Big Island Sketching

We had a week on the Gold Coast of the Big Island, staying with friends in a condo. This was not my "sketching week", but I managed to get a few sketches in anyway, especially on the beach days!

Beach 69

Kids digging a well on the beach. They did hit water!

Bob, reading at Beach 69

Sitting across from Candace at Lava Lava Beach Club

Beach 69

Beach 69

View from the condo lanai

Candace, bird watching at Place of Refuge

The pool at our condo

Waiting at the gate at Kona Airport with purple ink and a box of Neocolor II

Stay tuned for week two on Oahu with Cathy, Sherryl and Robin!

Antique and Fabric Shop

The most wonderful antique and fabric shop in Langley.   Jackie and Ann hosted us as we sketched away inside the shop with the sun pouring through the windows.    I did the rolls of fabric while sitting on a beautiful antique chair. Cynthia sketched the back room of two slip covered wing back chairs.  Great shop for Langley.

Sketching at the Garden Show

While in Seattle yesterday, I spent the afternoon at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show.

It's a massive annual show at the convention center.  It proved to be a great place for sketching while taking in all the sweet fragrances and colors of the display gardens as well as the bustling activity around all the vendors and plant market. 

I'm afraid I came down with a major case of Spring Fever that may be contagious!

Hawaiian Sketching Holiday

Reporting from the Whidbey Island Sketchers' Honolulu Bureau......

Manta Ray 

Sandy Toe Beach

Lei Stands at the Honolulu Airport

So much fun sketching with Sue while awaiting Sherryl's flight from Kona. 

Aloha from Arthur's Leis

Cathy and I had a lot of time on our hands while we waited for Sherryl's much delayed flight from the Big Island to arrive, so we sketched at the airport lei stands.  Cathy gets her leis at Arthur's because they have Plumeria leis, which are apparently hard to come by this time of year. Susan and Marie were very friendly and gracious as  I sat and sketched them making leis all afternoon.

Susan working on a lei

Valentine's Day roses and Marie making leis

Marie and Susan

Here's a little lei trivia. Do you know the busiest time of year for selling leis? Mother's Day. And who buys the most leis on Mother's Day? Samoans. They really take good care of their mothers. Just one of the things I learned while sketching at Arthur's Leis.

FRIENDS, PIE, CHAI AND BOOKS AT ANCHOR BOOKS

Great time with the gang and new friend Emily, at Anchor books. Hauled some books off the shelf to make a little still-life study and sketched away. Not my favorite sketch, but a good afternoon's work. 

 

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!

  

Siri and Steve at OM

After sketching at Prima, a few of us headed to Ott and Murphy for live music and a glass of wine. OM has expanded which means more room for sketch supplies! And elbows. For musicians too. This evening we were entertained by Siri Bardarson on electric cello and Steve Trembly on guitar. What a delight! I'm not sure how to describe their music. Eclectic? With comedy mixed in. Feel good music without the musak. Lively and beautiful. Regardless, if you have a chance to catch them, you're in for a treat.

Here's my sketches...

A patron enjoying the show

Prima Gestures

Got in a couple sketches between bites of Brussels Sprouts. One of Mary and another of a cute little girl wearing a zebra print coat and boots. The caramelized sprouts have converted me. YUM!

Gestures from Callahan's

An outstanding day of sketching in Langley!
Though the sketchers met at Callahans Firehouse, I saw sun beating down at the Commons across the street so started there for a warm-up. Mike was my unlucky subject. I nagged him by saying "stop moving your head!" two dozen times. Okay, I exaggerate.

Once I heard Callahan was working glass, I headed over for some quick gestures of glass flowers, Callahan, Robert and Sue.

A Langley Kinda Day

Starting out at Callahan's Firehouse Gallery, then to Prima Bistro for Happy Hour, and on to Ott & Murphy for some great music and a glass of yummy Mutiny Bay Red, sketching all the way. A perfect sketchers' day! I did many, many bad sketches during the 7 hour sketching marathon. I  ran every pen I had dry and had to borrow one from Kris. Kris reminded me it's about the process, not the results. Here are some of the ones I liked well enough to post. (P.S. Huge thumbs up on Prima's carmelized Brussels sprouts and the chickpea fries.)

Glass Flower Bouquet at Callahan's. Wow.

Mary with Glassy Babies in background at Prima

Announcement after the show at O&M

The guy in the front row at O&M

Audience milling about after the show at O&M

4

Hand Blown Glass Flowers

Arrived late to Callahan's Firehouse Glass Studio/Gallery.  The colors were amazing as the sun hit the glass flowers.  We headed for wine at the Prima Bistro.....the perfect day.

old langley firehouse

Calahan's Fire House

It was a beautiful day, and the fanciful glass at Calahan's was sparkling. This magnificent bouquet of hand blown flowers was definitely the diva. Who could resist? And the funny little snowmen in their colorful hats and carrot noses were pretty compelling too.