’t ridden in a long time myself. It’s always fun to experience familiar things through the fresh eyes of first-timers.

I really enjoyed making these pages of on-location comics, so I’ll stop talking and let you read the commentary yourself.

Bob and Brian

12/30/24 Bob

3/19/25 Brian

Two Aegis residents passed away last week. Although I didn’t really know Bob and Brian, I had seen them regularly when I visited Greg, and I had noted their absence shortly before I learned of their passing. I can’t say that the feeling I had was grief, exactly, but recalling sketches I had made of them, I felt their absence more heavily: I would never sketch them again.

When I was talking to Roy and MJ about this, Roy said, “What would our sketches look like of folks we draw with the attitude that ‘I might not see them again’ or ‘This might be their last image from life on earth’?”

Looked at that way, I suddenly questioned my intentions: I always try to capture unique individuals, not generic figures or caricatures. But did I show enough respect or reverence when I sketched them? Or was I just filling time?

Whenever I sketch fellow light rail commuters or other strangers in public places, I do so with the assumption that I will never see them again. At least for that moment (and often it is literally less than a minute), I give each person my full attention, observing as closely (and, I hope, as respectfully) as I can. For all I know, my sketches could be their last images from life on earth.

4/19/25

4/19/25

With Aegis residents, I hadn’t thought about it in this way before. Since I visit regularly, I guess I always assume I will have more opportunities to sketch them. Obviously, though, that’s not true (and especially at a retirement community). Each sketch we make of any person might be a record of the last time we see them. 

Green Lake’s May Green

 

4/25/25 Green Lake

Even though I’d had a long, busy day, I couldn’t resist dashing out to meet Ching and Natalie at Green Lake in the late afternoon. I typically walk around the lake in the morning, so I don’t often see the lovely light later in the day. In addition, this time of year turns most of the shoreline trees that vibrant, shimmering hue of yellow-green aptly named “May Green” in some colored pencils (yes, of course, I see the world as colored pencil hues – doesn’t everyone?).

Small Protest

 

4/26/25 Protesters on the Holman Road pedestrian overpass

As is the case all over the US, protests about disgusting goings-on in the White House and the state of our country have been occurring regularly in Seattle. In addition to a large, central gathering outside the Federal Building every Friday, some neighborhoods have been hosting smaller events sporadically.

When Mary Jean told me she was organizing one in her Crown Hill neighborhood, I decided to join the group. Instead of carrying a sign on a pedestrian overpass, I opted to document the event with sketches. Although the group was small, they received plenty of supportive honks from drivers passing by. Every effort to make our voices heard is worthwhile and important.

The Sweet Side

 

4/24/25 The Sweet Side, Maple Leaf neighborhood

Just two (dangerously close) blocks from my house is The Sweet Side. This bakery’s specialty is fabulously decorated wedding and other custom cakes and treats. If you’re wondering why I haven’t sketched there while enjoying a decadent dessert, it’s because the Sweet Side has no seating area – it’s mostly a catering service plus some limited retail hours. It does, however, have a cake slice window facing the sidewalk. One could walk up to the window to purchase a single slice of cake, a cookie or a “scrap cake box.” The boxes are filled with the parts they trim off while decorating those custom cakes – not as pretty as a full-price slice, but a good value and just as tasty.

During the last holiday season, the Sweet Side sponsored a food drive for Northwest Harvest. Donors were given a coupon for a free slice of cake (mine shown randomly in this post). Since then, I had been waiting for a warm day to sketch the storefront and cute catering van. Last week, the day finally came.

Neptune Theatre

 

4/24/25 Neptune Theatre, U-District

You’ve heard me talk about how I am an opportunistic sketcher. I’m always looking for opportunities to sketch while I go about my usual daily business (that’s the definition of what I call a lifestyle sketcher). Whenever I go to my credit union, I get 30 minutes of free parking in the U-District (which is difficult to come by at any price). I always take advantage of it by sketching somewhere nearby, and last week it was the venerable Neptune Theatre.

I did a more detailed sketch and wrote more about the Neptune several years ago in this post. In the short time I had last week, I made this sketch about the final letter E in its name, which is shaped like a trident (erroneously labeled “pitchfork” in my sketch. Shame on me – I know the difference between the devil’s pitchfork and Neptune’s trident!) I’ve always loved that cool neon sign. In 2018 when the marquee was updated and digitized, the theatre retained its original look completely, thankfully.