20 July Sketchcrawl

This month, our sketchcrawl group met at Kansas City's Union Station --- busy place with a traveling Pirate exhibit from National Geographic, a local art exhibit, all the regular points of interest, and those actually traveling by train. We met under this huge clock, then dispersed in various directions to sketch.

Bill and I drove about 3 hours to get there, taking our youngest son, Jeff, with us --- he has been on summer break from college in Texas. On the way, we stopped for cups of coffee or tea.

I had my ceramic travel mug with me just in case -- love all things plaid! This one is made to look like a paper cup and has a silicone band and lid.

It was so crowded and noisy in the station, I eventually wondered into an old waiting room where several people were waiting for their trains. A much calmer room with these lovely antique lamps --- I wanted to also draw one of the antique benches but ran out of time. We had reservations to eat at the Harvey House, located right in the station.

anniversary trip to Kansas City & Excelsior Springs

We drove to Missouri on Friday, celebrating our 41st anniversary a bit early (Bill is on-call the actual date). First a stop at the Kansas City Plaza for some cheese and a quick lunch-snack at this Irish Pub. LOVED the ceiling lights made from old ale bottles and a bit of iron!

Next stop, Excelsior Springs, at The Elms hotel. We have sketched at this historic hotel many times . . . but had never actually stayed there. So Bill decided we should do so. The 1920 structure was recently remodeled . . . . I do not agree with many of the new owners' choices, being a bit more modern than the old Arts &; Crafts style building should have. But it was comfortable. I LOVE that there are still so many original tile floors throughout the building, like these marble tiles in the bathroom.

This is the 3rd building built on the site; the original (1888) and 2nd hotels were lost to fire. There is a lovely wooded area behind the hotel, with a large gazebo and a path leading down to a river. So many views to sketch! but we opted to relax on the back porch and draw what we could see from there. (Our regular sketch crawl was Saturday. Not many could make it, being graduation weekend, but those of us who did had lots of fun and laughs.)

 Ilov the rich color of the local limestone the building is made of. A bit less yellow than the limestone found at home in Kansas, west of the Flint Hills. I have been looking for Taylor's of Harrogate Earl Grey loose-leaf tea for a long time, after Liz Steel mentioned that it is her favorite brand of Earl Gray. Hard to find around here, but the cheese shop had some!

Saturday's sketchcrawl

On Saturday we drove to Kansas City, meeting friends for a sketchcrawl at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center. Lots of areas to sketch, inside and out, but the wind still has a cold nip to it. (Goodness! They are predicting snow again in parts of Kansas this week! Will Spring ever get here?) This tableau was set up inside.

After doing very little sketching for over three weeks, I played a bit with my newest palette to get back into it. At first, I had filled this palette with as many colors as would fit --- now I've reduced them to some essential pigments, leaving room for some brushes. Surprisingly, my fat # 12 travel brush fits!

sketchcrawl at Bass Pro, 18 Feb.

This time, we met at The Bass Pro Shop in Independence, MO. As soon as I entered the foyer area, I just had to sketch the Texas longhorn since our 4 kids and 5 grandkids all live there . . . . then I added a baby bison for Kansas. It's so easy to draw animals that don't keep moving! The foyer was a very inviting place to start out, with deep couches, a huge ottoman, and huge live fireplace.

This awesome grizzly bear was next to a pond with living fish and ducks . . . . which attracted lots of parents and grandparents with small children. Some of the youngest were ready to jump right in and join the ducks and fish, keeping the adults jumping as well.

As we drew, some of us found that we were part of the day's entertainment. A few of us even had our pictures taken by shoppers as we sketched. I thought that would make me feel intimidated, but it was actually lots of fun. Strangers are generally very respectful and admiring.

Eating at the restaurant later, we passed our sketchbooks around and signed each other's books to remember the day. Shops like this are a fantastic place to find subjects for sketching. Besides the animals, there was a great antique truck (Jeanette captured it!), a lovely view overlooking a small lake and running trail out the huge windows, lodge-style furnishings, and so many interesting people of all ages! Way too much to capture in a few hours.

another K.C. museum

One of the many steamboats that sank in the Missouri river, the Arabia hit a snag in 1856 and quickly sank in 5 minutes. No human fatalities, though one forgotten mule drowned. All cargo was lost. Even though the water was not deep, the boat soon disappeared from sight as it went further and further down into the deep muck of the river's bottom.

