ink and watercolor sketch

Samish Island Camp: Last Day

It was the last full day at paint camp and I headed down to the water, wanting to see the baby bunnies again and the lone orange salmonberry and maybe catch sight of the elusive Black-headed grosbeak, to sketch the colorful canoes and even see if the creepy caterpillars had spilled completely out of their paper sack.

This bench was in exactly the right place by the boathouse, so I straddled it, andavoided having to get out my tripod to attach to the easel. I just propped the back of the easel board on my art gear bag! Here you see the beginning of color application, bleached out by the bright sun.

After lunch, a walk in the forest cathedral carpeted by wildflowers and then, to keep from descending into naptime, I sketched the mini-chapel, big enough for one meditator. Viewed from the outside it may have provided the same sense of peace as I sat drawing and painting in the spring afternoon. Here you also see the grasses that were studded with clover, daisies and buttercups, adding to their lush appeal.

On my last walk out to the lake I found friends, new and old, and got to see how this extraordinary setting had manifested in their art and to confirm that, YES! We will be back again and again to enjoy this land that gives and gives, like the indigenous people who have named it. “Samish: means, the people who stand up and give.”

There were minutes left for one last quick sketch before dinner and a drive to the other side of the island to watch the sunset over the sea. Next morning we moved out, stopping at Matzke Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture Park which is on the Camano Island Studio Tour. The art indoors and out in the cedar forest was breathtaking. Here’s some views of the sculpture garden.

I must leave the north coast there for now. Back at home in Olympia the irises are blooming so full that they’re toppling over. On my walk today on the Chehalis Trail the air was birdsong-heavy, so I turned on my Merlin bird sound ID app. Fourteen different bird species appeared on my screen! But the vegetation is so thick now that for the most part the birds are hidden from view, making it rather frustrating to try to see them, even with binoculars. Time to join the Audubon folks again and get some more lessons! With my new hearing aids the woods are equipped with heavily amplified sound systems!

Samish Island Paint Camp

Do you have memories of summer camp as a kid? My own memories go back to eight years old and the lake, woods, campfires and cabins of somewhere in Connecticut and my best friend (also redheaded like me. I was Copper to her Rusty that summer). Well, all that came rushing back at Samish Island Paint Camp on the north coast of Washington, where all those ingredients converged with spectacular spring weather and loads of like-minded artists. No workshops, just the freedom to roam the 87 acres and paint, with no responsibilities but to make it to meals on time (or not!)

The Samish Island Camp and Retreat Center is run by the Community of Christ church and was managed for this retreat and two others every year by the Northwest Watercolor Society.

on the grounds at camp, low tide on Samish Bay and oyster farming on the beach

We arrived and checked into our rustic cabins, where each person had their own! Mine was green and had two bunk beds in addition to my bed, and a heater which was useful at night. On the weeks when kids and families arrived, one could imagine a more “cozy” bunking experience.

We had our first meal at the Longhorn saloon in the nearby town of Edison and launched into sketching.

pen and watercolor in hand.book watercolor journal

Next day, while the majority of the 50 artists at camp settled into the studio for a day of painting, my friends and I headed back to Edison to try to capture the “flavor” of small town north Puget Sound before the anticipated weekend crowds converged.

The Hedgerow store attracted me with its color palette and rags? textiles? hanging from the telephone pole out front. Inside was jewelry and clothing with upscale S.F. prices! And the Smith and Vallee art gallery in this two block town was equally upscale and well curated.

Meanwhile I was struggling with this sketchbook, which has good watercolor paper and opens flat, but on some spreads exposes the messy glued seam in the gutter!

pens and watercolor in 9X12″ Canson mixed media sketchbook

After lunch there was the entire afternoon to wander around the salt water lake down below, stopping with each something to record. I started with the lake and tree reflection where I could also map the signs of oyster farming as well as the snow capped peaks of Mount Baker across the Sound. There were the creepy wriggling caterpillars and the first solo salmonberry of spring and so much more to notice. I turned on the sound in the Merlin bird ID app and it lit up with birds! some I was able to see, and all I could hear. As I walked along the path baby bunnies scurried to the side and swallows swooped low.

When all the squares on the grid were filled, I was happy with my efforts and ready for dinner.

Stay tuned for more . . .

Billy Frank Jr Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

pen and watercolor in hand.book w/c journal

The sun was shining, the bird watchers were birding, the hikers walking on the boardwalk above the river delta. And at the twin barns, both the parents and the swallows were feeding their young. Every time I’ve reached this point on the path where the picnic tables are shaded by grand old trees, there are groups of parents with preschoolers charging around the trees in utter abandonment as parents try to herd them back to the snack table. “Caitlyn, do you want strawberry or cherry? Goldfish or breakfast bar?” The response is to ignore the question no matter how many times it’s repeated.

