my sketchy vacation

A three week long vacation takes a little planning. Where to stay, where to eat, what to see, what to do and how much drawing will I really get done? I did not draw every day while we were travelling for many reasons but I did manage to get a small body of work done. The first destination was The 3rd Annual West Coast Sketch Crawl in San Diego, CA. 

On the first full day of our crawl we met at San Diego's Balboa Park. The weather was beautiful all weekend and I managed to find a low wall to sit on with ample shade to tackle this difficult subject. My airbnb room was a short walk to Balboa Park and also to the MTS Green Line which carried me to Old Town on Sunday morning for our last group sketch. I made this little drawing while waiting for the trolley.

A coworker told me about this place, I did not eat here but I stood outside and drew the ladies making tortillas in the window. On a side note one of these women was on my green line train about an hour before I chose this location. 

My final sketch with the group was made in the historical Old Town square. After I finished my drawing I went inside and found a square wood cigar box for $5, I think it was my first "souvenir" purchase of our long journey.

After leaving San Diego we travelled a little east into Arizona and then up to The Grand Canyon, I made the first "in car" drawing on our way into Flagstaff and the second on the road to Colorado Springs somewhere in New Mexico.

After many miles thru the desert regions of the southwest, Route 66, a night in Albuquerque and stops in Santa Fe, Taos and a visit to friends in Colorado Springs we made it to Lyons, CO for the 25th Rocky Mountain Folks Festival. 

tents are placed end to end at festival campgrounds and the eye level view can be a bit abstract

The stage at Planet Bluegrass is so iconic and beautiful for me, this was my 13th fest here! I also attempted to draw the red cliffs boxing in the St. Vrain river.

Leaving Colorado with a heavy heart we headed for Grand Teton National Park. We have driven by this range before so I was a little perplexed by the fact I could not see the mountains at all on approach. From the time we entered Wyoming til we got almost to Seattle our ride was shrouded in smoke from many fires. One day at Colter Bay Camp Ground at GTNP the haze lifted enough so that I could make a sketch with the official National Park date stamp.

Random sketch April - July

We are about to embark on a three week long camping/road/sketching trip so I thought I would try to catch up on a few things I've done in the last few months. Victoria, BC in April at The Bard & Banker for dinner. We were seated upstairs, eye level with this chandelier.

While we were out our house/pet sitter friend was busy trying to herd cats and some things didn't make it

On a nice day in May I walked over to 4th & Stewart to sketch this old flatiron building after work, I loved that the monorail kept popping in and out of view while I was drawing.

Went camping with some co-worker friends late May, the site at Glacier View CG on Lake Wenatchee was super windy and some sites had suffered significant wind damage in the not too distant past.

This next sketch I will call "Out of My Element" from Bedal CG

When you ride the monorail in Seattle you fly right past this hotel and the graphic signage always intrigues me. I took a little time after work one day to sketch it, lots of shade on this street made it a very comfortable draw.

We really do embrace the concept of  "Car Camping" so I tried to include a pile of gear in this drawing.

Lastly, awhile back I posted a sketch of this corner when it was The Sun Electric Bldg and now I've made a sketch of it's new transformation to Sunset Electric Apartments and Stout Bar

reserve

since the holidays when it opened I have avoided the new Starbucks Reserve store like the plague due to the lines around the block I saw when travelling up the hill. The February Seattle Urban Sketcher meet brought me out! It would be cool if we could sketch there without all the lookyloos, but it was very interesting. 

inside and out

last week...

2.18.15_ Occasionally on Wednesday nights I attend a life drawing session at a friends studio and occasionally I am uninterested in the model. When that happened last week I stayed and made a drawing of the folks drawing.

2.22.15_ Later that week I walked over to Harvard and Pike to draw the new apartments going up over there. I can't imagine this being the ideal place to live due to it's proximity to 95 Slide, Bill's and Linda's all in the same block.

Adrift...coffee,tea or bicycles

In January we traveled to Long Beach, WA for a couple of nights at The Adrift Hotel. It's a cute little place rite on the beach with an eco friendly theme. We enjoy the free use of the beach cruiser bicycles here and I like that you can get good coffee, tea, water or a bicycle all in the lobby!