Day Seven

Thursday, May 29

This morning I woke up feeling a bit under the weather, and definitely not up for driving to Seattle alone, so I decided to stay close to home.  One of my favorite places in Woodinville is the Tolt Pipeline Trail that runs about 14 miles through Woodinville, Redmond, and Duvall. My family has been walking this trail for as long as I remember.  My favorite spot is a group of three boulders in the middle of Heart-Attack Hill.  Yes, this is its literal name which is ironic because it happens to be the hill I almost died sledding down when I was little (nearly gave my parents a heart attack).  I love these boulders because when I was younger we would always take a break here and my mom would pull chocolate or Fruit Gushers out of her bag for a special treat.  

I sat down in the grass and sketched these boulders and the surrounding rolling hills for an hour and a half.  Unfortunately it started to rain so I had to finish the drawing at my house- typical.

After a lunch break I went down to the roundabouts in Woodinville and sketched the Hollywood Schoolhouse.  I have passed this building about five thousand times so it was very familiar to sketch.  But, something I have observed repeatedly is you never truly know something until you sketch it.  Everything looks different after you sketch it.  For my senior exhibition I sketched my little brother and now when I look at him I see the shadows and shades of his face…its weird.  

A huge part of this project is how my sketches show a progression of skill and improvement.  I feel like I have improved a lot already and I can draw faster and more precisely. 

Day Six

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

This morning I met with Mrs. Williams and showed her my new sketches and the progress I have made. 

After meeting with her I drove to Gas Works Park in Seattle.  The drive was easy (no Mercer shift or screaming) and I was surprised by how close the park is to UW, where I will be spending the next four years.  I had never been to Gas Works Park before and was amazed by the gorgeous view of Seattle.  I chose a spot in front of a large, rusty, machine and sketched it for an hour. 

                                     

 The sun was shining and the beauty of this park equally amazed the tourists and joggers around me.  One thing that I like about Gas Works Park is the juxtaposition of the shiny Seattle skyline with the rusty old machines in the park.  This historic site containing some of the only remaining remnants of coal gasification plants in the US truly shows the diversity of Seattle.  I was able to sketch a piece of Seattle’s history then turn around and sketch the modern skyline behind me. 

                       

                                

Later on in the day I went up to Snohomish to sketch some of the unique antique shops.  There was so much clutter in all of these shops that it was hard to choose what to sketch.  However I found a shop containing tons of neon signs (and junk) and instead of being overwhelmed, I tried to look for the simplicity within it.  I penciled in the details of the shop then finished it later at home.  Within all the clutter the color red stood out to me the most so I decided to only watercolor the red parts of the shop. 

                                     

My main challenge of the day was sketching in the antique store.  I used to get overwhelmed really easily when urban sketching- there is so much to choose from.  But I think I am getting better at finding simplicity in scenes in front of me.  In some ways, finding simplicity within clutter is a valuable lesson for every aspect of my life.  It is easy to get caught up in the “clutter” of our lives but sometimes the simple moments are the ones we value the most. 

Day Five

Friday, May 23, 2014

This morning started with a giant cup of green tea at Victor’s in Redmond.  I love the dark colors and atmosphere of Victor’s so I knew it would be a good place to sketch.  I found a table in front of the espresso bar and sketched for an hour and a half.  

 Something that I have found really interesting about urban sketching is people sometimes forget you are there.  A highly botoxed woman and her friend she hadn’t seen for twenty years sat down next to me and at first they were pretty conscious I was there.  But after a few minutes they started talking about their struggles with alcoholism and all of these highly personal events in their lives. I felt kind of bad because in a way it was eavesdropping, but there is a reason I never get bored sketching and it is people like this who keep it interesting.  

After sketching at Victor’s my mom and I headed down to Seattle to sketch at the Chihuly Exhibit.  I was excited to have her along because she is an artist herself and it is always fun to compare sketches and viewpoints.  This was my third time going to the exhibit but sketching it was completely different.  I sketched a few of his big art pieces and was completely in awe of how complex and beautiful they are.  

  It also amazed me how different my mom’s sketches and mine were.  We were sitting on the same bench, looking at the same things, but they were completely different.  I think this is an illustration (literally) of the way God makes each person unique.  We are both creative people and we both interpret the scenes in front of us in our own ways.  When people sketch the same thing in different ways it shows their interpretation of the truth and beauty in front of them.

 (Mine is the first one, my mom's is the second) 

Turned out that today was also Folklife Festival at the Seattle Center, which-no offense to Folklife Fans- is basically a weirder version of Bumbershoot.  I saw more true hippies in one place then I ever thought possible…Let’s just say my mom and I didn’t really fit in.  I was very happy to have her along and overall it was another exciting and unique experience.  

I also got to spend the rest of my night with these two goofs. Which is always fun. 

Day Four

Day Four: Thursday, May 22, 2014

  This morning I went down to the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) at ten.  Driving to Seattle is always nerve-racking for me but I managed to merge across Mercer without dying so that alone was a success!  Once I managed to find parking that was under twenty dollars I walked to MOHAI.  I had never been here before but had seen pictures and it was even cooler than I expected.  The giant old-fashioned building is right on the water and with the sun shining and wind blowing, I knew it was my kind of scene.  

