Skansie Net Shed - Gig Harbor, Washington

Getting to Gig Harbor that morning was very quick and easy, something I thought would be worse with the golf tournament gearing up. Going home was a different story, one should avoid #16/I-5 from the Narrows to downtown Tacoma until the road construction is done.

My thanks to Feather for opening the Net Shed, what a cool place and there certainly was plenty of marine and other subjects in the area to sketch for some time.

Pen and ink, with watercolor (on one) in a watercolor Moleskine sketchbook.

Meet the Correspondent: Feather

 "Eye" 5x7
scrachboard 2015

    I began my creative endeavors as a photographer in my teens. I went on to spend the majority of my career in photojournalism, advertising, publication and fine art. It built good habits of laborious rigor and studious devotion to carrying a camera where ever I went. Once the world went digital it was like asking an architect to become a landscaper so after 25 years I retired from being a photographer. It was then that I made a severe shift from a collector of "shots" to what felt like more of an engaged participant in life. As famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson once said. "Photography is an immediate reaction, drawing is a meditation."
 

Typical example of the many "working" sketchbooks I
I use simultaneously from day to day. 

Much like the "carry a camera wherever you go" motto of a photojournalist, I kept sketchbooks in abundance. I carried one wherever I went and drew everything I saw. Working only from life I was convinced that learning to draw would lead  me to advance in my art technique. While most of my friends thought me odd to draw all the time, I felt it was a necessity that I was not willing to sacrifice if I hoped to become a better artist. More importantly I was strengthening the relationship between eye, mind, heart and hand.

Burnesque Castle Germany
 5x7 graphite 2005

   As objects became easier to draw, my sketches began to morph more into scenes, like memories, to collect. When traveling, to sit and sketch something  was the most comprehensive way to absorb the environment's sights, smells, sounds and often meet the locals. For me, I would rather spend an after drawing at a cafe then seeing how many tourist destinations that I could check off a hitlist resulting in a handful of images that I would have no substance to support for any experience in visiting these places. This mindset carried over into my everyday life.

 1st sketch with Central
Park Sketch Group
Ballpoint pen 2009

 In 2009, when I lived in NYC, if I wasn't painting in the park with my pup then I was out with co-artists doing plein air,,, just to get out of the studio on the weekends. Spending so much time in the studio, working outdoors was like a vacation. I did short studies on the bus, during my lunch break... any down time I could before I finally joined my 1st "on site" drawing group, Central Park Sketchers.. A few years later when I left New York I got connected with my local plein air group but it wasn't quite the same as- sketching for half an hour, sharing your sketches, sketching another hour, sharing sketches... maybe it was the sharing but I missed my sketch group. I chatted with the local artists about going sketching together and was lucky to get one or two of them to join me every few weeks. For the most part, I went back to sketching alone.

1st USK Tacoma Sketch
Asian Pacific Cener
Watercolor 2013

   Before the Urban Sketchers Tacoma group even began, I met with the founder Frances Buckmaster. We swapped art ideas about community groups, made suggestions to one another about local sites and soon after she launched the group. Co facilitating the Penesula Art League's plein air group, I could not attend yet by fall I had become fascinated with enjoying the variety of other artists sketchbooks online. So when I finished my plein air group responsibilities in October, I went to my 1st outing in Nov. 2013. After sharing sketchbbooks, I learned that  this group was much like my NYC group and again I was able to enjoy the benefits of sharing sketchbooks- USK was a natural fit and I became an enthusiastic regular attendee. As time flew by, I was invited to share my passion for drawing with it's members as a writing correspondent on the blog. Being no stranger to sharing my support for the artist's sketchbook and the importance of drawing, I agreed... and the rest is history.

 Nissan Car interior 2014
4x5 shellac plate etching

    Although I am a retired photographer and don't work in the medium any longer, I do find the magic of image making through printmaking, painting and sketching. Like most artists much of my finished work has been made in the solidarity of a studio, Working outside the "4 walls" has been something that has led me to groups like Urban Sketching and Plein air. My on site sketch work includes pen &ink, graphite, charcoal, shellac plate etching, conte, ballpoint pen, scratchboard, oil paint, watercolor,,, to name a few. I enjoy experimenting with different mediums and playing with mixed media in my artwork. You may enjoy more of my sketches and artwork by visiting my personal blogs:
     http://gypsyartistsketchbooks.blogspot.com/
     http://theartworkofstudio-g.blogspot.com/

Boat House

This is a back door view of the Boat House on the water front near Point Defiance Park. I choice this view because it looked like it needed a friend and I was in the shade on a warm and sunny day. The work was done in ink and watercolor pencil.    Rom LaVerdiere

July's Saturday outing

 Pacific Northwest Regional Sketch Outing

On July 11, 2015, Tacoma USk will host the other Urban Sketching groups from around the Pacific Northwest.  The last such outing was organized by Seattle USk and held in Tacoma in July 2012.  (If you'd like to see images from that outing, go here.)  

Note we have changed the date from the first Saturday due to the Independence Day holiday. 

We will meet at 10 am in the amphitheater of the Washington State History Museum.  
 1911 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402

Go through this arch and the amphitheater is behind.

 

We'll return there at 12:30 for sharing.   

