Sitting under the Cherry Trees, University of Washington, Quad. Sketch. April 2021.

Since early March of this year, I have been making regular round trip 10+ mile bicycle rides to the University of Washington Quadrangle to experience the blooming of the cherry blossoms. I relish the opportunity to get some fresh air, a bit of cardio exercise, and build in a little adventure while at it. I am keeping a journal of drawings from my adventures to the cherry blossoms with the intention of turning some of these drawings into medium size paintings at some point later this year.

When I first began my journeys, the trees were quite bare, only showing dark maroon buds. Every week, the maroon buds transitioned into pink and green and then into fully opened white blossoms. Last week, most of the blossoms turning into a darker pink, and falling to the ground.

Always there is a lot of picture taking. A lot.

The season of the cherry blossoms is brief, lasting about four weeks. But they are magical days. Whatever is the secret or magical power of these trees to lull so many people to frolic in their presence, I don't know. But there is something magnetic about the trees, and probably about the Quad too.

Sketching at the University of Washington during Cherry Blossom season.

Raitt Hall, University of Washington Quad. Drawing. 2021.

The quadrangle, also known locally as "the Quad" is a rectangular shape of lawn that is ringed with Yoshino cherry trees that are approximately 80 years of age. Interestingly, the trees, originally purchased in 1939, were planted in nearby Washington Park Arboretum.

When construction of the Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge, also known as the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, or simply "520," cut right through the water arboretum on the shores of Lake Washington near the university, the trees were then moved to the Quad in 1962. Just in time for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair!

Arboretum, Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (520.) Photo, taken from the bicycle route over 520 from Montlake Bridge over Lake Washington to Bellevue. September 2020.

Since the trees were planted, the Quad draws thousands of visitors from all over the region. Students can be found on the lawn, studying. Others will picnic, spend family time.

Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Seattle, 1909. The collection of buildings that lined the great lawn for the Exposition of 1909 are long gone, yet, the footprint left by the Olmsted Brothers is a significant contribution to the beauty of the campus.

Not too far from the Quad is "Rainier Vista." This section of lawn on the university campus has a breathtaking view of Mount Rainier on a clear day. Also, this partition of land was many years ago the site of another world fair, the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition held in Seattle in 1909. The grand lawn was adored with spectacular architecture which no longer exists.

The site was designed by the famed Olmsted Brothers, John Charles and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. from Brookline, Massachusetts, who were hired to design the fairgrounds. Frederick Sr. designed Central Park in New York City.

Rainier Vista, University of Washington. Mount Rainier in the distance.

The Olmsteds have a prolific association with the city of Seattle, having designed approximately 80 public parks that are spread out through the city. Seattle is very fortunate to have these parks, intended to preserve land that was quickly being developed at the turn of the century and designed for future generations to enjoy and to find respite. I wrote a blog post titled "A Sense of Place" that gives a bit more history about the Olmsted influence in Seattle.

When I was riding my bike from the grand lawn Rainier Vista to the Quad, I stopped in amazement when I looked ahead and all of a sudden got a hit of Windsor Castle. View from Rainier Vista looking north.

The University of Washington, founded in 1861, then called "The Territorial University of Washington" 28 years before Washington became a state of the union in 1889 is the largest university in Washington State (46,000.) It is also the oldest.

The architecture of the buildings that make up the core of the campus is known as "Collegiate Gothic" were designed in the early 1920s by Carl Gould, also the founder and first chair of the architecture program at the University of Washington. Design committee members charged with developing the campus in those early days explained why they chose this throwback architectural style to the Middle Ages. "Because our campus is gray, we adopted a style of architecture which provided a maximum of light," the report stated. "Because our climate is suggestively cool, we have broken the effect through the use of warm colors...Starting with a well-lighted factory box, we finally evolved into a local perpendicular Gothic in rich, warm tones--browns and blues, with a rose tinge, for the walls and flat blue-greens for the roof."

Experimenting. Working with stencil. Holding the cutout to the light.

This spring, I had several moments where I experienced the campus in novel ways. For one, the Quad lined with its impressive stone buildings of great distinction feels very intimate. Maybe it is the 80-year old cherry trees that anchors the august setting in a human scale. Another sensation is how important our open spaces are, how nature plays a role in our well-being. The cherry blossoms are a symbol of renewal. The combination of the timeless architecture and the generations old cherry trees at the University of Washington Quadrangle offers a much sought after respite from the through-the-looking-glass present day world.

Mary Lamery is a lifelong resident of Seattle, Washington, USA and native of the Pacific Northwest.

Lamery paints regional landscape in a manner that leans towards 19th century French Impressionism. Her landscapes invite the viewer to add to the backstory of the composition through personal identification with the paintings and story telling of the experience.

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