My main reason for coming to this museum was Gabriel Campanario’s exhibit, which was incredible!  Not only were the sketches amazing and inspiring, they showed pieces of Seattle that changed and developed over the years.  Seeing this exhibit reminded me of another reason I love urban sketching and just art in general so much.  Each sketch tells a story.  They show your progression throughout life as both a person, and an artist.  Whenever I look back at my old sketchbooks it is like a walk down memory lane.  There is no better way to see God working in your life than by seeing what He helps you create.  

After wandering around the museum for a while I went outside and walked around.  I found an isolated bench a little ways off from the museum and sat in the sun for two hours (wish I had brought sunscreen) and just sketched.  The seagulls were chirping, the fountain in front of me was calming, and once again I was happier than ever.  Already I feel like a better artist than I was and the visual proof of improvement everyday is so encouraging! Can’t wait for tomorrow.  

Day Three

Day Three: Wednesday, May 21, 2014

This morning I went into school at 8:30 and met with my faculty adviser, Mrs. Williams.  We talked about creating a blog, my meeting with Gabi, and the sketches I had completed so far.  After my meeting with her I went to Peet’s Coffee and Tea in Redmond to work on creating a blog for an hour.  Due to a doctor’s appointment I had to take a break until 1 before I was able to work on the blog again.  

Then came the sketching.  At two I went down to Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, which is about ten minutes away from my house.  Once again I felt oblivious.  Who knew such a beautiful and peaceful place was so close to my house?  I had not gone there in years (literally about thirteen) and as I was driving down the gravel road lined with trees and a vineyard, I fell in love.  Chateau Ste. Michelle has a classiness about it that made me feel miles away from home.  I sat down on a bench in front of the main building and sketched for about an hour.  The occasional tipsy person would walk by and keep me entertained, and I made friends with a duck who followed me around for the time I was there. 

In a place like this peaceful vineyard it was easy to see God’s beauty as a creator in this world.  For some reason the gardens and atmosphere at this winery made me think of the Garden of Eden.  Obviously I have no clue what it actually looks like but I imagine parts of it were similar to the raw beauty of Chateau Ste. Michelle.  Today was honestly not very challenging.  I got to sketch at an amazing place and find some antique beauty so close to home and I truly felt the beauty of God within me being expressed on the pages in front of me.  

Day Two

Day 2: Tuesday, May 20, 2014

  My first stop of the day was around eleven o’clock at Molbak’s in Woodinville.  I knew I wanted to sketch here because of the variety of colors and scenery.  After buying a latte at the small restaurant inside, I found a bench in front of a scene full of rhododendrons and sketched there for an hour and a half.  This was my most peaceful experience so far and it was easy to lose track of time and where I was.  

After sketching at Molbak’s I took a short break for lunch until 1:30 and then went to Zoka’s, a coffee on Lake Street in Kirkland.  I was meeting a friend there in two hours so I took the opportunity to sit outside and sketch Lake Street.  This is the first drawing that really seemed to capture the urban essence of a city.  People who walked by me on the street kept staring at what I was drawing and seemed very interested in what I was doing.  

The best part of my day was getting to meet, Gabriel Campanario, the founder of Urban Sketching.  I contacted him a few weeks ago and told him about my project and we arranged for me to come into the Seattle Times at 5:30.  I already knew this would be a cool experience but I was blown away when I got there.  He showed me the newsroom and we spent time talking at his desk in the Art Department.  I showed him my sketches and asked him some questions I had about urban sketching and a future career in art. 

The coolest part was getting to see his sketchbooks.  I had seen some of the sketches he showed me on his blog and in the newspaper so it was almost surreal to see them in person.  He gave me tons of great advice that I will share more in the presentation and keep in mind throughout this project.  This was an amazing experience and it gave me a lot of confidence and excitement for my project. 

Day One

Day 1: Monday, May 19, 2014

Today was my first day of urban sketching and to be honest I was nervous.  I had only sketched in groups of people who were doing the same thing and I was worried that people would not like me sketching in their restaurant/church.  The day started at 10:30 am when I drove to the Commons in Woodinville.  I got a table facing the bar/espresso machines, a latte, and sketched for about two hours.  The time flew by.  I was worried that sketching for so many hours a day would be tedious but I completely lost track of time and it went by really quickly.  One thing that was significant about this experience was the familiar sounds around me.  A woman next to me was talking about a recent trip to Nicaragua and a man next to me had the same ringtone as my dad. 

After the Commons I ventured to the Blick Art Store on Capitol Hill in Seattle.  I had never driven to Seattle by myself so that part was an adventure.  I found what I thought was a good spot, spent half an hour buying supplies, then discovered that the entire block I parked on was handicap parking- and ended up with a parking ticket for a whopping $450.  Not so confident anymore.  I decided to drive to St. Mark’s Cathedral next with the help of my trusty GPS.

The cathedral itself was kind of intimidating.  I was alone and I walked in and there was this booming organ music playing which really creeped me out at first. I was the only person in this massive cathedral so I sat down in a pew in the back and sketched for a few hours.  The usual blankness I get in my mind when I sketch eventually drowned the sound of the organs out.  At moments like these I feel like God can speak to me, especially in a church.  I never thought that in the middle of Capitol Hill in Seattle I could feel thrust back into Medieval Times, but that was definitely the feeling I got from this experience.  Despite the crazy parking ticket, today was a good day.