Last Saturday I met up with the NYC Urban Sketchers for the day. Uptown around 111 St and Amsterdam Ave is the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine. It is part of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Construction was started in 1854 but parts of the Cathedral seem to always be under construction. It spans several blocks and is beautiful inside and out.
One of the best things about painting or sketching in the Cathedral is the atmosphere. In addition to the beautiful columns, altars, and stained glass, on weekends there is are choirs who perform almost all day long. Most of the performances are done by choirs visiting from outside NYC, and they sing with such angelic voices.
I did one sketch looking toward the main altar while a group was performing. This was done across a double spread in a moleskein journal.
For this sketch I sat behind the altar facing the stained glass over the front door of the Cathedral. This choir was in gowns and tuxes. You will notice some splashes of ink on the bottom of the sketch. I went to put the cap on my brush pen and for some reason ink splattered all over the page and all over my sweater. I'm very thankful that the ink was water-soluble and actually came out of the sweater.
We sketched until about 2:00 and then left to go to our afternoon sketching location.
Wow, Joan, spectacular! Difficult subject, but you simplified in a great way and captured the look of such a large place.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jo! It is an interesting place to sketch.
DeleteI love both sketches Joan...I'm amazed how small the people look against the size of the Cathedral... Well done!!! I'm glad you were able to remove the ink from your sweater! A big plus for the ink....
ReplyDeleteHilda, thanks for your comment. Yes, the people look so small compared to the Cathedral.
DeleteA fabulous place to do some painting - thank you so much for sharing this lovely location. I am sure the singing helped make the work go so well. I was talking to a friend yesterday about your dedication to going out daily to sketch. We both applaud you but wonder how you manage it and your home too. Supergirl!
ReplyDeleteVal, thanks. The sketching always wins. lol
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