Category Archives: art

My “Business” Sketchbook: Tiffany Chandeliers Mark Pathways

It is unusual for me to start my sketchbook posts with photographs, but this Tiffany chandelier is simply too beautiful. I did not do them justice! They line the hallways and mark entrances to the various rooms, providing a delicate … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: AYA Sushi

Aya Sushi sustained us during our days in Olympia.  I am a sushi aficionado; I was hooked during university.  Aya Sushi is the best sushi I’ve had since Lalaland! I reserved a page in our business sketchbook because we ate … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: Washington State Campus

Stepped outside at the end of the day while waiting for Mitchell to fetch me, and decided to do a couple of quick sketches of the two main buildings on campus, the Legislative Building (where we are working) and the … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: Sketching the Senate from the Floor

Like my earlier post on drawing the Senate gallery details, I came around to draw the Senate from a different angle.  I sat on the floor of the first entry arch looking up into one of the corners, in order … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: Senate Gallery Details

More drawing challenges in the Washington State Legislative Building. Before I went running around, I asked where I could go with the pass we used to get into the Senate office area.  It was nice to sit in the Senate … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: The Rotunda

This week at the Washington State Legislative Building I had a good deal of free time, as it was Mitchell doing the lion’s share of the work on the Senator’s offices.  In the middle of a dark downpour, (the building … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: North Entrance Details

More drawings of the North entrance, with beautiful Corinthian columns, the dome with flanking “tomes”, and many details. Sketched onsite, and watercolors added later. The column was drawn looking up from the edge of the East side of the steps. … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: Washington Capitol Popular View

It started with a popular view of the Washington State Capitol Legislative Building. This is a view that is on all the postcards, all seasons, which I sketched in early October while we were working in the building. It’s a … Continue reading

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Weeping Buddha, One

I fell in love with Balinese Buddha when I first saw him. The monks carve them as meditations. Mine has been on my altar for 20 years, and has a beautiful patina from being held. People call him Humble Buddha, … Continue reading

Posted in art, Buddha, creativity, drawing, gods and goddesses, india ink, journal, lojong, meditation, painting, pen & ink, series, sketchbook, watercolor | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: Tiffany Chandeliers South Entrance

The chandeliers are a crowning point in the Washington State Capitol Legislative Building.  The architects felt the most important fixtures were those in the north portico, in the rotunda, and in the entry in the south porte cochere, as well … Continue reading

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Disney Plum Job

This is a great article with wonderful imagery about animation and sketching! Walt Disney’s South American Research Trip By MessyNessy  5th Jun, 2014 You know you have a pretty cool job when your boss offers you a ten week tour around … Continue reading

Posted in animation, art, history of sketching | 3 Comments

Visiting a museum . . . Art appreciation

This post was inspired by this article in the NYTimes about visitors to museums feeling tired and worn out from running to tag every piece of noteworthy art, rather than slowing down and enjoying what they find interesting. I grew … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: Ballroom Rug

Posting a page I am not 100% happy with. I may even try again . . .  We’ll get to that! The carpet in the State Reception Room floored me. It is so oddly modern when in fact it is … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: Outside Torchéres

The outside lighting at the Capitol is another one of those parts that must be overlooked by visitors during the day, who are not drawn to the various sconces and torchéres because the light does not draw their eyes like … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: Torchére

Mitchell took great images of object details around the Legislative Building, and the torchére caught my eye.  Not the same as painting in front of it, but fun nonetheless. I began with a detailed sketch, and almost left it alone, but … Continue reading

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A Very Old Sketchbook

I wish I could tell you more, but this is a very old sketchbook on display at the Flandrica Museum, in, I believe, Belgium. To move through the images page by page (again, assuming that this is what we are … Continue reading

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My “Business” Sketchbook: Urban Sketching at Capitol Park

Last Saturday we infilled missing color to the historic shellac.  It is one of the few times when Mitchell had time to play a bit more than I did, and he took great images of the details around the Legislative … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, art journal, drawing, journal, painting, sketchbook, urban sketchers, waterbrush, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

My “Business” Sketchbook: At the Capitol

We’ve been working to the point where I’ve had little time to paint or even sketch, however, we’ve been in a place I wanted to sketch: we’ve been repairing historic shellac on the wainscot of two offices in the Legislative … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, art, art journal, drawing, furniture, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments