Frances Buckmaster
I drew a lot as a
kid. I was asked to create costumes
for my friends' cut-out dolls. My
teachers asked me to do bulletin boards. My junior high art teacher said, "You should
major in art." So, I went to Cass Technical High School in downtown Detroit MI..as a college prep student, majoring in Commercial Art.
I entered college (Wayne State University, Detroit MI) as
a fine arts student, but quickly decided I would need to focus upon a more ‘practical’ course of study...one leading to a profession. So, I changed majors, earned a teaching degree, and then taught junior high English, Social Studies, and
Communications. I married, had kids, became
a single parent, and eventually decided to change careers. First, I worked on a graduate degree in Business. Then I entered seminary in Vancouver BC and earned a Master of Divinity degree. I was
ordained a Unitarian Universalist minister in Vancouver, B.C.. I served three congregations in British
Columbia and later, three more across the United States. It was very fulfilling work, but art had disappeared from my life...and even from my horizon....or, so I thought.
In Tacoma, I retired from ministry, remarried, and my
husband almost immediately encouraged me to explore art options. I renewed my early art skills by studying drawing, painting, and printmaking
at Pacific Lutheran University. Then, I showed
and sold some of my art. After we moved to Puyallup I rented a large downtown studio and joined the Puyallup Main Street Association as a ‘business member.’ They
commissioned a drawing to celebrate their downtown re-development program: As a result: My first 'urban sketch' (actually a very time consuming drawing) was of the old Liberty
Theater which I illustrated using calligraphy:
For several years, I taught art classes and hosted workshops in my studio. I also held a weekly long-pose figure studio program which attracted artist members who enjoyed drawing and painting in community.
Eventually, I went to some outdoor sketching and plein air painting outings in Seattle, and almost accidentally attended
Seattle’s very first Urban Sketchers outing at the Fisherman’s Terminal in July 2009. I had no idea I was at its historic first outing...or that it was the vanguard of a global movement founded by Gabi Campanario. He's to my left in the photograph below:
Two of my sketches from Fishermens Terminal.
I attended quite a few of the Seattle Urban Sketchers' outings, but I-5 traffic eventually caused me to think: "It would be great to have urban sketching opportunities a bit closer to home!" As a result, I started Urban Sketchers-Tacoma in 2013, with a lot of help: First from Gabi Campanario (founder of the global Urban Sketchers movement) and Jane Dillon Wingfield--Olympia. Co-administrators Kate Buike--Renton, Rom LaVerdiere--Bonney Lake, Mark Ryan--Kent, and Darsie Beck--Vashon Island and I began to build Urban Sketchers-Tacoma, along with support from our Blog Correspondents Feather Hilger and Beverly Choltco-Devlin.
Our first sketch-outing was in downtown Tacoma on a rainy day in June, 2013.
Urban Sketchers-Tacoma has become inextricably woven into my life. I thoroughly enjoy sketching in our ever-growing sketching community as well as sketching alone. I’ve lost count of how many urban sketches I’ve accumulated since 2009. Art is once more central in my life. Now, I rarely go anywhere without my sketchbook.
(March 3, 2015)
Kate Buike
It
was May 2013 that I met Frances Buckmaster at an Urban Sketching
workshop in Seattle. It was as a result of a discussion there that I
joined her and Rom in working to get USk Tacoma going.
I originally discovered Urban Sketchers on 21 February 2012 when Gabi Campanario appeared on a local show promoting his book, The Art of Urban Sketching. Right then and there I said to myself, "That's what I want to do". That Sunday, 26 February, I attended my first Sketch Outing with the Seattle group and I've missed few since.
I had just retired in August 2011. Though I have a couple volunteer activities and lots of interests and hobbies, there was room for more. Urban Sketching has brought me back to the practice of art and sketching that I enjoyed when I was young(er). I had a some training and showed my art a little but after getting my first SLR camera in 1974, all my artistic expression went into photography. Until that February in 2012. It had been decades since I drew or painted and I have enjoyed renewing my skills. !
