Local News

Sketched June 7, 4:10 p.m.

When I was at Bellevue’s Crossroads Shopping Center last week I took the opportunity to sketch another interesting outdoor art piece around the mall: the crocodile bench. It’s a bit hidden between bushes, so I’m not sure how many people know about it. I like it for its whimsy and wonder who created it.
If I had to meet someone there, I would use it as a rendezvous point. “Meet me at the crocodile bench.”
Rewind
See previous sketches at Crossroads:
Farmers markets crop up
Good food and art intersect at Bellevue’s Crossroads Shopping Center

Sketched June 7, 1:46 p.m.
With the summer solstice around the corner, seasonal farmers markets are back with colorful fresh produce you can buy directly from the growers.
“What sells the most now are asparagus, lettuce, garlic and onions,” said Ramona Lopez, a farmer from the Yakima Valley I met this week at Crossroads Farmers Market in Bellevue. Also in Lopez’s stall: bok choy, parsley, cilantro and dill. Coming next week: sugar snap peas. Expect cherries later in June and apricots, plums, watermelons and tomatoes in July.
Lopez, 44, and her son Rafael, 20, put in 18-hour days to bring the crops from their family-operated, 30-acre farmland in Sunnyside. Until September, you can find them in Bellevue on Tuesdays, Burien on Thursdays, Federal Way and Kent on Saturdays, and Renton on Sundays.
I’m looking forward to trying the bundle of asparagus I bought for $2.50. Lopez said it tastes great steamed, with barbecue sauce, or just fried in the pan with a little bit of butter.
Find a list and map of farmers markets at wafarmersmarkets.com.
Blog extra!
A farmers market wouldn’t be the same without the live folksy music that takes your mind right to the fields. At Crossroads I sat to listen to the Southern-style tunes of Pickled Okra.

Sketched June 7, 2:38 p.m.
Coming up: My once-a-month exploration of Seattle-area communities following your recommendations is coming up. Where should I go? Send me your suggestions via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter. Have a great weekend!

April 26, 3:19 p.m. [Click on sketch to view larger]
We do a lot of pretend shopping in my family. We go into a store but just look. We hardly ever buy anything, not impulsively at least.
The impulse to draw, on the contrary, is harder for me to overcome. After browsing in a store in downtown Bellevue Monday afternoon, I made my family wait 10 minutes while I did this sketch — color added later at home. The fact that I don’t come to Bellevue often made the impulse even more irresistible — if you are a sketcher, I’m sure you can relate to this feeling.
Bellevue always strikes me as bigger than I think it is. While visiting a couple of years ago, my father-in-law actually thought he was already in Seattle the first time he drove past it on I-405.
A while back I also did a sketch at Crossroads shopping mall, where I really enjoyed seeing all the public art around the premises.
That time we actually bought something. Lunch.

Jan. 10, 1:10 p.m. [Click sketch to view larger]

I can’t let a good sketch opportunity pass when I’m on the Eastside. This feature may be called Seattle Sketcher, but I try to draw beyond the city limits as much as I can. To know Seattle well, I think you also need to know the communities around it.
On Sunday, I was with family at Crossroads Shopping Center in Bellevue, where the art pieces sprinkled around immediately caught my eye.
I saw a set of figures made out of pipes, an iron bench in the shape of a crocodile and this imposing wood carving next to a mural signed by Billy Davis. The blueish-gray sky on the mural blended nicely with the real sky above.
I was also impressed with the variety of international cuisine offerings at the food-court. I had a tasty beef pho at Papaya Vietnamese Cuisine. My wife said her stir-fry tofu with rice was really good too. Next time, we’ll try dessert at the Russian bakery Piroshky Piroshky. That’s our excuse to come back.
Related link
Back from the mall, I did some research about this unique shopping center and came across this article about Ron Sher, the Bellevue developer who had the vision for Crossroads. It was written by The Times’ Pacific Northwest Magazine writer William Dietrich. It’s from 2003, but still a good read.

Aug. 4, 5:12 p.m. [View larger]
Last week I visited Bellevue College. Dan Beert, who runs the Interior Design program and teaches a drawing class, invited me to meet his students and talk about my work. I can talk your ear off about drawing, sketching and journalism so I was thrilled to cross Lake Washington and set foot on their beautiful campus. You’d be surprised to know it was the first time I drove on the I-90 bridge since I moved here in 2006. I know it’s not fun for the many commuters who get stuck on it but I loved the drive and the killer views.
After rambling about my drawings for almost two hours Dan suggested we all take our sketchbooks out for a quick 20-minute excercise. Great thinking. Above is the sketch I did. I think I passed and I’m waiting for the diploma to come in the mail. Thanks Bellevue College!