The twin barns, historically speaking dairy barns, are colossal and I’ve tried sketching them at least one other time, but the scale of them defeated me. So this time I thought I’d focus instead on selected parts and give myself a break placing myself with the tree in front of the barn. And the benefit of this was to attract the strawberry treat-avoiders into the sketch!

Another lucky stroke was the appearance of a squirrel, literally at my feet, within seconds of my unwrapping a nut-studded energy bar treat of my own. He/she was a highly sophisticated beggar with a wide range of beguiling techniques to achieve his purpose, including standing on his back legs and lifting paws in supplication. Since I was too hungry to share, all he got for his tricks was an accidentally dropped nut, which he immediately dispatched. Later he was thrown an apple core by a more generous Ineke, and that led to a scuffle with his squirrel partner who wanted some of the bounty.

eyes locked on mine. “put it here” he said, pointing.

Poor guy. All his efforts got him was one small nut and a cameo spot in my sketchbook.

The little kids left with their parents and a group of second graders appeared with their teachers and guide. “A quick rest before we continue!” the adults declared, as the kids were trying to figure out how to climb the trees. No snacks for them though. Instead they given the warning “Remember, no climbing the trees!

Meanwhile my sketch buddies were busy Not avoiding the barns and doing a great job of it.

Steilacoom

Steilacoom is a small town on the Puget Sound between Tacoma and Olympia with a ferry to the islands, a train, historic buildings, and jaw dropping views. Muriel was visiting from California and together we joined the Tacoma Urban Sketchers for the day.

Parked on our stools on the sidewalk across the street from this building, we met several friendly town dwellers. The last was a 95 year old woman (yes, I had to ask) who conveyed such vibrant beauty, keen intellect and warmth of spirit. She had lived her whole life in the town and probably would be the one to tell the intimate history of its residents! In the few minutes we conversed she mentioned her friend who had just celebrated her 107th birthday and still lives alone. Hmmm. Longevity in small town life. Surely a reason to make every effort to move there!

Sun alternated with a bit of rain that day. The sprinkling helped with the aged texture of this building, previously a church and now a tribal center, with its pealing paint and weathered facade.

Tacoma Urban Sketchers in front of Bair Drug and Bistro

The meet up ended in Steilacoom-family style around a large table in the historic Bair Drug, now a Bistro and community hang out, whose mission to feed people is stated on their website: “This is for the purpose of health, live-ability and caretaking of our friends and family. This labor is done of love, not job and service, not charity.” And so it was received with much gratitude! and we will be back.

Tenino Depot Museum

Walk in the door of the Tenino Depot Museum and you’ll feel like you’re in a time capsule. Sure, there’s a share of railroad lore and the shiny red caboose out front, and in the authentic bathroom there’s a sign reading “Please DO NOT Flush toilet while train in in station”. Hmmm. But after a few minutes you realize that in typical small town Tenino style, you are made to feel at home and ask any question and get a historically researched answer. Like: what is the real story of how the town/depot was named Tenino? or Can you really use the wooden money they print to buy things in this town today? Answer: yes, dollar for dollar.

While some of our sketch group went outside to sketch the adorable caboose, the rest of us settled into the folding chairs immediately provided by the docent Jessica, finding scenes and artifacts like the above picture. While drawing I could almost feel the presence of my two grandmothers sitting just out of sight and whispering about how they used the wash board and stoked the oven with wood.

Meanwhile the rooms filled with the local master stone mason Keith and friends, and a mother with a group of small children whose tiny voices chirped with questions as they learned about the olden days, which seemed quite close to my own prehistoric memories! Walk in the door of the Tenino Depot Museum and you’ll feel like you’re in a time capsule. Sure, there’s a share of railroad lore and the shiny red caboose out front, and in the authentic bathroom there’s a sign reading “Please DO NOT Flush toilet while train in in station”. Hmmm. But after a few minutes you realize that in typical small town Tenino style, you are made to feel at home and ask any question and get a historically researched answer. Like: what is the real story of how the town/depot was named Tenino? or Can you really use the wooden money they print to buy things in this town today? Answer: yes, dollar for dollar.

We were given a tour of the inside of the caboose and the one room schoolhouse on the grounds which border a park and the sandstone quarry and pool. This was not my first time in Tenino. I keep coming back for that small town feeling and the way the inhabitants love to share the history and make visitors feel like special guests.

We all marveled at the tiny feet of the person whose shoes these were, and I felt compelled to include them in my book. They made modern day four inch heels look comfortable by comparison!

Thanks to the historians and carpenters and masons and other builders and installers and the city that funded the efforts and the docents who share the stories and everyone who helps to make this experience possible.