I was born and raised in Michigan. I’ve also lived & worked in England, Germany, Southern California and now Washington. I have a Masters Degree in Social Work and I’m a medical Social Worker with a past specialty in Oncology. I've been married for 35 years. My husband is a computer professional.
I live in south King County but have found it's easier most days to get to Tacoma or Puyallup than through Seattle!
Here is a recent sketch, done at Fort Nisqually. I've recently begun combining my sketching with being a volunteer interpreter there.
My Blog: Red Harp Arts
My flickr page: RedHarp
(May 26, 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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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/
(June 24, 2015)
Beverly Choltco-Devlin
We live in a region rich with possibility for sketching, for experience, for inspiration, and for reflection. Since making the radical move here two and a half years ago after 31 years in upstate NY, I am struck by surprising similarities between the two places; for me, the Pacific Northwest, unique, majestic and of a grand scale like few other places on the planet, somehow seems familiar to me. This may seem sacrilege or a stretch to many, but I ask you to each consider my perspective.
The city of Tacoma, where I now work, has a temperament and authenticity akin to that of Utica, NY, where I worked for most of those 31 years. Tacoma and Utica, industrial cities, are each decidedly overshadowed by nearby Seattle and Syracuse, respectively, in terms of acclaim. But each also have so much to recommend them, include incredible natural spaces, a thriving artistic milieu and a caring unpretentious population. And, looking east from each of those four cities, two major mountain ranges provide a strong and welcome counterpoint to urban life: here the majestic Cascades and in the east the venerable Adirondacks. Additionally, my former home back east and my current home here were sited on the the brink of those wild places.
What
has this to do with urban sketching, one may ask? I feel home here in
the Pacific Northwest. Though the dramatic move at first seemed as if I
had dropped through a rabbit hole, I now sense a deep continuity in my
life and art. It is no accident that I am drawn in work and play and
life to those spaces that both represent the excitement of the city and
the grandeur of the mountains.
I
often wonder where urban sketching ends and my love of the mountains
and nature begins. I believe it doesn't matter all that much. I
appreciate that "urban sketching," while originating in an urban
environment, is more about experiencing, recording and, most
importantly, expressing life and place in situ and in context, rather
than having to actually take place within the "city limits" or reflect
entirely urban themes.
That being said, I offer here some recent sketches, all technically drawn within city limits, but each representing the natural world in some way. I questioned whether the simple drawing done from 3600 feet above sea level in a hot air balloon over Woodinville qualified as an "urban sketch," but decided that if we think of such political boundaries, a decidedly human invention, in three dimensions, it works.
I
am still trying to decide if I will add color, but offer humbly here
what I drew in the basket of that balloon for some brief minutes of
that exquisite hour. I am inclined to leave it in its state of
immediacy as a primal representation
of the excitement and awe I felt then, tempered with a teeny bit of
fear. When I think of how terrified I was 20 years ago of flying, this
simple little drawing gives me great joy! Each time I view it, I
remember that I was floating through the amazing natural world of the
sky that few get to experience, while relying solely upon a basket, some
fabric, a propane torch and, ultimately, the trust I placed in the
expertise of our pilot. The simultaneous view of the Cascades and
Seattle and Woodinville and even Victoria was incredible. While most
assuredly not the best sketch I have ever done, this is one for which I
feel great pride. Such a sublime melding!
To an extent, this is what urban, and in fact, all sketching and artistic endeavors mean to me: i.e., the blending of human constructs, and the natural world that give us both joy in its pure state and, also, the resources with which we build our cities and the roads to the mountains, and the paper upon which we draw, and the computer we use to create these posts. Most importantly, sketching and drawing reflect the human experience, my own and that of others. I have done many truly "urban" sketches (in that strict sense of the word) of buildings and architecture and denizens of the inner city, but, for today, I post images of those places that reflect the bridge between the wonderful worlds of city and the wild.
