Great Blue Heron, by Reinke

 

John Reinke / Redmond Neighborhood Blog 

"Great Blue Heron with fish." By John Reinke

Painting or Photo?  John Reinke's heron is foraging under the Leary Way Bridge in Redmond.  Great Blue Herons are celebrated as Redmond's "Species of Local Importance". They forage in the riparian habitat of Redmond's streams, wetlands and the Sammamish River. Redmond heron raise their young in the Cottonwood rookeries of Marymoor Park and Issaquah.

Photo by John Reinke, Redmond photographer
Source:  Cathy Beam, Principal Environmental Planner, City of Redmond.

Downtown Station Light Rail Mural

Light Rail Line 2 Downtown Station Art Mural / photo Yoder

This 8'x4' piece sits on a pedestal directly north of the light rail bicycle/pedestrian trail.  It visually screens some buildings.   

Downtown Station Light Rail Art

Downtown Station Light Rail Bicycle Mural Art

Julie Paschkis, J.PA, SCH

Glass mosaic / 2024

"Redmond is a good place for bicyclists.  It is sometimes called the Bicycle Capital of the Northwest.  On Derby Days there are bicycle races at the Velodrome."  

Julie Paschkis, J.PA, SCH

Glass mosaic / 2024

"During the days riders pedal along trails, meander through lanes, and commute on the streets of Redmond.  At night the bicycle constellation shines down on them." 

-- Sound Transit art mural installation, 166th Avenue NE / photos Yoder, 5/31/25

Senior Center Art And Activities

Alice Groaski

Flowing,2023

Watercolor on paper, Japanese  

woodblock print  26x20

$250 206-612-3260

Monthly Senior ENCORE Newsletter. - a must read - online or in print.  

Register for Senior Center Activities and Special Events HERE  ("Winter Whimsey" tickets are going fast.) 

Community Centers 

The Front Desk will help you sign up for activities. 

OR contact Karen Phillips, 425-556-2388, kphillips@redmond.gov for assistance OR email guestservices@redmond.gov.

- Yoder

  1/3/2025

Mayor Birney's 2024 Redmond LIGHTS

  " YOUR PLACE IN THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE" 

Artist:  Karl Whiteside

(click picture to enlarge) 

Senior Center Art

 

Kae Bae, Chromatic Equilibrium 2016
Acrylic and Oil, 19x24, $300

SUSPENDED IN MOTION, Autumn Fall In Redmond, John Reinke

Credit/John Reinke 

On my way to the 90th Street Runoff Pond this afternoon, I spotted a small autumn leaf suspended in midair.  It was dangling from a single spider strand.  In the background behind it you will see the Sammamish River Trail.  The river itself is flowing behind the wall of foliage alongside the trail.  Who knows, salmon may be migrating upstream as I took this picture.

-- John Reinke, Redmond photojournalist  

   10/13/2024

Redmond Natural Art

 

90th Street Run-off pond near the Sammamish River. 

Photo by John Reinke 

Redmond Senior & Community Center Hallway Art

 

Sudha Mishra 

Rocks Under Water 

acrylic 2024

$1775

"Erratic" and "Sky Painting" Art - Have You Seen It?

The Erratic outdoor artwork is located on Leary Avenue just south of the Matador.  When looking east you'll see it during the day.   Is it safe at night to walk through the Erratic to activate the colored lights? Have you ever seen the colored lights?  The City of Redmond says:  

"Five thousand years ago Redmond, Washington, was buried under 3,000 feet of ice. Today we rarely if ever, see large boulders—glacial erratics—that were left in the wake of the retreating ice.  On the new Redmond Central Connector park, the city built their own erratic in the form of historical art.  

When the BNSF Railroad left Redmond, it left behind miles of rails, mounting plates, and spikes.  3,000 steel plates were salvaged from the BNSF Railroad that once crossed the site; these form the cladding for the Erratic‘s skin. Motion detectors inside the glass fronts activate colored LED lights, delighting passersby with an interactive experience."  

The Erratic was created by artist John Fleming,  It was commissioned in 2013 for the Redmond Central Connector in celebration of Redmond’s Centennial.  Mr. Flemming also painted SKY PAINTING on a large downtown parking lot (you got to see it to believe it.) He installed railroad "Signals" art in the downtown Linear Park.  

Seven years after the Erratic was installed (2013) it had to be moved because Sound Transit's new downtown Light rail station needed the site.  Sound Transit paid a fixed amount and the city picked up the remainder totaling ~ $1,000,000.    Watch this 2-minute construction video and you'll see why the relocation was so expensive. 

