Chelsea Market - Los Tacos #1 & Pearl River Mart

The NYC Urban Sketchers recently met at Chelsea Market in the Meatpacking District in lower Manhattan. It is a fun location with lots of food vendora and a few unique shops inside what was once the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) factory where the Oreo cookie was invented. My friend, Susan and I arrived rather early (10:00) before the crowds of shoppers appeared. I wanted to sketch Los Tacos #1, an interesting taco stand, and I knew from previous visits that once it opened the lines are very long and they would block any view. I was able to sketch and paint about 95% of this before the long line formed in front of me. I kept peeking through the people to add the final details.

 

Next I headed downstairs to the Pearl River Mart which sells all kinds of Korean packaged foods and had stands where fresh food was being prepared too. I sat at a table outside looking into the market. A couple from Paris joined me sketching. They had seen our post on Facebook telling where we would be sketching. It is alwas fun to meet tourists who come to NYC and join us. After my sketch was finished I did go inside and ordered some dumplings for lunch. They were delicious.

I joined many of our sketchers upstairs after lunch where we sketched and socialized until it was time for show-and-tell with Roan as our host. I decided to start the One Week 100 People Challenge while I had so many willing subjects in one place. I will post that page of sketches with the rest of my 100 people tomorrow.

Office Supplies

 Our theme for the Patchogue Sketch Club recently was office supplies. For me these things are more like art supplies, but I guess that they fit either.

Islip Lake with Snow

The snow had collected over by the small lake in Islip. I like this spot that has the lake in the background and a small creek in front...sometimes even a small waterfall. The snow added some nice character to the landscapes.

A Rose is a Rose

 I had saved one rose from my Valentine's Day bouquet that Jerry gave me. The flower was already dried out and papery with a sort of dusty pink color. I did this in watercolors and a touch of Neocolors.

Portraits from Drawing Is Free

I took part in the portrait sketching with drawingisfree_org again, using Neocolors and some ink to do the quick poses. It is fun to do, but I wish it took place a little earlier. It starts at 12 noon on Mondays here in NY, and lasts for an hour. I'm usually out the door by then, so Mondays have become a slow start day.

Uncle Giuseppi's

 Around Thanksgiving we had a new market open in Holbrook. Uncle Giuseppi's Market is an upscale Italian shopping experience. They have pretty much anything Italian I can think of. There is a fresh seafood counter, a butcher, fresh pasta and sauce, a huge deli, a gelato stand, coffee & expresso, a pizza stand, fresh soups, etc. The last time I had been there I decided it might make a good location for an indoor sketch day. There is a seating area at the front of the store with tables and a microwave if you need one. I headed there, grabbed a decaf coffee, and sat at a table looking at the checkout aisles. Of course there was something to separate the checkout from the seating area, but I ignored the plants and the lovely Italian ceramic bowls and plates for sale on the shelves. It turned out to be a good spot for sketching and I was able to catch some shoppers, the cashier in front of me, and the backdrop of areas of the store. I showed the sketch to the cashier and she was thrilled that I sketched her. She called over another woman who had been sneaking looks at the sketch while I was doing it. They had me show it to the store manager who was impressed. 

Snow and Tree Sketch

The trees down by Sayville Beach are a bit crooked due to years of the weather events down there as well as the normal wind. I like how they are misshapened.