Oly Harbor

fineliner pen and watercolor in hand.book travelogue

If you’re bundled up sufficiently, it’s always a treat to sit on the dock somewhere in Olympia and watch the sky and waters change hue and patterning every few minutes. This is especially true in the spring weather. I’m always excited to make another stab at painting the boats with their reflections. But honestly, since the scene changes dramatically and constantly, one needs to have a photographic memory, or. . . a photo to copy! In this case there was neither, haha! But I soldiered on. Truly the small city of Olympia with its heart of marine life and view of snow clad mountains, lake, forests and Capitol buildings with colorful gardens is a visual delight in all seasons.

A group of us sketchers enjoyed a morning in the area around Bayview Thriftway grocery and later lunched at their deli upstairs, where you get a crow’s nest view of the harbor. I hadn’t planned to sketch any more cherry blossoms but the scene on the other side of 4th Street beckoned later. The apartment building with its glass windows provides a moving picture of the cloud-filled sky drama. Its strategic location however has been controversial as it blocks the view of the lake and Capitol grounds from one direction and the harbor from the other. That day I was just happy to have a beautiful dark background for painting the blossoms!

Capitol Blooms

brown ink, black ink, watercolor in hand.book travelogue

It was a lovely day at the Capitol with the combined Tacoma and Olympia urban sketchers, the sun mostly shining in that indecisive way that makes for glorious mixed clouds. It was midday also so we were treated to processions of high school interns wearing maroon legislative blazers, clutching documents to their chests with deadly serious facial expressions. Also there were friendly people dressed in suits, who might have been politicians, the way they jovially interacted with us artists. And the security guard, also an artist, who joined our group as we shared our results, regaling us with his own art stories.

Meanwhile I was busy trying out every single idea I’d had about how to draw and paint blossoms. Can you tell, haha? I realized that I’d made a very difficult task for myself, not having a dark background to highlight the blossoms, which up close, reveal themselves to be almost white. In fact I was standing beneath the blossoms, where they were shaded darker than the light Capitol building. In the end artistic invention won out over “reality”.

Bob’s birthday was on Sunday, and I always make him a card, but I couldn’t find the right size envelope for what i was designing. I decided to make a stand up card instead, and then had the idea to insert the message in a pocket.

I think I might have borrowed the idea from Nina Khashchina’s blog. If you don’t already know her, you might enjoy following her wonderful art blog! Among other things, like following the war in Ukraine through her portraits sketched during contacts with her parents, who fled the war and are now living in Europe. I love the way she uses her sketchbook to organize and try out creative ideas. I think you’d enjoy it too.

Tulips at the Market

fountain pen and watercolor in hand.book travelogue sketchbook

It was one of those PNW mornings at the Farmers Market when it was too wet and cold to sit, so I found a spot to stand quite close (with her permission) to the tulip lady’s display I’d picked out for a quick sketch. You can’t go wrong with tulips after all! Cedar Slope Farm is a one acre micro-farm located in Olympia, WA. I’ll be coming back to sketch and eat their tomatoes when that season arrives!

Later in the parking lot I snapped a quick pic of this blossoming tree to try out an idea at home.

In my garden so far. . .

watercolor in hand.book travelogue journal (using resist crayon)

On a recent rainy day, as seen out my studio window, the forsythia bloomed mightily in the furthermost portion of the garden with a dark spruce background. I found a clear wax crayon in one of my disorganized drawers and tried it out as a resist.

A rather ambiguous name for this tree, also in the view of my studio window. It has no plum or cherry fruit and the light pink blossoms give way to glossy dark red-purple leaves. Dark red splatters and white gouache droplets finished it off with the help of a brown fountain pen.

Portraits (a tiny break from Blossoms!)

Pen and watercolor inks: Ostrich Flower Series

This portrait is a continuation of the Flower Series watercolor ink I’ve been playing with. The Sktchy Museum App model for the portrait was Remedy Rook. The artistic license was mine, or I can blame it on these crazy flower inks that are so great to play with. Three colors and a dip pen does the trick when you give them free reign.

The SktchyMuseumApp muse/model was Gianna Jimenez and I wanted to capture his morose expression. The flower series colors I selected for this may have gone a bit far. . .I almost aborted the effort, but reminded myself that my aim is to EXPRESS not to just copy.

Fast forward to this week. The muse’s name is Gravity Lives. I picked up my new kakimori pen, dipped in black ink for the line, and while it was still a bit wet, went in with a brush and diluted brown ink for some modeling. What is it about these moody males? So fun to sketch.

Check out the app. You’ll see so many great portrait artists’ work and endless quirky poses to sketch from.