Discovery Park Vista

 

7/28/26 Puget Sound from Discovery Park

The closest I have ever seen a Cooper's hawk!

Seattle’s largest park and full-on forest in the middle of the city, Discovery Park is an urban gem of hiking trails, open meadows, cliffs and streams. After my unguided wandering of the park a few weeks ago, I invited Nilda to go with me last Tuesday. Much more familiar with the park than I am, she led me to a vista of Puget Sound at the western bluff. Though breezy and partly cloudy, the afternoon was a lovely time to walk, talk and sketch.

Bonus: We spotted a Cooper’s hawk (ID’d by the Merlin app by its call)! The park is a favorite among birders.

Once More at Thornton Creek

 

7/27/26 Thornton Creek, Northgate

I seem to have taken it on as a personal summer mission to introduce my sketching friends to Thornton Creek! It’s such a serene yet fully accessible gem in the middle of otherwise bustling Northgate. This time I met Mary Jean and Roy there on a sunny but breezy morning.

As much as I was cowed by all the foliage at Kruckeberg Garden last week, Thornton Creek is somehow friendlier to me. There’s plenty of multi-layered textures and subtle color differences to be endlessly challenging, yet there are also enough solid shapes to help guide the compositions. It also has a lot more light. This time I looked straight down into the winding creek at the center of the park (above).

With the few minutes before our meetup, I sketched a favorite Japanese maple tree (at left) that I’ve captured at least once before.

“Fast and Fun” with Jonathan Tune

 

7/26/26 Edmonds, 20 min. 

Before hitting the streets, we practiced very short sketches
 from a still life form.

A workshop with a focus on quick sketching that is both expressive and accurate? Yes, please! Offering “Sketching Fast and Fun” through ArtSpot in Edmonds, Jonathan Tune shared a method of urban sketching that reminded me of studio life drawing. Models usually begin with very short poses, then the poses get progressively longer. In the same way, we began by making a series of sketches from one minute to 20 in postcard and business card sizes. Sometimes we even used our non-dominant hand.

In between, Jonathan gave demos of varying lengths so that we could see how he would approach various subjects. While sketch durations of one to five minutes could be loose and inaccurate, we were training our eye and hand for greater accuracy when we had more time.

I had never been in a workshop in which every sketch exercise was timed! It was an interesting approach that pushed all of us out of our comfort zones. The sketch at the top of the page was my longest sketch of about 20 minutes – the last of the workshop. Others shown here are of varying durations (I was working too fast to note the duration on the pages, which would have been interesting to see now).

Jonathan’s favorite (and recommended for this workshop) drawing tool is a Tombow Fudenosuke brush pen, which is one of my favorites, too; no learning curve there! That’s what I used for all of these sketches.

Jonathan giving a demo in the ArtSpot parking lot

The Scavenger Hunt is On!

 

7/25/26 Scavenger hunt at South Lake Union

Months ago, I viewed a YouTube video by Teoh Yi Chie showing an urban sketching bingo game that USk Singapore had put on. With sponsored prizes and a huge turnout, the game looked like so much fun that I was inspired to do something similar with USk Seattle. Bingo, however, has an element of chance; it’s not enough to simply sketch the objects – you had to get a certain number in a row. It would also be a lot of work to create multiple variations of bingo cards. I got an easier idea: An urban sketching scavenger hunt!

Shortly afterwards, I took a wander through one of my favorite sketching neighborhoods: South Lake Union. Within an easily walkable area, I jotted 20 things I saw (many of which I sketched myself). Some were specific, like the Space Needle, while others were left open to interpretation, such as “a cylindrical building” (SLU has more than one) or “something yellow.” I had so much fun developing the game!

The hunt was on! Last Saturday, a terrific turnout of USk Seattle met near the Amazon Spheres for the game: Whoever sketched the most items on the scavenger list during the three-hour outing would win. Prizes were donated by USk Seattle admins and Gabi Campanario of Sketcher Press – art supplies, sketchbooks and published art books. Thankfully, we had a lot of prizes, because I had under-estimated how many sketchers would be so successful: Eleven sketched all 20 items!

Since I had made the game myself, I didn’t compete, but I took my leisurely time sketching many of my favorites on the scavenger list. Compared to all the hard-working participants, I felt like a slacker: I even took a lunch break!

It was inspiring to see people helping each other figure out clues or find the subjects – a collaborative spirit instead of competitive. I got so much positive feedback about the game that I’d like to make it an annual summer event in varying locations!

These intrepid participants found and sketched all 20 scavenger items! (Not pictured: Ching Hung)

Pacha Collective

 

7/23/26 Pacha Collective

I’d been marching through a long list of what I call death management tasks. None were painful, difficult or surprising; all were tedious, time-consuming and sometimes required visits to government offices (Social Security required me to appear in person with our original marriage license). Even processing the death certificate – that most official, undeniable declaration that the love of my life is gone – felt abstract and completely detached from the man I said good-bye to.