(9/15/15)
Daisy Abreu
As you can see Urban Sketching has become part of my
life and I hope to share this journey with you all along with the USk-T
blog correspondent team.
Happy Sketching,
Kate Buike
It
was May 2013 that I met Frances Buckmaster at an Urban Sketching
workshop in Seattle. It was as a result of a discussion there that I
joined her and Rom in working to get USk Tacoma going. I originally discovered Urban Sketchers on 21 February 2012 when Gabi Campanario appeared on a local show promoting his book, The Art of Urban Sketching. Right then and there I said to myself, "That's what I want to do". That Sunday, 26 February, I attended my first Sketch Outing with the Seattle group and I've missed few since.
I had just retired in August 2011. Though I have a couple volunteer activities and lots of interests and hobbies, there was room for more. Urban Sketching has brought me back to the practice of art and sketching that I enjoyed when I was young(er). I had a some training and showed my art a little but after getting my first SLR camera in 1974, all my artistic expression went into photography. Until that February in 2012. It had been decades since I drew or painted and I have enjoyed renewing my skills. !
I was born and raised in Michigan. I’ve also lived & worked in England, Germany, Southern California and now Washington. I have a Masters Degree in Social Work and I’m a medical Social Worker with a past specialty in Oncology. I've been married for 35 years. My husband is a computer professional.
I live in south King County but have found it's easier most days to get to Tacoma or Puyallup than through Seattle!
Here is a recent sketch, done at Fort Nisqually. I've recently begun combining my sketching with being a volunteer interpreter there.
My Blog: Red Harp Arts
My flickr page: RedHarp
(May 26, 2015)
Feather
 |
| "Eye" 5x7 scrachboard 2015 |
 |
| Typical example of the many "working" sketchbooks I I use simultaneously from day to day. |
 |
| Burnesque Castle Germany 5x7 graphite 2005 |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| Nissan Car interior 2014 4x5 shellac plate etching |
http://gypsyartistsketchbooks.blogspot.com/
http://theartworkofstudio-g.blogspot.com/
(June 24, 2015)
Beverly Choltco-Devlin
We live in a region rich with possibility for sketching, for experience, for inspiration, and for reflection. Since making the radical move here two and a half years ago after 31 years in upstate NY, I am struck by surprising similarities between the two places; for me, the Pacific Northwest, unique, majestic and of a grand scale like few other places on the planet, somehow seems familiar to me. This may seem sacrilege or a stretch to many, but I ask you to each consider my perspective.
The city of Tacoma, where I now work, has a temperament and authenticity akin to that of Utica, NY, where I worked for most of those 31 years. Tacoma and Utica, industrial cities, are each decidedly overshadowed by nearby Seattle and Syracuse, respectively, in terms of acclaim. But each also have so much to recommend them, include incredible natural spaces, a thriving artistic milieu and a caring unpretentious population. And, looking east from each of those four cities, two major mountain ranges provide a strong and welcome counterpoint to urban life: here the majestic Cascades and in the east the venerable Adirondacks. Additionally, my former home back east and my current home here were sited on the the brink of those wild places.
What
has this to do with urban sketching, one may ask? I feel home here in
the Pacific Northwest. Though the dramatic move at first seemed as if I
had dropped through a rabbit hole, I now sense a deep continuity in my
life and art. It is no accident that I am drawn in work and play and
life to those spaces that both represent the excitement of the city and
the grandeur of the mountains. 
I
often wonder where urban sketching ends and my love of the mountains
and nature begins. I believe it doesn't matter all that much. I
appreciate that "urban sketching," while originating in an urban
environment, is more about experiencing, recording and, most
importantly, expressing life and place in situ and in context, rather
than having to actually take place within the "city limits" or reflect
entirely urban themes.That being said, I offer here some recent sketches, all technically drawn within city limits, but each representing the natural world in some way. I questioned whether the simple drawing done from 3600 feet above sea level in a hot air balloon over Woodinville qualified as an "urban sketch," but decided that if we think of such political boundaries, a decidedly human invention, in three dimensions, it works.
