Seattle’s New Overlook Walk

10/14/24 Seattle waterfront and new Overlook Walk (note the Space Needle barely visible but peeking between buildings)

Seattle has a new public attraction: the Waterfront Park’s Overlook Walk. Under construction since shortly after the Alaskan Way Viaduct came down in 2019, the full Waterfront Park is not yet complete, but the newly opened Overlook Walk is a key feature and attraction in its own right. Now that the viaduct is gone, it’s possible to walk safely and easily down the otherwise steep slope from Pike Place Market to the waterfront without ever crossing traffic. The Overlook views are Seattle at its best – the kind you want to bring your out-of-town guests to see. And a big attraction to sketchers will be all the sheltered public seating that would keep us dry.

Scouting mission accomplished!

To plan a USk outing there, Kate, Mary Jean and I decided to have a mini outing first to scout it out. All three of us sketched from the waterfront looking up toward the new Overlook walkway and new aquarium addition, which also opened recently. After lunch, I sketched from the top of the Overlook looking down on the Big Wheel. In addition, I spotted some brightly colored maples on Alaskan Way where new landscaping has been planted near the old railroad tracks.

When I go again with USk, I might take a different approach and single out one view to make a larger sketch. For my first visit, though, I wanted to cram as much as I could onto one page with my comics style – an expression of being dazzled by so many fresh views.

My tax dollars were well spent on this new gem, and I plan to get my money’s worth with plenty of future visits.

Lots of public seating available under this shelter.

Maples on Northwest 80th

 

10/9/24 Maples, Ballard neighborhood

Driving home from Sunset Hill a few days ago, I passed several blocks lined with maple trees on Northwest 80^th that were almost past their peak already. I knew Mary Jean lived near them, so I made a proposal she couldn’t refuse: Croissants first at Rosellini’s, then sketch those glorious maples.

We had set a date for only a few days later, yet many of the leaves were already down. Although it means the trees are on the downside, I like seeing and sketching all that orange on the ground. These blocks will now be part of my annual leaf-peeping tour!

Paper note: I’m using the handmade sketchbook containing Hahnemühle paper. Making this sketch across a page spread made me see that the two sides of the paper are very different in texture: The left side (in my sketch) is much toothier than the right. The effect was amplified by inadvertently flooding the right side with too much water, which also took away some of the texture. When I looked back at the previous sketch I’d made across the gutter, I could see the different sides there, too – they didn’t show quite as much that time, though, so I hadn’t noticed. If I do decide to start hand-binding more sketchbooks with this paper, I will take care to reverse alternating pages in the signature so that facing pages in a spread will always have the same texture.

Georgetown Steam Plant

 

10/12/24 Georgetown Steam Plant

Rear view of plant exterior

The Georgetown Steam Plant was built in 1906 to support the region’s growing electric streetcar system. Since its decommissioning in 1977, building owner Seattle City Light has worked to preserve, repair and restore the building. Although it’s open to the public monthly, USk Seattle hadn’t taken advantage of an open day since 2018. It was fun to get back to the historic, fascinating relic.

Its scale was daunting the first time and remained so for me this time. Instead of focusing on a single big piece of equipment, I used my comics approach to capture a few different views at varying distances. And like last time, I went outside for my last sketch of the building’s exterior – if only to warm up! With all that concrete and metal, the building’s interior is always cold (we need to plan our strategy better and visit on a scorching day).   

Seattle Center with WSU Students

 

10/11/24 Pacific Science Center

Chihuly's "Sonic Blooms"

A long-standing USk Seattle tradition has been to host interior design and landscape architecture students from Washington State University for an urban sketching meetup. Organized by prof Bob Krikac and his colleagues, the annual outing is always a fun opportunity to sketch with engaged and enthusiastic young people.

I missed last year’s outing, so I was especially eager to attend Friday’s gathering at Seattle Center. In fact, the last time I was at the Center, it was for a rainy Folklife, so I had done all my sketching indoors. Friday was chilly but dry, and I was in the mood to hit a few icons that I hadn’t sketched in a long time: the Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center’s white arches and Dale Chihuly’s whimsical and colorful Sonic Blooms outside the glass artist’s museum (at left and below).

Knowing that the Center grounds are full of trees, I came prepared for color, too, and found some brilliant yellow ones in front of the Science Center arches (top of post).

This was the first time I sketched the Space Needle close enough to see people walking around on the newish transparent platform up there!

Including the 49 students, we had a huge throwdown full of impressive drawings. Bob and fellow instructors Michael Sanchez, Steve Austin and Alaina Pulay stress the importance of practicing drawing by hand from direct observation for the design work their students are studying. It was exciting to see from their sketches that they are well on their way to careers that will make use of their observational skills.  

I wasn't the only one who tackled the Space Needle!

Sunset Hill Cherries in October

 

10/7/24 cherry trees, Sunset Hill neighborhood

You’ve seen my sketches of the Sunset Hill cherry trees many times. I visit every spring, and sometimes I bring along USk Seattle to sketch with me. After sketching the site of the Loyal Heights tree that had been taken down, I realized that Sunset Hill was only a short walk away. It also occurred to me that I had never seen those trees except when they were blossoming, even though I know that cherries turn in the fall. (Although it’s not quite as popular as springtime hanami, the Japanese do revere cherries even in autumn. I took part in their joy in Kyoto years ago.) On a gorgeous afternoon, it was high time to make a fall visit.

Unlike the blooming time, which seems to happen on the whole street at once, the foliage follow their own drumbeat. Most of the trees on the block were still mostly green, but I found one leading the way. While pink blossoms take all the glory, leaves have a quieter time to shine.

No More Roots

 

10/7/24 Loyal Heights neighborhood

When a friend and I had taken a walk through the Loyal Heights neighborhood a couple of years ago, we (almost literally) stumbled upon a block of amazing trees. They had such enormous exposed roots that some had broken the sidewalk and pushed the concrete up several inches. (I later learned that they are a variety of flowering cherries.)

Thoroughly impressed, I came back later to sketch one. I didn’t show the damaged sidewalk well, so I hoped to come back on a warmer day and make another attempt. How? Maybe lie on the ground and get an ant’s-eye-view perspective of the crack?

I never got the chance. The same friend texted me last week that one of the trees had a sign posted for removal, likely due to the sidewalk damage. I went as soon as I could a few days later, but I was too late. The offending tree had already been removed, and foundation had been laid for the new sidewalk. Only a mound of dirt remained where that tree once grew.

Shown below is the sketch from winter nearly two years ago when the cherry was bare. I had also intended to go back in spring when it would be blossoming, but I never got around to that, either. Her sisters are still standing, though (with slimmer roots, they didn’t do as much damage, so they have apparently been allowed to stay). I have made an emphatic note to go back next spring. The lesson learned is one I’ve had to learn many times: Just like humans, trees we walk past every day may not be there tomorrow.

1/10/23 Good-bye, old cherry . . . I admire your strength and perseverance - enough to break concrete.

Charred Piano

 

10/6/24 Maple Leaf neighborhood

A substantial house fire took place in Maple Leaf sometime last year, and its remains sat untouched all this time (I’m guessing for insurance reasons). In the last couple of weeks, I finally started seeing workers clearing out the debris. Whenever I walked by, I could smell old smoke as they shoveled out ashes and dumped charred furniture.

A piano appeared on the sidewalk. When I first saw it, the cover was closed. The next time I walked by, the cover had been opened, and I could see ash stains on the keys. I wanted to stand a little closer to sketch, but workers continued to shovel debris into the huge dump truck in the driveway, raising dust. When pedestrians came by, most could not resist giving the keys a tinkle, but the piano was silent.