City Trip

Last Sunday I made a solo trip into the city. The American Watercolor Society Show was going on at the Salmagundi Club, and it is one of my favorite exhibits. Since I was going in by train I did a sketch on the LIRR going in. This lady had such bright red hair (dyed).

I went in to the city on the 8:20 train which arrived in Penn Station around 9:40. The exhibit didn't open until 1:00, but I had a plan to sketch before it opened. I took the subway down to 14th Street and walked over to Union Square. There was a beautiful cherry tree in bloom right by one of the subway entrances in the park, so I sat myself down on a bench and started painting.

Then I meandered around Union Square for a little while. There are always vendors selling something, and they were also having some Earth Day events and exhibits. I sat at a table and sketched looking uptown. I included some of the people conversing, some vendors, and a bit of the exhibit booths from the Earth Day celebration. I lasted there until about 2:00 and had just packed up my materials when it started to rain lightly. I ducked into Whole Foods and grabbed a snack (fruit) and waited for the rain to stop.

The AWS show was great! There is always some amazing work...and a few pieces that make me shake my head. I really enjoy seeing paintings by people I know from workshops I've taken, or from following them online. I was a nice ending to my day in the city. By the time I got home it was around 6:30...definitely a full day.

Union Square

Last Sunday I met my sister, Michelle, in the city to go see the American Watercolor Society Show. She came from NJ and I came from Long Island and met at 14th Street. We had time to walk up to Union Square and sketch for a while...and the temperature was perfect...a great spring day!

First I sketched the fountain.

I sketch faster than my sister, so I did a quick direct in ink sketch while she finished up.

Then it was off to lunch and then the watercolor show, which was wonderful! Michelle doesn't have my stamina for sketching so after the show she left to take her trains back home. For those of you who haven't gone sketching outdoors you tend to bring along a lot of stuff...a chair, your materials, an extra layer of clothes, maybe a hat and gloves. It does tend to wear you down when you are lugging all of it around all day. lol

After Michelle (Mickey) left I went back up to Union Square to do another sketch of some of the surrounding buildings.

Since I was in the city and it was only about 4 pm I decided to take the subway up to visit a friend who was in the hospital recovering from surgery. I called her to check that she was up to having company and hopped on the new Q line that stops at Union Square. It should have been a quick ride up to 72 St and 2nd Ave...but things didn't work out that way. The train stopped at 57th St and we were told it was turning around and going back to Brooklyn. The next two trains did the same thing. So I decided to walk from 57th St and 7th Ave to the hospital on 68th St and York Ave which is about 1.75 miles. It was warm and I was walking quickly. Poor Louise thought I wasn't coming since I arrived nearly 1 1/2 hrs after I called her. lol It was good to spend time with her since she had been in there for several days and was bored. I did take her for a walk around the hallways, which was something she needed to do. No sketches of that part. lol

Happy Thanksgiving and City Views Part I

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. There are many things I am thankful for in my life.  To those of you who visit here, leave comments, and offer encouragement I want to say that I am very thankful for your friendship.  It means a lot!

I was planning on meeting the NYC Urban Sketchers last Saturday, but they weren't meeting until 11. If I go into the city I try to get in early so that I have a full day, especially since it takes so long from out here. I was in the city by 9:15 and went to Union Square first. They have a Saturday market there that has wonderful stalls, like this one with all the colorful veggies.

Next I headed further downtown to the area around where the World Trade Center had been. The sketchers were meeting at St. Paul's Chapel with was right in the shadow of the falling towers but somehow survived. I couldn't fit the whole chapel in the sketch but managed to focus a bit on the top.

Union Square Area Sketches

Last Sunday the NYC Urban Sketchers met at the Union Square Holiday Market to sketch. Our area has been having unseasonably warm weather but Sunday was cold! I made sure to dress warmly with several layers under my down jacket. I was quite comfortable when I found this spot to sit and sketch. I liked all the activity going on in front of me and all the colors and patterns of the fabrics. Several of us perched ourselves on a raised platform which was a great way not to be trampled by the crowds of shoppers.

Next I faced into the market at one of the entrances. Right before I was finished the sun had moved and I was sitting in the shadow of the buildings. My fingertips were freezing and I could feel the cold between my shoulders. Luckily lunch indoors came next.

After lunch the plan was to sketch the Strand Bookstore from outside. But when we got to the opposite corner we found there was a Pret a Manger with tables near the window that had nearly the same view. Why sit outside when I could be sketching in comfort with a cappuccino in front of me? From the table that Pat and I picked we had a good view of the street, the bookstore, and Mark sketching as well as another couple by the window. 

Around 3 o'clock we gathered at the Reservoir Bar a few blocks away to share our sketches. The Steelers football game was on full blast and the place was very noisy...so we all sketched for a while while we had a drink... conversing wasn't easy. Then we shared our work.

I sketched the guy at the next table and then a table of Steeler's fans.

Union Square Market and Hoboken Train Station

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http://themagicfeatherbyjoant.blogspot.com

On Saturday my sister and I went into Manhattan to see the American Watercolor Society Show, which was great! We took along our sketching materials so we could paint at Union Square Park which has a market on Saturdays. This is one of the flower stalls.

On the way home we had to take the train from Hoboken to her house. We had a bit of time so I sketched the ticket counter there.