B. Fuller’s Morter & Pestle

Fremont Avenue in Seattle was founded by hippies and artists. It is the self proclaimed center of the universe and a MASH style signpost points to cities in all corners of the World and Universe. Newer shops are now offering high priced boutique items and the artists are being driven out to establish a new artsy neighborhood.
A huge outdoor market with perhaps 50 or so tents was going on and anything could be found from a used doll or old record to vintage clothing. B. Fullers tonics and cold drinks caught my eye. To do the sketch I had to stand right out in the flow of endledd foot traffic which was intimidating but once the sketch began to take shape I lost track of where I was. One of the proprietors offered me a free sample, and the tea was light and tasty. Some people looked over my shoulder but as usual when I was fully concentrating, few people interrupted. One person did ask if I liked the tea and I offered a rave review which convinced the costumer to order a sip. I felt I had earned my keep in helping to promote this unique tea shop.
It was exciting to be part of this bustling activity which goes on every weekend on Fremont Avenue. The weather was cool and inviting with the sun offering just enough warmth. The variety of people and situations offers an endlessly fascinating sketching opportunity.

Mount Rainier

The mountains beckoned again so we had to make a trip to the mountain that is faintly visible in the Seattle skyline and often hidden in the mist and clouds. It is as mysterious as Mount Fiji with its base seldom visible. It took us all day to drive around Mount Rainier but the trip was well worth it. Rolling mountain meadows were covered with purple and white wildflowers. This view from Sunrise Ridge is looking down on the Lodge and parking lot where the tourists gather. A short hike up the hillside and I was serenely alone. The air was cool and the sun warm. It was fantastic to sit still and sketch the scenery. I did get a bit of a high altitude sun burn right through the sunscreen I had lathered on. The valleys leading up to the mountain are filled with horse ranches and farms which have the most astonishing views with the mountain filling the horizon behind the barns.
When the mountain was directly in front of the car as we drove towards it, it would seem to fall away while the trees roared towards the foreground. This gave an unnerving effect of vertigo. Rivers and waterfalls rushed water away from the mountain in every direction. One deep gorge called Box Canyon had a steep vertical drop of sheer cliffs of rock which had been eroded over time by the water.
On the drive back to Seattle we went through the town I once lived in after I had taken a bicycle trip across the country. Tacoma is sort of the armpit of Seattle. It is very rural with pickups, gun and pawn shops and rampant poverty. Terry and I considered getting a pizza for dinner and the sign on the door proudly boasted that food stamps were accepted. Teenagers hung out in the strip mall parking lot drinking beer and waiting for night fall. I felt as out of place today as I did when I found myself trying to carve out a living here years ago. I only stayed in Tacoma for about a year and then I rushed back to NYC. I was glad when the drive through memory lane had ended and I was back in scenic Seattle.

Seattle Sketch Crawl – Gas Works Park

At 10 Am I went to Gas Works Park to meet some Seattle sketchers who were meeting for a sketch crawl. The rusty buildings in the park were used to manufacture gas from coal in the 1940s. I arrived a bit early since I gave myself extra time to get lost but I found the park with no problem. While sitting on a bench near the water, I noticed a woman on a distant hill who was holding a hula hoop. I looked out over the bay at the Seattle skyline but my attention was always drawn to the woman on the hill. I wondered if the hula hoop was being used in some sort of morning meditation or perhaps a new form of Yoga. I finally couldn’t take it anymore so I walked up the hill to ask her is she was a performance artist. She was just waiting for a friend and his son and the hula hoop was her way to attract their attention. She also had juggling balls and bowling pins. It turns out that the friend she was meeting is a rather renowned juggler who had been making a living as a juggler for the last 20 years. He has been on Johnnie Carson and all the late night talk shows.
When I noticed some other artists showing up in the designated meeting area, I walked back down the hill and said hello to the artists as they arrived. When it came time to draw, I knew I had to go to the hill top and sketch the woman and her friend.The woman had some really cool tattoos on her arms one was of an killer whale and another of a penguin. These tattoos were pitch black which meant that she had endured quite a few passes in order to get the ink solid black. She explained that she had been fine with the pain until the tattoo artist hit two very delicate spots on the undersides of her arms. She then had to call it quits and returned another day to finish the tattooing.
The couple juggled together for some time. First he would juggle the 3 balls and then she would take over. When he moved up to the bowling pins she just watched and like me enjoyed the spectacle. As I worked on the sketch more and more people hiked up to the top of the hill. Some tried to figure out the sundial and others used the spot to launch kites. At least 10 kites were in the air at one point. Gabi wandered up the hill and got a sketch of me at work. At the designated hour all the artists gathered and compared sketchbooks. I learned so much from flipping through so many amazing sketchbooks. On this day, I fell in love with Seattle. So many people were out enjoying the day. Young couples rested and snuggled on the grass as they overlooked the Bay and Seattle skyline. People were biking and jogging everywhere there was activity and excitement, it was any sketch artists dream.