Posted by Bob Yoder, 8/31/2024

Find an archive of Erratic articles and opinions here, including a "Letter To The Editor." 

Critical Area Ordinance, Public Hearing

 Great Blue Heron 
"Species of Local Importance"  
Sammamish River, Redmond, WA.   

Hello Planning Commissioners:

"I only caught part of your meeting last night, but it sounds like the State is requiring updates to the Critical Area Ordinance? 

As a college educated biologist -- similar to Mayor Angela Birney -- Critical Areas are important to me.   In the Ives Administration, I made "Species of Local Importance" and "Habitat of Local Importance" comments to the Planning Commission chaired by Mr. Snodgrass.  After much discussion, the commission decided on the Great Blue Heron (GBH) and Riparian habitat, in which it lives.   

Construction Art

"Construction Art installation" on Cleveland Street / B. Yoder

Puzzle:  What's inside?  😄

3/22/2024

Redmond Lights Holiday Haiku - Michael Dylan Welch

By Michael Dylan Welch:  Holiday Haiku features 30 haiku and senryu poems celebrating both the warmth and the cold of the holiday and winter season. These poems offer reminders of common experiences you may have had in December or later during the winter. Take a moment to dwell in each poem and feel the personal moment presented in the poem, responding with a smile or a nod of understanding.  

Michael Dylan Welch was Redmond's Poet Laureate for two years.   

Learn about Redmond Lights art.  https://www.redmond.gov/1320/Learn-about-Redmond-Lights-Art

Source:  redmond.gov

Spectacular "Spectra at Marymoor" Apartments

OneRedmond, Redmond's Chamber of Commerce (and more,) recently organized a tour of  "Spectra at Marymoor" -- spectacular, innovative 450 apartment homes with amenities galore.  Spectra is only a short walk to Marymoor Park and light rail.  V.P. Brad Machat of Quarterra was our fantastic tour guide.  He shared the scissors with Mayor Birney at the ribbon cutting ceremony.  A few tour stops:  

click photo to enlarge

Phenix Salon Suites will open early 2024. Very exciting!  Much more news will come about this exciting business and two others.  Note the metallic balcony art!  

click photo to enlarge

This colorful building art was hand painted. Note the ring of evergreens!  The East Lake Sammamish Trail runs right by.  Popular community garden "pea patches" are on a wait list!  

click photo to enlarge

Spacious outdoor lounge, with full kitchen, outdoor chess, diverse art 

and roof greenery delivers tons of natural light. 

click photo to enlarge

Here's Mayor Birney relaxing by the novel green roof.

Garage art adds to the eclecticism of Spectra,

 the myriad of chairs and indoor art.  

Photos and post by Bob Yoder, 10/12/2023

Tendril Pat Receives Humanities Washington Award.

Tendril Pat

"Tonight I received the 2023 Humanities Washington Award, the Highest Award in Washington state for Public Humanities . This award recognizes my contributions over the years to Living traditional Arts and folk life in the state of Washington.

It also recognizes my role in the formation and growth of the Center For Washington's Cultural Traditions/ CWCT ! I am immensely honored and deeply gratified to receive this award ! My eternal gratitude goes to Humanities Washington for conferring the Highest Humanities award in the State on me."

Tendril Pat

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Mayor Birney's Story: "Bike Days in Redmond"

This story is a little dated but it's interesting and fun.  The pixilated pedestrian 

and bike bridge is shown with the Mayor highlighting it's art. Cool....

Downtown Park Art

 

Rainbow asphalt art by Jing Jing Wang

This art is a crosswalk too.  

Redmond Rainbow Crosswalk

Beautiful art!  But don't stare down at it when you're in the crosswalk.  
Drivers may get distracted and not recognize it's a crosswalk. 

The Public Works Director was there.  He said they bought a thermo-applicator machine to paint this crosswalk and will use it for painting other asphalt art.  NAMI Eastside mental health art near the Together Center would be another good candidate!  Don't you think? 

Eastside LBGTQIA artists"

- photo and comment by Yoder, 9/2/2023

Redmond Town Center's Heron Art

click pictures to enlarge

 

It's all a matter of perspective and taste. By night Fairbourne's RTC art installation draws you towards an amenity of the Center; its proximity to Bear Creek.  But in daylight, what's it trying to convey?  

(After dinner, our waitress at BJ's took our picture!) 

Nature Beckons With a Double Rainbow and Hail Shower

 

This double rainbow photograph was taken by a friend on Sunday at Cottage Lake and confirmed by my next door neighbor.  On the same day we experienced ~ 20 minute hail shower.  It came out of the blue!

Photographs by Jonathan Morrison, 3/30/2023 

Past Water Tender Volunteer