He' Eia Kea Pier Fishing Dock

View from the indoor lunch counter at the General Store on the dock.

The four Cooper girls went on a fishing expedition yesterday. Well, we went to He' Eia Kea Pier fishing dock looking to find something to sketch.

At the general store, we had Kuahiwi Ranch hamburgers, meatloaf style patties cooked like you would at home with toasted bread instead of buns. My granddaughter, Leila, wanted fish and chips. Bryan, the cook of the day, said he would make some for her even though it wasn't on the menu.....and piled on the fries, too.

We watched tour groups come in and go out on huge double catamarans while we ate outdoors on picnic tables under the shade of the patio roof. A grandfather and his two grandchildren took a table, too, parking their child size fishnets and bucket. He said they never catch anything, but it's fun for the children to try fishing anyway and gives them a day out together.

I would come sketching here multiple times of the year if I lived on Oahu. There are so many views from which to choose; mountains, shorelines with volcanic cliffs, a marina busy with all types and sizes of serious fishing boats, tropical forests across the bay dotted with homes and hotels, people fishing off the dock, kayakers launching from the beach, and the lunch trade, too.

My 5-year old granddaughter and I sat inside (remember this for rainy days) and shared the lunch counter with a massive pair of binoculars, a half full ketchup squirter and a cork board with two photos of proud anglers. One picture was of a fellow who had a crab the size of a truck hubcap and the other some sort of giant eel-like thing which displayed two prominently sharp teeth.

Note: You may have seen the store and kitchen on Guy Fieri's show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network.

Flowers, Fins & Kites at Magnuson Park

2 credit card sized sketches in my 5x7" Journal

One could spend quite a long time contemplating the rich depth of meaning that can be experienced at Magnuson Park in Seattle.

The public art installation, "Fins", made of recycled dive fins from cold war nuclear submarines, resembles a pod of Orca. They are installed close to the lake, where wildflowers grow along a smooth, paved walking path. The huge property was formerly a US Naval Station, accessible to the public through a narrow sentry gate. No sentry watches the gate now.

My easel under a tree

There is a kite flying hill, where a lone figure assembled his kite, waited, tried and tried again, until he got the kite aloft. Meanwhile, USk Seattle sketchers spread out among the meadows, trees, buildings, climbing wall, and shoreline where they tried and tried again to record their experience of the day.

Whether it's international peace and cooperation, flying a kite, climbing a mountain or other seemingly insurmountable endeavors such as sketching on location, the message seems to be "try and try again."

Chosen for the entire Sketchbook Tour!

My sketchbook is going on THE ENTIRE 2014 TOUR!! This year the Mobile Library will be taking to the road with thousands of sketchbooks visiting more than 20 amazing cities across the United States and Canada with MY work. Head to the official tour page for even more details

Little did I know that my modest entry into the Pacific NW tour would evolve into international exposure!

Starting in New York on March 14, you can see the pages I've posted so far, and then some! I guess I should have gone to greater effort in dressing up the cover! Oh, well, never judge a book by it's cover. :)

Make sure you spell "Michele Cooper" correctly when searching for it!

A spoonful of sugar

Section, sketchbook page
Original Watercolor/Graphite by Michele Cooper

Since I didn't really like coffee when I first started working, I learned that you could make it taste better by adding "a spoonful of sugar".

My project theme is "Welcome to Coffee World" with sketches representing some of my memories and experiences with coffee.

Rebinding the 2014 Sketchbook Project

For my 2014 project, I needed to take out the thin, sketch paper that came in the provided sketchbook and replace it with Fabriano Artistico 140# CP. It makes all the difference in the resulting quality of my painting. I kept the first two original pages, just for comparison.

You can see below how the new watercolor pages fit together, ready for rebinding into my official  cover. Now that it has been sent in, I will be posting a page or two of the finished sketchbook. Keep checking back or subscribe for a peek!

Hurricane Sandy delays Sketchbook Tour

I am pleased to announce that my sketchbook has been selected from thousands of others in the collection to go out on tour with "A Landmark and a Mission", curated by Christopher Jobson over at Colossal. He describes his blog as a place that explores the intersection of art, design, and physical craft.

The tour was scheduled to start in Pittsburg, PA, on Nov 6, but has been delayed due to Hurricane Sandy. I am happy to relay that all the people at Arthouse, the sketchbooks and the Brooklyn Art Library are safe and sound.