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| 3/10/18 Georgetown Steam Plant |
When I woke yesterday morning, our thermometer read 34
degrees. I can’t sketch outdoors in temperatures like that, but the USk meetup
was at the Georgetown Steam Plant –
an indoor venue – so I wasn’t concerned.
Little did I know that the plant’s interior would be just as
cold as its exterior!
Owned by Seattle City Light, the 1907 plant is a National
Historic Landmark. According to its website, “The plant’s two vertical Curtis
turbines, manufactured by General Electric, helped establish the steam turbine
as a practical and compact prime mover, capable of producing large amounts of
power more cheaply and efficiently than other generators of the time.”
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| 3/10/18 |
Open to the public only on the second Saturday each month,
it’s a popular place for organized tours as well as sketchers, photographers
and history and industry fans trying to take in its enormity. More than 30
sketchers walked through the plant with our jaws on the floor and our eyes
popping out of our heads.
Everywhere I looked I saw huge machinery and equipment; I
kept feeling like I was too close to be able to scale the scene properly on my
sketchbook page. After wandering in awe for quite a while, I finally pinned myself
against the wall of a narrow walkway to sketch . . . something (above) – I have no idea what.
(Once again, I have to thank Gabi and his “Pocket Urban Sketching” workshop last year for helping me to finally understand
how to scale something so huge on a small page! A year ago, I don’t think I
would have known how to tackle this scene.)
By the time I finished, my fingers were numb, and for some
reason I thought it might actually be warmer outside. After all, the sun was
shining brilliantly in a cloudless sky. Although a chilly wind kept the
sunshine from being comfortable, I joined a bunch of hardy sketchers in the
parking lot to sketch the building’s exterior.
Brrrr! We were all so cold, inside and out! But it was a
fantastic opportunity to sketch a piece of industrial history. And for me, it
was definitely just a tiny piece. I’m going to go back again sometime to sketch
more of it (maybe in the heat of summer, when it might be comfortable inside).
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| A great turnout! |
That looks like a great place to sketch, when its warmer :-)
ReplyDeleteYou would think a steam plant would be warm...odd. I like your interior sketch with the figure included which gives it a reference for the size. Nice job on the exterior of the building. Your shading really makes the shaded sides stand out!
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