Mostly Minneapolis

8/26/19 Hahn/Cock by Katharina Fritsch

When we weren’t busy eating fresh corn on the cob and deep-fried pie ala mode at the Minnesota State Fair, we toured around the Twin Cities, mostly in Minneapolis. We’ve visited the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden several times, but this was the first time I went with sketchbook in hand. Since I was with family members, my sketching time was limited, so I was faced with a dilemma: The iconic Claes Oldenburg Spoonbridge and Cherry called to me loudly, but I was also instantly attracted to Katharina Fritsch’s Hahn/Cock, a giant rooster in a spectacular shade of blue! The latter, installed only a couple of years ago, wasn’t there the last time we visited. . . resistance was futile. The blue I used comes close in hue, but I didn’t capture the sheer intensity of that vibrant rooster’s color.

Checking back with my party, I saw that I still had a little time, so I made a quick thumbnail-size (about 3 inches across) sketch of Spoonbridge and Cherry with the blue rooster and the Basilica of St. Mary in the background. Even with color added, it took no more than a few minutes. (This thumbnail trick while traveling is one of the most useful lessons I picked up in Amsterdam.)

 

8/26/19 Oldenburg's Spoonbridge & Cherry

The newly enhanced Mill Ruins Park preserves the remains of historic mills, water power facilities and locks used by 19^th century industries. I sketched the nearby Gold Medal Flour building on a previous visit, so this time I focused on the Great Northern Stone Arch Bridge. Crossing the Mississippi River, it is now used by pedestrians instead of trains. I enjoyed putting the glassy modern building behind it, which is more attractive than many newer buildings. I was surprised to learn that the Carlyle houses high-end residences instead of offices.

 

8/28/19 Stone Arch Bridge at Mill Ruins Park, Minneapolis

(Technical note: Those wet-in-wet clouds (above)? I did those with watercolor pencils – a technique I had much difficulty accomplishing when I was still using Stillman & Birn Zeta. You can see why I’m happy that I made the switch to Beta!)

The Weisman Art Museum has been around since the ‘90s, but in 2011, a major expansion was designed by architect Frank Gehry. Known for his organic, amorphous buildings, Gehry also designed Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (which I have attempted to sketch poorly several times) and L.A.’s Walt Disney Concert Hall (which I sketched a few years ago with a bit more success). While the rest of my party went inside to view the modern art, I stayed outside to attempt the wavy, highly reflective surfaces and crazy angles. Every time I looked up, the reflections had changed. The only good thing about sketching a building like this is that a critic would be hard-pressed to point out an angle or curve I got wrong (or right)!

 

8/29/19 Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis

Greg and his sister often like to take a nostalgia tour around St. Anthony Park, the St. Paul neighborhood where they lived as kids, so I indulge them – if I can get out of the car long enough for a sketch. This thumbnail shows the house they grew up in.

8/29/19 St. Anthony Park neighborhood, St. Paul

Sketching the Butter Head Artist: Achievement Unlocked

8/27/19 The farmer raising these cows was originally from Sammamish near Seattle. When Betty lifted her tail, the farmer
rushed in with a huge bucket to catch the stream before it made a mess in their stall. 

A blue ribbon winner

Sheep, cows, butter heads. . . I’ve been to sketching heaven!

Although we visit family in the Twin Cities every year, we aren’t often able to make our visit coincide with the Minnesota State Fair. The last time the stars aligned for us was in 2016, and I was lucky enough to join USk Twin Cities at the 8th Great Minnesota Fair Sketchout. This year we had more flexibility, so we were able to do it again, and I had the time of my life sketching at the 11^th fair sketchout!

She had stepped away as organizer for a few years, but Roz Stendahl was back this time as our fearless leader and chicken sketcher extraordinaire. Founder of the fair sketchout, she pulled strings to attract quite a bit of local media coverage (more on that later). But most of all, she organized a fun sketch outing (two, in fact; I went on Tuesday, and a second group met on Saturday) at what is arguably the country’s best (if not the largest) state fair.

This dwarf hotot with lovely black eyes was pure white; the color splotches
were inadvertently transferred from the opposite page when it started raining.

My first priority was the animals – both furred and feathered. Animals of any kind are not easily accessible to this city girl, and since they are one of my all-time favorite sketch subjects, I eagerly wandered from barn to barn and sketched whatever would stay still for me (and even those that wouldn’t, like the bantam that pecked and turned around continuously).  

Nervous, twitchy bantam

This young sheep had been born premature; his breeder told me Little Joe could fit in the palm of one hand on the day he was born. 

Queuing up for the sheep competition

Trimming a cow before competition

A special rendition of Rouser as I eat Australian battered potatoes.