Lake Quinault

This trip to Washington state is making me discover and attempt to differentiate many different shades of green. Pines had a much darker green as opposed to the yellow ocher green of conifers. This lodge was the end of a hectic days drive as I rushed to find a place that had internet access. This sort of Swiss looking lounge was a place where I was able to set up and check e-mails. Besides getting apiece sent off to Orlando Home and Leisure I also had to work up an assignment for an auto company that wants to run a blog sketch on 25,000 bags for an auto conference. They picked an image that has alot of Photoshop painting involved and since that image is at the home studio, I had to rework the whole painting. So rather than relaxing at the lake, we decided to drive through to Seattle the next day, where I finished work on the painting.
When we got to Seattle we visited Gabi and his family. Gabi founded “Urban Sketchers” and it was fantastic to get a chance to flip through some of his sketchbooks. Gabi also had that days newspaper out which featured one of his sketches in the local section. I asked for the page since which would be helpful as a way for me to pitch the idea of an Orlando Sentinel sketch blog.
From Gabi’s house we drove down to Queen Ann Hill again to visit Terry’s sister.

The Olympic Rainforest

Driving down highway 101 in Washington State, we decided to head inland to explore the Olympic rain-forest. A small road winds its way inland up a river valley while the forest canopy got denser and denser.
We hiked on a short trail for perhaps an hour that highlighted the various forms of moss that inhabit the region. This secluded spot had a different coloring that anywhere else. The trees were Maples and they had an orange cast absent from all the other pines in the forest. Everywhere you looked moss covered and muffled the woods. Terry sat across the trail from me and read a book while I sketched.
As I worked a small cloud of mosquitoes began to dive bomb my ears. I borrowed some bug spray from Terry but the onslaught continued. I put on my rain gear so I could protect my ears with the hood, but the mosquitoes were so loud that I could hear them through the protective vinyl.
I spent just as much time swatting the mosquitoes as I did putting lines and tones on the page.
If this sketch looks rushed, you now know why. For whatever reason the mosquitoes left Terry alone. Usually the roles are reversed.
A large group of Tourists wandered by and they were all shouting at each other and snapping pictures of everything. I am pretty sure I ended up in a couple of those shots. When this sketch was done Terry and I piled into the car and headed back to 101 to drive down to the coast beaches.
On route, I got a call from Orlando Home and Leisure telling me that they didn’t get the High resolution image I had e-mailed them before we left on this vacation. We were literally perhaps 50 miles from any Internet access so I drove and made time towards civilization. We stopped at several spots only to be told that they did not have access to the Internet. The tension in the car built.
When we got to the Lake Quinault hotel which had Internet access, I had to set up an impromptu Internet cafe in the local Mercantile. I sat on a freezer and got to work re-making a high resolution image to send the magazine. I had to move once to let a camper get 2 bags of ice from the freezer I was siting on. With the image finally sent, I checked my e-mails and let out a sigh of relief. The grey sky opened up and dropped a fine delicate mist for the rest of the afternoon.

Realto Beach

A fellow gust at the bead and breakfast we stayed at said he saw a sea otter out among the kelp beds. I searched for some time with binoculars but couldn’t find the sea otter. The B&B had a gorgeous cottage style garden that filled the quarter acre back yard. In the morning 5 deer were wandering the yard eating the grass and other delectable s. From the B&B we headed down the coast of Washington State. I started the day driving but again I became drowsy seeing the road rushing at me all morning. Terry drove for the final leg as we approached this pebbled beach.
Realto beach was covered with flat disk shaped stones that are all perfect for skipping across the water. Terry went for a walk as I started this sketch. It was super windy and cold so I hunkered down behind a large piece of driftwood to stay warm. There was a constant flow of people walking up and down the beach but trust me no one went in the water. Stark pine tree skeletons which looked like fish skeletons, lined the edge of the beach and huge pine driftwood was everywhere. A harbor seal poked his head out above the surf and watched what I was doing with some suspicion. Just as I was finishing up a fine misty rain started so I had to close the sketchbook even though the paint wasn’t dry yet. You can probably still pick out some of these Rorschach blots if you look close enough.

