Now, I know these might not exactly be roses by another name, but I didn’t have to travel far or wide to see them: these artichokes are my favorite thing in my next-door neighbor’s garden.
Turns out she grows them as ornamentals, as she’s not a big fan of eating them. So thanks to her, I got to see them bloom for the first time.
Now, just about the only thing that would make those next-door artichokes better is if they were fifteen feet tall…. Just sayin’.
This Sunday my town is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the pagoda at Point Defiance Park. Originally a streetcar station, the building features an Arts & Crafts design, Japanese-style roof and Welsh ceramic roof tiles. A teenage arsonist nearly destroyed the structure in 2011, but the subsequent restoration brought back several of the original features that had been remodeled away over the years. The restored pagoda looks better than ever, and just in time—since it was just added to the National Historic Register.
So you can bet I’ll be there on Sunday, raising a toast to the next hundred years.
Last year the folks at Tacoma’s Broadway Center for the Performing Arts asked me to do a set of illustrations of their historic theaters. Then they kindly offered me a media sponsorship of one of their upcoming shows. I was happy to say yes (hey, free tickets for me and my friends!), but I didn’t give it much thought beyond that—the illustrations were plenty of fun on their own. But then they said, “We think we have the perfect show lined up for you.”
And that’s how I got to chat with Ira Glass yesterday. While I waited my turn at the meet-and-greet, I did what I always do: reach for pen and paper. The best part was the sketch turning into a collaboration—when Ira added the word bubble.
Window dressing, I am sorry to say, is a dying art. There are still so many old storefront buildings in the U.S. with massive display windows. And so, so few of them still use those windows to display anything, let alone create an imaginative world in still life.
Whenever I find an exception, a holdout from the good old days of theatrical store displays, I’m ready to jump for joy. So you can imagine my excitement at the fact that just a few short blocks from my house sits NW Costume—a living treasure. The owner swaps out the displays every few months, and the results parade through like a revolving door of mannequin-theatre masterpieces.
You know, Salmon Beach is already a kind of mythical place, the kind of hidden world you read about in nautical legends. So it was completely fitting to follow the boardwalk path around a curve and suddenly find a siren* waiting on the rocks below.
*sculpture by Marilyn Mahoney
Speaking of neon signs, this might not be a sketchbook post, but I figured it wasn’t too far off-topic. For those of you who might find yourselves in the Pacific Northwest this year, I’ve got a solo exhibit opening tomorrow, right here on my home turf. The show is called You’ll Like Tacoma, and features 16 new illustrations, depicting electric signs of Tacoma’s past—all arranged as day-and-night diptychs. The opening reception is tomorrow evening, but the show will be up through the end of June. Here are the details:
You’ll Like Tacoma
On display through June 30, 2014
Brooks Dental Studio (yes, it’s a dentist office that doubles as a gallery! How cool is that?!)
732 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402
Opening reception Thursday, January 16, 5 to 7 pm
Hope to see you there!
We’re away for the holidays this year (sketches to come, I’m sure), so instead of a tree at our house, I’ll have to settle for a picture of one. But I tell you what: there are few things more lovely than sitting for hours by the tree, basking in its glow and sketching every ornament, reliving the memories associated with each as you go.
Wherever you are today—at home or on the road—I wish you all the light and warmth of the season, with the very best of your holiday memories.
Merry Christmas.
You know…just in case the big guy wonders where all the toys are kept.
These are not sketches of veggie bins at the farmer’s market—this is what our back porch looks like every year at this time. When we’re at home, the Tailor and I eat almost entirely seasonally and locally (what can I say—we’re weirdos). So that means we buy all of our winter vegetables in November, and then nothing until the markets open again in the spring. I confess that by February I’m pretty sick of beets (and when I’m on the road I might sneak a salad in a restaurant), but in the fall I’m nothing but excited about the prospect of all those beautiful sugar pie pumpkins, fresh cranberries and heirloom potatoes.
Each vegetable has different storage needs: the fussy squash and pumpkins like it dry and cool (and need individual newspaper nests); the carrots, apples and garlic do best in the fridge; and the taters and onions like it dark and damp. (And you really can’t kill a beet, so they thrive on neglect.) But before the squash head for the attic and the potatoes for the root cellar, I spread out all the boxes so I can sketch the whole bounty of the cornucopia.
(And then sometimes I swipe an apple while I work.)
Whenever I feel like I’m going stir-crazy in my solitary studio, I go and have a pint of cider with my friends Barry & Renée, who own a gorgeous taproom called Pint Defiance. Next week is the first anniversary of their opening day, so I thought I’d help them celebrate by posting a couple of sketches I did there recently.
I’ve been lucky enough to have a front row seat for Pint Defiance’s beginnings—I even got to design their logo for them (and therefore add some roadside kitsch to my “serious” portfolio!). So come Tuesday, you can bet I’ll be raising a glass to toast Barry & Renée—for the past year, and for every one to come.
