I decided to start a new series: the lamps in the McMenamins Elks Temple in Tacoma. All McMenamins properties have the most amazing collection of lighting. Since I’ll likely be at this one often, I decided to devote a pocket Pentalic Aqua sketchbook to them. I might include lamps from other properties, as I visit them. (Gotta fill that Passport!).
Done with a waterbrush, so the wash isn’t very even!
It was a long train ride and then a confusing bus ride to get to the meeting place for joining Urban Sketchers Seattle for the U (University) district street fair. This was my first time there but it was the 50th anniversary for the longest running such event in the USA.
I walked the entire several block length of the fair down University Street. Then hiked backup to meet for the throw down.
I found an interesting entrance to a large apartment building. I thought the name sounded somewhat Lord of the Rings. I missed a letter: it should be “Lothlorien”. Thus it is from LotR: “the fairest realm of the Elves remaining in Middle-earth during the Third Age.“
At the very end I found my favorite thing: a huge cow pulled behind a truck! They were giving out samples of ice cream.
I chose a view where I was better able to see the cow. I used a bit of photo collage.
Every year, the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden hosts Blue Poppy Day to celebrate the blooming of this unique poppy. Urban Sketchers Tacoma has gone a few times to be included in the “Festival of Art and Nature” which features visual and musical artists.
By the end of the outing, there were many sketchers who came to share their work at the throw down. However, at least one is missing from the photo.
I’ve sketched in the garden several times. I made a bee line to the blue poppies so I could do a small sketch as an inset. Then I walked back to sketch the building that was formerly the Weyerhaeuser HQ.
I still had a bit of time left and I went back to sketch a charming old truck converted to a coffee truck.
Met up with a group of sketchers from Kent today at the Museum of Flight. At least two of them are members but still gave them my standard orientation.
Made a quick trip over to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park to check the status. Dedication is a week away. It looked good with the flags flying. A worker was installing the memorial plaques.
Plaque on the front of the statue:
I have several scenes I still want to sketch at the Museum. I did one of them today. I sat on the floor at the front of the Full Fuselage Space Shuttle Trainer’s payload pay. The two humps on either side are the engine bells at the back. Above is the Inertial Upper Stage which boosted satellites into orbit. Above right is the half sized model of the Hubble telescope.
This was my first visit to the restored and renovated Elks Temple in Tacoma. It was a multi-year project by the McMenamin brothers (more here). Urban Sketchers Tacoma met to sketch inside and out of this new property which just opened April 24.
I don’t think I have enough superlatives to describe the amazing work they’ve done here. It’s seven floors of spectacular. I’ll need to go back again and again. I’m sure I could fill several sketchbooks just with the variety of lamps!
There were many sketchers today, only 3 of whom had been here since it opened on April 24.
After sketching, I wandered around some more and got my Passport stamped. I filled it but didn’t see a prize I wanted. So I’ll hold onto it and check back to claim something I like more. Elks Temple is the page on the left.
There was work going on at the front, where I wanted to sketch the restored elk’s head.So I went up to the first landing of the Spanish Steps, outside the Spanish Bar to sketch a detail of the exterior.
An hour later, the workers seemed to have taken a break so I had a view of the elk’s head and the amazing antlers.
I didn’t sketch any of the interior as I’ll save that for bad weather days.
Another mundane chore: took one of the cars for its scheduled maintenance. It didn’t need much, so just waited at the dealership.
Besides, I wanted to see the new Toyota Corolla Hybrid, just out this month. We have a 2002 “1st gen” (or, as Himself calls it, “classic”) Prius. The hybrid batteries are long past their warrantied life so I’m concerned they could fail. We don’t like the “new” Prius hatchback models. The Camry hybrid is too big. So when Toyota finally announced the Corolla Hybrid, we were interested. We’d seen them in Germany, so we knew they were made.
However, the ones listed on the dealer’s website two days ago are already sold. The sales rep. said they are selling very fast. Well, I guess that means there was a lot of interest… about which Toyota finally got a clue. I’d been asking about it for years. I looked at the standard models, as the rep said the car is the same.
I then read my new camera manual. Once I was finished with all of that, I turned to my sketch kit. This is in the pocket Stillman and Birn Beta. Mom was giving pieces of banana to the baby. I liked the little one’s energetic sprig of hair!
Urban Sketchers Seattle met at a second floor public patio in the financial district. It certainly was a hidden gem of a location. We had a good view of the oddly shaped Rainier Tower and the surrounding structures and construction site(s). One sketcher quipped that the Tower looked like beavers had been working at it!
A few sketchers had already left by the time we took the group photo.
Nearly all of us sketched the tower and the nearby crane.
Since I had over an hour left, I decided to take on the architectural details of the upper level of the Cobb Building next door.
Found on line: “The Cobb Building was dedicated on September 14, 1910. The New York firm of Howells & Stokes designed the building as part of its master plan for the University of Washington’s “Metropolitan Tract,” managed at the time by the Metropolitan Building Company (succeeded in 1954 by Unico). It is the first building on the West Coast built specially to serve physicians and dentists and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In 2006 Unico converted the Cobb to luxury apartments.
John Mead Howells and I. N. Phelps Stokes designed the building with the assistance of local architect Abraham H. Albertson. The Cobb is regarded as one of Seattle’s finest buildings in the Beaux Arts mode, which is distinguished by its classical proportions and elaborate ornamentation. The facade features large terra cotta cartouches incorporating a stylized Indian chief’s face in full headdress. These are attributed to craftsman Victor Schneider and were supposedly inspired by the photography of Edward S. Curtis”
Last night was another session of Cosplay Drink and Draw. Our model was the amazing Kelsee dressed as a Harpy. There were so many feathers, I decided the best approach was to be a little abstract. My two favorites from the evening:
Note the skull.
One more garden stop with our visiting friends. The Kubota Japanese Garden is close by and just the ticket for a quick morning visit.
This sketch just looks wrong. But when compared to the record photo I took from the spot at which I sketched it, it looks just as lopsided. Huh?
I couldn’t find much about this bell. Only this, from the garden’s map: “Bell and Drinking Fountain – ring the bell with your knuckle to let the spirits know you are in the garden. Refresh with a sip of water from the drinking fountain designed and built by Gerard Tsutakawa”
Later in the afternoon, they were off on the train for the journey home.
Out and about with our visitors again today. We went to the Seattle Chinese Garden. While they walked around, I went straight to the Dragon Seeker. This is the 3rd time I’ve sketched it.
The reason our visitors are here was to see the Destination Moon exhibition at the Museum of Flight. While they toured it, I went across the street to sketch the relatively newly installed statue of the returning airman.
“The 8.5-foot bronze statue of the airman represents all those who returned home from combat. The American flag that he carries represents all those who gave their lives in the line of duty and did not return home.” The sculptor is James J. Nance, who was also an Air Force pilot, after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy
I was fortunate as the tall cyclone fence had been removed, replaced but a low barrier fence. So that made it easier to see. Major construction seems to be done. The dedication will be on May 25.