My first of many food breaks was for a huge plate of Australian battered potatoes (with sour cream and sweet chili sauce! The best thing I ate at this fair). A man passing by asked me what they were, so I offered him and his kids samples. Grateful for the snack, he wanted to pay me back by playing “Rouser” on his trumpet. At this offer, I must have disappointed him, because I simply muttered “OK,” with my mouth full of potato.

Undeterred, he pulled out his trumpet and delivered the song, which ended with lyrics that made me realize “Rouser” was a game fight song of the University of Minnesota. I apologized for my non-local ignorance – surely he had expected more enthusiasm when he announced what his performance would be! Yes, I did consider sketching him, but at that moment my fingers were so greasy that my pencils would have slid out of my hands. I was content to enjoy the performance as I munched potatoes, thinking about how much I love this fair.

The crowds admire the completed butter heads.

As much fun as I was having sketching animals, I had a specific mission: to catch the sculptor at work on a butter head. Since 1965, the same artist has been carving the likenesses of the reigning Princess Kay of the Milky Way and her court every year. Each bust is made of 90 pounds of butter, and the sitter gets to keep the finished bust when the fair is over. (The pageant winners all seem to come from dairy farm families, so presumably they have refrigerators large enough to store a 90-pound butter sculpture of themselves. If not, I guess they eat it quickly.)

In 2016, I arrived at the butter heads exhibit just after the sculptor had left for the day, so although I saw the busts, I was very disappointed to miss the action. This time I arrived shortly before artist Linda Christenson returned to work on Princess Elizabeth Golombiecki. I warmed up by sketching the crowds admiring the completed butter heads.

The challenge was a minor detail that I had forgotten about from the previous visit: The sculptor, the sitter and the surrounding completed busts are enclosed in a rotating, refrigerated platform (kept at 40 degrees). To sketch them, I couldn’t stand in one spot; I had to walk slowly around the glass refrigerator trying to maintain the same view. It was my most challenging sketch of the fair, but very much worth it to achieve my personal mission.

 

The sitter fielded questions from the audience as the artist continued working on her butter bust.

Reg Chapman of WCCO TV

About that media coverage: After the final meetup and sketchbook throwdown, Roz led us to local TV station WCCO, where host Reg Chapman prepped us for our three minutes of fame (see the video segment). Twin Cities sketcher James Nutt represented Urban Sketchers well, and all of us got to show our sketches during the live broadcast (I’m barely visible, but you can see my sketch and purple bag toward the end).

As in previous years, Minnesota Public Radio also featured sketches (including some of mine) from the fair on its website.

We don’t get to go every year (after all the deep-fried foods I consumed that day, my arteries are grateful that we don’t), but whenever I’m lucky enough to attend, I’m convinced it’s the best fair in the country.  

Many thanks to Roz for organizing another terrific fair sketchout!

Sketchers at the Fair! (Photo courtesy of Tom Nelson)

I'm proud to add my 11th sketchout button (designed by Roz) to my collection. At right is my 8th sketchout button. I hope to add more to my collection someday.

See, I ate my vegetables, too.

Greg was thrilled to find a gluten-free grilled cheese sandwich!

Suburban Trees

8/30/19 Bloomington

8/26/19 - 8/28/19 Bloomington

Last week we took our annual trip to visit family in the Twin Cities. While I thoroughly enjoy experiencing and sketching in St. Paul and Minneapolis, we usually stay in suburban Bloomington to be near family members. Filled with LaQuintas, Holiday Inn Expresses and other chain mega-hotels, our “neighborhood” is what I would call bland, blah and boring (OK, I’m being generous).

In the mornings as I waited for Greg to shower, I looked out of our 16^th floor window for something to sketch. Thankfully, the parking lot was marked by trees, which I had fun making fast thumbnails of. One day I took a walk to the edge of the parking lot and found a large tree with an ugly parking ramp and generic glassy building behind it. Even in suburban sameness, trees are unique, challenging and ultimately beautiful.

Technical note: I’m so happy that I switched from Stillman & Birn Zeta to Beta! I love the foliage texture that I’m able to get with colored pencils on Beta’s toothy surface.

MSP

8/20/18 Sun Country jet at MSP

It’s become something of a custom for urban sketchers to sketch planes while they’re waiting at an airport. It’s a good opportunity, of course, to practice sketching aircraft, but more than that, it’s sort of a signal of travel sketches to come (or closure of travel sketches completed). Despite the habit of arriving at the airport at least a couple hours before my flight, lately I haven’t had enough time for a plane sketch. When we flew out of SEA last week, it took us nearly an hour to get through TSA. (We never found out what the issue was, but we have never seen such a ridiculously snaking line as we did that day.)

Luckily, it took only a few minutes to get through TSA at Minneapolis-St. Paul coming home, so I had plenty of time for the mandatory plane sketch.