I
am still trying to decide if I will add color, but offer humbly here
what I drew in the basket of that balloon for some brief minutes of
that exquisite hour. I am inclined to leave it in its state of
immediacy as a primal representation
of the excitement and awe I felt then, tempered with a teeny bit of
fear. When I think of how terrified I was 20 years ago of flying, this
simple little drawing gives me great joy! Each time I view it, I
remember that I was floating through the amazing natural world of the
sky that few get to experience, while relying solely upon a basket, some
fabric, a propane torch and, ultimately, the trust I placed in the
expertise of our pilot. The simultaneous view of the Cascades and
Seattle and Woodinville and even Victoria was incredible. While most
assuredly not the best sketch I have ever done, this is one for which I
feel great pride. Such a sublime melding!To an extent, this is what urban, and in fact, all sketching and artistic endeavors mean to me: i.e., the blending of human constructs, and the natural world that give us both joy in its pure state and, also, the resources with which we build our cities and the roads to the mountains, and the paper upon which we draw, and the computer we use to create these posts. Most importantly, sketching and drawing reflect the human experience, my own and that of others. I have done many truly "urban" sketches (in that strict sense of the word) of buildings and architecture and denizens of the inner city, but, for today, I post images of those places that reflect the bridge between the wonderful worlds of city and the wild.
(9/15/15)
Daisy Abreu
My name is Daisy Abreu. I am a licensed psychotherapist working
in the healthcare industry, a disaster mental health relief volunteer for the
Red Cross and I am also an Urban Sketcher. I came across Urban Sketching
accidentally in my search to learn more about art, watercolor painting and
drawing. I have no formal art education other than a strong background in
photography which I completed during my bachelor’s degree three decades ago in
Puerto Rico. For many years I had wanted to learn watercolors and finally about
a year and half ago after the loss of my parents I decided to embark myself in
this fantastic journey. One thing led to the next as I realized that painting
will require me to learn how to draw, what a discovery! In my search for some
drawing instruction I came across some of my favorite urban sketchers such as
Stephanie Bower, Paul Heaston, Hugo Rocha or Alfonso Garcia and many others. As
my research intensified I came across the Urban Sketcher blog and website, searched
for a chapter and to my surprise there was a local chapter here in Tacoma! I
joined immediately and became addicted to urban sketching. I felt in love so
much with this organization that became a volunteer working with the blog and
helping in all I possibly can.
I believe that Urban Sketching has different meaning to
every urban sketcher. To me urban sketching works as a process in which I can
reach the “flow.” A concept developed by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi that states creativity is a central source of
meaning in our lives. He states that "When we are involved in
[creativity], we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of
life." Flow is the creative moment when a person is completely involved in
an activity for its own sake. To me Urban Sketching is a form of mindfulness
practice that helps me be grounded, relaxed and experience joy. It teaches me
patience and acceptance. It helps me see my mistakes and flaws in the drawing
and embrace them as learning opportunities. This process translates into daily
life experiences as well. Urban sketching also serves as a way to record time,
place, experiences and my life as a whole. Life is like a fleeting thought,
what is here today is no longer tomorrow. Everything changes and creating a
record of our experiences thru the process of art is magical.
As follows I will share with you some of the sketches I have
completed during the past six months with Urban Sketchers - Tacoma.
 |
This is my very first urban sketch done at Chambers Golf Course in University Place, WA
This
sketch was done from my car while having a lunch break. This lady and
her children caught my attention as they were asking drivers from
financial support.
