Skykomish River Sketches

This last week we had a historic heatwave here in the Pacific Northwest; it got so hot the freeway was buckling and siding and BBQs were melting in the sun.

We spent the weekend at a mountain cabin which sounded like a good idea, but it got up to 110 up there and we were hot….so we camped out on the bank of the river and waded in the deep, icy glacial meltwater. The river breeze, which is normally cool and crisp off the mountain, was a hot oven blast to the face.

I always bring my travel art case with me when we go anywhere. It has pens, pencils, watercolors, brushes, dip pens, and paper. I did this waterfront sketch of the river while the kids waded in the cold water. I enjoyed it so much, and it made me why I haven’t done more of these. Something which I plan to rectify this summer, as I hope to add many more to my sketchbook.

Above is the view from the cabin deck looking down toward the river. I used only Paynes Grey as a study in values, and it occupied me for about an hour and helped me forget the heat.

We drove up to Index, WA one day, just to spend time in the air-conditioned car. We found a cute town nestled in the mountains, with the North Fork of the Skykomish river raging through. When I stepped out to take this picture, the heat nearly knocked me over and the car temperature said it was 105. We bought ice cream from the general store and ate it with the air conditioning blowing on our faces. I painted the sketch from my photo later at the cabin.