Methodically checking off my list the way I used to manage projects at work, I finished in eight days. (Well, two documents still need to be notarized during a brief meeting with our attorney, but my part is done.) I celebrated the way I used to celebrate each task or milestone during my massive downsizing project: A pastry and a sketch, of course!

When I’ve poked my nose into the Green Lake neighborhood’s Pacha Collective on other occasions, the tables were always full. On this comfortable day following our heatwave, I guess people wanted to be outdoors; the café had several open tables. Unfortunately, the one I got wasn’t at a very good angle to sketch the café’s centerpiece: A full-size VW bus, complete with seating and tables inside! I wanted to show more context so that it was clear that the bus was inside the café. I’ll look forward to doing that next time (and someday, I’d like to dine inside the bus, too).

Ironically, the coffee cake I chose came from Macrina Bakery,
where I have given up trying to get a table!

What I did have a good view of were a couple of patrons on the café’s far side. The man in back chose to stand while he worked at his laptop, giving me an unusual composition.

A Green Oasis at Kruckeberg Garden

7/24/26 Kruckeberg Botanic Garden

 

A dark-green, shady oasis, Kruckeberg Botanic Garden in Shoreline would be ideal on a hot day – the garden felt like it was at least 10 degrees cooler than on the street. As the temps were only in the high-60s and low-70s last Friday with USk Seattle, I was actually a little chilly, thanks to the shade of all those old-growth trees. Still, it was serene and comforting to be within the lush, forest-like atmosphere.

Serene, that is, until I started looking around for something to sketch: All that green is formidable! While I enjoy the challenge of sketching layers of foliage (I even recently boldly stated that I’m no longer intimidated by it), Kruckeberg Garden is whole next level of layers of foliage! One challenge was looking for pockets of light to contrast all the dark green. While my first sketch (above) was that attempt, I don’t really care for the composition I ended up with to get that light.

It took me quite a while to find a scene for my second sketch. I kept looking for a single tree to anchor the composition, but many grew close together or just didn’t catch my eye. I finally spotted Mark sketching next to an enormous tree with an interesting shape; he gave the tree scale, which I always think is important in a composition.

Process notes: To avoid being cowed by all that green, I channeled my inner Orla Stevens and Roy, who both encourage simply embracing the joy of mark-making. That was enormous fun!

In the first sketch, I also tried to think like a painter: Before doing anything else, I spread water all over the paper, then applied a yellow Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayon wet-in-wet with the “licking” method. That served as a warm underpainting for everything else. I like the effect, and it easily eliminated spots of bright paper white that wouldn’t have felt right in such a dark yet warmly lit environment.

The newly constructed walkway/ramp makes the garden's lower level much more accessible.

Seattle-Style Heatwave

 

7/23/26 Green Lake

It was an old-school, Seattle-style heatwave: A few days in the high 80s and 90s that always cooled to comfortable temps overnight. Still, it was hot enough that I had to get out early for my walks, or the afternoons would be brutal. By the fourth day, we were down to the comfy mid-70s with some clouds – ahhh!

Breezy and shaded with trees, Green Lake Park is always a summer oasis – and more so right after a heatwave.  

The Final World Cup Match

 

7/19/26 World Cup viewing party at Phinney Station, Phinney neighborhood

As we were getting ready to leave Cocoa Legato, Ching said she wanted to see how the final World Cup match was going. I tagged along to Phinney Station just a few blocks away. The crowd was standing-room-only at the venue’s huge patio, where everyone seemed riveted to the two screens. We stayed in the overflow area on the sidewalk, where we still had a good view of Spain and Argentina facing off.

As usual at any sports event, I didn’t know what was going on, but I enjoyed sketching the spectators on a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Natalie at Open Mic

 

7/19/26 Tracy and Natalie perform "I Do Not Like Yoga Anymore" at Cocoa Legato

Last spring when Natalie saw how much fun the open mic sessions are at Cocoa Legato, she was inspired to get her act together – literally. Ching, Kim and I came out to cheer her on, of course. She and her friend and yoga instructor Tracy performed Natalie’s original song, “I Do Not Like Yoga Anymore,” which included Natalie’s dramatization and Tracy on ukelele. Brava!

Several other vocalists also performed that afternoon, including Pierce and Jonah, who were familiar to us from previous visits to Cocoa Legato. Regardless of their skill level or style, I admire anyone who will stand up during open mic to perform for a live audience. Like drawing, it’s not about “talent” but about doing and practicing, and I appreciate their courage.

Yes, I had the chocolate grilled cheese sandwich again!

A Return to Obon

 

7/18/26 Obon festival, Seattle Betsuin Temple, Central District

As a child and teen, I looked forward to Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple’s annual Obon festival every summer. For my friends and me back then, it was mostly about socializing, dancing (traditional folk dances) and eating street food, but the festival itself has religious roots related to honoring deceased loved ones (I gave my shorthand of the roots in this 2016 post). This year, of course, I had more reason to go than usual and especially to attend the formal service that precedes the festivities. (Aside: As I listened to the minister talk about Obon, I realized it’s quite similar to El Día de los Muertos in intention and spirit.)