Most
of my sketching opportunities happen during lunch as you will see over
time. This was done in Tacoma and this is Tacoma Community College or
TCC.
 |
Happy Sketching,
Daisy
(Oct 8, 2016)
Pat Graham
Hi, my name is Pat Graham and I'm just getting my feet wet as a correspondent here on the blog. I've been a sketcher of some
sort for all my life. I honestly can't remember a time when I wasn't drawing on
backs of discarded paper in the waste basket at my grandparents home or in
sketch books purchased from the local art supply store. Art instruction was
offered in abundance in the public schools throughout my formative years and I
also took semi private lessons on the side as a youngster. As a partially deaf
child, being able to express myself through art was a saving grace! I can
honestly say that, too, because it became my way of understanding the world
around me. It was always my desire to earn a living using my artistic abilities
in some form or fashion when I grew up, so I immersed myself in commercial art
training after graduating HS and worked in that field for a number of years. On
the side I also studied fine art and enjoyed doing commissioned portraiture.
Fast forward.....an autoimmune disease started to interfere
with my eyesight and I gave up art for a decade, at which time I was able to
have a series of surgeries that helped restore some of my visual clarity. Of
course, I picked my best friend, ART, back up again and took off running! Fine
art and Urban Sketching have been my focus as of late and I'm enjoying myself
completely. Getting together with the local sketching group offers a wide
assortment of locations to meet up at, get to know other like minded folks and
sometimes enjoy lunch, too, after we sketch. The laid back atmosphere allows
for all levels of abilities to participate with ease - I love that attitude of
inclusion.
I encourage anyone who would like to try their hand at
drawing to join with us and give it a try! Once you get used to it, many find
the process meditative and soothing. I always say that art puts me in a 'zone'
like no other - one that I return to again and again eagerly.
Below, you'll find some of my works, sketching and fine art,
created post eye surgery. I hope to meet you sometime!
(11/21/2016)
Roy DeLeon
Yes. I drive through brutal traffic sometimes up to two hours on weekdays to join you folks. Because I feel da luv when I do what I do with you: Sketching.
In 1972, I migrated from the Philippines where I studied 'commercial art' or graphic design. And until 2015, I worked as a graphic designer for engineering firms. I retired in September 2015 to pursue what's been my first love: drawing and sketching. And to use and abuse and misuse all my still growing stash of art supplies before I die. Like, I didn't know I have 2 Windsor & Newton Series 7 #5 Kosinski brushes. They still have a price tag of $20 each. Amazon lists it at between $84-114!
So I was lucky to join the 4th West Coast Sketchcrawl and got introduced to a few of you. I even won a raffle prize from that tall gentle lady with white hair named Frances. At the event, I met Alison and Beverly. I even got to draw legend Frank Ching during the icebreaker.
I am also an oblate of St Benedict with St Placid Priory. That means I commit to incorporate the Rule of Benedict in my daily life. One favorite Benedictine motto is "that in all things, glorify Holy One." So this is another reason I retired: to use my sketching gifts to spread da Luv.
Therefore, my sketches are more than lines and colors of urban scenes. They are my prayers in the sense that prayer is being with the Sacred. So when I sketch, I "listen with the ear of my heart" (another Benedictine mantra) for answers to "What is the teaching here for me? How does this relate to my life today? What is the invitation?"
Then when I post my sketches, I accompany it with stories that the heart brings up and the blessings that come with it. I hope my sketch-stories will help heal, awaken and open hearts, and help us see each other as brothers and sisters.
Check out my facebook page if you're interested to see my posts while I'm working on my blog. Also, Paraclete Press published my first book in 2009, Praying With the Body: Bringing the Psalms to Life (Active Prayer Series) I am working on a second book, tentatively titled, Drawing Everyday Blessings, based on my FB posts.
Had enough? Ok. Here are a few of recent sketches.
Roy DeLeon
Yes. I drive through brutal traffic sometimes up to two hours on weekdays to join you folks. Because I feel da luv when I do what I do with you: Sketching.
