Far and near

Two days of sketching combined into one post:

First, the far view. I’ve been waiting to document the REM light rail line as it crosses over St. Charles Blvd. in Kirkland. For this to happen, the elevated line had to be elevated even more, so I’ve been watching the supports go up for months. But it’s quite dramatic to see the whole gantry on top of a major thoroughfare. I have to say that this was not easy to draw, but I’m committed to documenting this process from beginning to end, and this was a major step in the construction of the line. I sat in a deserted Walmart parking lot (it was a holiday here yesterday) so I could see the whole thing instead of placing myself directly below it, like I often do. And of course, because of the holiday, there was no actual movement on the line, no workers, and no lifting of the massive concrete sections, so that helped a bit.

Next, the closeup view. This year I planted some yellow Coreopsis in front of a purple smokebush. The juxtaposition of the bright yellow-orange flowers and the dark reddish-purple leaves is almost as dramatic as the movement of the rail line. I discovered a new combination for the reddish darks: Alizarin Crimson combined with Hooker’s Green. And where I needed brighter vegetation, I just added some pale yellow to the same green.