A Tiny Fair Fix

8/19/18 dairy cows at Prairie Hollow Farm

Although we visit the Twin Cities for a family reunion almost every year, our visit rarely coincides with the Minnesota State Fair, which is one of my favorite events to sketch. I was very disappointed to realize that our timing was off again this year, and we missed the fair’s opening by only a few days. I did, however, manage to get a small fix of sketching farm animals in two places.

The first opportunity was at the Gibbs Farm House Museum, which is right across the street from the Bell Museum in St. Paul. Operated by the Ramsey County Historical Society, the Gibbs Farm House gives city people like me a glimpse of 19^th century Minnesotan farm life.

While the ice cream making demo (five ingredients only: milk, cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla) using a traditional churn and free samples was a highlight for most visitors, I enjoyed sketching the pigs and goats even more.

My next farm animal-sketching fix was at the family reunion itself, which was held at the dairy farm of a family member. An organic cheese-making operation in Elgin (about a hundred miles south of the Twin Cities), Prairie Hollow Farm is home to more cows than a city girl gets to see all year. As my sisters-in-law and I stood by a fence watching at least a dozen of them file out of their barn, each turned to look at us curiously for a moment but then quickly moved on to the business at hand (eating and resting).

 

8/18/18 Logan the billie goat at Gibbs Farm

8/18/18 ice cream-making demo

8/18/18 pigs at Gibbs Farm

In between munching potato salad and chatting with Greg’s relatives, I snuck away for a bit to sketch the silos and a hay baler. (See how that happens? Somehow my sketchbook is always lured to the nearest heavy equipment.)

It wasn’t exactly the Minnesota State Fair, but a few cows, pigs and goats are better than none.

8/19/18 Prairie Hollow Farm

The New and Improved Bell Museum

8/18/18 Mammoth

A couple of years ago when I was in the Twin Cities, I made a short visit to the Bell Museum, the University of Minnesota’s natural history museum. Although it had a wide variety of specimens on exhibit, I could see that the museum had seen better days. Shortly after I had visited, the museum closed, and just a few weeks ago it reopened in a brand-new facility to much well-deserved fanfare. I was just in the Twin Cities again a few days ago, and the new and improved Bell was at the top of my list of places to visit.

Before heading out to the museum, I had contacted the Twin Cities Urban Sketchers to see if anyone wanted to meet up there. Luckily for me, four sketches showed up, including three whom I already knew from previous visits to the Cities and various symposiums. We had a fun morning chatting and sketching the mighty wooly mammoth together. This huge beast (covered with the same fur as Chewbacca!), which had apparently been in storage for years, looked terrific in his new digs. Although I didn’t use paint, most of the others did, and it was great to be allowed to use any kind of media in this museum.

Daniel, Roz, Amber and Cris came out to sketch with me at the Bell

After the other sketchers had to go, I walked through the rest of the exhibits and picked an elk diorama to sketch. Although some exhibits looked vaguely familiar from my previous visit, all the old, faded dioramas had been given major facelifts, and much better lighting everywhere made it so much easier to see and sketch.

8/18/18 Elk diorama

 With so many beautiful exhibits, this museum is going to be on my must-do list every time I visit the Cities.

8/18/18 The new Bell Museum in St. Paul

Sketchnoting at Hill House

8/4/17 sketches and notes made with a brush pen

On our second day in the Twin Cities when it rained, we toured the James J. Hill House, an enormous historic mansion in St. Paul. As a preface, I have to say that I generally don’t do well on tours involving a guide who walks a large group through some facility, pointing out various artifacts while rattling off a stream of amusing anecdotes and historic dates. Even before I was sketching, these types of tours made me glaze over. Now it’s even worse because if I don’t glaze over, I’m seeing something I’d like to sketch, but the guide is already rushing us onward.

Hill house exterior

Wanting to avoid that frustrating experience on the Hill House tour, I tried something new. Initially I thought I would simply make small sketches as quickly as I could. I started doing that, but as the guide spoke, I found myself writing some of what she said next to my sketches, whether they related or not. Eventually I was taking notes and sketching simultaneously, so that the writing related to the sketches. I’ve heard the term sketchnoting, and I’m not exactly sure what that is, but whatever I was doing that day felt like sketchnoting – using sketches and notes to supplement each other. I filled six pages of my sketchbook (two pages shown above).

As our guide talked continuously, there were times when I might have glazed over ordinarily, but sketching keeps me focused so I could listen and retain more information than I otherwise would have. Later when I looked through my sketches and notes, I realized I had remembered more. If I were a student, I think I would learn more using some form of sketchnoting instead of just writing.

I wish I’d taken more photos inside of this impressive, formidable house built in 1891, but I guess I haven’t learned to sketchnotephotograph. Here are a few.