In 1972, I migrated from the Philippines where I studied 'commercial art' or graphic design. And until 2015, I worked as a graphic designer for engineering firms. I retired in September 2015 to pursue what's been my first love: drawing and sketching. And to use and abuse and misuse all my still growing stash of art supplies before I die. Like, I didn't know I have 2 Windsor & Newton Series 7 #5 Kosinski brushes. They still have a price tag of $20 each. Amazon lists it at between $84-114!
So I was lucky to join the 4th West Coast Sketchcrawl and got introduced to a few of you. I even won a raffle prize from that tall gentle lady with white hair named Frances. At the event, I met Alison and Beverly. I even got to draw legend Frank Ching during the icebreaker.
I am also an oblate of St Benedict with St Placid Priory. That means I commit to incorporate the Rule of Benedict in my daily life. One favorite Benedictine motto is "that in all things, glorify Holy One." So this is another reason I retired: to use my sketching gifts to spread da Luv.
Therefore, my sketches are more than lines and colors of urban scenes. They are my prayers in the sense that prayer is being with the Sacred. So when I sketch, I "listen with the ear of my heart" (another Benedictine mantra) for answers to "What is the teaching here for me? How does this relate to my life today? What is the invitation?"
Then when I post my sketches, I accompany it with stories that the heart brings up and the blessings that come with it. I hope my sketch-stories will help heal, awaken and open hearts, and help us see each other as brothers and sisters.
Check out my facebook page if you're interested to see my posts while I'm working on my blog. Also, Paraclete Press published my first book in 2009, Praying With the Body: Bringing the Psalms to Life (Active Prayer Series) I am working on a second book, tentatively titled, Drawing Everyday Blessings, based on my FB posts.
Had enough? Ok. Here are a few of recent sketches.
At Country Village, Bothell
Brew Cafe, Bothell
He owns and lives in that house surrounded by new condos and retail stores in downtown Bothell.
When he saw my post on the Bothell Community FB page, he offered to buy it.
Now I have a few house portrait commissions which will go to buying more art supplies.
"Always We Begin Again." - another Benedictine mantra:
Thank you for letting me sketch with you.
"Life is short - Sketch!" - Roy's mantra
12/7/2016
KaCe Whitacre
My First Time with USkT
I attended two high schools both out of Washington. Then I came back here for college at Western in Bellingham. I studied Education and my major was languages until I walked through the Industrial Arts building. There I found my true calling. I love working with my hands and designing practical things. My father gave me this love of working with my hands by teaching me to use his table saw at 9 and how to tie flies at 10. When I was about 11 he helped me get into an architectural drawing class— making me my T-square and drawing board. I was taught by him that I can do or be anyting and so I do many things that are not typical for women. I’ve driven 18 wheelers, flame throwing tank, and taught juniot high general shop in Seattle’s John Marshall (no longer a school). Today I do wiring, plumbing, tile laying, wood floors and all manner of construction for our rentals. (I’m also an associate member of the NW Land Surveyors Association in Bellingham.
12/5/2017
Lori Johnson
KaCe Whitacre
Kathryn Cecelia "KaCe" Whitacre
I
was born in Eastern Washington the day after Christmas during a
horrible cold snap that froze the gas line in my parent’s car. My family
was of pioneer stock, my grandfather was born in Washington Territory
in 1886. I grew up as an Air Force dependent, living on Fairchild AFB,
WA, Naha, Okinawa, Charleston, SC, Travis AFB, CA, & Elmondorf AFB,
AK. I have one younger sister, Pam; a loving husband, Jim and a lovely
daughter, Karyn. I am an artist. I like sumi painting, calligraphy, book
arts and working with glass; I do wire work and bead work in jewelry
and some sewn projects. I also enjoy sketching... because of Urban
Sketchers/Tacoma.
