Sketch Rehab

This is my seventeenth year as a Centrum artist in resident and my third year teaching travel journal sketching at the Port Townsend School of the Arts. One week in residency including a two-day workshop, which includes an outing with the local Urban Sketcher group, affording students the opportunity to become familiar with urban sketchers and their work. The workshop included participants from Seattle, Edmonds, Bainbridge Island and Port Townsend.

A great turnout Friday morning followed by a Saturday afternoon outing at the Port Townsend boat yard with a few dedicated boat sketchers. The weather was cold but clear with hardly a breath of wind.

What a great way to rehab in my favorite maritime environment surrounded by like minded students, faculty and urban sketchers.  

Travel sketching with a fellow urban sketcher

This past week my long time friend and fellow urban sketcher Ken Fulton and I spent a week in residency at Centrum in Port Townsend. While I've been part of the Centrum residency program for the past 18 years, this is the first time I have participated in a shared residency. Our goal for the week was to create at least one or more sketches and or a painting every day and present our work at an open house at the end of the week. Fort Worden, Port Townsend boat yard and Marestone Island provided all the inspiration we required to accomplish our goal. It also helped to have an ad hoc sketch outing with PT urban sketchers as well as spending the day sketching on Marestone Island with fellow urban sketcher Mel Epling.
All my sketches were done in my Pentalic 5x8 watercolor journal using Derwent watercolor pencils. Each morning I packed my sketching gear, headed out the door of our residency cabin to run the two mile loop to Point Wilson and back, all the while looking for what would become my morning sketch. The last days early morning light provided a must-sketch spectacular view of Mount Baker. Derwent Cobalt Blue, Raw Sienna and Ink Tense Deep Indigo were the colors I used for this very simple sketch.
As grateful as I am for the places I've traveled, seen and sketched with family and friends, there really is nothing more satisfying than guilt-free sketching with a fellow sketcher.

Visiting USk PT

During a previous visit, I'd walked through the Palace Hotel in Port Townsend but didn't take the time to sketch there.  When the Urban Sketchers Port Townsend announced a Wednesday outing there, I thought it would be a good time to visit.

I convinced Himself to go with so we'd have a chance to stay together at the Chevy Chase Beach Cabins.   One we arrived about 3:30 pm we got settled into our small cabin and we took a walk around the property.  Here's our charming cabin with a view.



It was sunset and I quickly did a simple sketch of the view from the hill above the beach.



On Wednesday morning, I went in to town to join the sketchers. It was good to meet the group and a fun time sketching this historic location. 

With so many choices, it was difficult to settle on a subject.  I liked the globe and lamp that Mel was sketching, so I composed an alternate view, including him.



Then I sat on the stairs to sketch the entry door used by hotel guests.



Sharing sketches:



Group photo taken by one of the others. 

DRAWING, A RECORD OF TIME AND PLACE

On a recent sketch outing with Port Townsend Urban Sketcher group I made a sketch of the maritime environment from the beach in front of Chetzemoka Park . Fort Worden, Point Wilson Light, Admiralty inlet, Whidbey Island and an incoming freighter were the subject of my sketch. It occurred to me as I observed the view and began to make record of it, seeing it from my perspective, time and place have stood still. The light house at Point Wilson, the wharf and buildings at Fort Worden have been there since the beginning of the 20th century. It appears nothing has changed, time and place have stood still. And then on the horizon behind the spit of land the light house sits on an incoming container ship loomed large and surreal against the historic foreground, spoiling the view and awaking me from my idyllic state of imagining this scene some 80 or 90 years ago. To keep my vision alive and historic, I converted the container ship to a more period freighter and finished the sketch. I know this is not in accordance with our urban sketchers manifesto, to be truthful to the scenes we witness but sometimes I just feel I have to make an exception. I've included a similar historic sketch of Point Robinson along with a pure and truthful sketch of ships in Commencement Bay.

For the record the top sketch was done in my Pentalic 5x8 watercolor journal using Derwent watercolor pencils. The sky and water were done wet-in-wet pulling pigment off the French Gray and Blue Gray pencils with my water brush. The middle and bottom sketch are both watercolor and ink in Moleskine water color journals.


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Growing a community of Port Townsend Urban Sketchers one workshop at a time

Two of Port Townsend Urban Sketcher group attended the April 8 and 9 Travel Journal Sketch Work Shop at the Port Townsend School of the Arts helping to inspired and encourage the rest to join this ever growing community of dedicated Urban Sketchers. Saturday and Sunday were windy, cold and often rainy causing us to seek shelter and sketching opportunities indoors. Saturday afternoon we sketched in the Fort Worden Commons building which has a wonderful lodge like feeling with a large stone fire place in the main lobby sitting area as well as an adjoining cafe. Sunday morning we met at Velocity Coffee at the Northwest Maritime Center and sketched in and around the boat shop until a little after noon.

This was my 3rd workshop at the Port Townsend School of the Arts, the first two-day workshop and the first time a seven year old attended one of my classes. At the PTSA Open House a few weeks earlier I met Eric and his young daughter Anora who along with her father wanted to sign up for the upcoming Travel Journal Sketch Workshop. I admit I was caught off guard, not sure I would be able to keep her interest for a full two days. Boy, was I mistaken! Anora was as intent and engaged as anyone in the class, inspiring us all with her sketches and her composure. Here are Anoras sketches from the NW Maritime Center and the Fort Worden Commons. Anora and Eric plan to attend USk Port Townsend sketch outings.

Old Ferry Dock, Port Townsend

This noon day scene on the Port Townsend water front was created using Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils and micron ink pens. A water soluble ink was also used which created a softer line in the brick building when the watercolor was applied.                  Rom LaVerdiere