Pipe organ

Stained-glass windows

Sun and Rain in the Twin Cities

8/2/17 Centennial Lakes Park

8/2/17 Parking lot of the Bloomington Country Inn & Suites

From Chicago we took a short flight to Minneapolis to visit with family for a couple of days. While we had consistently beautiful sunshine in Chicago, Minneapolis was a mix. Knowing rain would come the second day, we spent our first day outdoors as much as possible. I got an early start while Greg was still in the shower by sketching the heavy equipment in our hotel’s parking lot, where major remodeling was taking place.

Centennial Lakes is one of our favorite Minneapolis parks (top of page). I knew I had sketched there on a previous trip, so I searched through my blog and found the post – it was in 2013. Interestingly, I had sketched both of the same subjects then as I sketched this year – the arched bridge across the lake and a white heron (possibly the same heron?).

8/2/17 Heron at Centennial Lakes Park

The same day we had a late lunch at W.S. Frost (below), an excellent and popular restaurant with a lovely terrace. With a long wait for a table, I had plenty of time to sketch the diners under umbrellas.

8/2/17 Waiting for our table at W.S. Frost

In the afternoon we went to St. Paul, where we discovered a pocket park called Summit Overlook. A large sculpture of an eagle and its young – apparently a relic of the New York Life Insurance Company – was the park’s centerpiece.

8/2/17 Sculpture at Summit Overlook

8/3/17 Country Inn & Suites lobby

The next day was cold and rainy, so I had to resort to the hotel lobby for my early-morning sketch. Later we shopped at Ax-Man Surplus, a store that has been around since Greg’s youth. Filled with oddities (mostly for display only, not for sale, like a weird museum) and quirky merchandise, Ax-Man is hard to describe or categorize. I can’t begin to name all the strange things we saw, but the unfortunate plastic fellow hanging from the ceiling was the least of them. It would be a fantastic place for a surreptitious sketch outing (I was discreet and quick, so no one saw me).

8/3/17 Strange sighting at Ax-Man

We also sheltered from the weather by touring a grand old mansion. I had an unusual sketch-related experience there that I’ll relate in a future post.

The View from Foshay (Plus Critters, Dead and Alive)

8/29/16 brush pen, colored pencils, ink (Capella Tower)

Sketching at the Minnesota State Fair was certainly the highlight of our short visit to the Twin Cities, but we had a few quieter adventures that were fun, too.

Foshay Tower, built in 1929, is a lovely art deco building modeled after the Washington Monument. At 32 stories, it doesn’t seem like a skyscraper anymore, and many buildings in downtown Minneapolis now dwarf it. But as a viewpoint of the city, its observation deck is fantastic. Amid the usual boxy, glassy monoliths were a couple of more interesting buildings that caught my eye: Capella Tower, with its halo-like top, and Wells Fargo Center. Sketching both through the imprisonment of the observation deck’s security girding, I really enjoyed the different architectural challenges of each.

The upper part of the Capella are the rounded tiers of a wedding cake, while the lower part is more traditionally flat-sided. I had to observe the shadows carefully to retain those shapes.

8/29/16 ink, colored pencils (Wells Fargo Center)

Wells Fargo was a different matter. Instead of the usual planes and lines, this building seemed to be made of textures and patterns in shades of warm and cool grays.

Coincidentally, Greg and his sister had a family meeting to attend at Capella Tower, so while they were inside, I found a shady spot in Capella’s courtyard to sketch the towers of Minneapolis City Hall (incorrectly labeled on my sketchbook page as Hennepin County Courthouse). Unfortunately obscured by a pedestrian walkway, the rest of the building would have been fun to sketch, too.

On another day we visited the Bell Museum, a natural history museum on the University of St. Paul campus. Compared to our own Burke Museum, the Bell seemed tired and outdated – lots of dimly lit dioramas that had seen better days. (In fact, it is closing at the end of the year for a major move to new digs, so in a couple of years it will be worth revisiting.) Disappointed that there weren’t any dinosaur skeletons to sketch, I had to settle for a white-tailed deer, which was still fun because I’d never sketched one.

8/29/16 brush pen, colored pencils, ink
(Minneapolis City Hall)

In addition to the skeletal and stuffed specimens, the Bell has a few living creatures, including several tarantulas! Squatting next to an aquarium with a hairy, dead-still beast of a spider, I felt the fear and sketched it anyway!

Before leaving the Cities, I got a chance to sketch the skyline over the east bank of the Mississippi and the lovely Stone Arch Bridge that crosses the river. I have fond memories of sketching in the same location three years ago when the Twin Cities Urban Sketchers arranged an outing for me there. 

8/29/16 brush pen, watercolor, colored pencils, ink (Stone Arch Bridge across the Mississippi)

8/28/16 colored pencils

8/28/16 ink, colored pencil