Vernazza, Italy

Whenever I see these sketches, they cause me to want to draw more of them. Someday, I hope to return....only this time to spend the majority of my time with pen and sketchbook in hand!

Till that day comes, the plan is to have my eye surgery done next month, heal from that and then get back to being involved with the Urban Sketchers of Tacoma. May the time pass quickly till then.

February 2018 Outings

NOTE CHANGE OF DAY AND TIME for "1st Saturday":

2nd Saturday, February 10  Asian Pacific Cultural Fest

http://www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org/newyear

Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall
2727 East D St., Tacoma

Meet inside entrance at 11:00 am. 
 

This is a free event, though parking at the Dome may cost. 

Special Notes
Backbacks are prohibited.  Also, "Bags, including handbags and purses, may now be no larger than 13” x 15”. So consolidate your sketch kit!   More info on security measures  https://tacomadome.org/plan-your-visit/security

From our experience in 2014:  Bring ear plugs.  The sound system was at least twice as loud as it needed to be.  We could feel it, which means we were all sustaining some hearing damage!

Parking maps  https://tacomadome.org/plan-your-visit/parking-direction  



There is free parking at Freighthouse Square from which you will walk a short distance (.2 mile, less than a quarter mile) along D Street.  

Parking lots E and K are reserved for guests with disabilities and are van accessible and are sold on a first come first served basis. The parking fee for Tacoma Dome events is $10 - $30 per single parking space depending on the event. All Tacoma Dome lots are wheelchair accessible.

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Second Thursday, February 8 

Gig Harbor Fire Department HQ

10222 Bujacich Rd NW, Gig Harbor

We have been given permission to sketch at the Gig Harbor Fire Department Headquarters located at 10222 Bujacich Rd NW at the north end of Gig Harbor.  There are historical displays and antique firefighting equipment to sketch, all located in a lovely wooded area which is also appealing if it’s not pouring rain outside.  There are several lunch options in the Gig Harbor North area – Panda Express, Qdoba Mexican, Subway, Wok Teriyaki.

Directions from the south:

Cross the Narrows Bridge on Hwy 16 W (heading NB) Exit at Borgen Blvd, ½ mile past mile post 14 (this is the exit to Costco)
Enter and stay within the traffic circle to go across the freeway
Enter the next traffic circle and go halfway around to stay straight to the T intersection
Turn Left onto Sehmel Dr NW
After the road curves to the Right, take the next Left on Bujacich Rd NW
Entrance is on the Right

 Directions from the north:

Exit at Borgen Blvd Turn right at the top of the ramp
Turn left onto Sehmel Dr NW
Proceed as above

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Third Wednesday, February 21: Union Station

1717 Pacific Avenue,Tacoma, WA 98402-3200

https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/tacoma-union-station-tacoma-wa
Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Tacoma,_Washington)
Courthouse  http://www.wawd.uscourts.gov/visitors/tacoma-courthouse

We return to the site of our very first 3rd Wednesday outing back in March 2015! 

Meet in the rotunda at 10 am. 

Note:  This is a Federal courthouse so there is a security screener at the door.  Have your government issued ID ready and know that your bag will be searched. 

There is beautifully restored Victorian era decor.  There is Chihuly glass.

Schmidt House

We drove rather far afield to sketch the historic Schmidt House mansion in Tumwater, WA for our sketch outing yesterday.

Actually, the family named the mansion "Three Meter" but the reason for the name has been lost to time. It was built in 1904 for Olympia Brewing Company founder Leopold Schmidt and his wife Johanna.



The home has two floors open to visitors. However, our host, Don, took us up to the third floor. It has some beautiful and interesting architectural details.

The scenes of most interest to me were on the ground floor. I sat at a round table with other sketchers to draw the view out the window, which included the statue, "Industry". I added to the montage some details found on the ground floor.



Perhaps due to the distance, we were a small group today.


Jan, Carolyn, Ken, Kris; Becky, Kate, Frances



After sketching, some of us went to lunch at Terrace Falls restaurant where we had a wonderful view of the falls. I find painting moving water a challenge. I've got a collection of YouTube videos on the subject of painting water through which I'm working my way.

 





--Kate Buike

The Northwest Room!

Yesterday was our USK Tacoma monthly sketch-out and the turn out was amazing. Close to thirty people attended and we all met at the Tacoma Public Library. What does it feel to sketch at a Public Library you might ask? Well, overwhelming i could say. The Tacoma Public Library carries a lot of history within its walls. The Carnegie building is the original 1903 Carnegie Library. The collections found in the Northwest Room includes Tacoma city directories dating back to 1885, early to current newspapers, record indexes, maps, photos, postcards, manuscript collections, architectural plans, etc. In addition if you are interested in doing genealogical research The Northwest Room is the place to go. They have an amazing collection of resources and this collection covers the U.S. and other countries.
The Northwest Room is such an amazing space with a dome that is beautifully decorated that brings warm light into its space. Even though I believe that my drawing in no shape or form gives it justice, this is the best I was able to do yesterday. When I sat and began absorbing the beauty of the place I was overwhelmed by it but eventually I drew what I saw and this is the end result.

Until Next one and Happy Sketching!

Daisy

At the library again

We at the Tacoma Main Library yesterday.  Our wonderful host was Beverly, one of our members and the manager at the library.

I already knew I wanted to attempt the window in the "crow's nest".  It has intimidated me in the past but I'm fairly satisfied with the sketch I did.  The lower left corner was empty and I decided the composition needed something there to balance the right corner.  It might have been better if the figure was looking into the page.  But the windows were on what I spent most of my time and what I found challenging.



We were a really large group today.  I think we counted 35 people.  Several had left by the time the library media person took our group photo.






---Kate Buike