When I was young, the lead dance instructor barked out strict rules of dress and conduct during rehearsals: No blue jeans! No short pants! No tennis shoes! No chewing gum! We were to wear only traditional kimono or happi festival jackets over dark pants. Now participants wear anything they want, and I enjoy seeing the mix of styles.

I continued attending Obon annually as an adult, and Greg had loved participating as much as I did. He enjoyed and appreciated the small-community feeling, and of course, we both enjoyed the food and socializing. For a long period, though, we kept missing Obon because it always seemed to coincide with the many Urban Sketchers Symposiums we attended or other travel. Then COVID happened, followed by Greg’s worsening dementia, and I realized last Saturday that I hadn’t been to Obon since 2017. No wonder I had missed it so.

Taiko drumming, usually performed by Seattle Betsuin's own taiko group, is a highlight of the festivities.

Attending with a friend since elementary school, we reminisced about simultaneously dreading/hoping to see certain boys (middle school) and how the kori (shave ice or snow cones in other parlance) we just paid $7 for used to cost 75 cents. We caught up with another friend we went to middle school with and had danced with at many Obon. She introduced us to her grandkids in tow. Much reminiscing commenced.

Obon is where we count time by decades as much as by years.

Phinney Market Life

 

7/17/26 Phinney Farmers Market

In keeping with my vow, I’m trying to get back into visiting more neighborhood farmers markets, and Phinney has always been one of my favorites. Always fun and relaxing to sketch, the scheduled musicians and buskers are a mainstay. I have a new personal challenge this year: Try to capture as many dogs as I can!

Distracted by all the smells, noises and movements, dogs are extra challenging to sketch in the market environment, but that’s what makes them fun to go after – sometimes literally. The dog on the lower part of the first page was walking around the market with its human, so I followed behind until I could get its whole figure – though not very well (the seated pup was much easier)! But there’s still plenty of summer left to practice.

Late Start

 

7/17/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

What a slacker: Here I am in the latter half of July, and this is only my first urban couch of the season! I’ve seen a few the past couple of months, but every time, I was driving by and on my way to an appointment or other plans, so I couldn’t stop. Finally, this one was on my walking route, when I couldn’t help but sketch it. To shake things up, I tried a negative drawing approach – fun!

I’m warmed up now – bring on the couches!

Community

 

4/23/26

4/2/26

Although I didn’t know any of its members well, I miss Greg’s community at Aegis Living’s memory care unit (euphemistically called Life’s Neighborhood). Visiting Greg as often as I did, I got to know his co-residents’ quirks. When I noticed that they had fresh haircuts or new clothes, I made a point of complimenting them. If we made eye contact, I greeted them by name (just as all the staff did). In bits and pieces, usually from staff members I chatted with, I learned about their lives before they came to Aegis: “Dr. Russ” (as everyone called him) had been a physician; Jamie a principle architect in one of Seattle’s major firms; Sandy a physical education teacher and horse rider; Linda a pianist. Many died while Greg was in residence there; many others moved in. One was taken abruptly by her family to another facility.

5/13/26

5/28/26

All declined significantly during the time that I knew them. Very few had regular visitors. All will die fairly soon, and I’m sad that I will not learn that news.

A couple of sketches here are of some of the musicians who come through on rotation every two weeks during “happy hour.” I often wondered how they felt performing for an audience whose members were often dozing and not responding much to invitations to sing along. Applause was quiet. I always applauded enthusiastically because I did appreciate their music lifting the energy in the room (or at least lifting mine).

5/31/26

6/2/26

Most of all, I miss the wonderful staff who took care of Greg 24/7. Most are immigrants who seem to originate from cultures that are comfortable with aging and with touching in comforting ways. The first time I saw a caregiver grasp Greg’s hands reassuringly and speak to him warmly and respectfully (which he responded to with a broad smile), I thought to myself, “I want her to take care of me someday.” They speak to residents as if they were friends and not people whom they had just cleaned up after toileting or spoon-fed like infants. I don’t have many sketches of caregivers because they came and went too quickly, attending to residents as needed.

6/4/26

6/9/26

The exception is Theodore, whom I did sketch a few times. Part of the life enrichment team, Theodore is an angel on earth (a description I’ve often heard applied to nurses). With compassion, tenderness and infinite patience, he makes each resident feel heard, seen and special. I sometimes timed my visits to coincide with his daily meditation hour because I knew I would benefit from his talks as much as the residents would. I will miss him dearly.

This post includes the last sketches I made of Greg’s final community. I thank everyone there for giving me the privilege of being a tiny part of their lives -- one last experience I could share with Greg.

6/19/26

6/22/26

6/26/26