Hurricane Ridge

On the second day in the Pacific Northwest Terry and I picked up a rental car and escaped the city of Seattle. We took a Ferry over to Bremerton Island and rode out to explore the Olympic Peninsula. Terry did all the driving. I got drowsy from watching the road rushing toward me. The big stop for the day was Hurricane Ridge. We got half way up the road leading to the ridge when all traffic stopped. We found out that the road had been blocked up ahead by a huge rock slide. I do not know how long the road had been blocked but we were told that it would be clear in a couple of minutes. An hour or so later we heard cheers from cars ahead of us. and traffic started to move. When we got to the top, we were treated to a huge panoramic vista of the Olympic mountains. I took the opportunity to sketch the tourists as they shot photos and took in the view.
In the parking lot a deer wandered around eating clumps of grass and groups of tourists including Terry followed it and shot photos. That might have made a great sketch, but the deer was in constant motion. I let the monument slide and relaxed in the car enjoying the air conditioning. I am not yet on west coast time and I am feeling the jet lag.

Seattle Skyline

After a full day of flying Terry and I arrived in Seattle. Terry’s sister Rachel picked us up at the airport and shuttled us back to her home on Queen Hill. Allison Terry’s niece was also home and we all sat on the back patio overlooking the Seattle skyline and talked. The original plan for the vacation was to go to Vancouver where Terry wanted to see some famous garden. As it turns out our passports were not up to date so we flew into Seattle and stayed.

I have plans to meet Gabi, the artist who founded Urban Sketchers. Actually over the weekend I will be joining the Seattle Sketchers on a mini Sketch Crawl. I am looking forward to meeting these west coast artists.

Terry and Rachel reminisced quite a bit about their high school years. What boys had been cute and which were jerks. I think Rachel recently went to a high school reunion so that sent her down memory lane. She told an interesting story about one boy who had been a bit frail and flabby in high school but he was the most handsome man at the reunion. A jock in high school introduced him to weight lifting and he took to it with a passion. Later he founded his own line of exercise equipment and then he hired the jocks from high school who had mistreated him. He gave these jocks demeaning jobs and underpaid them loving every minute. Perhaps Seattle is the capitol of the nerds revenge. Just look at Bill Gates.

Concert at First Baptist Church

The Sunday night concert at First Baptist Church featured performing artists Al Denson and Kari Jobe. I went to this concert not knowing what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised. Periodically the crowd would rise to their feet and raise their hands swaying to the music. I remained seated and continued to sketch. The concert was used as a fundraiser to try and build a church in Haiti. Apparently you can build a church for just $20,000. The importance of trying to break the stronghold of voodoo practiced in the region was stressed. A card was handed out at the entry doors which asked everyone to sponsor a child in Haiti to help with their education. As the music was performed the lyrics were signed to the audience on the right by a young woman standing down in front.
The music was resonant and joyful. I found myself singing along to “Amazing Grace”.
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me…. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see…” If I were to hear the songs out of context on the radio they could be taken as simple love songs. Kari between songs said “We are all so busy doing instead of just being.” Once I figured out the words to each of the songs I sang along just as I often sing at the top of my lungs while listening to my car radio. “I give all I have and more.” I know that you are for me, I know that you will never forsake me in my weakness.” I feel the warmth of your embrace, your all I want, your all I ever needed.” I sang, holding some notes for so long that my breath was fully exhausted, then I inhaled deeply reaching for the next note. There is something completely satisfying to surrendering then reaching once again in song.
After 3 hours of this music, my butt started to tell me it was time to go. My sketch was complete so my job or purpose for the night was done. I looked for an exit from the balcony where I was seated but the stairs went down and then back up leaving me back where I started. I found the only way out would be to walk down the long flight of bleachers in view of everyone in the worship center. I quietly left during a prayer hoping most people would have their eyes closed. I still felt like everyone might be watching as I made my way to the door.

First Baptist Church Stage Lighting

Here a light is being adjusted that will shine down a light fabric column. To move around the stage you often have to duck down to avoid hitting your head on the booms. In all three large booms were used to set the stage for the upcoming concert. The one being worked on here is the center boom which holds the bulk of the stage lighting. The boom behind it would hold a shear fabric curtain which would be used as a backdrop. The smaller boom in front would hold the front edge of another bolt of fabric which would drape out towards the audience sort of like a lean to tent.
Jeff checked and double checked the lighting electrical connections and he found quite a few that had been set up wrong on the first go around.
I was sitting on the stage floor while I did this sketch. The front boom had LED lights on it that were on and pointed right in my direction. Those LEDs changed colors constantly creating an ever changing light display on the stage. Having spent so much time watching the work that went into setting up the lighting, I decided I had to go to the concert on Sunday to see the final design all set up.
As we said our goodbyes Jeff introduced me to his whole crew. I showed them all the sketches and some crew members were tickled to see themselves in a sketch. Jeff looked around and asked who was wearing the purple tee shirt. Actually no one was wearing a purple tee shirt I just picked that color since it seemed to work at the time.