Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Staycation in Review: Chinese Garden

On Saturday Nicole, Tina and I went on a sketch outing to the new Chinese Garden in West Seattle, and what a very fine place it turned out to be.


There were far too many fabulous views and fascinating landscaping for one visit -- we were there around two hours and barely touched the surface of the many sketching opportunities.


The garden is a work in progress with even more fun stuff planned for the future (see:
Chinese Garden Home Page).

The Seattle Urban Sketchers had visited this spot earlier in the year at a time when I couldn't go, and they posted lots of sketches of a giant koi statue, so that was something I knew I had to draw too.  I found it out by a stand of bamboo.


The bamboo was bending in the breeze, which I tried to capture.


I also tackled the intriguing rock landscaping in the main courtyard.


I had a great time just wandering around the grounds.



I suspect the statue in this shed will eventually make its way out to a more appropriate spot.



The garden had several paths winding in and out of botanical displays, and around each turn would be a small surprise -- a wooden bridge or two, or a gazebo.


From inside the gazebo, we could see the rooftops of the main building.




The Blue Angels were performing for Seafair and several times we got excellent views.



A lovely place on a pleasant day in good company.

3 comments:

  1. The garden looks like a great place to visit and as it is a work in progress will continue to be fun for a long time to come. It appears they have benches here and there for old fat people too. Good deal. No dog pics. Was Truman not allowed?

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    1. I wanted to check out a photography exhibit they had there indoors, so opted to leave Tru home (also kind of crowded with 3 people in the car). Next time, maybe -- I think he would have enjoyed it. And yes, lots of places to sit down!

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  2. I'll have to check out the garden some time. Thanks for the West Seattle tip!

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