"Meetings, Meetings and More Meetings"

My local school retirees association put on a pre-retirement workshop today.  There were just over 80 signed up, but due to there being no fees to attend and it being a beautiful day, we were about 16 people short.  This is small sample of the crowd at the workshop. 

"The New KGH Hospital"

Went out this morning on our weekly "Wednesday Morning Sketchabout" and captured this image of the new hospital going up in the Southridge section of Kennewick, WA.  Not without controversy, KGH went ahead with plans to build this facility even though the public vote did not approve its construction with local tax dollars.  Good for the Hospital Board for finding a way without utilizing public monies!

"Jack-in-the-Box Lady"

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I was at Jack-in-the-Box with my wife having a couple of those pretty good, but cheap, 2 for $.99 tacos when she took a seat at the next table only four feet away.  She had taken our order and was on a break with her cell phone and a diet-Coke. 

My sketchbook, always at my side, was ready.  I opened it and began to draw her, quickly, and very clandestinely (you never want to get caught).  The sketch took about 5, maybe 8, minutes and we made eye-contact two times.  I've heard it said by sketchers far more qualified than I that if you get caught a third time, it's time to turn the page and start something else.  So, with this gal, it was close.

Funny thing is, I wasn't going to post it at all because her left hand and both arms are way out-of-whack.  But a sketching friend saw it in my sketchbook and laid some praise on it.  That's when I figured my lady here needed a break.  I posted her on facebook and she's getting quite a few hits.  So, welcome to the blog, Jack-in-the-Box Lady. 

"Sketching Sushi"

Met my sketch buddy, Nancy, at a local sushi bar (Nancy owns the building) yesterday. We don't know where our other partner, Dave, was.  He lives in his own world pretty much anyway.

She ordered the " James Bond" roll, and I had eel. I know it may sound "gross" to many, it once did to me also, but it is my favorite now. And, it isn't raw, another big plus!

As soon as it was delivered, we both pulled out our sketchbooks and started drawing.

Great food here. I will definitely return.

The lantern is a just a tad too large for the people at the table below, and the window should have been left "white." But it's a fair representation.  I like the color on the walls and the lantern.

The one below speaks for itself.

"Kennewick's Old Grain Elevator on Clearwater"

This old grain elevator was at this same location when I first laid eyes on it in 1957. Then it was the westernmost building on Clearwater Avenue, in Kennewick, WA. Due to population growth and consequent growth west, it sits near the mid...dle of town these days. Newcomers find that hard to believe. It also was an actual grain elevator in those days, the trains still run right along side it, but today it's mostly a cell phone tower.

Published by "Spokane District Dental Society"

A month or two ago I received word from the "Spokane District Dental Society" that they wanted to use some of my sketches for a couple of publications coming up at the "Annual Inland Northwest Dental Conference" this spring.

This evening I received word that both their Program and Exhibitor Prospectus have been printed. 
It appears the top image has been increased in size and cropped to fit the front page of the Exhibitor Prospectus in an almost, or maybe not so almost, over-blown blow up.  Maybe that is the impact they wanted to create.  I won't complain.  When asked, I gave them permission to use the images as they saw fit.

The middle image appears in total on page two of the Exhibitor Prospectus.  This was a surprise as we only discussed the top and bottom sketches for their use.  It isn't a problem, but it is a surprise as this is my least favorite of the three . . . by far.





This bottom image, a drawing done from a photograph of the Spokane Tribune Building I took a couple of years ago, was used as a full page illustration on the cover of the 2013 Program for the conference.  It took some modifications to get it where they wanted it, but I am pleased with how it turned out.

Once my copies arrive, I will scan and post them for viewers to inspect here on this blog.   

"March: third saturday sketchabout"

Our group of sketchers met at 10am last Saturday for our "Third Saturday Sketchabout" at the Richland Public Library.  The goal was to capture the essence of the library both inside and out, that is if it wasn't too cold and windy outside; and it was. 

 

On the way, I had to stop at the local Costco and gas up.  Fortunately the guy in front of me had a truck to fill, so I had just a few minutes to capture him.  There was another car in front of him, but hey, I left it out, ok?!
 

I've been working on perspective lately, so after a couple other sketches, I moved from the lobby into the "guts" of the library, found a nice chair to fill and sketched this aisle using one-point perspective.  I think it worked rather well.

After regrouping in the lobby at noon, we shared our sketches, had a great conversation about perspective, color, composition, etc., then headed out for lunch at McKay's Taphouse.  Great Italian sammie, and good company.  Here you see Nancy, Dave, Jay, and Greg sitting about the table and having some good liquid refreshments. 

 

"Franklin County Courthouse"

This is the Franklin County Courthouse located in Pasco, Wahington.  Our group of sketchers has tackled this beauty a number of times.  In this series of drawings, the top one was is the oldest.  It was drawn in 2011, but I want to feature it at the top in order to give the other three interiors drawings, done yesterday, some context. 

 

Designed by the architectual firm of C. Lewis Wilson and Co., in Seattle, it was constructed in 1912 at a cost of $74, 215.  In 2005, a grant of $2.7 million was awarded for historical restoration.  It is gorgeous.

 

 

Walking into rotunda, this statute, which is standing in what appears to be a large flower pot, greets you. 

 

 

On the second floor looking across to the other side, you see a guy in a black hat walking toward one of the courtrooms.

 

 

This was the first sketch I did there yesterday.  It's right on the verge of being overworked, it is too symmetrical, and the dome reaches considerably higher than it does here.  That's because I did not take Liz Steel's advice and started from the horizon line rather than the top of the object I wanted to draw.  I'll get it right one of these days, meantime - this is it. 

"Mercer Estates Winery, Prosser, WA"

The Tri City Urban Sketchers drove up to Prosser last September with the intention of using a winery or two as subjects for sketching.

This "Mercer Estates Winery."  I have known the Mercers for a long time as most of them were students of mine when I taught at Prosser High School. 

"Blog Update"

I have decided to spend some time today to update my blog.  I am afraid it has been neglected, again, over the past 6 or 7 months while I have been uber-involved with the "urban sketcher" movement.  It is time to pull back some from the USk thing and concentrate more on this one.

Stay tuned.