Summer Solstice at the Sammamish River

 

6/21/26 Sammamish River from the Park at Bothell Landing

Last fall when USk Seattle met at the Park at Bothell Landing, it was my first visit, so I wanted to take a wide survey of the location. Making a page spread of small tonal vignettes around the park was a good way to get a feel for the place.

Here's my vignette sketch from last September, which served as a memory thumbnail.

I’d been wanting to go back to sketch the Sammamish River in color. On the first day of summer, I met Ching and Natalie there, and we were treated to another beautiful morning. I didn’t refer to my September sketch before I went, but I clearly remembered the view from the boat launch area – the curve in the river, the trees on both banks, more trees in the distance. It was a fun challenge to interpret the scene in color this time. I was hoping someone would put a boat in the water so I’d have something for the foreground. Lacking that, I used my Green Lake standby: Some branches from shoreline plantings.