Hells Gate Bridge

The great thing about sketching in Astoria Park is that you have a choice of bridges to sketch. Yesterday I posted my painting of the Triborough Bridge. Today you can see my version of Hells Gate Bridge. It was completed in 1916 and spans a stretch of the East River known as Hell Gate. Today the bridge is owned by and used primarily by Amtrak.

In the early 1990's the bridge was recoated for the first time in over 80 years. The color selected for the was know as Hell Gate Red and the coating system required 4 coats... one of the red color, 2 of epoxy and a clear topcoat to preserve the red color of the bridge. Unfortunately the bridge began to change color even before the repainting was finished. Each time they tried, the new paint faded again. You can see sections of the red paint as it looks today...with many areas not covered. I think that is part of its charm to tell you the truth. lol

 

Triborough Bridge

On Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers met at Astoria Park which is located right next to the Triborough Bridge (aka the Robert Kennedy Bridge). The bridge connects the boroughs of Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx. The Park itself is in Astoria which is in Queens. There are views of two bridges from there and the park includes a track, tennis courts, a skateboard area, a playground, and a huge pool with a triple-height diving platform. Unfortunately the pool is closed for repairs this summer and will reopen next summer. A fun fact is that on Astoria Pool's opening day (July 4, 1936) it was used for the final round of the Olympic swim tryouts. A fountain at the end of the pool served as the Olympic Torch in 1936 and 1964. 

Here is a sketch I did of the Triborough Bridge on a previous visit.

Astoria Park - Part 2

 After my first sketch in Astoria Park I slowly walked up to where we were meeting for lunch. That is a special time because in the morning most of the sketchers are scattered all over and usually you don't know all the members that are actually there. But most of them do show up for lunch! It was great to see everyone and catch up with them.

After lunch I returned to the same location as before but I turned toward the opposite direction. This is the view looking through underneath the Triborough Bridge. Of course NYC isn't NYC without a touch of graffiti, so I included that where it was on the wall.

I always love to sketch other sketchers at work. Mark was seated nearby and was sketching the same view of Hell's Gate Bridge that I posted yesterday.

Someone snapped a photo of me sketching Mark.

At 3:00 we met up again for "show & tell." There were about 20 of us there on Saturday and it is always fun to see the variety of sketches from the same location. Lewis always takes photos of each member with at least one of their sketches.

The day was a lot of fun, but I was exhausted. My sketching stamina isn't what it once was because I'm out of practice sketching all day. My hip felt OK on Saturday, but I knew I had overdone the walking at the park. (Walking to the ladies room was farther than I remembered.) On Sunday I could feel that I had done too much...but I think it was worth it.

Astoria Park - Part I

 On Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers were meeting in person at Astoria Park in Astoria, Queens. With all that had happened with Jerry and then the restrictions from Covid 19 I haven't been able to join the sketchers in person since some time in December of 2019. This was an opportunity that I really wanted to take advantage of because it is a location that we can drive to easily and there is parking. Also it would be a somewhat shorter day of sketching and I could leave Jerry for part of the day. I texted my friend, Suzala to see if she was going and she volunteered to drive if I came to her house. My only hesitancy was the amount of walking it might involve. I had been there before to sketch and knew what the park was like.

It was so great to see the other sketchers! There were probably about 20 of us that showed up and for quite a few of us this was our first meeting since Covid. We've seen each other at Zoom events but not in person. My feeling is that there is a possibility that if the Covid cases start rising again we may be restricted again, so I definitely wanted to do this now while we could. Several of us picked a spot that was along the East River which has views of two bridges, the Triborough Bridge (which I didn't sketch this time) and Hell's Gate Bridge which is below.

We took a break for lunch and some catching up...but I had to walk back up the hill to our meeting location which was worth the hike.

Astoria Park - Part 3

Urban sketching definitely has its challenges. I had seen two NYC fire engines parked along the river while I was doing the previous sketch. I've been wanting to paint a firetruck for a while but they are usually in the firehouse or racing past. These were sitting still and there were firemen hanging out around them. Of course I sketched out the truck in pencil and started to add a little color when I noticed there were no firemen sitting there any longer. Oh, no!!! You guessed it. They were leaving! I didn't have my phone out and by the time I got it ready for a photo reference they were gone. That is one of the things about urban sketching that makes me crazy...along with a big truck coming and parking between me and my subject. I think I got enough to make it look like a realistic firetruck, unless you are an actual fireman. lol

Astoria Park - Part 2

One of the bridges visible from Astoria Park is Hells Gate Bridge. It is owned by Amtrak and the train tracks go across from Queens to the Bronx. I love the unusual color pink on parts of the bridge.

Here is my painting done in the same location back in 2013.

Astoria Park - Part i

The destination for the NYC Urban Sketchers this past weekend was Astoria Park. We've sketched there a few times before. At this park there are views of two bridges, lots of fun activities, and great water views. On Sunday it was the end of Ramadan and there was some sort of service in the park in the morning, so there were a lot of Muslim families enjoying the day. Rather than sketch the whole RFK Bridge (formerly the Triborough Bridge) I did a small section looking under it with a Muslim woman who was watching her kids playing on the grass nearby.

Just in case you're curious, here is a sketch I did in Oct 2013 almost in the same spot.

And another sketch done of the entire bridge last year.

Hells Gate Bridge

While we were in Astoria Park we had an excellent view of Hells Gate Bridge, which is used mostly for Amtrak train travel only...no car traffic at all. Notice the red sections of the bridge. It had been repainted in the early 1990's for the first time in 80 years. The color selected was known as "Hell Gate Red." Unfortunately before the repainting was completed the paint began to fade an change color. It has been this way ever since.
I did two sketches of this bridge, one while I was in the shade and very cold.

And another with several of the other sketchers while we were sitting on the lawn in the sunshine (much more comfortable and pleasant).

I also did sketches of two of the sketchers at work. They are sisters and were visiting from other countries.

Patricia lives in Malaga, Spain and sketches with the the Malaga Urban Sketchers.

Maria lives in Paris and sketches with the Urban Sketchers there. It is really nice to have visitors from other places. This week we also had someone from Canada and Australia.

Triborough Bridge

Yesterday the NY Urban Sketchers met at Astoria Park in Queens. It is right by the Triborough Bridge (aka the Robert Kennedy Bridge) and it connects Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. The views of the bridge from the park are great. Yesterday started off rather chilly, so I was glad I brought along a long-sleeved shirt and my fleece hoodie. I needed them.

Astoria Park Views

The NYC Urban Sketchers met at Astoria Park today. We had a good turnout with 9 of us sketching for most of the day. The park is in Astoria which is in the borough of Queens. 

Our first sketching location was right at the entrance to the park, just along the RFK Bridge, formerly called the Triborough Bridge. 

Here are Susan, Ben, and Mark hard at work.

I sketched the bridge from below.

This is about 4 x 7.

I also sketched Mark working at his easel.

Next we moved closer into the park. Susan and Gene were busy talking 

with a wonderful view behind them..

I painted a view of the RFK Bridge.

We also had a good view of Hells Gate Bridge...and yes, it actually was

pink and fuchsia.

Here is a photo of the view with my sketch in front of it.

We took a break for lunch at a wonderful Greek restaurant in the neighborhood called 

Agnani located at 19-06 Ditmars Blvd. We talked, shared our sketches, and swapped some sketching information about materials. Then a few of us went back to the park to sketch.

I did this small one which is about 4 x 6.