My
best friend, Peg, invited me to my first USk/Tacoma event in 2015. I
have tried to make as many as possible. Then my cousin, Leith,
challenged me to do 30 days of art. So I did. and I began to draw with
purpose and to carve out time for doing it. Everyone in Urban Sketchers
has their own unique style and I’m no different. I tried to be a
minimalist, but you can see from my first sketch I was more detail
oriented. So I took October of 2017 to come to accept that my style is
detail and I’ll not be a more spontaneous sketcher. This realization
came from discussions with other USk/T members and my friends. I needed
to listen to who I am. It is a good thing to have people who will help
you with these “Ah-Ha” Moments in your life.
Education
I attended two high schools both out of Washington. Then I came back here for college at Western in Bellingham. I studied Education and my major was languages until I walked through the Industrial Arts building. There I found my true calling. I love working with my hands and designing practical things. My father gave me this love of working with my hands by teaching me to use his table saw at 9 and how to tie flies at 10. When I was about 11 he helped me get into an architectural drawing class— making me my T-square and drawing board. I was taught by him that I can do or be anyting and so I do many things that are not typical for women. I’ve driven 18 wheelers, flame throwing tank, and taught juniot high general shop in Seattle’s John Marshall (no longer a school). Today I do wiring, plumbing, tile laying, wood floors and all manner of construction for our rentals. (I’m also an associate member of the NW Land Surveyors Association in Bellingham.
Art
I have always drawn, but don’t know why. I’ve never really pondered that question but since I could hold a pencil, I’ve drawn. I have books that I’ve drawn in over the years. Below are two sketches from 1997 and 2007. Until I found USk/T I didn’t really think about others who drew. Now I know there is a whole cadre of like minded artists who capture what they see honestly and share their work. That is what I indend to do here. As an artist I have worked in warm glass (fusing), and sandblasting glass, calligraphy, Japanese sumi-e, bookbinding, bead work and wire worked jewelry, watercolor and printmaking. I may mention some of these from time to time, but Urban Sketching will be my focus here. I write about my art on FB at A2Z Studio. You are welcome to follow me there. I’m working on a wordpress website, but it is aways off. I love learning, and hope to learn much by posting here. You are always welcome to contact me. BTW, I go by KaCe short for my first and middle name. Pronounced KC.
I have always drawn, but don’t know why. I’ve never really pondered that question but since I could hold a pencil, I’ve drawn. I have books that I’ve drawn in over the years. Below are two sketches from 1997 and 2007. Until I found USk/T I didn’t really think about others who drew. Now I know there is a whole cadre of like minded artists who capture what they see honestly and share their work. That is what I indend to do here. As an artist I have worked in warm glass (fusing), and sandblasting glass, calligraphy, Japanese sumi-e, bookbinding, bead work and wire worked jewelry, watercolor and printmaking. I may mention some of these from time to time, but Urban Sketching will be my focus here. I write about my art on FB at A2Z Studio. You are welcome to follow me there. I’m working on a wordpress website, but it is aways off. I love learning, and hope to learn much by posting here. You are always welcome to contact me. BTW, I go by KaCe short for my first and middle name. Pronounced KC.
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| On our way to St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland 1997 |
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| Riding the express bus to Seattle to see a cousin. 2007. |
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I
am a third generation resident of the Pacific Northwest. I have always been on a life long exploration
of creating art on a part time basis. During
my profession, I often managed to spend time away from work taking art related
courses and workshops. Leaving the
workforce in January of 2018 opened my calendar to pursue the craft of art any
day of the week. My
journey in journaling began in 2009, experimenting with many mediums. I attended my first Tacoma Urban Sketch
outing in 2016 at Sanford & Son, feeling a bit intimidated. What I learned that day still resonates with
me. Spending time with like minded,
supportive artists and drawing from life is a rewarding experience not to be
missed.
Resolute at Manchester Dock August 6, 2018
Tacoma from Fireman's Park August 3, 2019
8/6/2019
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