Just in that area there are many sketch venues.  One might also ride the free Light Rail (see link below) up and down for many other historic down town views.  

Resources:

The Light Rail Stop is Union Station. 

Parking:  
1.   for a fee at two lots next to and behind/below the Washington State Historical Museum.  Take the free light rail further up the line.
2.  for Free in the garage across the street from Freighthouse Square (name change coming to  "Freighthouse Station")   and then take the free Light Rail 



There are many restaurants in the area for lunch.  If there is interest, we can have an afternoon session and meet for another sketchbook sharing session. 

Wait, There's More

For those able to stay,  Seattle Urban Sketchers will be rearranging their usual monthly outing to Sunday, July 12th.  This is to take advantage of having other sketchers in the area and the Georgetown Garden Walk.  See the blog tab "Monthly Outing" for more information.

  

The Garden Walk is a free self guided tour.  Maps will be available on the day of the Walk at the Georgetown branch of the Bank of America parking lot located at 1112 South Bailey St, Seattle, WA 98108. 

July's Wednesday Outing

July  15  Annie Wright Schools

827 North Tacoma Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98403

http://www.aw.org/Page/About-Us/Campus-Tour

Meet at 10 am in the circle of the front walk that has benches (faces N. Tacoma Ave). Everyone will need to sign-in and wear a visitor name tag. Jean Young is a teacher at Annie Wright and a Tacoma Urban Sketcher.   She has made the necessary arrangements for us to sketch there.

We'll choose a place to meet back at 12:30 pm to share our sketches.   

Though there are places to eat around the school, we recommend bringing a sack lunch.

Skansie Net Shed

We went out to Gig Harbor to meet at the Skansie Net Shed.  One of our number arranged to gain entrance so we had the run of the shed all morning.  My first sketch was from the deck, looking back into the shed.



It was a perfect day... sunny, warm enough but with a nice breeze.  I sat on the dock of the marina and sketched the view of the shed from the beach.







There was about 15 minutes left.  So I splashed together a sketch of the Fisherman's Memorial.



Then we met to share sketches and a group photo.





More Photos

The Pleasure of the Hunt

"Dress Form" 7x11 watercolor & ink

There are people who have to travel half way around the world to be "inspired". Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and enjoy discovering new things but I've learned that seeing things differently or seeing different things is often all it takes to be inspired.Today I simply left the house and kept my eyes open. I went down to the historic downtown, which is a tourist haunt of cute stores so it was easy. The "find of the day" was a storefront displaying a dress out front on a seamstress's form which caught my eye. Having one of the older businesses, Ladies Boutique, display beside the newest store front on the block, the distillery, as a background just seemed intriguing to me- so I painted it! The best part was that this sketch completed a sketchbook which always make me feel good to fill up and retire a sketchbook. "Dress Form" was found on Harborview dr in Gig Harbor WA.

Vashon Island to Fort Flagler - A Travel Journal Sketching Adventure

The journey from Vashon of course begins with a boat ride. First sketch Tuesday morning on the ferry sketching from the upper deck Commencement Bay and Mount Rainier. Destination is Fort Flagler for two days of camping, sketching, kayaking and exploring. Second sketch of Mount Baker from the beach in front of our camp site. Later a quick sketch of the Navy's Ordnance Depot on Indian Island. Next morning a fresh perspective of the Depot from my kayak and an opportunity to add some color. Dipping my pencils into the salt water seemed the perfect method. Thursday morning a walk out onto the sand spit provided a new and closer view of what I had sketched the day before. Again watercolor pencils served my needs to capture color on the run. Once again I am reminded of just how fortunate we are to live in the Pacific Northwest with all this natural beauty at our finger tips.

Skansie Netshed - Wednesday Outing, 17 June

Skansie Netshed  (unfortunately, the website is not available and redirects us only to their Facebook page)

3313 Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor, WA 98323

This Gig Harbor landmark (built in 1910) is in the  historical waterfront area.  It is a blue building with orange trim and redish roof. There is a covered area, a park, dock, and restrooms. Inside is a collection of navel artifacts from boats and tools to floats and nets.   More information is here:   http://www.cityofgigharbor.net/gig-harbor-historic-netsheds/

Tacoma USk member, Feather, has made arrangements for us to be able to sketch inside the Netshed.  Meet there at 10am.  We'll sketch until 12:30 and then meet again to share sketches.  

Parking is free but most of the road is 2 hour parking on the street .  

[There is a  trolly  but it does not start running on Wed. until 11am. It runs along the waterfront and an option if you don't want to have to more your care every 2 hours. It's 50 cents or $1 for all day.  FREE for seniors and persons with disabilities with valid Regional Reduced Fare Permit.  Or use your Orca card.   The park & ride is on Kimble road]

There are some options for near by restaurants for lunch or bring a bag lunch if you prefer.     

 

Penrose State Park and Lake Bay Marina

About a 45 minute drive south of Tacoma on the Key Peninsula is Penrose State Park nestled on the shores of Lake Bay. As a long time boating family Lake Bay was one of our favorite South Sound destinations. Wonderful old marina, beautiful beaches, great kayaking and a plethora of sketching opportunities. Quick sketches with 08 Micron Pen and watercolor pencils and some watercolor kept me engaged in the beauty of my surroundings.