It wasn't found until 1988, in a Kansas farm field. The river had long since changed its course. The boat was now lying 45 feet underground, 1/2 mile from the river's edge. Just excavating it was quite an engineering feat!

Years ago we went to this museum, not too long after opening its doors. So long ago that we decided to go back there last weekend. The exhibit has grown immensely and is still growing. There is a restorer's lab on site, where you can ask questions and observe them restoring artifacts.

A humorous side-note: I had seen the introductory film years ago. But this time, I recognized one of the actors dramatizing the boat's history. Years later, she was director of a history museum that hired me as special project researcher! I knew she had done a bit of reenacting . . . . how funny to see her in action years later!

more from our K.C. trip

What a moving experience the World War I museum was, with both of us having a personal connection to this war through grandfathers. One of the most incredibly designed museums I've ever seen. We went both Friday and Saturday to take it all in. The main exhibit is underground, surrounding the tower's base.

I was fascinated by the sculptures flanking the sides of the tower and the guardian spirits on the upper part of the tower. The Liberty Memorial (217 ft. tower) was built in 1926 to honor those who served in WW I. We climbed to the top on Saturday -- I would have taken photos from the incredible view except that was when I realized I had lost my camera (we found it later).

The 4 guardian spirits in the upper sides (sculpted by Robert Aitken) symbolize Honor, Courage, Patriotism, and Sacrifice. At night, there is a "flame effect" coming from the tower, using steam and special lighting.

The 2 Sphinxes facing east and west stand for Memory and Future. "Memory" shields its face from the horrors of the battlefields; "Future's" face is shrouded because the future is yet unseen.

On a lighter note, the first stop when we reached KC was at an art supply shop. We came in on Interstate 35, so this was the first planned stop we would come to. I had purchased a set of gouache on eBay but was sent some wrong colors; the seller refunded me and I came here to replace them. And cool! I had just been e-mailed a 50% off coupon for the first 3 items!

As we stopped here, Bill noticed the hamburger-mobile parked in front of the Westport Flea Market Bar & Grill. I told him the burgers are supposed to be really good; he determined to have one before we left town. So that's the last thing we did Saturday afternoon . . . . and they ARE great!

at the Savoy

After an August visit to the Savoy in Kansas City to meet up with Liz, Kate and Joseph, I knew this was a great place to bring Bill for his birthday. I didn't make it to Kate's sketchcrawl this weekend, but had a mini sketch crawl of my own with Bill

Our oldest son, Jason, was also in town from Houston, attending an educator's conference. We met him for supper at a little Japanese restaurant.

The Savoy's breakfast is humongous! --- your choice of several items on the menu all included with the reasonable room fee. And no rush . . .

While in town, we also went to the World War I memorial & museum, a return trip to the Arabia Steamboat, and playtime for Bill at Architectural Salvage. More sketches to come, though they will be from memory and photos.

guess who I met?

How exciting! On her whirlwind world tour, Liz and her companion Borromini Bear made a stop in Kansas City, Missouri. Kate & Joseph and I were able to spend a delightful day getting to know them both --- lots of sketching, mad dashes around the city, and a spot of tea (of course!)

First a leisurely breakfast / sketching at the Savoy. A very gracious staff allowed us to linger (2 hours) as we played with our pens and paints on their linen tablecloth. (Oops! What's that stain and who's paintbrush made it???)

Next, a trip to Architectural Salvage --- Normally closed on Wednesday but they opened up just for us to explore more subjects to sketch. Bill is SO sorry he couldn't get the day off to come see this place. I'll have to kidnap him later on for a visit to this place --- a renovator's treasure trove!

After this, there were giggles & grins driving madly around the city (OK, Joseph drove and the rest of us giggled). We checked out the Half-Price Bookstore, enjoyed a snack at a lovely hidden tea shop, and visited Creative Coldsnow, an art supply shop.

I feel like I've known Liz for ages --- How wonderful to meet her in person and enjoy such a fun day together. Thanks for inviting me to join in on the fun, Liz!