Franklin County Court House, Pasco, WA

Franklin County Court House, Pasco Washington and sketching in 80 degree weather, beautiful!  The copper dome on top of the court house is a gem.  I love doors and roses and an essence of my surroundings.  Yes, a lovely day.
patti kirch

"Terra Blanca Winery"

Thanks to Patty Gardner, we are back in the good graces of the good folks out at Terra Blanca winery in Benton City.  Not that we were ever in their bad graces, just that once upon a time they asked a few of us to leave when they saw us out sketching their property.

We should have sought their permission prior to setting up, but we had become somewhat conditioned by the other wineries to think we were welcome everywhere, so we didn't. Oops.

Turns out Terra Blanca had noticed some ads were featuring their winery without the proper labeling.  We won't do that.  This is Terra Blanca winery.

I didn't know they had a cave.  Maybe someday we can get a tour and sketch some of the barrels they no doubt have stacked there.


9"x9" Super Aquabee Sketchbook, ink, watercolor, photoshop. 

Arch Terrace cab franc and a Wine Tap?

 An impromptu sip and sketch still life at Terra Blanca Winery, Red Mountain,  Benton City Washington.  Ooo la la, red lip stick, on a Wednesday, lovely.

I spy with my little eye, a hidden wine tap perhaps, on the beautiful Terra Blanca Winery grounds.
patti kirch

4/23/14 - Terra Blanca Winery

  

                                            

The massive front doors of the beautiful tasting room at Terra Blanca Winery in Benton City.  It was another cold, windy day here in the Basin so we didn't stay outside very long!

                                            

                                                             Inside and out of the cold!

              

The upper cave entrance.  It's where they store and age all that beautiful wine!  The doors are actually the same size.  My perspective is skewed.  The walls are about 15' high at the tallest and curve around  to create this lovely little sheltered area where we hid from the wind.

  

   

  

"Refreshment Stand at the Old Lagoon"

We used to buy hot dogs, hamburgers, cokes and fries at this old refreshment stand back when the "fish pond" wasn't contaminated and served as a great swimming and bathing spot for the locals.  For us '60's kids it was the nearest we had to a California beach and it was packed in the summer with kids from all over the tricities.

"Fish Pond" title by JB

Everything moving. I sketched the fish pond looking toward Kennewick . The pond looks more like a river because I mistakenly turned it down on the right but I'm learning

April 16, 2014 - the Family Fishing Pond, Columbia Park

                                            

Sitting all alone on the far side of the fishing pond, I found this adorable little hut nearly overgrown with some kind of vine.  It was calling to me, so of course I had to respond!  I loved the frivolous red metal fence posts.  Kind of like they were saying, "Look at me, I used to be important!".

              

It was so cold this morning that I wasn't able to put any color in my sketch until I got back to my car.  Then I went too far and overloaded it.  Again, this is on the far side of the pond in Columbia Park near the dock but looking the opposite direction.

   

   

Columbia Park

Wednesday sketching all by myself as I got a little side tracked driving slowly through 

Columbia Park looking for the group and happened upon a pond...

Guitars and bronze street jugglers

Before College, Tuesday's were my daughter's bass lessons at Music Machine, she's a sound design kind.  In the foreground I litter the wall with words like...shure mics, Gibson 336cs cherry, humbuckers, Les Paul, Super Badass Distortion, Taylor Made, Fender Stratocaster, etc. This was where Laudermilk performed many moons ago.

I had to try to catch the bronze street jugglers in action.  Downtown Kennewick has quaint shops, studios, pubs and street art!

Wednesday Sketching

I really liked this old Bar & Grill sign and sat down practically under it.  

It made for some pretty tricky perspective but a fun challenge.  

My Lami pen caused me nothing but problems from runny ink to big fat tip - have to change that...

"Downtown Kennewick on the Ave"

The most enjoyable portion of my morning downtown Kennewick with the sketchers was sitting on a bench in the warmth of the sun "shootin'-the-breeze" with the others. While sitting there I decided I should at least get out my sketchbook and draw SomeThing. So I started with just the light feature across the street. That led me into the whole scene which, because of where it began, didn't allow for the street, cars, sidewalk and people at the bottom. Oh well, I worked on the perspective, then I worked on overworking it with color. 

Then I noticed the sunburn on my legs.

6x9 Super Aquabee Sketchbook, inks, watercolors

'Backtruck Sketchers'

Had lunch at the new 'Rock' restaurant today and this guy was drawing the 

9/11 memorial from the back of his truck!

Blue Bridge and Flying Fibers

No pen and ink, just watercolor, Timmy beside me and all of my Urban Sketching friends, a quick sketch from inside Ice Harbour Brewing Company, Kennewick.

I visited my favorite studios during Thursday night's Art Walk in Downtown Kennewick,  DS Watkins,  Laura Gable's ( I pressed my nose and looked in), The Blank Canvas and below Flying Fibers.  Pictured is the guest book doll greeter named Lisa Penny, The Feminist Chemist.

Loved the Sunshine Wed.Morning on Clover Island

I have always wanted a sailboat and every time I see them docked around the Tri Cities I start dreaming about sailing.  So hanging around a bunch of boats on a sunny morning I had to at least try and draw a few.  I wish I had the talent to draw the whole scene.

"Blue Skies over Clover Island"

We live on the banks of the Columbia river.  In that river there is a man-made island called Clover Island.  I think it was created here in the early 50's.  When I was a kid there wasn't much on it to look at except the newly formed Coast Guard station which pretty much looked like some kind one story, boring, office building.

Things have changed though in the last half-century: hotels, eateries, a marina, even a sort of "boutique" light-house which is landmark only with no functional use regarding river traffic.  That's ok, it's a pretty cool looking structure.

The "Tri-City Urban Sketchers" met on the island this morning and wanting to capture something a little different than what the ordinary view might be, the perspective in this scene grabbed me. So here you go...a walkway with one of our "mountains" in the distance.  Badger mountain.

The sketch below is of one of the restaurants on the island.  I thought it looked interesting with all the blockiness of the architectural design and the way the light was hitting it.  This is "Cedars Restaurant."

6x9 Super Aquabee Sketchbook, watercolor, ink.

It's Spring on Clover Island!

               

The weather has finally warmed up in the Columbia Basin and the Tri-City Urban Sketchers met on Clover Island in Kennewick to sketch outdoors today.  Jim Bumgarner, Cindy Rutherford, Patti Kirsch, Dave Poynter and Patty Gardner met this morning and these are some of our combined sketches.  Some of us (Dave and Jim) drew more than one incredible view!

                                       

 

This is my take on the new lighthouse.  A mom and her little ones rode up on their bikes and Mom posed them on the steps to take their picture.  She was so quick I didn't get her in my sketch!

        

After sketching we met for lunch at one of the restaurants on the island, Ice Harbor Brewery at the Marina.  A great ending to a great day!

Clover Island Day Tripper, yeah!

 The red one is everything I could fit in.

The bridge is simple.

 Out drawing with Urban Sketchers at Clover Island. It was a beautiful Spring day and I got in four drawings. The drawing by Timmy is not for sale and is going into a private collection.

These were done just for the fun of drawing and not true to life but the sketch of Jim is dead on!