UW Botany Greenhouse

9/27/13 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, 140 lb. Canson XL

The rainy morning didn’t start out promising for sketching at the University of Washington’s Medicinal Herb Garden. Since Kate, Peggy and I were the only ones who showed up for the ad hoc Friday gathering, we decided to walk across the street and sketch inside the UW Botany Greenhouse instead.

I started out in the “Desert” room, where the succulents and other strange plants looked downright other-worldly, including a huge aloe from South Africa and a Mammillaria Spinossima from Mexico. The latter looked like a Slinky trying to walk out of its pot.

Out in the central work area, I sketched a bright yellow Malvaceae blossom and a Bird of Paradise, both past their prime but still adding color to an otherwise gray day.

9/27/13 Diamine Chocolate Brown ink, Sailor pen,
140 lb. Canson XL

Greenhouse manager Douglas Ewing was very hospitable to us as we sketched, answering our questions and looking at our sketchbooks. In fact, he invited the entire Seattle Urban Sketchers group to sketch there sometime!

9/27/13 Platinum Carbon, watercolor,
Canson XL

9/27/13 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor,
140 lb. Canson Montval