We can experience a very old part of Seattle by visiting the Pike Place Market first opened in 1907. Most of its collection of interconnected buildings were constructed by 1929. They haven't changed a bit. They still serve the same function: to host farmers to sell their wares.
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Seattle's Parks and Boulevards - An Olmsted Brothers Legacy
At the turn of the 20th century, Seattle, founded in 1885, was a city that was going on 15 years old. Young Seattle was growing at a fast clip, showing no signs of slowing down. Early Seattle leaders had the foresight to conserve land for the purpose of current as well as future generations to enjoy. Fortunately, these leaders decided to create a parks system in Seattle. They hired notable landscape architects, the Olmsted Brothers, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and John Charles Olmsted to develop the master plans for Seattle’s nascent parks system.
Read MoreGreen
Seattle is called the Emerald City for a reason.
Everything right now outdoors is green. Lush green. Several nature palettes of lush green. Chlorophyll filled green.
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Calendar, April 2020. "Vincent," 5x7," Oil on Canvas, 2017.
“If I can succeed in putting some warmth and love into my work, it will find its friends.“
- Vincent
The Days in Which We Find Ourselves
Our world is being profoundly hit all at once with great dramatic force on daily life and health. Like a cataclysmic force of nature, an event of this magnitude will change what it hits.
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The Ballard Locks →
Riding my bike on the Burke-Gilman trail on the way to an art opening in Ballard recently, I stopped at "the Locks." Officially known as the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks.
I have visited the locks on a few occasions since I was a kid to watch how boats transition from Puget Sound, (salt water) to Lake Union (fresh water.) This particular evening, illuminated by the light of dusk, offered an excellent opportunity to watch the boats arrive after a day at sea.
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Boating, Lake Union. Oil on canvas. 4x4." 2016.
Boating, Lake Union →
Water.
Seattle is surrounded by water. The glorious skyline glistens across Elliott Bay and Puget Sound. Fresh water lakes, flowing streams and rivers abound. Water is life to indigenous peoples that have lived in the region for thousands of years, providing sustenance, such as in the plethora of sacred salmon that comes from waters of the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, the region's rivers and lakes served as transportation routes for the Native Americans.
Seattle Yacht Club, Opening Day, Boating Season. Seattle. May 2016.
Seattle Yacht Club
May is the month when boating season officially begins in Seattle. The celebration is called Opening Day.
This year's festivities were kicked off on a beautiful, sunny Saturday on May 7 with the Windermere Cup Regatta through the Montlake Cut. The spectacular weather was a perfect for opening day.
Opening Day for boating is a Seattle thing.
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Opening Day Flags
Opening Day 2016. The pomp and circumstance begins at 8:35 am sharp as the 1st Corps Army Band Brass Quintet begins to play. Marching to the tune of the band, Past Admirals and Amiralettes form an honor guard. Commodores from all visiting yacht clubs, parade judges, and visiting VIPs fill the neatly coiffed grounds. The flags of the United States and Canada are raised while their respective National Anthems are played. In addition to the country flags, the burgees of the visiting yacht clubs are raised. A colorful array of cloth.
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Oil Sketch. 8x10," 2012. M. Lamery. I will use this image in note cards I am producing for the 2016 Northwest Flower and Garden show.
Inspired by Beauty →
Gosh, what an action-packed week it has been!
Speaking of the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, it is NEXT WEEK! Egads! What did I get myself into? Everything is still sinking in. It is all a bit surreal. Where is the panic button? I am still feeling calm and under control. This is a huge undertaking on my part, something I have never done before. Beginner's Mind?
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Forget-me-not. Oil on Canvas Paper, 8x10," 2016. (Detail.) M. Lamery
Un Jour Avec des Fleurs
In just a few short weeks, I will be participating in the Northwest Flower and Garden show, February 17-21, at the Washington Convention and Trade Center.
I made a short 41-second video featuring a few of my new paintings I am preparing for the show. I really enjoy making these little videos. I like setting the images to music as a way to express myself through my art.
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The Calla Lilies are in Bloom Again →
The calla lily originated thousands of years ago in southern Africa, particularly from the range of South Africa to Malawi and the island of Madagascar. The most common tropical calla comes from the banks of the Nile River in Egypt it is called calla lily, Ethiopian lily, or common calla.
For this painting, I chose to use yellow as the predominant hue in the painting. Yellow is the most luminous of all the colors of the spectrum. It’s the color that captures our attention more than any other color. It’s the color of happiness, and optimism, of enlightenment and creativity, sunshine and spring.
I also made a short little 60-second video showing various stages of creating this painting. I hope that you will enjoy it!
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Second Avenue and University Street, downtown Seattle.
March 24, 2015. 5 pm Pacific. Day 17 of 30, Quarter 1, "The Four Seasons" 2015.
4"x4", Oil on Canvas.
A new view of an iconic image. →
I am on foot scouting the scene for today's daily painting. My treks take me through the Pike Place Market and First Avenue. I settle on this scene. There is one particular reason why. The clue is in this painting. Look around the center of this painting. What do you see?
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Tools of my trade.
100 Days 100 Paintings →
On September 1, 2014, I embarked on a journey of 100 days of painting. The goal was to make one oil painting a day for 100 days. I considered this task to be an easy one. My canvases were 4”x4”. How difficult could it be to paint a canvas of these dimensions in one sitting? I was soon to find out, it was a little more challenging than I had imagined.
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