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.