old town, new discovery

Today I had the privilege of going to Tacoma to meet with Urban Sketchers from several communities in our region!  There's a building there that has intrigued me for quite a while and begs to be immortalized, so I took the opportunity to sketch it for the first time.
At the same time I had the pleasure of trying out a new fountain pen!  I have been timid of fountain pens so this was a new experience and I really enjoyed it.  It is the Platinum Carbon Desk Fountain Pen, a Japanese pen available only at JetPens.  When it arrived, I couldn't read the instructions due to my language deficit, but took heart from the illustration showing me how to thrust the included ink cartridge into the forward section of the pen and get the ink flowing using a tissue.  It flows beautifully and I looked forward to trying it out today at the sketchcrawl.
The ink is pigment-based and permanent, a must when adding watercolor over drawn line work!
So I was delighted to learn today that not only did this pen continue to release the ink in a reliable flow, but that a variety of line strengths/widths is available with different angles and pressure.  Once dry -- the sun was hot today so that made this quick! -- the ink stayed put when watercolor was overlaid.
Best of all, the pen was still willing to draw on top of the watercolor layers -- something I have found lacking in the disposable "artist pens" I've always used from another manufacturer.  This has made this pen my new best friend, and I have already ordered a couple more like it to keep in different places, and more of this marvellous ink.
Here is my Moleskine sketch of the day, of the Albers Bros. Milling Co. building, now apparently repurposed as lofts:

Very sketchy indeed, but I had a lot of fun, and note the ink-over-color potential here!  I look forward to doing some serious experimenting with this pen.
Here is the link to learn about/order one from JetPens:
JetPens Platinum Carbon Desk Fountain Pen
Congratulations to JetPens for offering this marvellous product. I am really grateful to have learned about it!

oh Canada

Visited Vancouver, B.C. , one of my favorite cities, this week to see the Dutch Masters show at Vancouver Art Gallery. Been a few years since I've seen a Vermeer up close! Just a few Rembrandts, one Vermeer (The Love Letter) -- and a lot of other great paintings and history. Being of Dutch heritage I am finally, at this advanced age, taking an interest in a culture I have always considered stultifying. It was illuminating to learn (again and in more depth) that the elaborate Protestant religiosity I grew up with has a history several centuries old; was not the product of my ancestors' lack of imagination, but of spritual and economic necessity and innovation; had served countless generations of peasant survival. While I have known the Dutch explored and colonized widely, I don't think I fully realized just how vast their geographical presence was, preceding British expansion.

While there I was able to get in some sketches from the beach at English Bay. Here are a couple -- one in gouache/ink and one in oil.

Did some sketching in the Gallery too. Will get some of those up after I add some color. They only allow pencils inside!

wires and air

Well, it's been a while since I've posted, but I've got Dad's house on the market at last. Whew!

Spent some time at the Ballard Locks the other day, got one good ink sketch and only a good start on an oil sketch. I think I'll mess with it in studio.

Here's my little moleskine study of the wires in the back lot, where all the fun stuff is!