I sketched my first spring cherry tree blossoms today. But it was at a nursery…Watson's in Puyallup. We met there to enjoy the spring flowers. This nursery is one of my favorites and the staff are so very welcoming to us.
I struggled with this sketch as it was drizzling and then started raining. Even when it wasn't raining the watercolor didn't dry. I had to go inside and work on something else to get it to dry.
My second sketch was a large bunny sculpture. It was priced at $800!
We had a festive morning to sketch at Watson's Nursery. There were plenty of indoor holiday decorations. The outdoor areas were also holiday themed, including reindeer.
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| Watson's Nursery display |
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| The throwdown |
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| Urban Sketchers visit Watson's Nursery |
As we do every October, we gathered at Watson's Greenhouse and Nursery to sketch all their pumpkin and Halloween goodness. The display designs were especially well done this year.
My first sketch was a pile of pumpkins with a crow or raven sculpture.
Next I went out to the back patio to warm up in the sun and sketch the skeleton on a bench, also surrounded by pumpkins. Fortunately I'd already sketched it when an employee walked by and sat him up straight, commenting, "This is Watson's oldest employee".
As I wandered inside the store section, I found Jen sketching a black cat on a couch, sleeping in the sun. We later learned her name is "Luna".
This being St. David's Day (Wales), I was determined to work in a sketch of daffodils.
Christine filled a tiny accordion sketchbook!
Liz sketching her favorite flowers.
Frances is missing from the group as she left early.
It took some perseverance to get to today's outing at Watson's Nursery in Puyallup, WA. There had been very strong winds overnight. Both ends of the road in front of the nursery had barriers for "road closed". In the end, I could see some traffic on the road and I could see Watson's entrance was open. So I just went around the sign. Only four other sketchers did the same.
The amount of holiday decorations in the store area is almost overwhelming. All the sketchers but me opted to sketch the two sleeping reindeer.
I opted for a statue with antlers: Eugene the Moose.
With just a few minutes left, I did a quick, scribbly, sketch of a display of ornaments and greens.
We met at Watson's nursery to sketch fall color. They were already setting up most of the store for Christmas but we managed to find a few fall and Halloween subjects.
I explained this is not a gargoyle because it's not a water spout. It's a grotesque.
Sunlight on the pumpkins. I did buy some for my porch. I was waiting for this event to do so as I wanted to support Watson's since they are so nice to us!
I thought this was an imaginative display…the skeleton embedded on a vegetation wall.
I've taken to always using one of their carts as my mobile studio!
Trish left early.
We visited Watson's Nursery for another pleasant outing. They like having us and we like going. There is so much to sketch both in the huge indoor area and outdoors.
My first sketch was a display with bunny characters inside. I thought I might do a montage with other bunnies. However, I went outside in the back and found these fish. Did you know you can have a school of fish in your garden even if you don't have a pond?
Three sketchers had already left by the time we had our throw down and photo.
We were back at Watson's Nursery in Puyallup to enjoy their winter holiday decor. So many options to sketch! There were even live reindeer, which were rather frisky.
I sketched some displays, snow critters and gnomes.
Then a quick, direct to watercolor, sketch of a reindeer. By afternoon, they were being lazy.
We met at Watson's Nursery yesterday morning to enjoy their autumn goodness. There were so many drawing subjects both inside and outside. The staff members seemed happy to see us and took photos for their own social media (though all I could find was a blog).
I'm still working on the Trees assignment for my on-line Gage class so I first sketched the potted banana trees glowing in the sun.
The store and nursery were so filled with pumpkin displays and autumn holiday goodness that it was hard to pick a subject. I got another tree in along with some pumpkins in different sizes and colors.
Our throw down:
Joe's Mark's Mine
Lori's Barbara's Beverly's
It was just Frances and me sketching at Watson's Nursery this morning. She drove 5 minutes. I drove about 45. I was ambivalent about going due to TV news reports about icy roads, but all the streets and roads were fine from where I live in south King county down to Puyallup.
I was about 30 degrees so rather cold to stand outside to sketch around the nursery. Inside the large sales floor/green house was better but an almost overwhelming about of stuff. I elected to do a montage of gnomes. There were so many gnomes of all types.
Apparently gnomes are popular lately. I thought it was perhaps something special here in the PNW given the Scandinavian heritage (looking at you, Ballard). From what I found on-line, they originated out of Scandinavian folklore and were “house gnomes” who lived in or under the house. They would protect the children and animals from evil or misfortune. In Norway they call them Nisse.
I've
been using the coroplast support more. It has a hole cut in it just
the size of my large pill bottle water container. That way, I don't
spill the water! It's big enough to hold the size paper I usually use
and my small palette. Binder clips both hold the palette and rag but
also brush and pen. 
