The Met - Part 2

I didn't take a break for lunch. Instead I found another sculpture to sketch...bears this time. Again I used the colored pencils. Sorry but I didn't get the info about this sculpture. One of the fun things about the American Wing at the Met is seeing out into the park. It makes a great backdrop with that and the cafe.

Shawne Cooper was hosting our event at the Met. Those who were willing to participate moved over to the Greek & Roman sculptures where Shawne had us form into groups of three for an "Exquisite Corpse" game. We were given papers folded into 3. One person on each team did the head and shoulders from a sculpture in the room. Then we swapped with someone on our team and we each did a torso from one of the figures. Lastly we each did a sketch below the waist...being a bit naughty if we wished. It was fun to see all the different combinations that were made. Here is one from our team.

I had a little time before show-and-tell so I headed into another gallery.

 

The Met - Part 1

 The NYC Urban Sketchers met at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Recently. Through the winter we have visited and will continue to visit the Met regularly. For each visit we attempt to sketch in a specific gallery. This particular visit our destination was the The American Wing. It is a great spot with lovely sculptures, a wide open area, a cafe, and views to the outside and Central Park.

Prior to the visit I purchased a set of Prismacolor Premium colored pencils. On their website the museum specifies that only dry materials should be used. Over the years I have used pen and watercolor, but it seems using other materials is often determined by the guards in that particular gallery. Some allow other materials, but I have been told by some guards not to use them. One friend had her paints confiscated. So I decided a nice set of colored pencils would be good to have.

I began the day with a sketch of the sculpture, "Artigon Pouring a Libation Over the Corpse of Her Brother Polyncos" by William Henry Rinehard. In the backgound is my friend, Sonia sketching the statue from the other side. Looking around the gallery there must have been at least 20 of us sketching the statues and Tiffany glass.

Sketches from the Met

 I have wanted to sketch the Christmas tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a long time. The area is dimly lit which makes it difficult to see clearly, and the crowd is sometimes a bit much. I tucked myself and my stool into a spot against a wall so people wouldn't bump into me. I worked quickly with my watercolors and ink (even though the watercolors aren't actually allowed...just dry meaterials).

I had a little time before the NYC Urban Sketchers were having their show-and-tell so I returned to the Greek collection where I found this view.

Plastered Pac-ages

This past Sunday was Arts on Terry. Each year the Patchogue Sketch Club does a group project. This year we made enlarged sculptures of objects created from cardboard and wrapped in gauze dipped in plaster of Paris. I made a Tic Toc box that is 25 inches tall and about 12 inches wide. It is decorated on all four sides. Here it is from the front.

And her's a view from the back.

Here is how our table looked with all our creations.

Rosanne made a pancake box.

Mark made a tube of toothpaste.

Theresa made a box of toothpaste.

Pat made a box of pasta...

and a jar of red pepper flakes.

Marianne made a can of Italian tomatoes.

Janet made a can of tuna and Charlie Tuna to go with it.

In addition there was a can of hairspray, a jar of jam, and a large teabag. 

The sculptures were a big hit. Lots of people took photos of them!

Sketching at the Met

 Recently the NYC Urban Sketchers met at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I used tan toned paper and dry watercolor pencils to sketch "Air" by Jean Pierre DeFrance in the European sculpture gallery.

In the afternoon I went the American Wing. I love that you can see the sculptures and look behind them to the outside. Again I used dry watercolor pencils to sketch. Only dry media is supposed to be used in the museum, especially the areas with the sculptures.

Sketching Art on Park Avenue

 Last week the NYC Urban Sketchers combined sketching with observing installed art. New York based artist Carole Feuerman has 9 sculptures displayed along Park Avenue between East 39th and 34th Streets. They are located on the median in the center of the Avenue. The sculptures are hyper realistic and she describes them as "Sea Idylls." Each of them is life-sized or larger, some full bodies and some just part of a person. The statue at East 37 Street is called "Justice" and shows a woman in a bathing suit sitting on top of a chrome sphere that reflects the viewer as well as the street and world around it. I found them wonderful and I regret that I didn't have time to sketch all nine of them.

Below is "Brooke with Beach Ball."

My next sketch was of "Justice" which I referred to above. If you look you can see the tiny selfie I included at the bottom of the sphere.

Below is one of my favorites. Unlike the other sculptures this one is not wearing a bathing suit. 

This is "New York City Slicker." In addition to loving the sculpture, I thought the title was great!

I had only finished 3 of the sculptures before our "show and tell" but wanted to do another one so I stayed after we shared our work and finished another one before heading back to Grand Central Station and the train home.

This is "Survival of Serena."

Metropolitan Museum of Art

On Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers met at the Petrie Court of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This section of the museum has som beautiful sculptures and looks out to Central Park.

I didn't remember to write down the title of this sculpture but it caught my eye with the dark sculpture behind it and the windows looking out at the park.

Later in the afternoon I sketched "Perseus with the Head of Medusa." I loved that there was someone taking a photo so there was the contrast of the old with the new.

Inktober 2018 - Day 20 & Sketching at the Met

Today I went into the city to meet the NYC Urban Sketchers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I took the Long Island Railroad in so I had a good opportunity to do a few ink sketches for Day 20 of Inktober 2018.

#inktober, #inktober2018

Our plan today was to sketch in the American Wing at the Met which is a wide open, light-filled room with lots of sculptures. But most of it was closed due to a party that was being held there tonight. That section was roped off but you could still see across the room so I sketched a statue with some Tiffany glass windows behind it. The museum has a "dry media" policy, so I worked in watercolor pencils for my first sketch and then used my water brush. Nobody complained. The policy is very often not enforced but I have been there when a guard came over and told me I could only use dry media. I don't know what the title of the sculpture is since they wouldn't let us into the area that was roped off.

I started a second sketch before lunch and finished it after lunch. It was done by William Wetmore Story of Cleopatra. I did this one in graphite pencil. Right after I finished it they announced that all visitors had to leave the American Wing so that they could set up for the function that was taking place there.

We headed from there to a section of the museum that has European sculptures. This time I focused on the view of the room, the people and the sculptures.