Blue School Arts

Well, I haven't posted in quite a while!  Also haven't been sketching much.  Yesterday, the sun came out and shone gloriously on us ... and almost as soon as we were done, the clouds came in with cold breezes and light sprinkles.  Big crowd 'o Sketchers!  A good number of us took advantage of the sun and sat out front ... we had lots of sketches of this very scene and it was fun to see each Sketcher's take on it.  What a cool art school!!  Thank you Blue School Arts for letting us invade!

Sketching at PICKLES DELI in Clinton

Not only did we get to sketch inside the newly revamped and remodeled Pickle's Deli in Clinton, but we got to have a terrific lunch, at the same time. My favorite - The Reuben. And a HUGE cup of cream of broccoli soup. All while enjoying the company of the Flying Pickle Girl!

Views, views, views

Every side of this beautiful house had the most gorgeous view.  It was gray and chilly when we first arrived at Maria and Owens house, but as you can see from my somewhat similar view of Cultus Bay the sky lightened and the Birch trees glowed.  On the back side of the house the view was of Mulkilteo point where the Ferry comes in.  One of these images is on Yupo paper and almost translucent.
Pat

Mulkilteo in distance

Getting Sunny:  Cultus Bay

Mulkilteo point on the right.

Cultus Bay 

"WHO PUT THOSE SHEEP IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN?"

Today we accepted the Swanson Family's gracious invitation to sketch on the grounds of their incredible Glendale Shepherd farm in Clinton. After the adventure of finding my way down a mile long winding trail through deep virgin forest, I was greeted by Jet, the sheep herdin' sheep dog. I settled in to sketch while I waited for the others to find their way in through the trees. 
The main building on the grounds is a huge log home, with a wing dedicated to the cheese the Swansons produce here. My host told me that the building I was sketching used to be a horse barn, and the stalls now hold hay and supplies for the farm. There were sheep, but they were in the fields down below, and in the building behind me, so I used some "artistic license" to move a couple to a nearby pen (which was really a vegetable garden).

CLINTON BEACH DAY

What an amazing day! Sketcher's Friday! We met down at Clinton Beach Park, at the Ferry dock. The sun was shining brilliantly (my arms, face and lips are burnt.) There was a breeze off the water, the sky was brilliant blue (cobalt, I'd say) and Mt. Baker was gleaming off in the distance over Camano Island.  All my photos of the fun are at judinyerges.com

Good Gab at Anchor Books

Lots of good conversation in a cozy corner of Anchor Books in Clinton.  I spent a lot of my sketching time harassing Natalie while sketching our drinks, followed by sketching Cynthia who sat on the floor and let us sketch her in THE most fabulous bright red driving mocs & color-coordinated sweater.  Our fab fashionista!

  

at One Spirit Garden in Clinton

What a perfect afternoon! After what seemed like months (because it has been) I joined the Sketchers at One Spirit Garden in Clinton for tea, soup and delicious cake (oh, and to sketch) The weather couldn't have been more perfect (sunny, bright, warm, blue sky - in a word, perfect!) Our hostess, Glo, has made a little piece of total serenity in her garden, from the trickling waterfall, to the butterflies and dragonflies, to the brilliant blooms all around, to the peaceful background music in the gazebo. So peaceful - like a total, overall massage, mind and body. Wow!

view from our beach

Romeo and Juliet at StoryHouse Theatre

Romeo & Juliet set

I tried to sketch the costumed players in this visually stunning performance of Romeo and Juliet at StoryHouse Theatre in the woods at Chinook on Sunday. But after wasting several sketchbook pages on false starts, I gave up and sketched slower-moving elements of the experience instead -- namely, the set and the audience. Too bad, because the costumes, hair and masks were magnificent and the theater setting in the woods was magical. Next time I try something like this, I'll bring a cheap, large-format sketchbook and be prepared to waste the whole thing on quick, gestural impressions, call it practice and not worry about the results.

Romeo & Juliet Player

Audience member with great hair

The audience on the grass

Front Row Seats

Highway 525 Sketch Rally

The challenge was this:  Highway 525 Sketch Rally

"Grab your sketchbook, get in your car and head for the highway. Make at least 3 stops and sketch something you can see from the side of the road.  The Challenge: 3 sketches: 1 animal, 1 vegetable, 1 mineral (interpretation entirely up to the sketcher)."

I had a ball with this challenge.  Thanks, Sue, for thinking this up.

Animal

Vegetable (The PICKLES Deli sign @ Ken's Korner)

Mineral (my diamond wedding ring) while sketching in the car!

And, we met up at Cozy's in Clinton to compare results.  Fun time!

Anchor Books & Coffee

Anchor Books & Coffee is Whidbey's newest coffee shop/book exchange. I love supporting local businesses and think it's great that Bruce and Trish decided to offer coffee, tea, pies, pastries, ice cream, bagels and chocolates all made on Whidbey Island. Stop in and enjoy a cup of  Mukilteo Coffee Roasters coffee and a slice of Whidbey Pies' marionberry pie with a scoop of Whidbey Island Ice Cream with your free Wi Fi. Looks like a great place for groups to meet, too!

Sidewalk colors at Anchor Books

Lots of color along the sidewalk leading out of the coffee shop up to Wild birds.  Azaleas and rhododendrons in bloom, all sorts of birds and rainbow banners in the sunshine.  

Cozy's Characters

Bowler Hat at Cozy's

 We discovered another great sketching location yesterday - Cozy's in Clinton! Lots of room, good lighting, great characters, card games, pool players. And last night, a great bowler hat - nothing gets me more excited about sketching than a cool hat!

Some of us had never been there and others hadn't been in 30 years. This is one of the great things about our group - we discover places we might otherwise never go. And we ended up there last night only because Faye had a hair appointment in Clinton. I'm adding Cozy's to our list of indoor sketching venues.

Card Players at Cozy's

I've heard that Whidbey real estate has changed hands in poker games. This looked like it might have been a serious game.